Which is Better: Breath of the Wild or Mario Odyssey?

Alex S. from Link-Cable writes: "When a new game in The Legend of Zelda or Super Mario series is released, it’s often cause for celebration. Both franchises are considered among the best of what Nintendo offers and fans often wait years for the next big game in Link or Mario’s adventures so you can imagine how special 2017 was where we got to see what was new for both series within the span of just a few months. Both The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey released to rave reviews from fans and critics alike and stand as among the most important games that Nintendo has ever crafted, both in technical aspects and creativity. Needless to say, both games are excellent and among the best ever made… but which one is better?"

[ninsigma]

Head and shoulders Mario is better for me. Mario is one of the best games I enjoyed this year while Zelda is the worst.

[EddieNX]

BOTW.... In some aspects appears bad, but when you step back and look at it as a whole is a masterpiece.

Graphics aren't as technically impressive as other games but the art style is a striking work of art.

Weapons break too quick... but you adapt to it as is the the theme of the game. It's all about managing inventory, throwing a bad sword to replace with a good sword. A day you end up with the Indestructible master sword and you can even place your rarest weapons of the wall of your house.

The survival, exploration theme of the game takes centre stage. You can go in any direction and do whatever you want.

SPOILER - the devine beasts are the first ever living dungeons that actually travel around the map. An extraordinary feat of game design.

Sometimes it seems barron and empty but when you look at bit closer u realize it's one of the most meticulously designed open World games ever.

It's packed full of ingenious riddles and puzzles that aren't to be found in any other games.

The gameplay combined with sense of exploration and progression is perfect

The gameplay is so good that you're Imagination is the limit. It never gets boring, there's basically Infinite ways to approach situations.

The way you solve riddles provides a satisfaction that is unrivalled.

It's basically one of the best games ever and deserves it GOTY.

[-Foxtrot]

Funny because in another article you said Super Mario Odyssey is the ”best game ever”

BotW dosent hold a candle to Orcarina of Time or Link to the Past anyway

[StormLegend]

"Sometimes it seems barron and empty but when you look at bit closer u realize it's one of the most meticulously designed open World games ever."
LOL dude it's exactly what you said a barron empty wasteland with old ancient guardians.
"the devine beasts are the first ever living dungeons that actually travel around the map. An extraordinary feat of game design."
Dude once again it's not that amazing, they go around in a circle. The beast don't travel across the whole map.
You guys gotta stop sucking this game off like it's greatest game of all time. It's a good game but don't extend the truth so the game seems alive when it's an empty world with the same boblikins, lizards, lynels, and boring dragons that fly in the sky to a stupid portal.

[Neonridr]

@Foxtrot - in your opinion. Stop acting like you speak for the world. Pretty sure BoTW received universal acclaim and praise for what it offered and how it changed up the Zelda formula. I am not saying that everyone enjoyed it, but as far as which game is more grand or epic? Zelda, hands down.

I am absolutely loving Mario Odyssey, but I am going to have a hard time believing I will put 100+ hours into that game like I have for Zelda (and still haven't beat the game technically since I have been exploring every square inch of the map).

Both are amazing games, and one could easily make a case as to why which one is better. Personally Link to the Past is my favorite game, but I adore BoTW.

[-Foxtrot]

@Neonridr

Urgh stop f***** twisting things

It's even more hilarious because you, EddieNX and the other same guys do the EXACT SAME on these articles. If someone says something which is the opposite..BOOM there you are with a reply and it's usually quite hostile aswell.

Even if they said something like "I like the game but it had plenty of flaws from me"....you guys would be right in there. It's either "it's amazing, perfect, 10/10, ground breaking revolutionary, innovative" OR "you hate it, you despise it, troll, hater, fanboy of other company MS/Sony". Nobody can win. 10/10 or nothing.

[Theknightofnights]

@Foxtrot

Hypocriticism isn't a valid excuse for why you've continued to spread extreme distaste for this game since launch.

