The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild receives Game of the Year Awards

Press outlets are announcing their Game of the Year Awards, two of which gave the award to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, IGN and Gamespot.

Gamespot have been revealing their top ten games of the year over the course of the last week or so, and today they announced that The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was their number one game of 2017.

Among the reasons Gamespot has given for awarding the latest Zelda title is how Nintendo have once again turned the series on its head with this entry. Not only does The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild take full advantage of the Nintendo Switch’s unique control scheme but it also immediately establishes itself as a classic the console will always be known for. The fact that this was also a launch title for the new system makes this award even more astounding.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild might not be the first portable Zelda title but it’s the first portable home console version of a gem in the series. The ability to be anywhere and transport yourself into the world of Hyrule in an instant is something that’s never been done on this scale before.

While it could be argued that nostalgia has a lot to do with the game being so well received, the franchise is 30 years old after all, it’s clear from the fact that more copies of the game were sold than Nintendo Switch units at launch that this game is more than just popular. The vastly more impressive open world completely changes how players interact with the world and for the first time there are fully voiced NPCs in a Zelda game, bringing the world to life on a whole new level.

IGN build upon this saying that the game basically reinvents the entire franchise. It presents a beautiful, open sandbox that’s begging to be explored and gives you a number of things to explore at any given time. The sheer mystery of what could be around the next corner or what those enemies will do to react to the player using a new weapon on them is only the tip of the iceberg.