The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - The Master Trials (Nintendo Switch) Review

By Drew Hurley 03.07.2017

Review for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - The Master Trials on Nintendo Switch

Any real Zelda fan will remember Master Quest, the add-on to the GameCube port of Ocarina of Time from 2002, which breathed fresh life into the legendary game. Breath of the Wild hardly needs fresh life blown into it at this point, as it's still under four months old, not to mention that few and less players have experienced even half of what it has to offer. Regardless, Nintendo is keeping players in the land of Hyrule by delivering the first ever DLC for Zelda in the form of The Master Trials, but just what does it have to offer, and is it worth the price?

Possibly the biggest inclusion in this initial DLC pack is the Master Mode. Drawing back on the Master Quest of old, this new version of the game is a chance for players to take on Breath of the Wild once more in a different and more punishing world. A perfect example of this crushing difficulty is the inclusion of one of the most terrible enemies in the game appearing right in the first open zone, as a White Lynel stalks through the tall grass. Even better, further in, there is a brand new Gold Lynel that will quickly wreck even the best equipped and experienced of players.

Thankfully, too, despite Breath of the Wild lacking the ability to have multiple save files - a horrible flaw - this new mode gives a separate save file and single auto-save slot. This is a level of challenge never previously seen in a Zelda title, and while it can occasionally feel frustrating, it's a real blast and highly addictive.

Screenshot for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - The Master Trials on Nintendo Switch

The next most significant inclusion would be a new quest from the Great Deku Tree, known as the EX Trial of the Sword. This quest is only acceptable after acquiring the Master Sword and promises to unleash the true power of the blade. It sees Link stripped of all equipment, then sent into a gauntlet of challenge rooms - 60 in all. The mission is simple: overcome each room and gather up equipment to move onto the next. The difficulty scales from simple wooden spear-wielding Bokoblins, to Moblins, to much more terrifying enemies. Taking the weapons from these enemies and scavenging for health recovery items is essential to overcome this new challenge.

There's also some extra side quests included that have familiar relics for fans of the series' history. Those willing to track down the truth behind Misko's riddles can look forward to items like Majora's Mask and even a certain green leotard. There's also a quest that grants an item many completionists out there will be overjoyed to get their hands on. Tracking down every shrine and finding every side quest greatly pales to the mammoth task of hunting for all 900 Koroks. This task is now made a great deal easier with the reward for this new quest, which is a Korok Mask that can be used a little like the Sheikah Sensor. This wooden visage will rattle and shake as Link approaches the diminutive forest spirits.

There's a second tool included in this DLC to track down the little blighters and anything else that may have been missed along the way, too. It's called Hero's Path Mode, and is an upgrade to the Sheikah Map that overlays every step Link has taken for up to 200 hours atop the map, showing any gaps in exploration and unexplored areas.

Screenshot for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - The Master Trials on Nintendo Switch

Cubed3 Rating

9/10
Rated 9 out of 10

Exceptional - Gold Award

Rated 9 out of 10

With Nintendo having little experience with DLC, there was always a question as to if the developer could do it right, and it seems unquestionable that the team knocked this one out of the park, adding some new content, giving a completely new game mode, and also including cosmetic little bonuses for series fans out there. The next DLC has only been hinted at so far, but it has been shown to be based around the fan-favourite four champions, and if it's even half as good as this then fans are in for a treat.

Developer

Nintendo

Publisher

Nintendo

Genre

Action Adventure

Players

1

C3 Score

Rated $score out of 10  8/10

Reader Score

Rated $score out of 10  0 (0 Votes)

European release date Out now   North America release date Out now   Japan release date Out now   Australian release date Out now   

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