[-Foxtrot]

Since you haven't even been on here for more then 100 days and Zelda came out months and months ago...you really wouldn't know shit.

Sooooo is that your thing or you just being a sheep following the leader.

[Theknightofnights]

@Foxtrot

There is a comprehensive list of any persons entire comment history when you click on their profile. Just like you looked on my profile to see how long I've been here, I looked at yours and saw your comment history.

[_-EDMIX-_]

Ooook

So what you're telling me is sometimes it seems Barren and empty yet you're shocked when other gamers are saying this? If one of the biggest supporters of this damn game on this website is saying this why on Earth are some of you guys attacking every last person that's mentioning this? This is one of the biggest reasons why I just dislike this game.

It was just a huge waste of space and it was very clear they were trying to use its size to make up for so many other shortcomings.

Breath of the wild is nowhere near as good as Ocarina of Time or Wind Waker or Twilight Princess I literally put it at the bottom of the 3D Zelda's because of all of the missing features removing the dungeons in the huge waste of space.

For me all Zelda really is is its gameplay and it's Dungeons and they completely got rid of the dungeons in the game play removed so many features like the roll, hookshot and brought in stupid breakable weapons I'm sorry but it was just not a fun play through for me.

I don't even understand how somebody could bring up all these shortcomings yet still have the nerve to say it's game of the year don't even get me started on the technical issues with this game.

[Theknightofnights]

@ Edmix

I don't view the landscape as bland or empty. There are just about as many towns/villages as Horizon: Zero Dawn, in addition to the dozen or so smaller camps in the form of horse stables, large amounts of flora, fauna, and wildlife which are all very interactable. There are enemy encampments, shrines, large divine beasts, etc.

It's no more barren than Horizon or Skyrim. The difference is that you are more alone in your journey for BOTW. The world is isolate, not desolate.

[Neonridr]

@Foxtrot - I merely pointed out that in your opinion you preferred Ocarina or LttP. That doesn't mean that everyone shares your point of view. I am also using facts here based on the metacritic and overall review scores of BoTW to back up my claims. If it was a divisive game or an 8/10 game at best, then sure. But it basically got near perfect scores across the board. Some people are so defensive about Nintendo games scoring well. The only reason they can score well is because they are graded differently, or because graphics don't matter, etc. It can't just be because the game is fantastic right?

How many hours did you personally log in BoTW might I ask? What about Odyssey? Just wondering which one you play more on your Switch. You do own a Switch right? Because it would be pretty foolish to make any of these claims if you didn't.

[Krysis]

@foxtrot once again you're wrong, BOTW is every bit as good as Ocarina of Time. Have you played it or is your experience through twitch.

[_-EDMIX-_]

I actually agree out of all the games I played this year I would definitely put put Zelda as the least favorable.

I enjoyed Persona 5 Yakuza zero Horizon zero Dawn Evil Within 2 etc much more.

It's not a bad game but there was just so many features that I enjoyed from the previous Zelda games that were absent from this game into much of the game just felt like it was trying to be other games don't even get me started on no more Dungeons and you can't roll and they got rid of the hookshot and breakable weapons I just didn't really have a fun experience.

It literally felt like this game was just trying to be like Assassin's Creed and everything else I played this year are actually games focused on simply being the core of what they were supposed to be where it felt like Zelda was desperately trying to be another game.

[Theknightofnights]

Want to know something funny? The creators of the newest Assassins Creed actually cited BotW as an influence.

[ninsigma]

No, not bad, just average. The whole exploration thing is nice but it's ruined by severely questionable design choices. Why would I want to explore when my rewards are broken so easily?? Why is my stamina so small and why do I have to give up the chance to increase my health to increase stamina?? Why would I want to climb that mountain when it'll likely start raining half way up, making it impossible to climb??
Then there's the poor combat plus weapon breakages (again) which made me start skipping fights and empty boring world. There were far better games this year and even the ones that BOTW was trying to emulate that have been considered getting stale the last while upped their game and were much better. Seriously did not deserve all those praising reviews and definitely doesn't deserve any GOTY awards but we all know it'll get them.

