I've recently found myself diving back into The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild — and it's reminded me why this game left such a mark on the industry.

Edge Magazine awarded it a rare 10/10 and placed it at number one in their top 100 games of all time. High praise, and not entirely unwarranted. That said, I'd stop short of calling it the greatest game ever made — though it's certainly one of the finest open-world experiences you'll find.

I'll be honest: I bounced off it the first time around. The difficulty spikes caught me off guard, and the breakable weapon system genuinely frustrated me. It felt punishing in ways I wasn't prepared for. But returning to it with fresh eyes, I can appreciate those mechanics for what they are — systems designed to push you toward creativity rather than comfort.

I'm playing on an original Switch, not the Switch 2, and it still holds up beautifully. The performance is smooth enough, and the world remains as breathtaking as ever. This is a game that rewards patience. Yes, you can technically speedrun it in under 25 minutes — but doing so would be to miss the point entirely. The magic of Breath of the Wild is in the wandering, the discovery, and the moments you stumble into completely by accident.

It's a masterpiece that deserves to be savoured.