Zelda: Breath of the Wild Director Says the Game’s Design Could Become the New Standard

Second best game after the first one. Nothing new just back to the roots with new tech.

As much as I am enjoying BOTW I had to put it down for a bit . I feel overwhelmed alot with this game = /

I'm almost sure that there was an article about this already.

EDIT: Oh yeah, here it is:

https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2017/04/aonuma_says_that_open_world_is_here_to_stay_in_zelda_games

Different people commenting about it though.

Sounds good to me! I loved the BOTW formula. Only thing I want more of is dungeons though.

@roy130390 I think there was a similar article but it was Aonuma talking about the Zelda formula rather than the director of BOTW.

Great to hear.
Now, Nintendo can do same thing for 3D Mario games, Pokemons and Animal Crossing.
Make it Open World with Dynamic Camera angles for Minimum requirement.

Marriage of the new with some of the old. Love the exploration, would like a bit more reward balance, and maybe a little more fleshed out dungeons - though the divine beasts were pretty cool.

That's picking a serious nit, however, as BotW is a great game.

SPeaking as someone who did not like original Zelda games, this is good news. I Still have only beaten very little of the game, I played for a week before I actually got off the plateau and finish my first quest.

I like being able to explore and do what I please. Only thing I would love is more loot, exploring and looting is the key to my heart and the main reason I put in triple hours into borderlands and never came close to finishing lol.

not sure if I care for this to replace Zelda, but I do believe this style has a lot more that could be explored with. I'm hoping the next game drops the glider in favor of a bundle of exploration tools. ie: hookshot/grappling hook, hoverboots, ect.
Or better yet, let me turn into other races like Majoras Mask, I wanna be a Rito, Goron, Zora, and use their abilities to explore.

I would love another game in Breath of the Wild's style.

However, I would not like a direct sequel. What little story the game had was just fine. If the game had more story to it, then it would've been more linear, which Zelda should NOT be.

Yes please.

The open world was one of the beat designed I've ever play.

However it lacked on the Zelda element that dungeons are (the ideas are fine, but I rather have a traditional zelda dungeon)

Once they manage to combine that with more zelda elements correctly, then we will be at the best zelda game ever made.

This zelda is a great starting point for the next. I find the game a little bland, but they have a great base to build on.

As long as they don't try to do this with everything or even with every Zelda. It can be the standard without being the pigeon-hole.

Otherwise you fall into the dark knight trap. What was awesome and gritty for batman was terrible for 500 other movies that aimed for gritty instead of aiming for excellence.

Rip classic zelda. Man I love BOTW but I really wanted classic dungeons. I tought: you have a massive open world with 100% freedom.. why not make the dungeons more classic for a nice change of pace.

Next one should be Zelda in Spaaaace! 🚀

I am curious on the budget of all Zelda titles. I just cannot see Breath of the Wild costing less than quadruple that of Skyward Sword!

Samus Aran.

I'm actually playing it right now.Just paused it to for a breather there.I took a break from the game for about 3 weeks.I had already put in over 220 hours into it yet still have loads to do.I was worried that I'd struggle to get back into it the same after my break but not at all,I'm loving it as much as before.

@OorWullie 220??? I have reached only half that amount!!!

That sounds great! Though why not try this similar formula with other games beside Zelda? Like Pokemon or Metroid?
Well maybe not Metroid since the essence of it may change...

@Yasaal I've been making the most of it haha.I done a lot of mucking around at the beginning without really making any progress.It's unbelievable how much I do still have to do though.So far all I have done is 2 divine beasts,65 shrines,149 Korok seeds and I still have one more tower to climb in the north east region.I only just entered Korok Forest for the first time yesterday.That leaves the very north east region and Hyrule Castle as my only 2 main locations left to explore.Once those are done I will finish the beasts and then some side quests,before making my way to the castle.Great stuff

More loot, more weapons, a locker to store more items in your house, and some classic dungeons would be fantastic!

