Correction: As some have pointed out, Link DOES have idle animations, but you have to wait a long time to see them. Certain animations also only appear under certain conditions, like in the rain or when Link is shirtless or crouching. I've put hundreds of hours into this game and not ONCE did I ever see any of these. Thanks to @rmsgrey who was the first I saw to point this out.

I'll tell you an anecdote about my friend and me. I had beaten all 120 shrines, but my friend who had long since moved far away was stuck on 119. I tried figuring out which shrine was his last, and I told him I had struggled with finding my last as well. he asked which one was my last, and upon explaining where it was (the snowy mountain north of the desert), it became clear that he had no idea what I was talking about. Bingo, bango, bongo, that's how he found the final shrine. Now we lived far apart and didn't speak all that often anymore and yet out of a 120 shrines we both ended up with the same last shrine. We were still, after all those years, similar. That was an amazing experience.

"Breath of the wild broke many things, from long-standing conventions, and traditions, to my god damn weapons, this game showed me that there is nothing more durable than hope" Incredibly written. My best to you, stranger. I hope better days lie ahead.

One minor nitpick: Link does actually have idle animations in BotW - you just have to wait a ridiculously long time for them to start (and another long time between them)

This is such a good video. BOTW's story spoke to me for basically all the reasons it did for you and it's refreshing to hear that from people as opposed to "uhh memories bad". We're all gonna make it

I did it. I 100% BotW. I have found 900 korok seeds, discovered every location, freed every divine beast, did all 90 side quests, 42 shrine quests, uncovered all the memories, got all the Kilton medals you name it. This game was my first love, and I'll never forget it for what it brought me. I've played 600 hours of it through two years. I've grown a lot since I stepped out of the great plateau two years ago until today when I got the last little korok. I had two play throughs and I'll forever be grateful for what this game has brought me Your video perfectly encapsulated the feelings I got when I got to certain parts of the game. I have to say goodbye to it now, because if I overstay my welcome the game gets stale. And that's kind of how it has been since the last few months. I miss the sense of discovery and pure childlike adoration I had when I first started playing. When everything was new and I was getting jumped by blue bokos. This video is kind of a farewell to BotW for me. Thank you so much for it, you must have put a lot of work into it. I'll buy TotK later this summer, now I need a break to mourn the end of a journey that made me grow so much and accompanied me through tough hardships. Goodbye BotW, I will cherish your memory with me until the end of my life.

NGL I got emotional at the end. Such a thorough and passionate retrospective and topping it off with how you personally connected to the game's themes...bravo man. Here's to hope for the future 💙

Disagree with combat becoming "boring" after I'm all powerful. It's a hard earned, well deserved reward for everything that's been accomplished, and after beating Ganon, I was able to explore in relative peace while hunting every last Korok, Hinox, Talus, everything I needed to upgrade all armor... and possibly completing the compendium. - Loved watching this video

This is an excellent retrospective! These kinds of videos are my favorite content on KZfaq (I watch a lot of them, king K, Joseph Anderson, Liam Triforce, ect). this is the first video of yours I’ve watched but man please trust me when I say that this video holds its own against the best creators in the genre. Great job and I can’t wait to watch more of your content.

I will always keep Breath of the Wild close to my chest. I have linked it to many beloved and harsh memories of mine from the past, almost 7, years. And your video was one of the best retrospective of this game out there. You did an excellent work showing all the strengths and short comings of this masterpiece.

The music and setting of BotW remind me of a studio Ghibli film, especially the opening cinematic as you emerge from the cavern. Does anyone else get this impression?

My favorite part of this video is how you walked through the lead up to BOTW’s release. It was the first Zelda game that I actually got to be a part of the pre-release hype. I actually got a copy of the game before I could find a switch, my parents also wanted to get it for me as a reward for my good grades. I feel like the lead up to this games release is often brushed over rather quickly but the way you took your time to go over each milestone (for lack of a better term) was really great. I also really love the quality of your voice, got the smooth King K register but with a little more energy and upbeat personality! There’s plenty of room for more great video essayists and you’re a great addition to the community!

