Discussion YMMV / TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild

• 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 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, thinking he looks just fine.
• The return of a right-handed Link even more so since every game announced after and released before Breath of the Wild kept Link as his usual left-handed self. Some people are bothered by Link being right handed, while others don't care. The controversy is a little more intense here because the justification of Link's right-handedness in Skyward Sword doesn't apply here (the game doesn't have motion-controlled sword attacks), although Aonuma has said that the choice was made based on which hand the player uses to initiate sword attacks.
• The game's multiple release delays inevitably caused this.
  • After the first delay from 2015 to 2016, some Wii U owners were sorely disappointed, feeling that this left the Wii U's fall 2015 schedule bare (note that this announcement happened prior to E3 2015, when the fall lineup really did look bare). Others, however, were fine with the delay as it meant the developers were really taking their time to polish up the game instead of forcing it out to meet a deadline (a la Wind Waker, which had two dungeons cut because of rushed development). Some were just completely indifferent and "not surprised" as this wasn't the first time a Zelda game had been delayed for over a year.
  • It was delayed again from 2016 to 2017, and was also announced as a dual release for the Wii U and the (then-upcoming) Nintendo Switch. Some fans were fine with this, believing the game might still need extra work and polish, while others suspected the delay was a deliberate ploy to bring more attention to the Switch. It didn't hurt the latter's case that Nintendo had made repeated assurances that the game was nearly done and would release in 2016, giving the impression that they were sitting on a mostly finished product and depriving Wii U owners of an early experience to help the Switch sell.
• The game introducing fully voiced dialogue has been unnerving to some who prefer the text-based dialogue, but many others have praised it for bringing a more immersive and cinematic feel to the series, while others are fine with it since Link doesn't talk.
• 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.
• The fact that, due to the game's Wide-Open Sandbox nature taxing the hardware, the game's hard locked to 720p, 30 FPS (with occasional framerate drops), as opposed to Nintendo games being known for being, outside of Fighting Games, some of the last bastions of 60 FPS gaming on consoles. Do you feel it sucks (as, again, Nintendo games tend to prioritize playability), are you willing to forgive it (due to the massive world and beautiful visuals making up for it), or do you not care either way?

I'm cutting the following example(s) for being pre-release specific and not holding up to what actually is present in the game (from Broken Base):

• The game's Wide-Open Sandbox structure (or lack of structure) has been praised by many, but others dislike it, claiming that it goes too far against the traditional Zelda formula. Additionally, though some people are excited about the large size of the world and the possibilities it has to offer, others fear that it could be potentially barren and extraneous without offering many things to do besides exploration.

I'm cutting the following example(s) for being too mild. That is, the issue doesn't seem to have haters or lovers (or both). It has supporters and detractors, but it isn't that big a deal by the entry's own admission.

• The music, which forms what is probably the most divisive soundtrack in the series so far. Although pretty much everyone agrees it's good and that it fits the general tone of the game, Manaka Kataoka and Yasuaki Iwata used a subtle and melancholic style, rather than the classic epic fanfares the series is known for, as well as giving more prominence to silence and nature sounds. Many people think that they overdid this approach, and that it has given a much less memorable and less varied score as a result, way too detached from what comes to their minds when they think about music from a Zelda game. However, there is arguably just as many people who say the soundtrack still has a lot of memorable tracks and argue that the new style is actually much more nuanced and sophisticated. Some go as far as to state that it's hands-down the best soundtrack in the entire series. There are also people who Take a Third Option and state that they think the soundtrack is just right for Breath of the Wild, but don't want its style to become the new norm in future installments.
• Whether the the shrines are good enough for making up for the lack of dungeons or not has been debated. Many fans like their bite-size, and argue they fit in the style of the game, more focused on exploration, and they think they serve as an excellent reward for exploring all on their own. They also adore the fact that many of them have several possible solutions, probably ones the development team didn't even think of. Detractors, on the other hand, find most of the puzzles way too simple, especially by the standards of the series. As for the multiple-solution approach, they think it ultimately does more harm than good, since they don't find most of the alternate solutions very compelling on their own and they even make some puzzles ridiculously easy to break (see Game-Breaker). The fact that all of the shrines use the same visual assets and music also hurt them, since it makes them all feel the same and forgettable before long. Another big point of contention is the trials of strength, since there are 20 of them (a whopping 1/6 of the total) and you fight the exact same enemy in all of them, being the only changes the weapons they wield (and even then the variations are minimal) and the way you can use/create columns to stop one of their attacks.
• How the tone of the world and the tone of the story mesh with one another, which some argue has some level of Gameplay and Story Segregation. Fans don't see any problems and think the sense of loneliness and melancholy are spot on. Detractors, on the other hand, think the world is too pretty and lively for its own good. The story tells us constantly that Hyrule is supposed to be in a somewhat post-apocalyptic state, with a massive catastrophe looming on the horizon. However, the kingdom feels like a thriving paradise, with lighthearted villages, (for the most part) carefree inhabitants and even booming businesses. It feels like Ganon's monsters and looming presence don't bother them at all, especially outside of the Divine Beasts story lines (and even in those there are problems in this regard. The only Divine Beast we actually see affecting the environment in a way that creates a real sense of urgency is Vah Ruta).