[_-EDMIX-_]

@TheK-of course Ubisoft saw lots of stupid gimmicks to exploit in terms of mindless open world.

@Ninsig- definitely agreed.

[Neonridr]

@ninsignma - find more shrines then. By the end of the game I had 3 full wheels of Stamina and like 30 hearts. That's more than enough. You have to make choices early on, do you want more life or more stamina?

[Krysis]

All you do is come here to troll, if you actually believe half the yeah that spews from your lips I would be shocked. I have an adorable ferret that makes more informed criticisms than you.

[Foraoise]

I agree with ninsigma. We all have our own opinions. Don't be a douche and say, "Oh, or are you just exaggerating??" because clearly, he's not the only one with that opinion. And opinions are opinions.

[pandehz]

Zelda. Even though Mario is brilliant

[porkChop]

They're totally different games. One is a 3D platformer while the other is an action adventure. Which one is "better" depends entirely on player preference. This is like comparing God of War with Ratchet and Clank.

[roadkillers]

...God of War destroys Ratchet and Clank

[mikel1015]

Zelda took more chances IMO and ended up creating a new way to play games in an extremely popular/stagnating genre of open world games. Odyssey was just a really good game

[Vegamyster]

I agree, i loved both but i enjoyed Botw more.

[Concertoine]

I hope nintendo makes the "Majora's Mask" of BotW. Maybe some more abstract locales or darker themes

[Shiken]

They were both great, but Zelda is better by a long shot. I put in 150 hours for BotW and I still get urges to play. It is one of the best games, and Zelda games, I have ever played (and I have played and enjoyed them all). I know for a fact I will play through it again in the future.

Mario, on the other hand, while great got repetitive rather quickly. As I near 500 moons after about 25 hours of play, I found myself taking a break.

Both games are great, but Zelda is better.

[wonderfulmonkeyman]

These are two very different kinds of games; doesn't feel right to compare them.
Honestly, this feels more like an attempt to divide the fanbase and pit it against itself, which is just silly.XD

[DrumBeat]

I don't feel that way. Believe it or not, it's still valid to compare different games just for the sake of it. What's better TLoU or God of War?

[Prince_TFK]

One is a hack and slash the other is an action adventure/survival horror game. So you can compare it just for the sake of it, but it wouldn’t be fair.

[-Foxtrot]

Mario hands down

[Concertoine]

You should elaborate on why you think OOT is better than BotW

[-Foxtrot]

I was going to be then I'd feel I'd be repeating myself where someone would then say "You said the same thing in the last article some time again blah blah blah"

You know...

Besides I'm seeing a lot of comments the same as me but they say Zelda....you or others haven't said anything about why they should elaborate. Just saying...

[_-EDMIX-_]

Doesn't have breakable weapons, the actual open world actually makes sense and isn't just a huge waste of space, roll, hookshot, actually had real dungeons etc

Breath of the wild literally did not feel like a Zelda game to me and it removed some of the best features

[G3ng4r]

Wasn't the giant's knife in Oot the first breakable weapon in the series?

[_-EDMIX-_]

Agreed Mario is actually a Mario game...

Most of his moves from the previous games are there, the controls are solid you get lots of crazy platforming and different features. I would say by default Mario Odyssey would get the nod simply because it actually still does all the things Mario gamers are accustomed to.

Vs let's break your weapons ,get rid of dungeons, get rid of the roll and get rid of the hookshot

[Concertoine]

(In response to your other comment)

Well i hear where you're coming from, and maybe i like BotW so much because i dont really care for 3D zelda games. I personally valued the sense of discovery over problem solving in dungeons. I never found zelda dungeons particularly fun.