Breath of the Wild is my favorite game of all time. Thank you for dedicating the effort to this video that it deserved. You managed to recapture the feeling of experiencing the game for the very first time, which is a feeling I've craved since finishing it all those years ago. This has been an excellent watch so far; it's apparent to me that you've improved your content a lot between this video and even the Ocarina of Time video. Phenomenal work, and I'm happy you're officially back!

1:13:28 one tip in criticism is to give reasons why you think they’re bad, assume we don’t agree and convince us. I can give a counter immediately that invalidates your point. “Just because it was easy for you doesn’t make it bad, they have to make enough easy shrines so that someone younger or less clever can also beat the game”. You say f they are bad because of simplicity isn’t “universal”/objective.

This video is a beautiful tribute to a game that's incredibly important to so many of us. I spent the last couple days watching this in parts, the scale of this retrospective is truly impressive. Like you, this was the most excited I had ever been for a videogame, and it truly captivated me throughout the entire journey. Not a perfect game, there is a LOT to improve upon, but it's highs are unlike anything else when playing it for the first time. I've also started appreciating BOTW's story a lot more recently (mostly because of TOTK lol.) Fantastic job with this one as always, and I know a brighter future lies ahead for you.

For some reason, stumbling upon Lurelin for the first time is my favorite memory from playing BOTW for the first time. There was something so intensely thrilling about randomly coming upon a small beach town in the middle of nowhere. I would give almost anything to go back and play it for the first time again. I remember that I didn’t go to any of my college classes for a week when I first started playing (whoops) 😅

You make the best Zelda retrospective videos I cannot wait to watch this thru out the week!

Sorry to hear you went through rough times. The message you took from this reiew is beatiful! Take care! All the best!

This was such an excellently, crafted video, with alot of love, effort and care. Thank you so much ❤

50:14 It has been almost 7 years and i never even know there were northern lights in botw...

LETS GOOOOOOOOOO thanks for the video!! Keep up the great work man!

Well, at least we can both spend time with the champions and play as them in Hyrule warriors age of calamity.

I did not expect you to talk about the personal things that your are dealing with. I only hope the better for you! I have searched a lot of review channels and let me tell you that you are something special, way better than a lot of content creators out there, so keep it up man, we subs that know your quality will always be around! Hope is everything

Thank you for making this series. I’ve been following this channel and this series for a while. Ever since the Metroid series if I remember correctly. And i loved these video essays. Judging from the ending, I think you went through hard times. Just remember that you matter, I really hope you’re doing well now. You deserve all the help

Loved this video and the review so much. I hope things continue to move forward for you and being you good things. I felt that!! Sending you the best!

Beautiful retrospective. Good luck in your endeavors sir. Idk what you've been through... But this is a very good way to view life and hope.

You're quickly becoming my favourite Zelda Retrospective guy. Loved listening to this!

It’s been a while since I’ve commented on any video. I love the way you structure your videos and have been a fan for quite some time. Thank you so much for all these videos and can’t wait to see where you go next. Keep on keepin on, my dude 🤙

Dude, this is such an excellent video! You're saying everything I've ever thought about after 100%ing the game like 3 times over the years. Cheers!

Great video! I was going through a dark period when BotW came out, and it was a good game that gave me a needed escape... It was a very different Zelda game, I do have my issues with it (very similar to yours), but it was such a unique experience.

This video was such a joy to listen to, thank you for all of it! The ups, the downs, all the inbetween. The focus you put on his lack of animation with the spongebob quote killed me 😂 Well done. Thanks for your awesome content ❤

What a great ending to this retrospective. Taking picture together. I cry to see this. I just bought this game and now im hook. Still wandering around finding new shrine and open new map. Before this my game was only final fantasy but botw i can really consider to be my number one game of all time.

Super well made video man, good job!

Listened to all of your previous 3D Zelda retrospectives over the last few days and subscribed earlier today. Definitely happy to have this pop up in my sub box. Excited to start listening!

