GameTech: New Legend of Zelda is a game to leave you breathless

A new Legend of Zelda game breaths new life into the series, writes Ronan Jennings

WE needed a breath of fresh air, so Nintendo delivered Breath of the Wild. Legends rarely live in their own time, but this ‘Legend of Zelda’ game is a myth in the making.

Almost 20 years ago, Ocarina of Time redefined the Zelda series and captured the hearts of a generation. Since then, however, the series has remained rooted in antiquity, anchored to the past, ironically unable to escape its own legend. That is, until now.

Nintendo’s intention with Breath of the Wild was to drag Link kicking and screaming into modernity, using an open-world format for the first time in Zelda history. This could have been a disaster. With so many brilliant open-world games released in recent years, Breath of the Wild didn’t seem likely to compare well. This would be especially true if Zelda simply imitated what games like Assassin’s Creed or Skyrim had already mastered, populating large maps with checklists or by-the-numbers quests.

Thankfully, Nintendo knew exactly what they were doing. Breath of the Wild is an open-world game, but imbued with the spirit of the original 2D Zelda titles and games of an older era. It is a game designed ‘screen by screen’, the console equivalent of hand-crafted. This means instead of creating a huge open space and then populating it with collectibles and distractions to drag players from location to location, Nintendo instead created a lush, interconnected version of the design that made Zelda so famous in the first place. Every corner you explore reveals a ‘handmade’ location or challenge, something new and fresh, yet somehow perfectly in place with the rest of the world.

The freedom and choice we have come to expect from open-world games is present from the opening scene. In a moment reminiscent of Fallout 3, Link awakens in a cave and, one minute later, you walk him out to an open vista that stretches for miles, knowing you can take him anywhere. There is no plot or cutscene getting in the way. Unlike previous Zelda games, there is zero hand-holding. This is Hyrule by way of Dark Souls.

Link is a new man, too. Now, he controls like a proper video game hero. He can sprint, there’s a real jump button, he can rock-climb, paraglide, surf, sail, you name it. His actions are controlled by a stamina meter, though, so you need to manage his energy levels.

The combat, too, is given a modern facelift. Link can now use an endless amount of melee weapons, from skeleton arms to giant axes to futuristic laser swords, while bows and shields and boomerangs give you real freedom in how you approach conflicts. Practically every enemy drops a weapon that can be used.

Then there are the special abilities Link employs throughout his adventure. Early on, for example, you gain the ability to pause time for a few seconds, which can be used both in dungeons and in the field. Another example is Link’s ability to manipulate metal — he can move it like Magneto.

That’s not to mention the crafting and cooking you can do, plus all the cool unique gear like horses and armour that Link acquires over time.

Breath of the Wild has all the trappings of open-world fun, but it marries this with the brilliant design of Nintendo’s legacy. You are given the freedom to take Link wherever you want, equip him with cool gear and customise his approach, but the quests and challenges are dripping with Nintendo magic.

The same wonder and hand-crafted design that applied to Ocarina of Time and A Link to the Past is present here, but now it also has the brilliance of Skyrim or Fallout’s freedom. How Nintendo managed to strike this balance so perfectly is beyond us — and it is astonishing.

We had our doubts about Breath of the Wild. Zelda and Nintendo haven’t been truly relevant to modern gaming for many years. Yet in Breath of the Wild, Nintendo haven’t just created their best Zelda, but one of the finest games ever.

It is the perfect meeting point between the colourful, mysterious worlds of our gaming youth and the expanse and freedom of modern gaming. It has left us breathless — and we love it.