For me OOT is slow, easy, full of padding and hand holding and BotW is full of mysteries and interesting areas.

Maybe it was because i didnt watch the trailers or any lets plays, etc, but some of the moments in that game will stick with me forever. When you poke your head over the mountain and see one of the main villages, its just a sight to behold.

[_-EDMIX-_]

@con-but consider just like Fox you're completely free to feel that way no different than he's free to feel that Ocarina of Time is better.

I mean you're asking for reasons as if this is an objective concept when in reality they both are subjective.

I mean trust me I completely understand if you like breath of the wild better but I don't understand the hostility against others who disagree.

If you believe breath of the wild is better for you then that's all that really matters. When I was a kid I used to always imagine what a huge open-world Zelda would be like and I wanted that for such a long time and after playing breath of the wild I started to slowly realize that maybe that's not really what I wanted after all. I actually like the smaller well-designed world's that were in the previous Zelda's because there was more purpose behind the actual discoveries, breath of the wild just has so much empty Barren waste of space you might as well use the same argument for liking the discoveries in Exploration as you can in any other open world game.

I personally want a smaller world that has more Focus on meaningful areas with real meaningful missions I just felt the size of the world was almost pointless and meaningless to what I really wanted to do in the game.

If the next Zelda is anything like breath of the wild in terms of a large world with nothing to really do I think breath of the wild might be my last 3D Zelda title. I'm probably just going to stick to the top down versions. (Slightly off topic but I'm definitely waiting for the team that made Link Between Worlds to make another game as they have not released anything in a long number of years)

Simply look at it from everyone else's perspective when I'm playing The Witcher or horizon or any open world game I'm pretty positive I could walk over a mountain and I could see a town emerge....

You're not even talking about something that's exclusive to this title you're talking about something that is in basically every major open world game, based on that logic no man's Sky should be Game of the Year 2016 for you.

I mean that feeling to me is not worth it if it also means missing a bunch of items ,removing so many different gameplay elements and no longer having dungeons.

[Concertoine]

@EDMIX

I am considering that! I'm just asking him why he has a differing opinion! There's plenty of people who say they like one game over the other, but i never really hear the Ocarina side and that's why i asked. Excuse me. I know it's subjective, that's obvious, but i like to hear both sides.

What hostility? If anything you're being a dick by talking down to me about The Witcher 3 and HZD and No Man's Sky like i've been living under a rock playing nothing but Zelda games all my life and BorW is the first open-world game i've ever played.

See you said you liked smaller, more purpose-driven worlds and i can respect that (one of my fav games last year was Deus Ex for this reason) without saying some snide shit about a game like No Man's Sky. Lmao.

[_-EDMIX-_]

@Concertoine- No disrespect mean't. I get where you are coming from, simply that most of the things liked about Breath Of The Wild apply to so many games. What I liked about OoT was something they really only did well back in the day.

Different opinions is all.

[Concertoine]

Umm, i think its perfectly reasonable to prefer Mario. I specifically asked you to elaborate because you said you prefer Ocarina to BotW. I was just curious as to why. But whatever

[Aenea]

Mario. No doubt about it!

[strayanalog]

Definitely no right or wrong here, but I'm going to side with Zelda on this one.
The best part about this "argument" is that both games are fantastic.‎

[Cobra951]

For Mario to be better than Zelda, it has to be spectacularly superb.

[Razzer]

Mario. Not even close to me. It is a damn fun game. Zelda....just ok.

[Summons75]

Both are fantastic but it's Zelda for me. Not only did it take a really big risk, it also took much longer to complete the story of the game. Mario, I beat in less than a day. The post-games for both are amazing but the forced motion controls in Mario really killed the entire premise of the Switch. Zelda, you can play in the handheld mode with no restrictions while Mario a quarter of necessary moves are locked behind motion controls that are impossible in handheld mode.

