The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wildis pretty much the perfect game. It has cemented itself in the gaming hall of fame as easily one of the best games ever made. It frequently makes many people’s top 10 lists, including my own, after it successfully won me over, despite believing I’d never enjoy it.Breath of the Wild’ssuccess is infectious, and it’s clear to see why Nintendo tried so hard to replicate it withTOTK.
Of course,BOTWhas its flaws, but even the game’s most egregious elements are overshadowed by its praiseworthy mechanics. However, all of this could end up being the death ofBreath of the Wild.Its impressive legacy may end up being a significant burden, one that sees it suffer from the same fate as another critically acclaimed masterpiece within the same genre, a game that sits forever in a hell of its own making. That, naturally, would be a huge shame, but it is completely avoidable so long as one key thing changes.
BOTW Is The Best Of Its Kind
There Really Is Nothing Else Like It
There is nothing else quite likeBreath of the Wild. I mean that both as a compliment and as a bit of a somber reflection.BOTWis undeniably revolutionary, as it nails the importance of exploration in a way no one else has managed to achieve, while also offering a living, breathing open world that’s as varied as it is atmospheric. It is a masterclass in how to guide the player naturally, while also ensuring they’re never bored, as well as how to offer sights so tantalizing, you’re actively excited to be distracted from the beaten path and overarching narrative.
That level of detail and worldbuilding is also what makesreplayingBOTWrepeatedly so engaging. That’s a rare feat, something few other games can really offer, beyond the obvious outliers likeBaldur’s Gate 3. However, as much as all of this is absolutely a plus inBOTW’sfavor, it is also what ultimately makes it such a lonely title.Breath of the Wildis so good at what it does that nothing else can really compare to it.No other developer has the resources, time, and ambition to pull something as incredible asBOTWoff, and that’s a shame.
Not even Nintendo couldrecaptureBOTW’smagic, asTOTKfell short of expectations and was largely derivative. It certainly added some fun, quirky, Nintendo-esque innovations, but it never quite managed to top whatBreath of the Wildhad achieved all of those years before. It was certainly moreBOTWby virtue of sharing a large amount of the same assets and world, but it could never be better thanBreath of the Wild.That legacy, that unbeatable legacy, evokes the same issues that the legendarySkyrimstill faces, even 14 years later.
No One Has Managed To Recreate Skyrim
It Was The BOTW Of Its Time
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, for all of its many glaring flaws - and there really are a lot - is also the perfect game. It is immersive in a way practically no other RPG is; its world is believably teeming with life, its gameplay is exciting and unpredictable, its quests are hilarious and fun, and its exploration is dynamic and innovative.There is really no other game likeSkyrim, and that has proven to be a significant issue for fanswho’ve already sunk thousands of hours into it and tried every mod under the sun.
That’s not to say thatSkyrimis the best game in the series, but its sheer popularity means that it is the benchmark for many, especially those put off by the outdated visuals of the olderElder Scrollstitles. Of course, there are manyexcellent scrolls-likesthat are perfect for fans of theElder Scrollsseries, butnone have ever come even remotely close to achieving whatSkyrimdid back in 2011. They often encapsulate a specific aspect of the game, but rarely, if ever, the entire package.
OnlyKingdom Come: Deliverance 2has come close to achieving whatSkyrimdid, but its dedication to realism and its historical setting can be off-putting to those who enjoy the fantastical elements ofSkyrim.
Avowedis a good example of this, as its visuals, combat, and narrative evoked memories ofSkyrim, but its world felt lifeless in comparison, and it lacked many of the immersive roleplaying mechanics that define theElder Scrollsseries. EvenOblivion Remasteredcan’t matchSkyrimin terms of quality, as it too lacks a lot of what makes its successor a more impactful RPG experience.OnlyKingdom Come: Deliverance 2has come close to achieving whatSkyrimdid, but its dedication to realism and its historical setting can be off-putting to those who enjoy the fantastical elements ofSkyrim.
BOTW Needs Imitators
We Need More Games As Bold And Ambitious As It
Skyrim’slack of imitators has meant that not only does Bethesda lack the competition it needs to remain creative and original, as evidenced by the disappointingStarfield, but thatfans are stuck with a 14-year-old RPG as their only way of engaging with that style of game, especially within that type of setting. I cannot begin to count the number of days I’ve desperately trawled through the internet looking for something, anything, likeSkyrim, only to end up empty-handed and having wasted a considerable amount of time.
Breath of the Wildcould end up suffering from that same fate based purely on how exceptional it is. It is cruel, especially as a game that good should be imitated, but often overambitious titles that manage to execute their vision perfectly are just impossible to best.BOTWdid have a couple of imitators, especially at the start, most notably Immortals Fenyx Rising. However, it never managed to capture the originality ofBOTWor its successful implementation of natural exploration, largely thanks to Ubisoft’s more structured and guided approach to game design.
One could argue thatGenshin ImpactandElden Ringcould be consideredBOTWimitators, but both fall under radically different genres that may be unapproachable or inaccessible to a large portion ofBOTWfans. I sincerely hope that moreBreath of the Wildimitators emerge from the woodwork soon to both help better preserve its legacy and ensure it doesn’t remain the only example of how to do that style of RPG, as new, fresh ideas are always exciting and help keep developers like Nintendo on their toes.
