SHOCK: The 96% OpenCritic Open-World MASTERPIECE That CRUSHES Elden Ring’s Hype – ‘Best World in Gaming HISTORY!’ 🌍🔥

You know that one game everyone calls GOTY king? Critics say it can’t touch THIS legendary gem’s breathtaking world – climb EVERYTHING, physics magic, ZERO hand-holding, shrines everywhere! 8 years later, devs STILL copy it (Genshin, Horizon), sales hit 34M+. Why does its world feel ALIVE while others flop?

Click to discover the game that redefined open-worlds forever – and why fans say NOTHING tops it! 👉

In the crowded field of open-world blockbusters, one title stands unchallenged for its groundbreaking design: Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (BOTW). Released on March 3, 2017, for Wii U and Nintendo Switch, it secured a stellar 96/100 top critic average on OpenCritic from 166 reviews, with 96% recommending it – placing it in the elite “Mighty” tier, top 0% of all games ever tracked. A recent CBR analysis crowns its Hyrule as the “best world in gaming history,” outshining even Elden Ring‘s Lands Between for sheer liveliness and immersion, despite the FromSoftware hit’s own 96 OpenCritic score and Game of the Year sweep.

Crafted by Nintendo EPD with Monolith Soft on terrain, BOTW drops players as amnesiac hero Link in a shrine overlooking a ruined Hyrule, 100 years post-Calamity Ganon. Ditch the hand-holding: No quest markers, no linear path – just a sprawling kingdom of forests, deserts, peaks, and ruins. Climb any surface (stamina-managed), glide vast distances, cook buffs from foraged items, and solve physics puzzles with four Sheikah Slates: Magnets, stasis, bombs, cryonis. Over 120 shrines yield orbs for upgrades; 900 Korok seeds hide in plain sight, rewarding pure curiosity.

Praise poured in. Polygon hailed it a “masterclass in open-world design.” IGN called it Nintendo’s “most ambitious… game to date.” Eurogamer noted it “evolved Zelda… vital-feeling after 20 years.” OpenCritic lists it #1 all-time open-world, ahead of Red Dead Redemption 2 (95) and sequel Tears of the Kingdom (95).

Hyrule’s magic? Emergent chaos: Metal objects fly via magnets to topple foes; fire + dry grass = infernos; rain halts climbs, forcing adaptation. Biomes shift gameplay – elixirs for volcanic heat, snow gear for icy peaks. Blood Moons refresh enemies; no level walls let you cheese bosses early. It’s a systems sandbox where player ingenuity reigns.

Sales exploded: 1.49 million first-week, 33.04 million Switch units by mid-2025 (total ~34.5M including Wii U), Zelda’s bestseller, powering Switch’s 143M+ sales. DLC The Master Trials (77 OpenCritic) and Champions’ Ballad (81) added challenges. A Switch 2 Edition (88 OpenCritic) hit June 2025 with enhancements.

Legacy? Transformative. Genshin Impact mimics gliding/climbing; Immortals Fenyx Rising its puzzles; Elden Ring, Horizon Forbidden West, Sonic Frontiers nod to non-linear freedom. Tears of the Kingdom (20M+) built on it with Ultrahand, but BOTW’s raw purity persists.

Drawbacks exist: Shrine/Korok repetition, weapon breakage frustration, lore-light for newbies (memories help). Rainy climbs irk; some zones feel sparse. Yet user acclaim endures: “Open-world perfection.”

Aspect
BOTW Strengths
Vs. Top Contenders

World Design
Seamless, fully climbable; physics-driven emergence.
RDR2: Dense narrative; Elden: Vertical secrets but punishing.

Exploration
Marker-free curiosity; adaptive biomes.
Elden: Trial-error discovery.

Accessibility
Forgiving amnesia setup.
Soulslikes’ steep curve.

Sales/Legacy
34M+; genre blueprint.
Inspires all modern hits.

Critic Edge
96 OC #1 open-world.
Ties Elden but “best world” nod.

Nearly a decade later, BOTW’s Hyrule – wondrous, perilous – eclipses copycats. As Switch 2 booms, it reminds: True liberty beats checklists. A breath of fresh air in gaming’s open expanses.