[Imalwaysright]

Zelda for me but two great games in their own right.

[Cy]

Zelda for me. Mario is way too focused on mindless moon collecting; it reminds me way too much of Riddler trophies in the Arkham games. I definitely prefer older 3D Mario games, or even better, the 2 or 2.5D ones, where BotW is the best Zelda game I've ever played and I have a hard time playing the older games without being a bit disappointed.

[dougr]

Mario, and it's not even close for me. I think Zelda is extremely over hyped as an open world game. Is it a good Zelda game, absolutely, but I don't think it particularly did open world all that amazingly like some have said. I think that if it didn't have Zelda as the title it would be an 8/10 title, which is good, but not great, but with Zelda on the title it gets the 9.5 to 10 out of 10. Mario though, that game is a masterpiece in every sense of the word.

[stupidusername]

Your statement is baseless as there is no other game out there like BoTW.
If it were named Lumi The Winds of The Wild, it makes sense to me that people would be praising the game even more.
I don't think it is overrates at all.

[dougr]

You mean an empty open world? Zelda is pretty empty, and it is annoying fighting the same thing over and over. I'm just not a huge fan, but then again, I've never liked Zelda that much.

[Wotbot]

Both are as good as each other depending on your mood.

[DigitalCentralMedia]

I prefer Mario but BOTW was fantastic too

[DrumBeat]

Odyssey.

[GrimReaperGamer]

Mario Odyssey for me. I didn't enjoy Zelda at all, as I've never been a big fan of the series.

[PlayStationswitch]

I'm actually playing super Mario Odyssey and I haven't played botw (waiting to get the explorers edition)
While I do agree that Odyssey is a great game I honestly was a bit disappointed. Idk if it's that my taste in games has changed since the switch is only the second Nintendo console I've owned after the original NES. But I have been playing Odyssey at the same time as I've been playing horizon zero dawn and Everytime I played Odyssey I just couldn't wait to get back to horizon. Have never played a legend of Zelda game but from everything I've seen I think I'll enjoy it alot more than Odyssey. Just my opinion

[The 10th Rider]

How far are you into Odyssey? The story is almost like a tour of the worlds and captures and then the game really lets loose once you bet the main story. I've seen people complain about how easy, short, or boring the story is, but that's honestly only like 20% of the game's content and the game doesn't truly shine until after that. Even as a longtime 3D Mario fan I was underwhelmed until I got to the post game. Now I'm at about 98% completion and I can say the game has been an absolute blast (I'm at 100% in everything before the two last game worlds except for that dang jump rope challenge).

[PlayStationswitch]

I finished the main story. Right now I'm just trying to get the real ending.
Idk but the game just never really wowed me. I'm not saying it's a bad game because it isn't. It's a very very good game. But like I said I'm playing Odyssey and horizon and I just think in a couple of years I'm going to remember horizon and not Odyssey. I did have fun playing Odyssey but at times I was just playing to finish it and not because I couldn't put it down. But still I get why people love it so much but it just didn't feel as fun as I was hoping.

[The 10th Rider]

@PlayStationswitch,

Yeah, that's perfectly understandable. No game is going to be for every person. I've just see some people say Odyssey didn't really click with them but then go on to say that they only played the main story.

[_-EDMIX-_]

@Playstation- I'm just happy it feels better then Galaxy 1 and 2. I like the moves and it feels right to move with Mario.

I just wish it wasn't so easy. I felt a lot of the worlds just felt really easy and kiddie

[_-EDMIX-_]

From what I played of Odyssey, I like how if feels compared to the past Galaxy 1 and 2 which I really hated how it felt, but Odyssey I felt was pretty easy. I like it, but I don't see me finishing it, I just ended up watching my friend speed run it and collect stuff in the worlds.

