The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild opens with Link awakening in Hyrule. It's not a new scenario in a The Legend of Zelda game – plenty of instalments start with our sleepy protagonist venturing forth into the wider world. But as you exit the little cave that you slumbered in, you soon realize that this is not merely a retread of the franchise's greatest hits. Hyrule itself is a playground for the curious, and every new item and ability lends itself to imaginative action and problem solving.
Historically, every new Nintendo console, including the Nintendo Switch, has come with an unspoken disclaimer: This isn't as powerful as the hardware provided by rival companies. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild immediately refutes this reputation and has changed video games (especially when it comes to our definition of a good open world game) forever. Power is about what the player is able to bring to a game. Everything else is just window dressing.
