History YMMV / TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild

* CrowningMomentOfFunny: When you cook with incompatible ingredients, it results in the Dubious Food, a food so gross that you can't even look at it. It was even {{Gag Censor}}ed in its icon.
--> "It's too gross to even look at. A bizarre smell issues forth from this heap. Eating it won't hurt you, though...probably."

** There was [[FlameWar a rampant civil war]] started among fans about whether changing Link's gender would be a good idea, especially before Aonuma decomfirmed the possibility. While male Link has since been confirmed, there have been three camps:

* TheyCopiedItSoItSucks: With such elements like the WideOpenSandbox nature of the world, a wide variety of equippable BreakableWeapons, cooking, the Stamina Meter, and the nature of the collectibles found across the overworld, there have been debates over how much the game seemingly borrows from other recent games such as ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'', ''VideoGame/TheWitcher3WildHunt'', ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'', and even ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}''. Whether these additions add to a series that allegedly needed a shake-up or introduce superfluous elements to a series that didn't need it is a debate in itself.

* TearJerker: The very state of Hyrule can bring tears in the eyes of many Zelda players, rivaling that of the ''Videogame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker''. The kingdom that many came to recognize and remember is now just ruins, buried by the wildness with little to no civilization visible across the land. All familiar aspects are either gone or nearly forgotten, exemplified by the Master Sword lying in its pedestal, rusted from the passage of time.
** The Master Sword, lying alone in the woods and covered in rust. Poor [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword Fi]].

** There was [[FlameWar a rampant civil war]] started among fans about whether changing Link's gender would be a good idea, especially after Aonuma said that they'll listen to the demands of the fans on this matter. While male Link has since been confirmed, there have been three camps:
*** Those who want the series to be like it's always been. They argue that, despite being a HeroicMime, Link already has an established character, and it would mess up his iconic status. They also say it would not fit well in the lore of the franchise, considering the relationship between Link and Zelda is one of an ImpliedLoveInterest more often than not, and that the mythology of the series always refers to the legendary hero as a male (also, in ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword Skyward Sword]]'', [[spoiler:Demise explicitly used the male word for "hero" when he cast his curse]]).
*** Those who like the idea of a game with a female protagonist, but would prefer it to be someone other than the long-standing Link. Zelda is by far the most demanded option, especially since this is something that's been talked about among the fan base for much longer, and there are even [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSpiritTracks precedents of her being playable in the main series]]. There are also those who mention a possible sister of Link (who could be or not be [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker Aryll]]), or even a brand new female character altogether.
*** Those who want Link to be a girl, or at least, to have that option. They argue that there isn't any real reason for not doing it, and argue that Link ''isn't'' an established character, but multiple individuals with the same name. (supported by ''Twilight Princess'' having two Links at the same time, the protagonist and the Hero's Shade, and undermined by Ganon in ''Wind Waker'' explicitly referring to Link as "the hero of time reborn"). It fits the {{Reincarnation}} theme of the series, it would bring fresh air to the franchise, it would send a positive message (''[[AnAesop anyone]]'' [[AnAesop can be a hero]]), it'd have the potential of catalyzing a profound change in women representation in the video game industry, if not popular culture as a whole, and if they give the option to choose gender, it would fit the character's role as the AudienceSurrogate, making it easier for female players to project themselves into the character.

* MemeticMutation: Aonuma's statement "Real horses don't run into trees very often" has started to pick up steam.

* CounterpartComparison: Thanks to the reveal trailer being very similar to the first few minutes of ''Anime/PrincessMononoke'', this Link has gained many comparisons to the movie's main protagonist, Ashitaka. The fact that the in-game graphics are stated to be based on Japanese animation has only caused the comparisons to grow.
** This has also been made with ''VideoGame/TheWitcher3WildHunt'', with ''Breath of the Wild'' including many mechanics that are similar to those in CD Projekt Red's game (as well as other open world RPGs) down to things like the horse AI, durability system, procedural weather, etc.

** This has also been made with ''VideoGame/TheWitcher3WildHunt'', with ''Breath of the Wind'' including many mechanics that are similar to those in CD Projekt Red's game (as well as other open world RPGs) down to things like the horse AI, durability system, procedural weather, etc.

** This has also been made with ''VideoGame/TheWitcher3WildHunt'', with ''Breath of the Wind'' including many mechanics that are similar to those in CD Projekt Red's game (as well as other open world RPGs) down to things like the durability system, procedural weather, etc.

* TearJerker: The very state of Hyrule can bring tears in the eyes of many Zelda players, rivalry that of the ''Videogame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker''. The kingdom that many came to recognize and remember is now just ruins, buried by the wildness with little to no civilization visible across the land. All familiar aspects are either gone or nearly forgotten, exemplified by the Master Sword lying in its pedestal, rusted from the passage of time.

