This week I decided to spend some time revisiting the Nintendo Switch's release game Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Having only completed 3 of the Divine Beasts before the release of Super Mario Odyssey, the reason I dropped the game all together, I was anxious about finally defeating the last one. After all, I have fond memories of gameplay that I was afraid would be diminished a year later. But perhaps this was due to me recently trying to replay Fallout 3 which was released in 2008 as the graphics tell.

When I landed back in Hyrule, I had no idea what I was supposed to do. I knew that I still had to defeat the Divine Beast of Gerudo Town but I landed up north of Rito Village, obviously in the middle of a side quest. After figuring out what I was supposed to be doing there, I was hunting for a shrine 'in the white bird's belly' a fun, climbing heavy, side quest, I quickly made my way back to Gerudo Town, determined to defeat the Divine Beast Vah Neboris by the end of the day.

Riju reacting to Link after he has defeated the Yiga Clan ChiefNintendo / Nintendo Switch

After arriving in Gerudo Town after a year hiatus (Hyrule has been waiting 100 years for Link so a year isn't so bad right?) I soon found myself in the Yiga Clan hide out doing a sneak mission, something I wasn't thrilled about in a non-sneak centered game. Don't get me wrong, sneaking around in Assassin's Creed is why I love those games, but in games where traditional gameplay is anything but sneaky (I have literal bombs as runes after all) this usually means that this mission is going to have to be restarted multiple times, at least that's how it usually goes for me.

But I have to hand it to Nintendo on this one. After watching and learning the paths of the Yiga Clan guards a few times, I was able to drop a banana to distract them (these guys really love their potassium I guess) and quickly dart into the other room to face their boss, another easy feat as he, like many Zelda bosses, follows a easy to avoid pattern and even sets himself up to be hurt by his own creation most of the time.

Master Kohga during his boss fightNintendo / Nintendo Switch

With the Yiga Clan out of the way, I was finally ready to take on the last Divine Beast. Although getting to the beast was one of the hardest parts of the game for me due to the character I needed to be close to throughout the fight being just faster than me, I finally made my way onto Vah Neboris to take down Thunderblight Ganon.

In complete honesty, this Divine Beast boss is supposedly the hardest in the game and I got lucky. After dying twice, my third time trying to beat him was aided by him glitching into the wall just long enough for me to take a fourth of his health. And boy did I need the help as his quick attacks were almost impossible to dodge. But finally I had taken back all the Divine Beasts! And I had a great time doing it too.

The Divine Neboris boss: Thunderblight GanonNintendo / Nintendo Switch

The reason I think Breath of the Wild works more than a year after the initial release is because this game is unlike any Zelda game before it. Even though I revisited Ocarina of Time a couple years back, the excitement I felt while playing it was lost to a younger version of myself. Although I've only played this latest title in the past year, I know that when I revisit it years later, those feelings will still be there because this open world game is built to last.

Now all I have to do is get buffed up and go fight the last big bad in the game, Calamity Ganon himself.

Note: All above photos are screenshots from my playthrough and are from Nintendo's Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild