Final impressions before the test

Absent for too many years on Nintendo home consoles in its true form, the franchise Zelda had to settle for simple remakes, ports and derivatives on Wii U. It is therefore with a certain impatience that Link fans await the return of their favorite hero to their living room through The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

A few days before the release of the title on WiiU and Nintendo Switchwe had the chance to go through the first levels and while waiting for our final test, we invite you to take advantage of our latest review.

In this new episode, Nintendo does not seek to upset the codes of its saga and once again gives us the mission of protect the kingdom of Hyrule from the threat that weighs on it. The question everyone is asking is whether the title is benefiting from its time on Nintendo Switch to offer clear progress on the technical aspect, which left something to be desired during our tests on WiiU at the last E3. Unfortunately, although the title is very demanding on the console’s battery in portable mode, we discover that the game is unfortunately far from current standards on a technical level.

The most surprising thing in our handling of the game comes from the fact that the biggest flaws appear when switching the console to TV mode while the latter takes advantage of the boost offered by the dock to offer better resolution. In this configuration, framerate drops are omnipresent and somewhat taint the gaming pleasure throughout the adventure.

In addition to these numerous drops in FPS, the game suffers from numerous defects such as clipping in areas where our vision extends quite far, but also from omnipresent aliasing. Luckily, when switching to portable mode, these defects are less felt on the Switch screen and we then benefit from a more enjoyable gaming experience, but which will unfortunately end in a little less than three hours if we don’t have a charger with us. It is however good to note that the game offers a little trick to gain power via a Pro mode which has the effect of erasing certain elements of the HUD. Via this little tip which offers a more artistic visual rendering sticking perfectly to the design of the saga, the game seems to suffer less when displaying certain parts.

But as we know, often at Nintendo in recent years, even if the technique is far from meeting current standards, the in-house know-how in terms of gameplay is still present. The game invites us to start the game after a long sleep and we thus find ourselves very helpless when it comes time to explore the vast expanses of Hyrule. It will therefore be necessary to search the premises to find something to clothe Link but also to equip him in order to see that the game has neglected nothing in the management aspect it offers.

We quickly realize that the interface is well thought out and it only takes a single glance to see if the element we have just picked up will offer more powerful strike force or protection than the one we already have. To help us survive the challenge that awaits us, Link has the possibility of collecting numerous elements such as pieces of meat, mushrooms or apples which he can mix together in order to create mixtures which are not very tasty, but which will allow it to resist elements such as the cold and thus explore certain areas.

The game has thought about including a Stamina gauge for our character and we will have to monitor it constantly. Because if Link can climb rock walls to push the exploration offered by this episode even further, he may find himself exhausted before reaching the summit and fall victim to a fatal fall. In order for the game to offer a good dose of strategy, it offers a well-thought-out weapon wear system. Thus, finding a powerful weapon will offer a real feeling of satisfaction, but this will only last for a while. Because the more we use the weapon in question, the more it will wear out, going so far as to destroy itself in the middle of combat. We will therefore have to use all the elements at our disposal to never find ourselves destitute and organize our inventory as it should, as it quickly fills up.

We’ll see you in the coming days to enjoy a complete test of Zelda’s long-awaited return to our homes.

Despite a somewhat disappointing technical aspect, the gameplay seems to live up to our expectations of this open world Zelda. Final verdict in a few days!

Our impressions before the test

Our impressions one month before the release

(FAQ): Final Fantasy XVI – Some answers before our test!

Final handling before the test

Final Fantasy IX TEST – Final Fantasy IX PS4, effortless porting

Bold Impressions in Space: Reflecting on June’s Outstanding Astronomical Achievements and Discoveries

First impressions

Premières impressions de l’accès anticipé

Lenovo Legion Tower 5i Impressions: Affordable Power with a Surprise Punch

First impressions of gameplay

First impressions – The Japan Connection

Our first impressions controller in hand