Zelda games have been at the forefront of pioneering new benchmarks in gaming. Whether it’s a new take on open-world games or mind-bending mechanics that bring game design to newer heights, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild has made yet another name for itself based on Edge Magazine’s experience of the game.
In issue number 390 of Edge Magazine, the game has been voted the most influential game in the history of gaming, which spans three decades of video games. The issue speculates on the top 100 influential games in the last thirty years, among which Breath of the Wild sits at the top. According to Edge, it is the ultimate synthesis of creativity and technology, no different from magic itself.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’s Success Keeps on Giving
It’s as if Zelda’s magic has empowered thousands of fellow game developers and designers to learn from the franchise and draw inspiration from foundational elements of game design that stay with gamers beyond their playtime. The developer of games like Chicory and Wandersong, Greg Lobanov, ambitiously puts it into words:
Every year it gets harder to do anything that actually feels ahead of the crowd or that legitimately pushes the medium forward. It’s hard to imagine right now that we’ll see anything land a leap as ambitious as Breath of the Wild again.
It’s a well-earned title, considering how innovative Zelda games have been in recent years. Breath of the Wild sets a new benchmark for how engaging and interesting open worlds can be. It inspired games like Genshin Impact, cradling a new subgenre similar to Soulslike games. Furthermore, the physics-driven gameplay encouraged players to not be afraid of a world yet to be discovered.
Instead, different ways of traversing it made for a player base that now demands excellence in open-world titles.
Zelda’s thirty-year-old legacy may be an old one, but games like Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom redefine familiarity. It uses a tinge of nostalgia with novelty in game design.
Based on the Other Game Comparisons, Zelda Holds Its Own Because of Innovation and Creativity
Edge also paid homage to masterpieces like Bloodborne, The Last of Us, Grand Theft Auto V, and Dark Souls. Still, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild stays at the top. This may give rise to heated arguments and debates around art being a subjective topic. But, when magazines like Edge have a score for titles, it inspires a silent nod that makes people think about games in an objective way. Rather than scoring something based on individual preferences.
There’s good reason for Breath of the Wild to still be relevant. In recent times, the popularity of Soulslike has increased, bringing the subgenre to a highlight every time a developer crafts a slightly challenging element instead of traditional, linear difficulty scaling. Similarly, Breath of the Wild introduced an open world that never overwhelmed players with a constant need to ‘go here’ or ‘do this.’ It made for an experience that welcomed exploration in its truest sense.
Also Read: 6 Reasons Why Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker Still Holds Up
A similar approach was taken by Elden Ring, where players are never forced to explore a particular zone. This was a new approach, considering how Soulslike often has connecting environments with little to do with linear storytelling, but players could often get ‘stuck’ unless they beat a particular boss.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild may stand proudly on a threshold of cleverly built open-world game design, and gamers are always looking forward to innovation in game development. What do you think of Edge’s video game rankings? Let us know in the comments.
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