So I have made it clear in the past that although there were aspects of this game that I loved very much (the art style, Zelda's design and voice being my favourite in the series), it was far from my favourite Zelda game. I completed the Wii U version 100% when it came out. I got all the Korok seeds, upgraded every piece of gear, completed every side quest, etc. I felt ultimately underwhelmed when I was finished with it.
I was given the Switch version a few months back and decided to start a new file. I bought the DLC again. I decided to do things differently this time. I usually strive for 100% completion in Zelda games because I feel a sense of accomplishment and I genuinely enjoy it. With Breath of the Wild, I did not. I found the grind too tedious. Waiting around to farm dragon pieces and star fragments took tens of hours on my first playthrough... Trying to get every Korok seed was annoying because of the weather. The rain hindered my progress often.
This playthrough I decided to upgrade only the armor that was really necessary (and the Fierce Deity armor because I love it so much), only get the Korok seeds that I would come across while exploring. I am 4 shrines away from all and I haven't touched the DLC yet. I've clocked in over 80 hours this playthrough and I can say now that I genuinely love this game. I am really happy I went back to it. There are still issues I have with it (not enough story elements, breakable weapons, rain, music, last boss, dungeons).
It is still not my favourite Zelda game, but I came to appreciate it much more. It has a lot of potential that can be reached with the sequel that has me extremely excited.
1doesnotsimply