** Link's design. Link is almost always at least a little androgynous; however, this Link's apparently young age (younger than the 'adult Link' but not quite 'young Link'), long hair, and the art style of the game make him look [[DudeLooksLikeALady even more feminine]] than other designs. Opinions range from disappointment that he wasn't really a girl, to complaints that Nintendo made him look too girly, and to others who just don't see the big deal, with some fans of either gender finding that this new Link looks fine.

* VisualEffectsOfAwesome: Oh yeah. It ''is'' the first original HD ''Zelda'' game. WordOfGod states the E3 2014 footage was engine-made footage, and ''it looks PURTY'', especially in sunset. Those insisting Aonuma was lying were put to rest in the Game Awards showcase, as it looks every bit as amazing as it did in the trailer, only held back by not being a direct screen capture.

*** Those who want Link to be a girl, or at least, to have that option. They argue that there isn't any real reason for not doing it, and argue that Link ''isn't'' an established character, but multiple individuals with the same name. (supported by ''Twilight Princess'' having two Links at the same time, the protagonist and the Hero's Shade, and undermined by Ganon in ''Wind Waker'' explicitly referring to Link as 'the hero of time reborn)'. It fits the {{Reincarnation}} theme of the series, it would bring fresh air to the franchise, it would send a positive message (''[[AnAesop anyone]]'' [[AnAesop can be a hero]]), it'd have the potential of catalyzing a profound change in women representation in the video game industry, if not popular culture as a whole, and if they give the option to choose gender, it would fit the character's role as the AudienceSurrogate, making it easier for female players to project themselves into the character.

*** Those who want Link to be a girl, or at least, to have that option. They argue that there isn't any real reason for not doing it, and argue that Link ''isn't'' an established character, but multiple individuals with the same name (supported by ''Twilight Princess'' having two Links at the same time, the protagonist and the Hero's Shade, as well as the Link from ''Wind Waker'' explicitly ''not'' being a reincarnated Link, as the hero and his soul had left that timeline completely). It fits the {{Reincarnation}} theme of the series, it would bring fresh air to the franchise, it would send a positive message (''[[AnAesop anyone]]'' [[AnAesop can be a hero]]), it'd have the potential of catalyzing a profound change in women representation in the video game industry, if not popular culture as a whole, and if they give the option to choose gender, it would fit the character's role as the AudienceSurrogate, making it easier for female players to project themselves into the character.

** Link's design. Link is almost always at least a little androgynous; however, this Link's apparently young age (younger than the 'adult Link' but not quite 'young Link'), long hair, and the art style of the game make him look [[DudeLooksLikeALady even more feminine]] than other designs. Debates range from disappointment he wasn't really a girl to crying that Nintendo made him look too girly, and others who just don't see the big deal, with some fans (of either gender) finding that this new Link looks cute.

*** Those who like the idea of a game with a female protagonist, but would prefer it to be someone other than Link. Zelda is by far the most demanded option, especially since this is something that's been talked about among the fan base for much longer, and there are even [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSpiritTracks precedents of her being playable in the main series]]. They argue that there's no point in changing Link's gender when "Zelda is already there". There are also those who mention a possible sister of Link (who could be or not be [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker Aryll]]), or even a brand new female character altogether.

* VisualEffectsOfAwesome: WordOfGod states the E3 2014 footage was engine-made footage, and ''it looks PURTY'', especially in sunset. Those insisting Aonuma was lying were put to rest in the Game Awards showcase, as it looks every bit as amazing as it did in the trailer, only held back by not being a direct screen capture.

** The return of a right-handed Link with no motion controls like in ''Skyward Sword'' is a big part for longtime fans and lefties. This isn't helped by the fact that ''Hyrule Warriors'' and even ''Tri Force Heroes'' have Link as a lefty, and that ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess Twilight Princess HD]]'' uses the left-handed, Game Cube version of Link (and the Game Cube version's game world) for the main game, only using right-handed Link (and the Wii game world) for the alternate Hero Mode.

* The inclusion of Weapon Durability has left some fans split. There are some who welcome this new mechanic, those who dislike it, and those who are neutral. Some have argued that the game gives you weapons like there's no tomorrow, and that there's nothing to worry about.

*** Those who want the series to be like it's always been. They argue that, despite being a HeroicMime, Link already has an established character, and it would mess up his iconic status. They also say it would not fit well in the lore of the franchise, considering the relationship between Link and Zelda is one of an ImpliedLoveInterest more often than not, and that the mythology of the series always refers to the legendary hero as a male (also, in ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword Skyward Sword]]'', [[spoiler:Demise explicitly used the male word for "hero" when he casted his curse]]).

** The game getting delayed to 2017 and announced as a dual release for Wii U and NX. Some even called it [[SeriousBusiness the death of Nintendo]].