A Regular Review: Legend of Zelda and Nintendo Switch

Welcome to a regular review. In Games You Might Have Missed, I focus on giving flowers to games that can easily be overlooked. A Regular Review covers recent/popular games that still deserve the accolades it gets. For the first review, I’m not just covering a game, but the console where the game was also released. The console section won’t be a regular thing. Still, after my Nintendo article, I felt the need to go deeper into the system’s significance. Without further delay, here’s my review of the Nintendo Switch along with its launch title that came out the same day, Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. So, let’s start off with the Nintendo Switch.

What Is It?

The Switch is Nintendo’s latest home console that can fit in the palm of your hand. The system’s main feature is that the Switch can seamlessly be removed from the dock and taken on-the-go. Then, it can be placed back, just as seamless. Other features include: the attachments being removable for one-two players, a dedicated screenshot button, which I used for my article, the smallest physical game cartridge, next to the PS Vita.

So, What’s Bad

The first negative, I wouldn’t say $299.99, is the price tag for this. $300 for a brand-new console isn’t bad. In fact, it would be a little bit of a steal. But if you take a closer look at it, you can tell Nintendo cut a few corners on building this device. Off the bat, I can think of three things you need to get day one just to be comfortable with the Switch. The console only has 28GB of free internal storage, and one of the launch titles takes up over half that space. Which means you gotta pay $50 for a decent SD card (I prefer you look into a SanDisk Ultra for the speed and quality). The screen can be damaged from removing the tablet from the dock, so you gotta pay $8 for a screen protector. Have hands that are the size of Kawhi Leonard? You gonna have to pay $70 for the Nintendo Pro controller (or follow this link and pay $30 for an EXTREMELY superb third-party controller). Once all said and done, not even mentioning games, you’re closer to $450 than $300. I wish I had some upside to this, but not much can be said. This was a little bit deceptive for Nintendo to do.

Another negative would be online multiplayer. For $20 a year, Nintendo users can play online with friends with added voice chat. However, I wouldn’t say it’s the most efficient online service in the world. If not, I could argue it is one of the worst. Along with price comes voice chat, but the approach is unusual. To use the chat system, you need to buy an exclusive proprietor headset. Then, download the Nintendo app on your phone, and while playing, make sure your phone’s screen doesn’t turn off (you know what, I never liked talking online anyway). You think with the price, the online connection would actually be better, right? Nope. Same quality as the Wii and Wii U, which had a free online multiplayer. Granted, it wasn’t the best because of the Wii numbers and no voice chat. But I didn’t complain about the online service compared to what Xbox and PlayStation have (I honestly don’t think Nintendo ever had their online service hacked). They are far better than the Switch iteration. Frankly, $20 a year isn’t a lot for me. But if I pay for a decent online service, I expect a proper internet connection. I’m better off keeping my money and buying the service if I really need it. Remember to speak with your wallets, people.

The last negative is Joy-Con Drift. Joy-Con Drift is an issue where the Joy-Con analog sticks can move the character or camera without the player’s input. I would call it a rare occasion, but since 2017, 20% of players experience Joy-Con Drift after 3 months and 60% after 6 months. I didn’t need to mention this, but I feel obligated to bring this up. There are some forms of solutions include Nintendo of America is willing to do free maintenance outside of warranty. But it will most likely be a temporary fix. The best solution for me was to avoid it by, again, to get a pro controller and hope you don’t need to use the Joy-Cons. I’m just surprised Nintendo hasn’t gotten sued in the U.S. for this. They’ve gotten sued in the U.K. and recently France. I would say try to be careful, but there’s a difference to make a useless point and a redundant one.

So, What’s Good

A small feature that makes a big difference is that it is not region locked. When a console is region-locked, all games and accessories can’t work with consoles from different world regions. The Switch, however, doesn’t face this problem. What makes it a friendly positive is that this is the first region-free console. That could lead to more region-free consoles and games in the future.

Next, we have the design. By taking a first look at the Switch, you could tell Nintendo wanted to distance themselves from the Wii U. The design works flawlessly, from the ease of portability to the dock system itself. Hardware-wise, how the Joy-Cons work from side inputs to 2 separate controllers is a nice touch. It uses USB-C for the docking and charging for the controllers, and the tablet is also a bonus. Then there’s software. The UI is more straightforward, with the game icons as the broader focus in the center.

In contrast, the accounts, eShop, and setting icons stay small around the game icons. It definitely feels more pragmatic than the Wii U’s dual-home screen. I also can’t forget how they went from disc back to the cartridge for games. Not only do the physical copies not take up as much tangible space, but they can also technically hold more data than an Xbox or PlayStation disc. Speaking of games…

The Switch’s library has been putting out wins year-over-year since it came out in 2017. I’ve already mentioned a lot of these in my Nintendo article earlier this month. But I’m willing to cover the ones that are console sellers by year. Those are:

Super Mario Odyssey (2017), Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (2018), Luigi’s Mansion 3 (2019), Animal Crossing: New Horizons (2020).

All of these games make the Nintendo Switch worth the price. But in my opinion, there is one Switch game that deserves a spot in your new/current Switch library. So, let me take a moment to talk about it.

Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

What is it?

Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is an adventure game developed by Nintendo for the Nintendo Wii U and Nintendo Switch. In the game, you play as Link, who wakes up with no memories except he has been asleep for 100 years and needs to save the land of Hyrule. Along the way, you fight, explore, and traverse the land to piece together what happened long ago.

What’s Good

First, I got to have to talk about the tutorial. It’s a tiny thing, but it makes the most massive impact with first impressions. The game places you in a small area called the Great Plateau. You do all of the general activities you would regularly do and get all of the items you will need in the game. You learn the basics of combat, Link’s phone tablet, weather, climate conditions, and puzzle-solving. Once I left the plateau, I thought it was only 30-45 minutes. I was there for 100 minutes, and nothing was a bore. The Great Plateau is a great training ground for the game, and I wish more games adopted this technique.