Loved this game from start to finish. 100% completed it earlier this week. It's my new favourite game ever. It took over 20 years for a game to best Super Metroid.

https://miiverse.nintendo.net/posts/AYMHAAADAAB2V0gYqj_fMA

https://miiverse.nintendo.net/posts/AYMHAAADAAB2V0gYqd8NEQ

I can't wait for the next game.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE Impressive.What was your completion time?

If the next one is in the style of Wind Waker, then count me in

@OorWullie I can't remember exactly, I'll have to check but it was over 400 hours. I took my time and a small bit of that was the game sitting idle.

Did anyone else read that quote as 'we've got some killer stuff planned for the post-story DLC in the winter'?

@SLIGEACH_EIRE That will be around my time too I think.I'm not going for all the Korok seeds though.I'll be buying the game again on Switch at the end of the year for the DLC. Then sometime next year I'll play through the main game again and I'll have the thingy that helps me find the Korok's.

I miss dungeons, a better story and finding new permanent items.

@TommyTLG

Yes! Some key permanent items would be nice

I'd love for them to Majora's Mask the crap out of BotW. Perhaps something similar will be included in the fall DLC, they did say a whole new story will be on the way.

If they could just change the shrines to decent dungeons, bring more variety to enemies and maybe put in some live events, I'm fine with whatever new standards they come up with.

But after completing botw, I must say, it was an enjoyable game, but I still had more fun with Ocarina of Time and The Wind Waker.

Oh I think we're in for a treat. This seems more like a well executed technological challenge that nintendo pulled off, now they can enrich it beyond our dreams.

Please let this one stick around for a while. I hope they pull a majora's mask or two with breath of the wild sequels - same engine, even more cool gaming.

New kinds and races in a game would be great too. I don't want to wait that long again!

@oatmealwarrior92

Me too. I already beat Gabon and got all the memories but there is a lot more for me to do. I got so obsessed for a minute I've been on a 2 week hiatus myself

Can't wait for the next one like many this has become one of my fav Zelda's of all time. What about just more DLC I'd happily play more stories set in the same place!
@MintFox don't do away with the glider I have found I am playing other games jumping off high ledges pressing jump again expecting a nice gentle cruise to far off distances except there's no glider!!!!

@erv I totally agree. There is a lot of potential with this new system and I hope they go all out.
If I have all these ideas about what the next Zelda could be, I can only imagine how the actual developers must feel.

That's really all you can ask for. Developers excited to make a new game.

Yes yes yes! The game is a complete master stroke. But improvements can be made. More elaborate proper dungeons. Bring back some of the classic items, Hookshot and fishing rod for example and make these special items permanent. Have a hard mode from the off for us veterans as after mastering the basics it becomes a little easy. Zelda playable? Horse racing? Fishing competition? Have a few more mandatory story-driven elements. I could go on for ever. I'd love to be on the dev team.

It makes you wonder what the 2D zelda team will release after the complete renewal of the serie in BOTW

@Mart1ndo I totally agree with you, I loved the 20 or so hours I spent on The Last of Us, and I was definitely of the opinion that games around that length actually fit my lifestyle better, and were still achievable to finish.

However, both XCX and Zelda have really changed my feelings on that, having spent a little over 100 on Zelda and a little under on XCX, I always look forward to when I can squeeze in another hour or 2, and the good news is you definitely don't need 400 hours to complete Zelda (unless you're 100%ing that thing!).

I think there is so much potential with the new design

NO MORE RAIN

I love love love this game but rain slowed everything down for no reason.

Beautiful world but the only rewards for exploring are Korok seeds. I wanted to stumble upon lore and characters with interesting stories instead of them saying "get me this thing".

More towns and villages, and more single homes in the wild.

Bigger variety of enemies.

Then Zelda and I are finished.

