Despite how monumentally groundbreaking The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was on the Switch (and the Wii U, for that matter), there’s no denying that the game struggled ever-so-slightly under the weight of its ambitions. A quick trip into Korok Forest confirms as much, with the frame rate plummeting at frequent intervals.
Thankfully, it was never enough to ruin what was one of the greatest games of all time. But in the lead up to the Switch 2’s announcement, there was definitely a part of me that wondered just what BOTW could be like on beefier hardware.
I need not fantasise anymore, because Breath of the Wild - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition is here, and it's absolutely glorious. Offered up via either a paid upgrade or as part of a Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscription, this update boasts enhanced resolution of up to 4K (1080p in handheld), rock-solid 60fps frame rate throughout, faster load times, an extra save file, and... the rather terrible Zelda Notes mobile app.
Okay, let's start with the positives, of which there are many. Thanks to the boost in resolution and frame rate, the Switch 2 version of BOTW is the best way to play a modern classic. There's no going back, folks, this is it.
From the moment you exit the Shrine of Resurrection and gaze across the horizon, the improvements are immediately apparent. Mountains and trees in the distance are now significantly clearer with gorgeous detail, and swinging the camera around reveals just how unfathomably smooth the performance is.
I'm not kidding, there wasn't a moment for me when the frame rate faltered. Whether I lobbed a bomb into a Bokoblin camp littered with exploding barrels, pranced around Korok Forest, parried an attack from a Guardian, or whatever else the game could chuck at me, it all ran flawlessly. Nintendo did the best with the hardware it had back in 2017, but the Switch 2 Edition represents BOTW at its absolute finest.
Of course, with the enhancements and the natural passage of time, some textures are starting to look a little long in the tooth - rocks big and small, mainly, but since the world is absolutely littered with the things, you'll notice it quite a bit. It's a minor quibble, of course, and the game largely still looks incredible thanks to the absurd scale and beautiful art design.
With such robust performance enhancements, you'd think load times might take a bit of a hit, but it's actually quite the opposite. Thanks to the Switch 2's extra power, loading screens are now much zippier than ever before. Granted, you're still looking at around five or six seconds when teleporting or entering a shrine, so it's hardly instantaneous, but it's a lot quicker.
So, from a technical standpoint, BOTW is much improved. This is the same game you know and love, but now better-looking and smoother than you ever thought possible. If you want to experience the enhancements from the start of the game without getting rid of your original progress, you can – the Switch 2 Edition introduces a second save file, which might sound somewhat inconsequential on paper, but it's a lifesaver for those who want a fresh start but are hesitant to overwrite their save.
Nintendo didn't stop there, though. Oh no. You've also got a bunch of extra content, too! The catch, however, is that it's not in the game itself, but rather via the Zelda Notes hub stored within the Nintendo Switch mobile app. And, to put it bluntly, it's naff.
To give credit where it's due, the ability to sync up your gameplay almost perfectly to the app is actually quite impressive. It knows exactly where you are in the environment, and this in turn allows you to use a couple of interesting features.
The first of these — and perhaps the most significant — is 'Voice Memories', which features voice work from Patricia Summerset as Princess Zelda to provide bits of history and anecdotes on a whole bunch of landmarks littered throughout Hyrule. Discovering these hinges on a beeping sound via the app that indicates how close you are to a Voice Memory, kind of like how the Sheikah Sensor works for Shrines. You can turn this off if it gets annoying (which it does – very quickly), but then you have to keep glancing at your phone to monitor a little yellow flashing symbol.
Honestly, the Voice Memories themselves, while perfectly harmless, aren't interesting or vital enough to warrant having to put up with the incessant beeping or looking at your phone all the time. I play games to switch off from the outside world, so having a constant reminder that my phone is there is borderline infuriating. Either put this stuff in the game itself, or don't bother.
Elsewhere, the Navigation feature lets you locate specific characters or structures in the world, like Koroks and Shrines. Chances are that if you've been playing BOTW since 2017 you've probably already found everything worth searching for. For everyone else, this is basically a way to achieve 100% completion. Like the Voice Memories, you can activate a voiceover to point you in the right direction, but having a repetitive voice that sounds like a sat nav in a traditional fantasy setting is horrendously jarring.
You've also got a Daily Bonus feature, acting as a roulette wheel to grant you various perks, like weapon repairs and meals. I've got nothing against this, as it's essentially like activating an amiibo without actually having to grab an amiibo. You can also view play data, tinker around with in-game photos, and even exchange items with other players.
If you find yourself using and enjoying Zelda Notes, then that's wonderful – more power to you. But I just couldn't get on with it at all. The very notion of using a smartphone to access bonus features completely yanked me out of what is otherwise an all-encompassing experience. Voice Memories, Navigation, and even the Daily Bonus features could have all been implemented in the game itself, and honestly, Zelda Notes' only saving grace is that it's not enabled automatically. Just leave it be.
Conclusion
Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition is undoubtedly the best way to play one of the greatest games of all time. The visual and performance enhancements remove any issues that you may have had to endure with the original game. It's practically flawless from that perspective.
Sadly, the Zelda Notes app really brings the whole thing down. Useful features that should have been implemented in-game have been relegated to your smartphone, and using it completely breaks immersion in this incredible world. I'm only thankful that it's not even remotely mandatory. Leave Zelda Notes to one side, and you've got the definitive presentation of a modern classic.
