More than eight years after its release, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is seeing a resurgence thanks to its Nintendo Switch 2 Edition upgrade. It’s unfortunate that it’s not among the free Switch 2 updates of older games, but the BOTW update is worth it if you’re going to spend any significant amount of time on the game. I’m actually jealous of those playing it for the first time on Switch 2, as the upgrades are extensive enough to make it the clear definitive way to play.
Breath of the Wild‘s reactive, open world was revolutionary for the long-running Zelda series, but the game is so expansive that achieving 100% completion is a very tall order. Gathering all 900 Korok Seeds is by far the most laborious part – it’s an astounding number of collectibles, and the reward isn’t even useful, not to mention you don’t need all of them to get the maximum number of inventory slots. Still, if you’re looking for a reason to return to BOTW and check out the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, there’s never been a better time to 100% it.
BOTW Has Some Minor Issues On The Original Switch
Low & Inconsistent Frame Rate
Breath of the Wild is serviceable on the original Nintendo Switch, but it always felt a bit too ambitious for the hardware. It’s astounding the game was released cross-generationally on the Wii U as well. Most noticeable is BOTW‘s low and inconsistent frame rate on the Switch. Now that modern gaming has largely adopted 60 frames per second as the preferred standard, going back to Breath of the Wild‘s target of 30fps is pretty rough.
The game typically does alright meeting said target, but there are plenty of circumstances where it struggles. Korok Forest is the most common example – there’s simply too much foliage and lighting effects in the small area, so the game chugs pretty hard. There are plenty of other areas where it drops frames as well, like in combat with many enemies on-screen.
Of particular relevance to achieving 100% in BOTW is its load times on Switch. Those returning to the game to hunt for Korok Seeds or find the rest of the Ancient Shrines will probably be using fast travel very regularly. Anyone wanting to complete the whole game will need some measure of patience, just because of the nature of the task, but the long waits for the game to load can become grating.
Breath Of The Wild Switch 2 Edition Is The Definitive Version
An Exceptionally Smooth Experience
Breath of the Wild‘s shortcomings have since been addressed by the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, making the excellent game even better. The upgrade feels like it’s done justice to a game that always deserved to run better than it could. The frame rate is a very smooth 60fps, even in Korok Forest, and it loads much faster. Playing in 4K with HDR also helps accentuate the incredible vistas in BOTW‘s Hyrule, even if some lower-quality textures are more noticeable now.
The bigger screen and crisper visuals in handheld mode are where it really shines for achieving 100% completion, though. Tying up all the loose ends in BOTW is the perfect task for playing in short bursts, and the handheld experience is sublime after the Switch 2 upgrade. BOTW‘s resolution on the original Switch was pretty low in handheld, losing a lot of definition, especially for objects in the distance.
There Isn’t Much Else To Play On The Switch 2 Right Now
Exclusives Are In Short Supply
Going for 100% completion in Breath of the Wild is a great way to put your Switch 2 through its paces while there aren’t currently a lot of other options. Mario Kart World is incredible, but the only other Switch 2 exclusive at the moment is Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour, which many are understandably reluctant to spend money on. Playing Knockout Tour online in Mario Kart World has personally kept me very entertained, but it’s definitely best in moderation – Mario Kart doesn’t have the variety or the scale of a game like Breath of the Wild, which you can really sink your teeth into.
Especially if you haven’t played BOTW since it released in 2017, it almost feels like a new game. It and Tears of the Kingdom‘s Switch 2 Editions are so far the most impressive pieces of software on the Switch 2, if only because they’re so noticeably upgraded from their versions on the original Switch. Playing some intermittent Breath of the Wild is a great way to fill the space between the console’s launch and the release of Donkey Kong Bananza in July. After that, it seems like it may be another long wait until Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, which still doesn’t have a scheduled release date.
How To Reach 100% Completion In Breath Of The Wild
The Game’s Measurement Is Misleading
Once you beat the main story in Breath of the Wild, you’ll receive a star icon on your save file and a new percentage score on your map. You can’t continue after you’ve defeated Calamity Ganon, so your final save will be just before the last boss battle. The percentage the game gives you is a very limited definition of a completionist run, though, only requiring that you complete all four Divine Beasts, find and finish every Ancient Shrine, get all 900 Korok Seeds, and visit every named location in Hyrule.
There are a handful of other tasks that are generally considered part of attaining true 100% completion in Breath of the Wild:
- Complete all 76 side quests
- Activate all 14 Sheikah Towers
- Find and witness all 18 forgotten memories
- Acquire and fully upgrade every set of armor
- Acquire all the horse gear
- Completely upgrade Link’s inventory
- Receive Hestu’s gift after finding all 900 Korok Seeds
- Finish the Hyrule Compendium
- Defeat every Hinox, Stalnox, Talus, and Molduga to earn Kilton’s Medals of Honor
Breath of the Wild is already a very long game, often taking players upwards of 100 hours, but doing all of the above will definitely take a lot of time. Luckily, BOTW save files are transferable to the Switch 2, and yours should already show up in the Switch 2 Edition if you transferred your data when setting up your new console. The upgrade also finally added another save slot to Breath of the Wild, so you can relive the journey without wiping all your hard work if the busy work of getting to 100% doesn’t interest you.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
5/10
- Released
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March 3, 2017
- ESRB
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E for Everyone: Fantasy Violence, Use of Alcohol, Mild Suggestive Themes
- Developer(s)
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Nintendo EPD
- Publisher(s)
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Nintendo
- Engine
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Havok
- Cross-Platform Play
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no
- Cross Save
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no