If you watched the GDC thing you know the main reason the 3D Zelda team made Breath of the Wild is because they're unable or unwilling to make games to the standard of past 3D Zeldas.

Yes please! It's my favourite game of all time. Give us a new story, new setting, new mechanics and more lore and we're good

If the next Zelda game has an open world the same size as BOTW, I'd love to see it densely populated with towns and even a city or two. Or maybe they could also explore the alternate / parallel reality where what happens in one world affects the other. For another open air world they'll need to make it fresh and new.

It was amazing, but I finished the ending when I realised I was getting bored, and was hunting materials through some pretty repetitive tasks to change stats on items that were plenty powerful enough.

Something wild would have to be changed or enhanced to make me commit so much time to that gameplay loop again. Hopefully there will be a return to more traditional dungeons, and more crafted content in the future.

And I really miss the magic of previous Zelda's. Having the dragons as nothing more than pretty archery targets is kind of sad.

I like Breath of the Wild a lot, though I'm not sure I need to play something of almost the same structure again.

I'm not worried, however. Nintendo knows not to milk a dead gift horse. Or however that expression goes.

No thanks. I want the old formula back. I hate the weapons breaking and breaking.. and then inventory full.. bla bla bla bla. Graphics is nice, but nothing biggy. Twlight Saga I like the graphics more

@gb_nes_gamer I'm liking your ideas! I'd love a play on dark world mechanics in open air adventure or even a real shake up like majoras mask!

New Zelda confirmed!! Woop woop

I certainly hope this becomes the new standard! I was really falling out of the series until BOTW came along. There's no way I can go back to the old fomula. I just can't.

I want them to keep going with what they gave us in BOTW. Do it Nintendo!

@SLIGEACH_EIRE wow well done dood!... I'm nearly on 100% it's just the koroks to go... Tbh I ain't played in like a month as I'm bored of it now hence im not a fan of open air games it takes too long for stuff, I like a game sorta 12 hours long and when done you unlock new stuff to play again lol... And super Metroid is my fave game of all time this no where near beats it for me lol

@King_Johobo Thanks. It's exciting to think about what will come next. You can guarantee Nintendo will make the most of such a fantasy world with all kinds of ideas possible.

@Alucard83 I loved BOTW yes! But after the 200 hours mark I was getting bored of full inventory and weapons breaking, just sorta 3 swords on main game can be used anytime same as shields... I still prefer wind waker and Twilight Princess

I love the 'wild' aspect of BotW and what them to take it further. IF they could get the wild animals to stop disappearing into thin air, and maybe even interact with each other - predators & prey style - then it would really polish that aspect for me.

That, and secret tunnels/areas that aren't mapped.

Mixed feelings on this. I am firmly in the camp that BotW is what Zelda was always intended to be and that technology limited that goal, however I think that the smaller Zelda's (and their dungeon system) have a place. I suppose If they swapped out 20 shrines for another three or four dungeons and next time have it take place in a non Ruined Hyrule (although Ganon is always trying to destroy everything so it does fit) that would be a fair compromise. I adore everything else about the game...I just guess I liked the divine beasts and the NPCs so much I want to see more of them. Either way it is Zelda; you can stamp a triforce on a paper bag and I'll buy it.

@Eric258 Definitely more dungeons and more varied. Imagine just stumbling across huge level dungeons just out of the blue (like the first one) and putting them on your map for later cos they were WAY too hard? SO fun.

I miss the dungeons, the Divine Beasts gave a little dungeon homage, but wish there were a couple more. I liked the labyrinths, but not enough problem solving in them.

I am absolutely in love with this game.

I'm ok with the shrine and dungeon set up (divine beasts) but more of a good thing can't be bad.
I would like more enemy variations, and more diverse final bosses. The bosses (bigger enemies) out in the field are epic but once you figure them out they're pretty straight forward to best time and time again. And the ganon phantoms are amazing but from an aesthetic standpoint are pretty similar.

