What you should know before picking up Breath of the Wild (No Spoilers)

Breath of the Wild has been my latest addiction and I’d like to say that I’m trying to play less but if I’m being totally honest I can’t put the game down. I literally stopped a little while ago to write this and I'm rushing through because I want to get back to playing the game. 

I could go on and on about how amazing the game is. How much fun it is. How addictive the gameplay is. How it’s been years since I played a game where I can’t wait to find out what I’ll discover right around the next bend or over the next hill.

To be honest I’d really like to talk about how I suspect this is the first Zelda game set not in a post apocalyptic future.

But no, I came to try and give people the best possible gaming experience by laying out a few things that people should know when picking this game up. Furthermore I’m going to do this without spoiling anything. I really feel that the best way to experience a game like this is to just get out there and do stuff. But with that said, there are a few things I wish right at the start of the game.

1. This game is NOT like Skyrim or past Legend of Zelda games

Lots of people have been hearing about the game and assuming that it’s the this new Zelda game is just a Dark Souls or Skyrim port with a Zelda skin. And it’s not that at all.  However it’s also not really similar to past Legend of Zelda games either. Breath of the Wild takes elements of Dark Souls and Skyrim, and even Fallout and puts them into this game. It’s very much an action/platformer puzzle game. Like Dark Souls its pretty unforgiving. If you want to survive you need to learn to not get hit, because many monsters you fight from the beginning of the game can KO you in one smack. But the game also has a heavy puzzle component. It’s not just fighting, there are many puzzles that start out easy but as you progress get trickier and more difficult to get through. And lastly this game was made to be beautiful. Unlike other post apocalyptic games like Fallout, or other fighting adventure games like Dark Souls, this game was made to look great. In this world the wilderness has reclaimed the land and it just looks amazing. There’s so many serene spots where you can spend time climbing mountains and running with goats and deer. It really gives you the feeling of this being massive world. That is until you run into another really tough enemy that KO’s you instantly. I also really love that unlike many games like this the NPC’s aren’t the same character model with different voices, skin tones and facial features. They do a good job of creating all different types of characters of varying sizes and shapes. And they’re also just as animated as they’ve ever been.

If you’re a Legend of Zelda veteran then here’s a couple of things you should know that set this game apart.

Pressing A always drops whatever you're holding and R always throws them. It was opposite in past Zelda games. 

No bottles in this game. You want a fairy just grab it.

This game gives you everything at the start. While there are countless new weapons and items, you’ll find that the game doesn’t hold you back from anything. You’ll find you’ll get most of your usual items very quickly after you start the game.

You can jump.

Link does not play the whole game with his green tunic and cap. While the traditional Link outfit is hidden near the end of the game, you’ll spend most of the game switching between different outfits for the different benefits or abilities they provide. Also you’ll find this Link’s got a blue tunic and in fact the color blue has lots of significance in this game.

This game isn’t about traditional dungeons like past ones. It’s more about exploring the over world.

Some ruins are more that just decoration. Approach broken guardian robots and covered wagons to search them for loot. 

2. This game is hard

Unlike past Zelda games this game is tough. Let’s be honest, Most 3D Zelda games focused more on the puzzle solving and making the boss battles fun. This game does not extend you that rope. It doesn’t hold your hand at all. My first death in this game came right away. And taking a note from games like Dark Souls or Fallout, it will toss in an enemy that you just aren’t equipped to handle right at the beginning, teaching you that sometimes your best option is to just run away. Even  regular enemies are much smarter than they are in normal Zelda games. They will avoid your bombs, dodge your attacks, pick up shields or better weapons, and react to your fighting style. However one way this game is different than say Dark Souls, is it doesn’t punish you for death. Seriously, where Dark Souls costs you your souls anytime you get killed without saving, Breath of the Wild has a pretty robust autosave system so  you’re encouraged to just jump into things and if you get your ass kicked, you can just try again using a different approach.

