Breath of the Wild encourages nonlinear gameplay, which is illustrated by the game's lack of defined entrances or exits to areas, scant instruction given to the player, and encouragement to explore freely. Players are tasked with exploring the kingdom of Hyrule while controlling Link. For example, by jumping from a high elevation and deploying his paraglider, Link can travel quickly.īreath of the Wild is an open world action-adventure game. See also: Gameplay of The Legend of Zelda series Players are free to explore the world of Breath of the Wild using a variety of tools. A spin-off, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, was released in 2020 while a sequel, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, was released in 2023. Numerous developers cited Breath of the Wild as inspiration, and it is a popular point of comparison among open-world games. Journalists described it as a landmark in open-world design for its emphasis on experimentation, physics-based sandbox, and emergent gameplay.

It is the best-selling Zelda game and one of the best-selling video games of all time, with 30.69 million copies sold by 2022.īreath of the Wild is considered one of the greatest video games of all time. Critics praised its open-ended gameplay, open-world design, and attention to detail, though some criticized its technical performance. It received widespread acclaim and won numerous Game of the Year accolades. It was eventually released on March 3, 2017, as a launch game for the Switch and the final Nintendo game for the Wii U. Monolith Soft, known for their work on the open-world Xenoblade Chronicles series, assisted in designing landscapes and topography.īreath of the Wild was first planned for release in 2015 as a Wii U exclusive. The designers drew inspiration from Shadow of the Colossus (2005) and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011). Led by director Hidemaro Fujibayashi and producer Eiji Aonuma, Nintendo sought to rethink Zelda 's conventions and introduced elements such as detailed chemistry and physics engines. Breath of the Wild 's world is unstructured and encourages exploration and experimentation the story can be completed in a nonlinear fashion.ĭevelopment lasted five years, commencing immediately after the release of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword in 2011. Players explore the open world of Hyrule while they collect items and complete objectives such as puzzles or side quests. Set at the end of the Zelda timeline, the player controls an amnesiac Link as he sets out to save Princess Zelda and prevent Calamity Ganon from destroying the world. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a 2017 action-adventure game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch and Wii U.

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