I have never replayed The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. That is not a scathing critique of the game's quality. Rather, it's the exact opposite. I have never returned to BOTW, a brilliant recreation of the Kingdom of Hyrule, because the first experience was so magical that I fear that revisiting it would tarnish those memories.

To give some background, Breath of the Wild was the first Zelda game I ever played on a Nintendo home console. The experience of finally playing a title in a series I had only admired from afar was a special one, and not just because of the quality of the game itself.

However, my admiration for BOTW has had an unforeseen influence over the past few years. In many ways, the latest installment has ruined the Zelda series for me.

Breath of the Wild was advertised as a radical departure from the traditional Zelda style, and there was skepticism from the entire gaming community before its release. However, those fears were unnecessary. Nintendo beat this one, and more, hands down.

Moments like gliding across the Great Plains, solving the mystery of Eventide Island, and defeating the ferocious Rainel for the first time are some of the most memorable I've ever played in a game.

The sense of exploration in BOTW is unlike any game since. It felt incredible to run in any direction I wanted and see what I would discover. Solving the individual mysterious shrines was fun too. Longtime Zelda fans seem to think that the Divine Beast Dungeon is the weakest link in the franchise, but I personally enjoyed it immensely.

Shortly after finishing BOTW in March 2017, I was eager for Nintendo to port as many Zelda games as possible to the Switch. I needed another Zelda fix and I needed it fast.

Unfortunately, unlike the Wii and Wii U, Nintendo has never actually released a standalone Virtual Console game on the Switch; VC allows users to purchase and play classic games on Nintendo's new console, but to date Switch, it has been overlooked.

Instead, Nintendo allows Switch Online subscribers access to a selection of classic games, including the original "Zelda" released on the NES. However, a close friend advised me that going back to the original "Zelda" from "BOTW" might be uncomfortable. Therefore, I decided to wait for a more recent Zelda to appear on the Switch.

In 2019, "The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening" debuted on Switch. The game is a remake of the 1993 title of the same name, but with a modern paint job that I knew would make the transition easier. I dove in expecting another magical experience.

It didn't. The structure of Link's Awakening was rigid, the dungeons tedious, and the endless backtracking boring. I was never immersed in the game world. I always felt that the game imposed very strict limits on how I could play.

I told myself that these feelings were due to playing 2D Zelda. Play a classic 3D Zelda and you'll get sparks like in BOTW.

I decided to play The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess next, confident that this time I would have a better experience. [But it wasn't. While I certainly didn't dislike the few hours I spent playing "Twilight Princess," it was still frustratingly restrictive and I struggled to immerse myself in the world; the joy of exploration that drove my BOTW addiction was not there. Instead, I had no choice but to just follow the path that had already been prepared for me.

Earlier this month, Nintendo announced that Skyward Sword would be remastered in HD for the Switch. Rather than being overjoyed at the chance to play the Zelda classic, I was simply disappointed that there was no news about a sequel to BOTW.

The pre-BOTW Zelda games were never bad. There is a good reason why most of them are considered game classics. Therefore, BOTW is my Zelda.

I suppose it boils down to the fact that BOTW is my Zelda. Some players have strong ties to the traditional Zelda formula and struggle to deal with BOTW's blatant disregard for it. For me, it's the opposite: BOTW is my baseline, and the classic formula is my fundamental starting point.

While I won't be checking out Skyward Sword this summer, and my interest in further Zelda classic ports has waned, I eagerly await any information about a BOTW sequel. I can't wait to immerse myself once more in that Hyrule world.