Breath of the Wild never ends. It just sort of sputters to a halt. You spend weeks or months preparing for that final climactic battle, and when you’re ready, you go head-to-head with the giant, shape-shifting fiery bearded spider-crab crab, only to be dropped back out into open-world Hyrule at your last save point. It’s a frustrating and wildly anti-climactic end to what is otherwise one of the most epic and satisfying games of recent vintage.
One can compellingly (and, I think, correctly) make the argument that the debut Nintendo Switch title is one of the medium’s all-time masterpieces. But that end. You can pick up where you left off and take on Calamity Ganon again. Maybe do it with a worse weapon this time or less armor or fewer hearts. Maybe speed-run the thing. Go viral. But we both know it will never be the same as the first time.
