Developer : Nintendo
Release date : March 3, 2017
Synopsis :
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 consoles. The game is an installment of The Legend of Zelda series and is set at the end of its timeline. The player controls an amnesiac Link, who awakens from a hundred-year slumber, and attempts to regain his memories and prevent the destruction of Hyrule by Calamity Ganon.
Similar to the original 1986 Legend of Zelda, players are given little instruction and can explore the open world freely. Tasks include collecting various items and gear to aid in objectives such as puzzle-solving or side quests. The world features minimal structure and is designed to encourage exploration and experimentation, and the main story quest can be completed in a nonlinear fashion.
Development of Breath of the Wild took place over five years, following the responses from some fans who wanted a larger game world to explore. Wanting to rethink the conventions of the series, Nintendo introduced elements such as detailed chemistry and physics engines. Monolith Soft, known for their work on the open world Xenoblade Chronicles series, assisted in designing landscapes and topography. The game was originally planned for release in 2015 as a Wii U exclusive but was delayed twice. Released on March 3, 2017, Breath of the Wild was a launch game for the Nintendo Switch and the final Nintendo-published game for the Wii U. Two waves of downloadable content were released in 2017 via an expansion pass.
Breath of the Wild received universal acclaim for its open-ended gameplay and attention to detail. Critics called it a landmark in open world game design, although it received minor criticism for its technical performance at launch. It won several game of the year awards and has since been cited as one of the greatest video games of all time. Breath of the Wild is also the top selling game in the series and one of the best-selling video games of all time, selling over 28 million copies by 2022. A spin-off, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, was released in 2020. A sequel, Tears of the Kingdom, is set for release in 2023.
Breath of the Wild takes place at the end of the Zelda timeline in the kingdom of Hyrule. In ancient times, the ancient Sheikah race had developed Hyrule into an advanced civilization, protected by four enormous animalistic machines called the Divine Beasts and an army of autonomous weapons called Guardians. When an ancient evil known as Calamity Ganon appeared and threatened Hyrule, four great warriors were given the title of Champion, and each piloted one of the Divine Beasts to weaken Ganon while the princess with the blood of the goddess and her appointed knight fought and defeated him by sealing him away.
Ten millennia later, the kingdom of Hyrule had since regressed to a medieval state. Reading their ancestors’ prophecies, the Hylians recognized the signs of Ganon’s return and excavated surrounding areas to uncover the Divine Beasts and Guardians. During this time, Princess Zelda trained vigorously to awaken the sealing magic needed to defeat Ganon while trying to maintain her personal research. In the meantime, a knight was appointed to protect her: Link, who was chosen due to his ability to wield the Master Sword, also known as the sword that seals the darkness. After being sought out by Zelda, the Champions—Mipha, princess of the aquatic Zora; Revali, archer of the birdlike Rito; Daruk, warrior of the mountainous Goron; and Urbosa, chief of the desert-dwelling Gerudo—assembled to pilot the Divine Beasts (Vah Ruta, Vah Medoh, Vah Rudania, and Vah Naboris, respectively) while Zelda and Link would face Ganon directly.
However, on Zelda’s seventeenth birthday, Ganon possessed the Guardians and Divine Beasts, turning them against Hyrule. King Rhoam and the Champions were killed, the castle town was destroyed, and Link was gravely wounded protecting Zelda while on their way to Fort Hateno. Zelda had Link taken to safety for him to heal, hid the Master Sword in Korok Forest under the protection of the Great Deku Tree, and used her light magic to seal herself and Ganon in Hyrule Castle. This cataclysmic tragedy came to be known over time as the Great Calamity.
A century after being placed in a healing chamber in the Shrine of Resurrection, an amnesiac Link awakens in a now-ravaged Hyrule. He meets an old man, who reveals himself as the lingering spirit of King Rhoam. Rhoam explains that Ganon, sealed in Hyrule Castle, has grown stronger; he pleads for Link to defeat Ganon before he regains his full strength, breaks free, and destroys the world.
Link travels across Hyrule, returning to locations from his past and regaining his memories. With the help of Hyrule’s races, he boards the four Divine Beasts and purges them of the Blight Ganons (Waterblight Ganon, Windblight Ganon, Fireblight Ganon, and Thunderblight Ganon), releasing the spirits of Hyrule’s former champions and allowing them to pilot the Divine Beasts once again. After obtaining the Master Sword from Korok Forest, Link enters Hyrule Castle and confronts Ganon. The Divine Beasts weaken him, and after Link defeats him, he transforms into Dark Beast Ganon in an attempt to destroy the world. Zelda gives Link the Bow of Light, which allows him to weaken Ganon enough for Zelda to seal him away, restoring peace and allowing the spirits of King Rhoam and the Champions to depart to the afterlife. Sensing their presence, Link and Zelda smile fondly.
If players have found all thirteen memories in the “Captured Memories” main quest, they unlock a post-credits cutscene in which Zelda declares that Hyrule must be rebuilt and that she and Link must begin the process by themselves. As Link and Zelda survey Hyrule and embark to restore it to—and perhaps beyond—its former glory, the princess confides in him that she may no longer possess any supernatural power, yet has come to terms with it.
Source : Wikipedia