I'm glad your back king great vid

I've been watching your channel since the Donkey Kong Country videos. You made plenty of strong and interesting observations about Breath of the Wild here, especially near the end when you focused on the story and thematic elements of it. It's really cool seeing you come into your own with your work, so your expressions of personal vulnerability at the very end felt like a truly courageous gesture. I'm looking forward to seeing what other videos you make down the line, but remember to take care of yourself at every opportunity. We're all grateful for your hard work, but no one here wants to see you suffer through any of it. Best wishes to you, sir. Keep that hope going.

This was an amazing video and I could relate to the end just as much as I relate to your opinion on the game. BOTW is a moment in time that I will cherish forever.

One of the best videos i have ever seen can't wait to see you go over totk

This was the most beautiful video I have ever watched. Thank you!

The way you broke the story down actually made me emotional. Out of the many botw videos this is by far the best ive seen. Damn man . . Well done.

Thank You for keeping BOTW alive forever. This game is a constant for me as well - a totem of faith especially for my big kid heart that first loved the original game as a child! Cheers from dallas!

Man I enjoyed this thoroughly. Really interesting to hear your perspective on the game so in-depth, helped remind me of those aspects and think of how I felt about them. Breath of the Wild was definitely one of the greatest gaming experiences I've ever had.

That thumbnail gives me life 😊👍☺️ Great job with this! Thanks!

This documentary is excellent. Thank you for sharing your love of the beautiful game we call Zelda. I really enjoyed your perspective and insight.

I hope you continue to find peace and happiness as you move forward in your life. Thank you for this retrospective.

This video was so well done! Will stay tuned for a TOTK retrospective in the future hopefully!

Awesome video, very well put together!

I NEEDED this today!

Thank you for helping me remember how special the release and initial play through of BOTW was. It was a long wait but a special moment for me when the game finally came out. It’s fun to watch people play this game for the first time and see them work through the systems of the game and get to be there as they have their first beautiful moments in BOTW.

Video was really well made, script was really good as well and editing was on point

loved this video! i really enjoyed your perspective, and at the very end, “life moves forward, and so will I”, your message really resonated with me so I appreciate this video very much

I’m liking your reviews! Keep it up.👍🏼

This was my first Zelda game, and even without the experience of having been at Lon Lon Ranch or knowing the Dragonroost Island theme, I could still feel that great amount of nostalgia and loss and loneliness in the world itself, which is pretty spectacular to me. Also YES MIPHA'S THEME. Not only is it beautiful, but also incites a chuckle out of me considering if you use a fixed Do solfege system, the melody oscillates between Mi and Fa, yknow, like Mipha. MiFa. Mipha. It's so silly I love that

Final words are gold!

Beautiful~

I just finished playing TOTK the second time now. Amazing game. However, watching your video made me remember how nice BOTW was. Even with all its problems (dungeons) I was still wondering why was it so good. Your video is amazing when bringing the almost the perfect good points and also the not so good ones. The feeling the I'll always have about it, is nostalgia. You start the game not remembering things you know you should remember and spend the whole game after this memories. I guess your pursue in live must not be so different after all. We all just have to remember what to go after. And in the end, the world doesn't seem so empty, after all. Thanks man.

On the subject of playing the game with others: The first couple playthroughs of BOTW in my household were kind of cooperative efforts. At that time we had one Switch and 3 people and the biggest screen was the new tv in the living room, so when the owner of the switch sat down to start the game, the rest of us were there. We watched and helped and "helped" through the whole game and all had a grand time. Watching them play and seeing things I wanted to try doing differently inspired me to pick up a controller for the first time in Decades and give it a shot. We all have our own Switches and nice monitors now, so TOTK was a much more solitary activity, and I kind of missed having the running commentary from them this time.

