Having a simply massive open world wouldn’t mean much if there wasn’t so much to do within it, but there’s tons. This is also the largest Hyrule Nintendo has ever created, in both breadth and depth. The variety on offer across the land, from the snow-capped mountains up north to the most beautiful realisation yet of Zora’s Domain, or the volcanic reaches of Death Mountain, is jaw dropping. It won’t set any technical benchmarks like Horizon Zero Dawn – at times textures may appear blurry both on the big screen and on the Switch’s 6.2-inch display – but the art is utterly gorgeous. Hyrule is awash with colour, showing off Breath of the Wild’s brilliant visual style. It helps that the landscape is absolutely beautiful. Instead, Link is immediately set loose in the (absolutely enormous) land of Hyrule and is free to explore. Gone is the prolonged prologue that includes the hunt for your first weapon, shield and laying out the now well-established plot. Right from the beginning, the player is free to approach Breath of the Wild however they choose. It really underlines the total freedom of the game. Vitally, it’s told through flashbacks, which means you can complete dungeons in any order without it disrupting the flow of the story. I won’t spoil any of it for you, but the plot is interesting enough to hold your attention without intruding on your exploration of Hyrule.

It is, in many respects, a return to the ethos of the original Legend of Zelda. Where modern games seem hell bent on telling you exactly how to do every little thing, leading you by the nose with cumbersome tutorials, Breath of the Wild unleashes you on a huge world and dares you to explore. Whatever your feelings on the Nintendo Switch, it’s arguably one of the greatest launch games for any console ever. So when I say Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild not only gatecrashes the list, but probably beats the lot as the greatest of them all, I hope you realise how serious an achievement it is. The order can fluctuate, but Super Mario 3, Super Mario World, Metal Gear Solid, Ocarina of Time and Dark Souls have stood firm, despite all the other amazing titles there have been in that time. My “top five games of all time” list has remained locked for years. Available on Nintendo Switch (version tested) and Wii U

Breath of wild zelda