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The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Switch) Hands-on Preview

by Alex Culafi - January 14, 2017, 2:02 pm EST
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Zelda has never looked better on a handheld.

I played The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild for the first time ever at the New York City Switch Event. Because it was the exact same demo as one of the E3 2016 ones – only on a new system – I don’t have much of anything constructive to say on the game that others on this website haven’t already, so be sure to read our E3 coverage for a lot of good content on the game.

All I will say on it is that Breath of the Wild feels less like a Zelda game and more like The Witcher, Metal Gear Solid V, Final Fantasy XV, and a lot of other current gen open world action games – only with the added essence of Zelda.

That is not a criticism; I think Final Fantasy and Metal Gear Solid V are two of the finest games of the generation. It’s just surprising to play a Zelda game that captures the spirit of a Zelda game without being a traditional Zelda game. I hope it’s the best game ever, and avoids feeling like an eighth gen also-ran. No expectations, only hopes.

What I can constructively talk about is what it feels like to play a Zelda game on Switch.

Visually, the game looks like a Wii U title, though the art direction in that game remains tremendous. It’s the first of several games I played that made me realize that games on Switch look about ~15% better than games on Wii U. If you’re in it for the graphic fidelity, you may be left disappointed.

However, the Switch screen is tremendous. Games look sharp and bright, and the handheld doesn’t feel too bulky or heavy. The back of the unit I played on did feel a little warm, but that’s it. It had also been played on for hour before I got there, so I can’t say how quick that happens. I’m excited to play that game on a handheld screen wherever I want.

The Joy-Con controllers are fine, though your mileage may vary. The guy in front of me said that Joy-Cons without the grip (AKA Wii Remote style) was his favorite way to play, while for me, I couldn’t deal with not having a more traditional controller. The grip feels okay, but the L and R buttons are too small and have too shallow a click. The rumble also failed to be very impressive on that game (though 1-2-Switch used the HD Rumble to great effect, so it’s not a console thing).

Controller issues aside (which may be lessened as I get more time with the controller), the Switch port of Zelda seems solid. And hey, it comes out really soon!

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The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Box Art

Genre Adventure
Developer Nintendo
Players1

Worldwide Releases

na: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Release Mar 03, 2017
PublisherNintendo
RatingEveryone 10+
jpn: Zelda no Densetsu: Breath of the Wild
Release Mar 03, 2017
PublisherNintendo
Rating12+
eu: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Release Mar 03, 2017
PublisherNintendo
Rating12+
aus: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Release Mar 03, 2017
PublisherNintendo
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