I was so close to turning this video off near the start, but he saved it by stating that as much as he loves it, it's not without its flaws, and also him telling immature people to F off was also a nice touch. I like this game too, but too many people online are too quick to just shut anyone down that has any concerns about it, so it was a breath of the fresh air to hear someone tell it like it is. Respect to the uploader.

you keepin it real is why i subbed. You rock

Really great video man! What you said about multiplayer and essentially this game from the start always being a single player game that was cumulatively a multiplayer. It created conversation, it created groups of people talking about it around the lunch tables at school. Most importantly, Zelda games make friends from sitting around and sharing our collective knowledge. It's incredible how big of an impact all of the games have had on so many people. What's so funny is just like you, for me, it was ocarina of Time that got me hooked in the first place. After that, of course I went back and play every single one. From the first time you fight Ganon in the very first Zelda. To the first time you activate the earthquake spell, jamming your sword in the ground. To that first time you got the Biggoron sword...finally. To the first time you realize the physics implications of a flurry rush. Zelda is more than a game. it's truly part of our culture. It has brought people together. It has made friendships that have lasted for 3635 years now. How many things can you name that you can say that about? And at the very least, the number would equal to the number of copies sold of all of the different individual games combined. ( And cuz I've never heard of anybody that plays all the so they didn't like it) 😂. I would look that number up right now to show you the exact number but it's more fun if everybody else looked for themselves. ( Whhaaaaaa!?!?Jaw dropped looking at actual number) . Keep up your amazing videos my friend. Edit: 163,391 is the actual number😮

I'm in my 50s, been gaming since 1985, yet BotW was still the first ever Zelda game I got hooked on. I'd seen others play it, realised how deep the lore was (always a big fan of that) and decided I needed to at least try it. I'd always been a PC gamer, and I wanted to be at least competent with a controller before I started, so I decided to practise on OoT (which I'd also never played). A few years later, and I can't get enough of Zelda! I also pre-ordered TotK, which is something I _never_ do!

Perfect Video, we love you, your message at the end was heartbreaking but very real, I’ve also had a really rough 2 years and honestly I haven’t gotten better until today, it’s funny how i finally got around to watching this video and heard this message the same day as I got better, we love u, keep fighting the good fight, be like Link :) we cannot wait for whatever u post next, you are incredible! Praise God!

Nice ending to the analysis, actually made me see the plot in a different perspective which I think its more accurate than what I previously experienced on my own.

I’ve never been so sucked in to a KZfaq video. Great job!

Welcome back brother! We’ve missed you!

I'm currently playing through TOTK and I gotta say, the whole segment about how going to do a side-quest and ending up doing almost anything else really resonates with me more there than Botw. I am 17 hours in and I still haven't even gone to the first dungeon. I don't know why but for as much as I love botw, it never REALLY clicked with me. like I loved it yes, but in the back of my mind I would be thinking about whether or not I enjoy playing this over my first playthrough of ocarina of time or that something is just missing. Hearing your description of the exploration and how it mirrors my experience with Totk really put into perspective how influential this game was and made me understand a lot more why people were so wowed by this game. The game is truly amazing. I loved almost every second and emotion I experienced playing it (Barring a few shrines) and I'm so happy that at least to me. I managed to experience what many players felt playing this game to a higher degree (so far) in totk. This is a great video and I can easily call it your best one yet

splendid video. you did a great job and you should be proud of yourself i hope better days are ahead of you

A new botw retrospective!! there’s about six or seven long ones that are good, I’ve watched them so many times.. can’t wait to watch this on my tv later 😊

There have been so many Legend of Zelda games that have been life-changing for so many people. I wonder how many more times they can pull this off...

Agreed that the final botw trailer music was definitely crazy

One of your best vids yet imo

Great video. I definitely didn’t sob at the ending.

Great script, great editing, great and fair perspective on BOTW as a whole. As someone who's been going through a lot of change, I hope you're doing a lot better. 😊 The ending surely tugged at my heartstrings a little bit.

You have made me wanna revisit Breath of the Wild and give it the proper playthrough sometime. Thank you for this Retrospective, as it has helped me appreciate it and see it in a different way. I have already finished the Main Story, so now I should probably explore all of Hyrule and see what lies in store.

I rarely leave comments or interact with KZfaq videos, but after finishing this video I was incredibly surprised by the quality of it. Well done, I have subscribed and I hope many more follow suit.