My biggest gripe was the towns/villages. Everyone of them is beautiful and unique. I just wanted more and even a couple of larger settlements. I was also disappointed that the Yiga clan didn't have their own village per say, offering something similiar to infiltrating Gerudo town incognito because the entire concept of the yiga clan is really interesting, ganon has affiliates/allies that aren't just monsters, that's pretty cool, i think it should have been expanded on/ had more depth/backstory.
Everytime i visit hyrule castle town i think of how amazing that town would have been to explore and tbh just look at, i get that's the point, nintendo want you to feel the scale of what was lost, but it made me want for a large settlement/resistance even more.

Love BotW! Finished it in 3 weeks. So...less talk, create more games! Get on it Nintendo!

I loved BotW but it had no underworld! I really wanted dungeons and the game did not deliver on that. The enemy variety was really sparse too. Two things they can fix for a new installment.

Less korok seed type puzzles and more main dungeons with a lot more enemies and mid bosses in them please.

@subpopz yeah maybe classic is the wrong word. I loved that too: the real adventure like feel. Only the dungeons... i wish they were more like OOT/MM

I was sort of in the middle of wanting future titles to maybe go back and forth or have a little bit of both styles. But after 140+ hours (and counting), I don't think I want to go back to the way Zelda used to be. Sure, some things can always be improved upon. But I think they pretty much knocked this out of the park.

Now about dungeons, I look at it this way. Instead of set dungeons that need to be completed, I feel like Hyrule itself was the dungeon with the many different shrines and ways to interact with the environment and enemies as the puzzles. To me, that gave the franchise a much more organic feel than anything else its ever done. Now, I do agree I would love to see a much more variety in mini boss battles. It's gotten a bit old battling a Hinox or Talus for the umpteenth time.

@Mart1ndo
Yeah, I don't really understand the appeal of ridiculously long games. I don't get why the games industry beautifies length so much (being overlong, padded, bloated, etc. is something that say film or album critics would criticize, but not with games apparently). Having said that though, I'm surprised that after 60 hours of BotW you don't feel that you've scratched the surface. Unless we're talking 100% completion here, according to howlongtobeat.com, the main story takes around 40 hours to complete.

I hope they downsize the world by a good chunk next time so that wooded areas are more common, and there isn't so much empty space.

I've seen all the story and memories from Breath Of The Wild, I think they can have open world as a staple for the series as long as they focus more on the story.
The story was good, but the develop team have said before that the story was important, but not their main focus.

I'm calling it right now, 10 years from now there will be kickstarters for "old school 3D Zelda-esque games" where plucky indie teams will be taking their version of An Ocarina of Time style game. Internet commenters will whine and make a fuss about "why did these games ever go away?" It will be like the 3D platformer all over again.

Can't wait for the DLC, winter especially. I'm hoping the post Ganon story is transformative for Hyrule and starts rebuilding and repopulating the map.

Hurray... Does that mean we'll never spelunk a real cavern again, or still standing temples and dungeons to enter, or have a pretty and classic main menu with the fairy theme? Not being able to input our name because... there's very forgettable and dull voice-acting?

Those shrines weren't very dungeonesque to be blunt. They had just one type of enemy to make it more dull.. And the major bosses in that game, were they not incredibly unimaginative?!

There should've been half the number of shrines in that game if they were to be so overwhelmingly short and simple-- Just concentrating them together instead...

I still loved Botw, don't get me wrong, but was that game NOT perfect as critics make it out to be. I can only hope for dlc goodness.. Eventide Island was among the best thing in the game.

Zelda isn't my favorite Nintendo franchise at all. But botw is good. I like the combat and exploration more than anything else. But the dungeons need to return, and also have a lot more enemy types.

I absolutely loved the changes that BOTW brought to the franchise. I'd definitely like to see more! The only thing I'd ask is for them to add even more weapon slots than the maximum that can be unlocked with Korok Seeds. I don't mind that the weapons break, but I'd like to have more slots than what the current max was because I went through so many weapons.