The second positive for the game is the game world. Dear Lord, this world is gorgeous. Even in its 1080p-framerate drop beauty, it’s still beautiful. When I played this game, I was shocked by how big the world was. All of the locations, from the hot Gerudo desert to the frozen Hebra mountains, to lava-filled Death Mountain, all fit naturally. Not only did these climates interacted with Link. Any item you think can typically work in real-life, will act almost the same way here. If you set tall grass on fire, you can use the updraft to glide in the air. Run through snow and sand, you will get slowed down. Need a fire, grab some wood and flint, then ignite. The world is open to all forms of creativity and is enjoyable to traverse the land. Which leads to my next positive.

This one cannot go without saying. The game encourages exploration (and capitalism). Hear me out for a second. In Breath of the Wild, Link is as strong as you want him to be, and the reason behind exploring the world is the final boss. Once you finish the Great Plateau, you can go directly to Ganon and be squashed like the insignificant bug you are. That’s because you don’t have the gear or stats to even get to the throne room. But if you plan to maintain some sanity, you should explore the world to find more powerful weapons and items to help you. That’s where capitalism comes in. There are multiple things to do in Hyrule to get more powerful. If you want better weapons, go find enemies and take theirs. Want better armor and outfits, grab some money, and buy them. Want more health and stamina, complete the various puzzle shrines all over Hyrule. Not enough inventory space, hunt for korok seeds. But what made it enjoyable was the scenery and solving all the puzzles and overcoming all the challenges. Then again, capitalism is always enjoyable (*America intensifies*).

The final positive is the DLC? Yes, I am giving a positive to a game for something that’s not on the original game. I don’t like giving points for something that’s outside the $60. However, this DLC is so great, I had to make an exception. With the DLC Expansion Pass, you get 2 packs. The first pack features a travel point for any location on the map, a hard mode, and the master sword trials that takes the concept of one puzzle and puts it on steroids. The second pack features a series of quests called the champion of ballads. If you somehow don’t know what the rewards are out of these packs, then I’m not gonna say. Those deserve to be discovered on your own. All you need to know is that if you don’t have the pass, it doesn’t hurt your experience, but if you decide to get it, it’ll make you feel like you were a peasant before getting it.

What’s Bad

Okay, so I gotta come clean on this. When I was outlining my review, I had struggled to find a negative for Breath of the Wild because every single one ended being reasonable. I would bring up weapon durability, but it brought up the weapons’ value and forced combat creativity and preservation. I was even going to mention gyroscope shrines, but in my 105 hours of gameplay, I only ran into four and were few and in-between. Three of them were in the base game. Two weren’t that hard, and only one was in the DLC. I even asked one of my friends if he knew any. He said the lack of dungeons that I immediately rebuttal and said the dungeons are just several puzzles. Those puzzles are just scattered throughout the game. He also mentioned the stamina wheel, and I just said capitalism (*America received more intensity*). To keep it transparent, I don’t have any negatives. So, to make up for it, I had to nitpick the [censored] out of this game.

The first one is easy. Its rain. This is somewhat coincidental, but sometimes, it’s sunny and bright whenever I’m passing a clear field plain. Literally, any other time, there’s rain. Do I wanna climb something, can’t be when there’s a downpour or Link will slide back down. I’m in a fight with someone during a thunderstorm, make sure those metal weapons are unequipped, or else Link will be struck by lightning and drop his weapons. Hate the rain so much you want to make a fire and time-skip the rain altogether; Link can, but it’ll have to be somewhere inside, or the rain will put it out.

The only other nitpick is something you don’t think about until you realize it, a recipe book (or lack thereof). There’s a cooking mechanic used to restore health and stamina or give you a temporary stat boost depending on what you cook in the game. At first, it seemed like a good thing to have and relatively easy to use. However, it got a little hard for me in the later parts. Whether I wanted to extend my stealth duration, make endurance elixirs, or remember a dish for a quest, I had to memorize the recipes in my head. It would have been so easy for Nintendo to add this. It would have made the cooking experience less stressful than it needed to be, considering how many times I had to make a dish just restore my health. I guess that’s only one thing I hope they keep in mind for the sequel.

Remember, these are small nitpicks. I have no negatives for the game. The reason I poked at these small quibbles is that I honestly don’t believe in a perfect game, and Breath of the Wild isn’t (but dear Lord, did it come close).

Final Thoughts

Now the recap for all skimmers who missed on all the great Switch pointers:

Pros	Cons
No Region-Lock (first console ever)	It’s a $450 console looking like a $300 purchase
Design is something from the future	Online Multiplayer objectively sucks
The library is amazing	Joy-Con Drift

For Legend of Zelda:

Pros	Cons (NITPICKS)
Great Plateau is an amazing tutorial	Rain and thunderstorms
The world is gorgeous and lived in	No Recipe/Elixir Book
Exploration is encouraged and it doesn’t feel like a chore.
DLC gets a mention

Overall, Legend of Zelda is a Superior game, and the Nintendo Switch is a great console to play the game on. If you’re looking into getting a Switch for a kid or teen’s first console, I recommend it. If you own a PlayStation, Xbox, or PC and looking for a second console to own, this is it. So, what are you waiting for? This isn’t gonna stay on the shelves for long. Hurry before it’s too late.

Thank you for reading my article. If you enjoyed it, make sure you follow my site’s twitter @_UrgeGaming for updates on new blog posts. If you want to see gameplay at the beginning of the game, there will be a YouTube link here later today. Have a blessed week.