Glad you're back man 🫂

Lots of love

Loved the video❤ thank you

The end has me emotional at work, man

OH YES. THAT DEEP CHILL (edit, cause somber is the wrong word to use) VOICE. THAT 1 HOUR 40 MINUTE RED BAR. THAT ALL TIME CLASSIC GAME. I FOUND A NEW RETROSPECTIVE KZfaqR TO WATCH ALONG SIDE KINGK AND IM HERE FOR IT!

Beautiful review 🥹

Those scenes you showed at the end when princess Zelda said she failed and left everyone to die and fell into Links arms crying really got to me. I felt her emotion. Amazing.

The moment we’ve all been waiting for

When I was younger, I avoided everything about this game. I didn’t watch anything beyond the first two teasers. When I first played it I remember being really confused that I couldn’t find heart pieces from the pots in the temple of time.

wooo new stuff to fall asleep to :)

Great video. I’m still in my honeymoon phase but I hear you. Only 30% ish done w the game but hands down the best game I’ve ever played.

Great video!

I go back and watch that first trailer all the time…it’s so good😭

The ending has me wondering what the creator of this marvelous review is going through. May you live a long and joyful life, bro! 🥰🥰

"Made a game that was otherwise very derivative" spoken like a true Gen Zer who wasn't around to appreciate how fun it was to play LoZ without internet and having to figure everything out by yourself, as well as having to get certain items outside of dungeons to beat said dungeons.

Godamnit, the picture scene at the end gets me every single time. That music!! Amazing video is all I can say. One thing that came to mind though… when you said that the story was about trying to live up to the expectations of others… do you think it could be in a small way about the game itself? After all it broke away from traditional zelda conventions and the developers knew it was a risk. BotW had a whole LEGACY of games to live up to. So maybe they tried to incorporate that into the game’s story itself, much like Majora’s Mask has the developer’s anxiety and troubles in some of the npcs’ dialogue.

Good video. Can't wait for yout TOTK video

I’m so glad this game was able to help you during a dark time

I did not at all know about the benefits of cooking during a blood moon. I never attempted such a thing, because I was probably too busy traveling or fighting.

This is such a great video. I thoroughly enjoyed watching it. FYI, the blights’ health increases depending on the order you complete them. The first one you do has 800 HP, then 1200, 1600, and 2000.

For all their faults and shortcomings... From the Champions' group selfie to Zelda's "I'm home", they resonate with me. These two games honestly made me feel like I'm in that world, in Hyrule. That the characters, the champions, Zelda & Link, were all actually my close friends and I'm reliving their story, which I'm a part of. It sounds cheesy and all but these last two games spanning almost a decade now have been my escape from the daily chores of everyday life. (As did Skyward Sword, as did Twilight Princess, as well as the other games in the series)

Beautiful retrospective. Even if I feel different abt a few things; I went back to BotW after severe burnout from TotK, and found myself appreciate it so much more, I love this game to death after 2k+ hours, I prefer almost everything over the sequel. My greatest Zelda moment was getting out on Hyrule field for the first time in OoT, but damn, BotW came very close, and I overall have had so much more fun with it. It truly is one of the best games of all time. To me anyway.

It wasn’t Game of the Year. It’s Game of the Lifetime. I’ve never been so completely engrossed in an adventure. I kept thinking that the simplicity and minimal number of activity-types would cause me to get bored. But now I’m playing Tears of the Kingdom with all of its increased variety and denser activities. And while I’m enjoying it, it’s nowhere near as engrossing as Breath of the Wild. Tears of the Kingdom feels more like a video game. I think that what I really wanted in a Breath of the Wild sequel was more realism. I get so engrossed in the world and so wrapped up in the adventure that I just want to be drawn in even deeper.

You know a game is good, when a player like me can come to the game two to three years after it's release date, and still find it and incredible masterpiece. My first time playing this game, I couldn't put it down! I had to see it through to the end! This game especially appeals to someone like me who is familiar with the OG Zelda on NES, and who loves action adventure games, because I just love exploring.

Dude you deserve more subs.