By the time The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild released on March 3, 2017, DLC had become something Nintendo fans could expect from various Wii U and 3DS games, but when an Expansion Pass was first announced for Breath of the Wild, it immediately became something consumers would seek to pick up on day one, despite the fact the full content wouldn’t be available from the game’s release.
Sure, the DLC added three treasure chests containing exclusive in-game clothing to the Great Plateau, but the rest of the content would be released as part of two packs with The Master Trials available from June 30, 2017 onwards, and The Champions’ Ballad released on December 7, 2017.
While The Champions’ Ballad did not turn out to be the DLC some had hoped for, wishing it would make the Champions playable during events that occurred 100 years previously, it was still very wholesome DLC that offered a new dungeon, a special photo for Link’s house, plenty of new clothing options, a new weapon and the Master Cycle Zero.
Driving that beauty around Hyrule is a pure delight and the stunt opportunities are never-ending, and the first pack of DLC content had a lot to offer as well. From new costumes including a Korok mask useful for finding Koroks, a new difficulty to playthrough with Master Mode, and the means to improve the power of the Master Sword.
Nintendo clearly had a lot of ideas they couldn’t include in the base game and it was fantastic to play through the new features they were able to add — and in no shape or form does Breath of the Wild feel like an incomplete game if you never purchased this Expansion Pass.
Instead, all the Expansion Pass does is expand upon a game that was already bursting at the seams with content and adds plenty more into the mix, resulting in a game that could take literal years in order to see and do everything this version of Hyrule has to offer.
Then again, all of this does raise one question. Will a sequel to Breath of the Wild on the way, will Nintendo stick to developing a base game, or can hopeful fans expect an Expansion Pass for the sequel as well? The future of Zelda continues to be as interesting and intriguing as always.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Expansion Pass Review:
Initial Release: March 3, 2017
Pricing: $19.99 USD
Category: Adventure, Other, Action, Role-Playing
Players: 1 playerWhile DLC has become the norm for most games, it’s still a fairly new concept as far as the Zelda series is concerned, with the first being implemented with 2014’s Hyrule Warriors, but when Nintendo themselves wanted to do more with Breath of the Wild, DLC became inevitable and two incredibly DLC packs swiftly followed, with one part of the Expansion Pass expanding on the Master Sword, and the other giving players one final challenge for Link to overcome and provide players with a new befitting ending to what was already a formidable adventure.
Essential