    

3. This game let’s you do everything right from the start.

So this one is mostly true. You are confined to a small area right at the beginning of the game, but this serves as a training ground as you learn all of your new abilities. Unlike other Zelda games were you gain new items that unlock new areas, in this game once you get the Paraglider, the whole world is open to you. No boss keys or special items. The game basically gives you all of your expected Legend of Zelda items right in that beginning section of the game it confines you to. Then from there it sets you lose to do whatever and go wherever the hell you want.  There’s no set path to your next goal, if you want to take a horse down the paved road, that’s fine. If you’d rather run up the side of the cliff and practice your climbing skills, that’s great too. Just have fun, and that's what gaming is all about.

4.     The game only tells you about maybe a quarter of all of it’s mechanics.

Recent Zelda games have had a habit of spoon feeding you information instead of letting you discover it on your own. There are tons of things you can do from the start of the game that the game just never tells you about. Some I saw in videos and assumed I had to be taught to do it, but no, the game allows you to do pretty much anything you want from the start. It leaves it for you to find out on your own. Lots of people have made lists about this stuff. Some things I think are fun(sometimes frightening) to discover on your own but here’s a few game mechanics you have from the beginning that the game doesn’t bother to tell you.

You can do a slow motion counter attack on enemies if you dodge their attacks just right.

You can parry attacks with your shield.

Fairies can be easily found just by cutting tall grass with your sword.

You can cook food by holding it and dropping it into the pot.

You can cook individual food items be dropping them on fire, lava, or event freeze them on frozen peaks.

Keep lots of stamina food dishes and you won’t have to worry about running out of energy when climbing taller cliffs.

You can drop bombs from the paraglider

Have a precision shot to make on a moving target? Jump from a high place or paraglide over the enemy and pull out your bow and arrow for a slow motion jump shot.

Need to get up high for that paraglider shot. Set some grass on fire to create an instant updraft that can send you up.

ChuChu Jelly can be made into a firebomb if dropped onto an open flame. Once it turns red just collect it. Later you can drop it in strategic places as a trap for enemies.

Short on cash or items. If you upgraded your camera you can set your tracker to seek out nearby treasure chests by taking a picture of one. Chests are literally all over the place in this game. You won’t get far before it starts beeping.

If you're stuck in a temple look up the challenge's name. It generally will hold a clue to what you need to do. 

Keep trying new types of weapons. All of them have special benefits and shortcomings. Wooden weapons can spread fires, and won't get you struck by lightning but are weaker than swords. One handed swords are the most well rounded weapon and let you cut grass to look for items. Two handed weapons do more damage and can knock enemies shields right out of their hand, but they swing much slower. Spears have a long reach and are best for quick attacks, but they don't work so well against an enemy with a shield. 

Those are just a few simple ones. Fact is there are  soooo many more. But I think it’s more fun if you discover them on your own. This will get you through lots of tough situations.

5. Start new games in different accounts or the game will delete your saves!!!!!!!!

Lastly and most importantly, you can’t have multiple playthroughs on one account. For some reason the game only lets you have one playthrough and if you start a new game it deletes the other game on that account. So if you have a sibling, spouse or parent who wants to play, please remember to have them switch accounts so that all of your progress isn’t deleted. It's a simple fix for this issue but that's a pretty big oversight on the developers side. When I tried to set up a new game for my brother I noticed it said delete last saved game and create a new one. I found out that in creating a new game it deletes your old saves. Simple solution is just to go into the settings and create a separate account for your spouse, friend, or sibling. 

So the stuff I’ve brought up here is just scratching the surface of this game. It’s really the tip of the iceberg. This game is so huge and so amazing I can only advise that you pick it up now. It’s well worth the money and worth the cost of a Wii U or Switch by itself. Aside from their poorly set up save system this game is absolutely perfect.  

Remember to just try stuff, you never know what might work in this game.