It’s not often I want to replay a computer game, but Breath of the Wild is one of those games. I completed it in 2017 after around 160 hours of playtime on the Wii U, and was so exhausted with it I remember clearly thinking that this was a game that had been a wonderful experience but couldn’t be replayed.
18 months later and I was given a copy of the game for the Switch and it took me a few months before I put it in, but as soon I did I was excited to explore the vast open spaces of the Kingdom of Hyrule once again.
The game is pretty much identical to the version I’d already played on the Wii U, with maybe a slightly longer draw distance, but even when playing in handheld mode you still get an incredible sense of exploration and space. Despite winning multiple “Game of the Year” awards, one of the main criticisms with it has been that the world you explore is just too empty; although I agree with this, it’s the absence of other characters which gives you such a sense of freedom in the game and gives you the space to experiment and play with the world without feeling a sense of pressure to complete the next step in the story or the next side quest (and heaven knows there are enough of them!).
Basically, this game is not only beautiful but a joy to play, and I’m loving running, flying and swimming through it all over again. I’m 60 hours in, and I can only hope it doesn’t end too soon.