So make the Majora's mask sequel.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE Yeah i'd say Super Metroid is still the only example of gaming perfection there is, although i've always ranked Ocarina just ahead of it.
I've beaten Breath of the Wild but only just started it really and even with its faults it could be the greatest ever. I actually get more of a NES Metroid freedom vibe out of BOTW and i think that's great

As long as they keep the soul of the Zelda series and don't start making bad decisions (like with how AC was releasing yearly for awhile there, causing some oversaturation IMO), then I'm fine with them keeping to the new formula.

As long as they change that stupid weapon durability garbage. It should be more like Witcher 3 where weapons degrade but repair kits and blacksmiths can fix them up.

Needs more areas like Hyrule Castle/parts of the map that have super defined mini maps for agiant castles or garrisons or dungeons or whatever, that are open air, but a singular point you're trying to reach. Large semi-linear sections? Working my way thru Hyrule Castle when I had only a few hearts was the most fun I had in this game.

I'd be down for that, as long as they add some more traditional temples too. Shrines were too short and divine beasts just felt like big puzzle rooms. Also, we need more creativity for bosses.

Yeah I wouldn't mind if this became the series standard going forward. With that said, they would have to fix significant issues with the design like better bosses and dungeons, more enemy variety, an improved weapon durability system so weapons don't feel like toothpicks, a better framrate, as well as a vastly improved narrative because BotW has a pretty lacklustre story

@SLIGEACH_EIRE

Just curious, how did you manage to take screenshots on your Wii U? I don't know how to.

Also, on a side note, what makes you like Super Metroid so much? I've never played it before. I know it's a well-acclaimed game, but its gameplay never really stood out to me. Maybe I'm missing something about it that makes it universally loved?

@Rumncoke25 Emphasis on looting is what killed Fallout 4. An open world game is only good when the emphasis is on story, characters, and multiple outcomes based on choices. Fallout 4 lost everything good about its predecessors when it decided to focus its gameplay solely on a kill, loot, return formula. It was a very bad design philosophy for an open world game reliant on impactful narratives and choices based on them. Looting within reason is fine, but it always creates shallow gameplay when its a main aspect. BotW did it right. You can loot several places, but sidequests are about character stories, not items. What you get out of them is world building and emotional impact, not materialistic things. That's how it should be.

@shadow-wolf It's easy to take screenshots. When in game, press the "HOME" button, go to Miiverse, then click on "Play Journey Entry", make a comment and you've the option to add a photo. Then using the web browser go to the Miiverse page and the rest should be easy.

Super Metroid is gaming perfection, story, progresion, music, graphics and more. It might even take top spot again when I jdge BOTW more critically.

I didn't like BotW at all, but aside from ALBW I haven't really loved a Zelda game since Ocarina of Time. I'm not sure where that leaves me with Zelda games...

Personally I have no problem with the old structure of three introductory dungeons and then five or so main dungeons it's the repetitiveness of the games using the same items over and over that makes them disappointing. We've done the hookshot, boomerang, bombs, etc to death. I really want a traditionally structured Zelda game but where all the items are new thereby allowing Nintendo to create dungeons with new and original puzzles.

Breath of the Wild is good and some of the bad reviews I've seen are downright absurd - but I don't want it to become the primary standard. It's a great game, but it isn't as fun to me overall as many of the previous ones, and I wouldn't put it in my top five favorites. Keep the good stuff; leave the rest for game-specific gimmicks and nuances.

Disappointing to hear honestly, and I very much hope that's not the case. I've been replaying Phantom Hourglass recently, and am loving it. Ditch the control gimmicks, but keep Zelda about engrossing dungeons and stories. Breath of the Wild was a fun game, but it was very clearly a first attempt at a seriously large scale open world adventure game, and it didn't keep my interest nearly as long as other open world games. I'm sure Nintendo could refine the formula, but the industry already has several good open world franchises. We don't have many games like Zelda though.

