The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild feels like a direct acknowledgement from Nintendo that their releases as of late have become too linear and hold the players hand far too often; and the result is the largest shake up of the Zelda formula to date—one absolutely worth the near 6-year wait.

Giving Link his four Sheikah Slate Rune abilities in the starting area of the game, The Great Plateau, right off the bat means that every puzzle encountered in the wild can be solved at any point in the game. Shrines serve as miniature dungeons scattered all across Hyrule, and successfully translate the intricate puzzle solving and more linear design of previous games into a bit sized format. Almost no feeling in any other game evokes such wonder and excitement as does the feeling of climbing a Sheikah Tower, noting four Ancient Shrines way off in the distance, and jumping off from your high vantage point using your Paraglider to sail above the land. Using the rewards from these Shrines, Spirit Orbs, to upgrade Links health and stamina is a great gameplay loop that really makes you feel more powerful—and with every visit to the Goddess Statue to receive these rewards, Link gains an upper hand against Calamity Ganon; the final boss who can be accessed at any point in your adventure. Few games truly capture the sense of wonder, joy of exploration, and excitement of discovery like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.