10 reasons why the past five years of Breath of the Wild have been unforgettable

The Legend of Zelda fans are accustomed to the excitement that a new Zelda game brings every few years, but it’s safe to say that no other game in the series has had the impact Breath of the Wild has. While many games have their moment of high relevancy for a short while, this game has retained worldwide popularity and appeal for years now.

The first few years with Breath of the Wild have been unforgettable for numerous reasons. The game’s release, design, influence, and success have all contributed to what has been and will continue to be a lasting legacy.

For many Zelda fans, Breath of the Wild has made these past five years some of the most memorable ever. And it’s done so in multiple ways.

10. Releasing Alongside The Switch

Breath of the Wild released at the perfect time. It was a launch game for the Nintendo Switch. The Switch, which was highly anticipated for years after the underwhelming performance of the Nintendo Wii U, was Nintendo’s major attempt to reclaim its status in the gaming industry.

Thanks to the combined excitement for the game, which was announced nearly three years prior, and the marketing campaign Nintendo used for the Switch, Zelda and Nintendo fans around the world shared in a rare and memorable situation. For the first few months after the game and the consoles’ release, players were completely absorbed into the experience, cementing Breath of the Wild as a must-own game for the new hardware.

9. Change of Conventions

One of the first features that Nintendo touted for the entry in the Zelda series was the ambition to challenge many of the franchise’s longstanding traditions. In most Zelda games, there is an identifiable pattern and reuse of conventions. Breath of the Wild took a different approach, and that approach is possibly the most important contributor to its success.

The game implemented more RPG elements, a non-linear story, a greater focus on puzzle solving at all levels of gameplay, new item mechanics, and more changes to tradition than can be mentioned here. This restructuring of how a Zelda game worked breathed new life into the franchise.

8. Massive Open-World Exploration

The changes to convention were critical, but they would not have been possible without an adequate environment. For the first time, a Zelda game featured a true open-world environment. Every part of Hyrule was accessible from the outset, and players could see and experience it all.

This freedom allowed for a remarkable level of player creativity. Players could explore and complete all of the optional content, or they could skip straight to every major story point. What the player did was up to them at all times.

7. Voice Acting

To assist with the game’s grandeur, Nintendo also decided to implement full voice acting for all of the game’s major characters (aside from the ever-silent Link). Zelda, her father, Impa, and every key character had true voices for the first time.

While many were apprehensive at first about the inclusion of voice acting, most of their concerns were eased after Nintendo showed the final trailer for the game. Some fans have their criticisms of the voice directions for a few of the characters, but the overall implementation had a positive reception.

6. New Popular Characters

Many of the classic and popular characters returned in the game, but true to every new game in the series, Breath of the Wild brought a swath of new and endearing characters into the mix.

The most notable of these were the four Champions: Urbosa, Mipha, Daruk, and Revali. Each was critical to the game’s story, and they also provided Link with powerful abilities. Fans quickly learned that these characters were loaded with charm and personality. Their unique traits and their relationships with Link and Zelda quickly led the Champions to become fan favorites.

5. Breaking Sales Records

Thanks to the success of the Nintendo Switch, critical and fan praise, and a strong marketing campaign, Breath of the Wild shattered all previous record sales for the Zelda series, making it the best-selling Zelda game of all time.

As of the end of 2021, Breath of the Wild has sold more than 25 million copies on the Nintendo Switch and Wii U. Comparatively, the best-selling game before it, Ocarina of Time, sold nearly eight million copies across four different platforms.

4. First DLC For A Mainline Zelda Game

Though it was bound to happen eventually, Breath of the Wild still holds the distinction of being the first console Zelda game to receive additional content by way of software updates and downloads. Some of these were free, such as certain masks, while others were paid content.

The paid material came as a two-part expansion pass. The first part, Trial of the Sword, featured challenges similar to the Ancient Shrines, and the second part, The Champion’s Ballad, added new story content with missions and shrines.

3. Link’s First Redesign In Smash Bros. 

Link has been a different character in almost every Zelda game, but until his appearance in Breath of the Wild, he kept a standard visual design. This was the same design Nintendo has used in the Super Smash Bros. series throughout the years. So, when Link changed in a Zelda game, he changed as well in Smash Bros.

And the visuals weren’t the only aspects of the character Nintendo updated. Link received new abilities that matched his abilities in Breath of the Wild. These included a sword beam, the Remote Bombs, and a new Final Smash.

2. Major Spinoff Game

The success of Breath of the Wild and the fans’ reception to its story and characters prompted Nintendo to create more content set in the same world. This led to the release of Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity.

Age of Calamity used the same musou style as the original Hyrule Warriors, but it also implemented much of what made Breath of the Wild popular. This included the return of full voice acting, the popular new characters, and a recreation of Breath of the Wild’s map.

1. Excitement For The Sequel

For half of these first five years, everyone’s love for the game has stoked the anticipation fire for its sequel. With Breath of the Wild being not merely a success but a lasting success, Nintendo wasted no time in developing a sequel that would allow fans to return to this era in Hyrule.

Though we currently do not know much about this unnamed sequel, we do know that it will feature much of what made Breath of the Wild popular while also offering a bounty of new content. Set to release in 2022, the sequel will serve as the perfect end to Breath of the Wild’s first five years.