I am continuing to love this game. I do long for proper dungeons though. I keep thinking that a hybrid between this and LoZ:Link Between Worlds would have been even closer to perfection. Imagine a huge open world like Breath of the Wild, with dungeons that you could complete in any order by renting special items that you could eventually pay to own like Link Between Worlds. Of course you would probably then have to scrap the breakable weapons system though.

@UmbreonsPapa Yes it have been great if they had more variety bosses new and from previous games scattered around the map. I'm talking about no repeats. Like if there was an out of the way grove in the lost woods where a Queen Gohma attacks you. Or a Koloktus in some ancient ruin. I guess we will see where the series goes because I am sure a lot of these kinds of ideas were tossed around but at a certain point they just had to complete the game and stop moving the release date.

I hope it's not too similar. Like xenoblade chronicles x they seemed to throw out the story to add exploration. Note if they could do open world, with a meaningful story and good dungeons that would be great. Oh, interesting items would be a plus.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE

Okay that makes sense, thanks!

And Super Metroid does sound interesting. Depending on how Nintendo handles VC on Switch I may or may not consider buying it on Wii U VC, especially since purchases may not transfer over. It's a shame VC was mismanaged and laggy on Wii U, it's my only major gripe with the system.

@Tarvaax
Pretty well said. I agree with that he fallout 4 comparison, I loved fallout 3 an so felt 4 was...shallow? The story didn't grab me much and I felt it was a shell of its predecessor.

I love BOTW. I wouldn't be fine with that being the standard, personal you I love having more weapons, armor and items to find. Definitely morning at the risk of losing story or gameplay, but if there is a team that can keep the balance right, I think this team can.

Personally I would really like to see a Breath of the Wild style over world, but combined with more traditional Zelda dungeons and progression with specific items (e.g. Hook shot) unlocking access to certain areas.
I really liked BotW, but I definitely missed the proper dungeons and item unlocks from traditional Zelda games.

@OorWullie Damn. I've found all Divine beasts and all the shrines, beat Ganon but have only found about 60 Korok seeds. You really seem to enjoy yourself in the game because compared to you I grinded and rushed everything

I think so, and look forward to the next entry

I agree with some: Next time more dungeons. More bosses. And more story please! Though its nice to see that almost everyone loves it. Sure some have remarks, like I have. But I think its quite sometime ago with Zelda that most are saying: No matter what, its great. I love it too!

On a small side-note: I am really curious about the extra dungeon in the season-pass. Only 1 dungeon, there must be something special to it. It can't be a Cave of trials, since there already will be the Trial of the sword (I was a bit dissapointed when the extra dungeon of Triforce heroes was just a Cave of trials kind of thing, but at least it was free).

@Mart1ndo Finished it the first time after three divine beasts, you could probably just waltz up to the end and try hard to finish it now if you wanted to finish under 50 hours... if you want to push things just do it, the game is flexible and the fact that you don't have to take 100 hours to complete it is one of its strengths. Take advantage!

As long as they actually put some story into it next time and perhaps at least 1 dungeon? Don't get me wrong the world was magnificent but I didn't feel it gave me any real reasons to explore other than my own curiosity and the main quest was woeful

I know I'm old, so my opinion is probably not the popular one... But I really really hope they incorporate TRUE Zelda dungeons into the next one. This was such a great game, but if the epic dungeons were added with amazing subbosses and main bosses, I think it would be beyond perfection! Just my two cents. Still loved the game, but hoping there are about 8 to 10 huge dungeons to explore in addition to the amazing over world design of this entry.

I haven't finished the game yet, and in fact only completed the Zora divine beast so far... but I love the game! There are so many improvements to the tried-and-true but a bit long-in-the-tooth Zelda formula — shrines, much more weapon diversity, better combat and stealth mechanics, more exploration, more freedom, voiced cutscenes, etc.

