Nintendo Switch Reviews: 12 Critical Reactions You Need To Know

4. Zelda Is A Day-1 Killer App

"Most new video game consoles arrive alongside a couple of big budget launch games. Rarely do those games make much of a lasting impression...With the Switch, Nintendo is bucking that convention and harkening back to their Super Mario 64-driven Nintendo 64 launch by offering an unusually small launch lineup dominated by one spectacular game...This latest Zelda is an astonishing demonstration of what Nintendo’s best creative minds are capable of. At times I have had to consciously separate my adoration for the game from my more complicated feelings about the system on which I’m playing it...Breath of the Wild is a massive open-world adventure with numerous complicated simulations running on top of one another. It’s the most technically ambitious Nintendo game I’ve ever played." - Kotaku

"There is something remarkable about seeing The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild running in portable mode, followed by that 'wow' moment of docking the console and continuing on a television." - Polygon

There has been nothing short of universal praise for the new Zelda game, which arrives on a tidal wave of hype, and considering how rare it is for a console to launch with one great game let alone one being called a masterpiece by many publications, Nintendo clearly knew what they were doing here.

It's a bold strategy for Nintendo to release the Switch with such a minimalist launch lineup, but considering that practically every Switch owner will be picking up Zelda, it may well have worked out for the best.