The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a 2017 open-world Nintendo title that launched alongside the Switch and drew near-universal critical praise, which fed years of online discussion, fan edits and parody videos including a widely shared ClickHole bit about the game revealing that Japan could pull off another Pearl Harbor.
Origin
Series producer Eiji Aonuma first teased a new Zelda game during a Nintendo Direct on January 23rd, 2013, telling viewers the next entry would push back on some of the series' long-standing conventions but showing no footage yet[5]. Gameplay finally appeared at Nintendo's Digital Event at E3 2014, with a loose 2015 release window attached[1].
The official 'Breath of the Wild' subtitle was revealed in a June 14th, 2016 trailer, which dropped the release date entirely[3]. A follow-up trailer on January 12th, 2017 locked in the March 3rd launch alongside the Nintendo Switch[4]. Nintendo developed the game itself; the viral edits and parody videos that followed were made by fans and third-party outlets like ClickHole, not by Nintendo[6].
- Platform: Nintendo Direct (announcement) / YouTube and Reddit (viral spread)
- Creator: Unknown (game developed by Nintendo; meme edits by fans)
- Date: 2017
Overview
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is the 19th main entry in Nintendo's Zelda series and ditched a lot of the franchise rules fans had grown used to, swapping linear dungeon progression for a sprawling open world you can tackle in any order[1]. That design choice, plus its double role as the Nintendo Switch launch title and the last Nintendo-made Wii U game, turned every pre-release trailer into a dissected clip online[3].
The game's online footprint is less a single meme format and more a cluster of fan reactions: screenshot threads of players beating the final boss with no armor, review-score screenshots passed around Twitter, and parody videos riffing on the near-perfect critic consensus[2]. The best known of those parodies is ClickHole's March 2017 bit arguing the game 'reveals' that Japan could pull off another Pearl Harbor, a straight-faced absurdist read on how obsessively players were analyzing the title[6].
How to Use
Fan content around Breath of the Wild typically pulls from a few recurring angles: screenshots of the critic review aggregate (a Metacritic score of 98[2]), clips of players ignoring the main quest to climb mountains or kill Lynels nude, and jokes about the game's open-ended freedom. Parody write-ups in the ClickHole mold often treat a mundane in-game detail as a world-shaking revelation[6].
Frequently Asked Questions
What is The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild?
It is a 2017 open-world action-adventure game, the 19th main Zelda title, and the launch game for the Nintendo Switch[2]. It ignored the series' usual linear structure and let players approach dungeons and the final boss in any order[1].
Where did The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild come from?
Eiji Aonuma announced the project during a Nintendo Direct on January 23rd, 2013[5], and Nintendo revealed the 'Breath of the Wild' subtitle in a June 14th, 2016 trailer[3].
What does The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild mean?
The subtitle, revealed in Nintendo's June 2016 trailer, points to the game's wind-swept open-world design across the Hyrule setting[3]. Online, the title is also shorthand for the fan jokes and parody videos the launch generated, like ClickHole's Pearl Harbor video[6].
How do you use The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild?
In meme form, people share clips of nude Link runs, screenshots of the 98 Metacritic score[2], and ClickHole-style satirical readings that treat mundane game details as world-historical reveals[6].
Is The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild still popular?
It is a classic reference point for Switch-era gaming, since the launch earned near-universal critical praise and the game kept selling as the Switch's defining release[2].
