Roughly four hours into The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, the long-awaited latest instalment in Nintendo's flagship action-adventure franchise – and the Switch's premier launch title – we find ourselves in a lush forest scurrying up the trunk of an apple tree. As the game's princess-rescuing protagonist Link, we quickly fall to the tree's foot with no fruit to show for our efforts.
As we psyche ourselves up for a second go at the prized produce, a group of club-wielding Bokoblins approach. Without warning, the pig-faced foes – one of the series' signature enemies since 2003's The Wind Waker – attack our already down-on-his-luck hero. Surprised and a bit frantic, we break out a rusty axe we'd picked up earlier and begin wildly swinging at the aggressive attackers.
Our initial swipes don't connect with the creatures, but do manage to carve a few meaty chunks from the tree's base. When our brains finally catch up to our twitchy fingers, we discover we've not only beaten the beasts by taking cover behind the downed tree's trunk, but also brought the apples to a level where they can be easily looted.
The pulse-quickening encounter isn't part of any story mission or some side quest granted by a needy villager incapable of picking their own fruit. It's just something that happened while we were walking through the woods. In addition to an armload of apples, we left the forest with an almost daunting sense of discovery; if an innocent stroll can quickly escalate into a tooth-and-nail battle, what else is possible on our path to saving the princess and freeing the kingdom of Hyrule from the tightening clutches of returning evil-doer Ganon?
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild: A Whole New World
As it turns out, pretty much anything and everything can happen in Breath of the Wild. If you're a faithful fan, you've probably heard plenty about its new features, from its open-world and degradable weapons to its cooking system and survival-focused gameplay. Much more than back-of-the-box bullet points, though, these fresh additions (and others we won't spoil for you) are integral, interconnected parts that seamlessly work together, while also fitting snugly into the franchise's more comfortably familiar elements; none of the new tweaks feel like game-ified mechanics, but rather natural threads organically woven into the fabric of a sprawling sandbox adventure.
Beneath the surface of our seemingly simple fight for a few pieces of fruit, there hide elements stealthily feeding into these new features. The battle left our old axe nearly broken, but also presented us with new melee weapons in the fallen Bokolins' clubs; the apples could be consumed on their own for a quick health boost, but might better serve us when paired with other cooking ingredients.
Of course, we also could have chopped up the trunk of the fallen tree to create a bundle of wood, which then could have been ignited by striking a metal object against a flint… but we're getting ahead of ourselves.
Even after making such dynamic discoveries, Breath of the Wild continued to surprise us with unexpected interactions, emergent encounters, and magical moments that harked back to a time when being fully immersed in a Zelda game meant being tethered to a NES.
It wasn't until several hours or so in, for example, that we realised shooting a mountain goat with a flaming arrow would result in a delicious seared steak, or that Link - who's capable of scaling Hyrule's most treacherous mountains - could slip up when attempting to climb a tiny village shack that's just been slicked with rain.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild: Surviving the Sandbox
Speaking of Mother Nature's ability to impede your progress, Breath of the Wild's changing weather and varied climates could also see Link cosied up to one of those aforementioned impromptu campfires or stripping off his tunic to fend off heat stroke. Mix the right ingredients over an open flame, though, and you just might be able to combat the elements, as well as other threats, with a magic elixir, hearty meal or potion made from the less savoury parts of your fallen foes.
Players will also need to manage Link's stamina, as running out of steam during activities like swimming, paragliding and climbing can result in deaths unbefitting Hyrule's legendary hero. There's nothing more embarrassing than not being able to save the princess because you got tired while taking a dip in the pond. Thankfully, the right recipe or piece of gear can also help defend against such unceremonious ends.
Worrying about Link getting winded or stressing over whether or not an Octorok Tentacle will spoil your stew may sound like the sort of thing you'd do in a hardcore survival simulation. But these welcome evolutions to the series' tried-and-true template are accessible additions that complement, rather than complicate, what we already love about these games.
More importantly, Breath of the Wild is still very much a traditional Zelda adventure at its heart. Smart puzzles, dungeon-dwelling bosses, charming characters and imaginative storytelling are still on the agenda. In fact, thanks to inspired new powers spawned from the mysterious Sheika Slate, puzzle-filled Shrines, brilliantly crafted enemy encounters and a beautiful world brimming with life, the game's more familiar beats are better than ever.
Breath of the Wild will be called a lot of things, from a Nintendo Switch system-seller to a shoe-in for 2017's game of the year. But such lofty praise doesn't do it justice. Link's latest adventure is not only his absolute best to date, it's a masterpiece the interactive medium will be forever influenced by.