HOWEVER, the story is pretty weak, and side quests are often "fetch or spot item X". I'd like to see a much stronger main story, as well as engaging and story-driven side quests (perhaps similar to those seen in Majora's Mask).

@Haru17 I saw you post quite a bit in the Breath of the Wild forum, and I could tell you were super excited for the game back then. I'm surprised to see that you disliked the game after playing it. Just curious, what made you dislike it? (Please avoid any spoilers, I only finished the Zora divine beast so far.)

@shadow-wolf It's more of a screw around simulator, as opposed to a 3D Zelda game. Nothing has any weight anymore since the items are few and the puzzles copy-pasted and generally lackluster. With only four Ruta-level 'dungeons' and a bunch of shrines that just feel like going through the motions, the world is just so cheap. None of the open world's level design has any handcrafted intent to it, and you're just left with a lot of walking, collecting, and decent combat.

@shadow-wolf I don't agree with Haru above but I can understand where he's coming from.The game is certainly not perfect,you've pointed out a couple of weaker areas yourself but when you look at the game as a whole,it's an incredible experience.I have sunk a crazy amount of hours into it and I've still got so much to do yet I'm having as much fun with it as I was 100 or 200 hours ago.I've been playing games since the start of the 80's and for me BOTW sits comfortably in the top 10,maybe even top 5 of most enjoyable experiences I've ever had gaming.

no more weapon durability please, that was the most stupid design decision of BotW

@Haru17 Like OorWullie I could see where you're coming from. Although like OorWullie as well, I would like to politely disagree with you. The game's puzzles felt very fresh and clever in comparison to past Zelda games. This was in part to the new "items" and in part to the generally different take on puzzles in shrines that is often more physics-based. I completed Wind Waker a couple months ago, and I have to say, I am a bit burnt out by the classic Zelda formula. While they are good games, the puzzles and temples in Wind Waker and Twilight Princess felt like the same style as Ocarina of Time's. In other words, I felt like I was doing the same thing over and over again, with the same items over and over again. There was no excitement when I got an item like the Iron Boots; it was more of a "finally, about time". With Breath of the Wild, its more physics-based approach and cool items made the puzzles more refreshing. And I appreciated the shrines, and having multiple smaller puzzles scattered throughout the world instead of contained to 5-7 locations. While not perfect, BotW nails the exploration feeling and makes standard Zelda fare like puzzles and dungeons feel more fresh.

@OorWullie
I agree with you. To be honest, I've got a bit burnt out before while playing the game, even though I've only played 40 hours so far. I've realized why — I was focusing on the main story way too much. If you play BotW like any other Zelda game - with a focus on main story first, exploration second - it's going to feel like a slog and you're going to eventually become burnt out, simply due to the large land needed to be traversed to get to places. But, if you instead play this game with a focus on exploration first, and main story second - you're going to have an amazing experience. Initially I didn't bother to talk to everyone at a stable or town (since I was chasing the main story), but doing so strengthens the experience. I definitely think exploration first, main story second is the best way to play BotW.

Great game and I completed the story in about 55 hours beating the 4 divine beasts, getting all memories, but only getting about 60 seeds.....I started working hard to find them but at about 30 and having an expanded inventory, I just kinda quit trying for them.

I would like to see a continuation of this style, I'm sure Nintendo will expand and improve upon the formula and I can't wait to see what they do next with the series. This was my favorite Zelda title surpassing the 1st and OoT

I'm hoping for a prequel. Where link assembles the triforce of courage and becomes princess zeldas appointed knight

if Nintendo is insistent on going this route for Zelda, then they better fix some of the poor mechanics and design choices. Weapon durability as implemented in BotW is terrible. If you are going to add a mechanic like that make sure you offer players a way to fix weapons. Also add meaningful stats to weapons so people know how fragile something is. The lack of story, big dungeons, epic music, and fairly lifeless overworld was a letdown.