The Definitive Ranking of Breath of the Wild
Posted on April 24 2023 by Sean Gadus
Zelda Dungeon is back with a new entry of the “Definitive Ranking” series. In “Definitive Ranking,” host Mases and Gooey rank The Legend of Zelda games based on ten different categories. The crew brings their own scores to the table, along with scores drawn from the community and Zelda Dungeon staff. In this episode, the host discuss the merits of Breath of the Wild, which is currently the best selling Zelda game of all time. The acclaimed 2017 game has sold an astounding 29 million units. Breath of the Wild is a huge departure in terms of gameplay and structure for the Zelda series, and this makes the game one of the most interesting game to discuss.
Overall, Breath of the Wild opens the video very strong scores for its world and art style. Mases makes a point to reminder viewers that the exploration of Breath of the Wild‘s massive open world is the core idea or gimmick of the game, and exploration is one of the best parts of the game.
The art style is similarly well-regarded across the board, with Gooey discussing how Breath of the Wild‘s art style has now become the art style and character design that many fans will think of when they picture the Zelda series. Dungeons and Enemies/Bosses prove to be two of the lower categories for Breath of the Wild. Mases points to the lack of themes and visual similarities of the Divine Beasts as a one of the things that holds the dungeons back, while also praising some of the complex puzzles within the Divine Beasts. Mases also notes that Hyrule Castle is one of his favorite dungeons in the series, and the final area has an impressive number of different paths that the player can take to reach the top. In terms of Enemies/Bosses, the crew laments the lack of enemy variety, which results in fighting Bokoblins, Lizalfos, and Moblins over and over again. Gooey also reflects on the idea that the Blights can become too easy to defeat if a player has a surplus of supplies and power weapons.
The overall placement of Breath of the Wild proves to be fairly similar in score and placement. The Community gave Breath of the Wild a 4.0, which places the game behind Twilight Princess, Ocarina of Time, and Majora’s Mask. Breath of the Wild was tied for fifth place in the Staff rankings, and the game received an overall score of 3.8. Breath of the Wild was third for Mases, scoring just below A Link To The Past and Ocarina of Time, while Gooey had it eighth on his list. While discussing the overall scores for the game, Mases also announced that the next “Definitive Ranking” episode will revisit Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity. The video series discussed Age of Calamity a few months after its release, and Mases is curious to see if opinion on the game has shifted since that time.
If you want to want to watch past videos in the series, you can check out the full collection of “Definitive Ranking” on the Zelda Dungeon YouTube channel.
Do you agree with the placement of Breath of the Wild in the “Definitive Rankings”? What are your own thoughts as we approach the release of Tears of the Kingdom? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
Sean Gadus is a Senior Editor at Zelda Dungeon. His first Zelda game was Ocarina of Time, and he loves all of the 3D Zelda games from 1998-2011. He is currently replaying the narrative ghost story Oxenfree, and taking his first stab at playing Dark Souls. He wants to help build a kinder, more compassionate world. You can check out his other written work at The-Artifice.com.
