BREATH OF THE WILD: THE HILL YOU SEE, YOU CAN CLIMB
9.5 of 10 bananas. The open world that rewired a generation, now smoother on Switch 2, still held back by breaking weapons and samey shrines.
By the Alpha. Switch 2 Edition listing. Updated Oct 18 2026.
Honest note: This is not a fresh hands-on playtest. I built this verdict from launch reviews, critic consensus, update history, and what is known about the game today. If I put real hours in on stream, I will update the score and say so.
Platforms: The Amazon button is the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition (Nintendo, released June 5 2025), which plays on Nintendo Switch 2 only. At my Oct 18 check it was in stock, sold by Amazon.com at 69 dollars. The original Nintendo Switch version also exists and plays on both systems; if you already own it, Nintendo sells a cheaper upgrade pack instead. No PC, PlayStation, or Xbox version.
Get Breath of the Wild Switch 2 Edition on AmazonSit with me a moment. I have climbed a lot of trees. Breath of the Wild is the only game that made me feel like every mountain on the horizon was a promise, not a backdrop.
What It Wants To Be
Link wakes from a hundred-year sleep in a ruined Hyrule and is told to stop Calamity Ganon. Then the game lets you go. You can climb nearly anything, glide from any height, cook, hunt, and solve physics puzzles in shrines. The Switch 2 Edition adds sharper visuals, a smoother frame rate, and ZELDA NOTES support through the Nintendo Switch app.
What Works
Freedom is the point and it delivers. Systems talk to each other: fire spreads in grass, metal draws lightning, and wind lifts you. Every clever idea you have tends to work. Critics put the original near the very top of all time, and it won Game of the Year awards in 2017. On Switch 2 the old frame rate dips are largely gone, which makes the world feel even more alive.
What Breaks
Listen well. Weapons break fast, and many players never make peace with it. The four Divine Beast dungeons are short and look alike, and shrine puzzles get repetitive. The story is told in scattered memories, so it lands softer than older Zeldas. If you played Tears of the Kingdom first, this map will feel familiar and simpler.
Who Should Play
Play it if you have never played it and own a Switch 2, or if your old copy chugged and you want the smooth version. If you already own the original, buy the upgrade pack instead of this card.
STRENGTHS
- True freedom to climb and explore
- Systems that reward clever ideas
- Smoother on Switch 2
- A world that still feels alive
HONEST COSTS
- Weapons break quickly
- Short, similar dungeons
- Repetitive shrine puzzles
- Switch 2 only for this card
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