I see me also remembering Horizon way more then Odyssey, nothing wrong with Odyssey either, simply that its classic Nintendo, which I like, but its nothing brand new, nothing I'm going to remember really that long compared to Horizon which is cool to get a new IP, new story, new world etc

Thats like asking me if I'll remember Call Of Duty 22 or Sims 7 lol I"m sure they won't be bad games, and I'm sure I'll get a kick out of them (as I'm buying Sims 4 likely Cybermonday), but some fun is what we expect, some fun is something we experienced something new, something different etc

Mario and Zelda just fall into this (been there, done that), still fun, but its not going to leave a lasting impression on me like something new. That isn't even to say its bad either, heck I'm buying Yakuza 2 and 6 based on that "been there done that" idea lol I know what to expect, which isn't always bad.

But also doesn't hold a candle to a brand new IP.

[PlayStationswitch]

@_-EDMIX-_ yeah horizon just completely wowed me from the beginning. From the world to the story and especially the combat. It just felt so good planning out how i was going to tackle a situation and then executing it.

But i still need to play the legend of zelda botw. Im hoping that it'll wow me just like Horizon.

[The 10th Rider]

@EDMIX,

You know enough about it to say there's nothing brand new, been there done that, and nothing you'll remember? But you just said you've only played a little bit of Odyssey, and you just watched your friend "speed run" a 40+ hour game that just came out. You would have had to watch him for 45 minutes a day just to see half of what the game has to offer:

24 days since release x 45 minutes a day /60 minutes in an hour = 18 hours.

On top of that you're supposedly playing games like Battlefront 2.

I'm calling BS.

[Yui_Suzumiya]

Mass Effect: Andromeda

[alexh]

Andromeda will go down as the mona lisa of gaming! Just perfecrt!

[BadElf]

That's a tough one. I think Mario takes it though

[Theknightofnights]

Personally, I'd say Zelda. I've sunk in more hours into that game than any other game this year. Mario Odyssey is incredible too though. I've collected almost 600 moons and I haven't even visited the Dark Side or Darker Sides yet.

[alexh]

Breath of the wild hands down!

[Einhander1971]

Both amazing games but for me Mario all the way. Best game I've played for years, Nintendo are the best no question. Metroid 4 another classic in the making.

[kindkinesis]

zelda for me

[Foraoise]

Mario, easily. BotW was mediocre at best. It was very 6/10 for me. Didn't like the new direction they were going for. It almost feels like an open world game with a "zelda theme" popped on top of it.

[TheOttomatic91]

It honestly depends on the person but for me it’s Odyssey

[michellelynn0976]

Both. I am not being PC. I cannot pick, they both are that freaking good.

[Retard]

IMO - do you want ultra-polished or a new IP?

[darthmaul]

Mario is better for me. That said Horizon Zero Dawn is my personal GOTY. Guerilla Games came strong with that game! Can't wait for the inevitable sequel.

[PlayStationswitch]

Just started playing horizon zero Dawn while I was more than half way through Odyssey and for me horizon was just the better game. Everytime I played Odyssey I couldn't wait to get back to horizon. I haven't played Zelda botw or any Zelda for that matter (waiting on the explorers edition) but from what I've seen I think I am going to like it more than odyssey. For now i agree that horizon deserves game if the year.

[Eltortugagames]

Really hard call. Loved both. I would say Zelda by a hair.

[ShinRon]

Really both games arent comparable, Zelda has more emergent gameplay concepts and puzzles while mario is more traditional platforming challenges integrated into various open world sandboxes.

Of course everyone will have their preferences

[Copat]

Love Odyssey and Mario games but BOTW is number one for me. It was more challenging and just gave me a different feeling inside. I feel more of an emotional tie to BOTW.

[Germaximus]

Mario is far better. Zelda is cool but feels too empty. Mario is neverending fun.

[StrawberryDiesel420]

I just finished Super Mario Odyssey. It was definitely fun but i still think the Super Mario Galaxy games are better. I never completed Breath of the Wild, which i have owned since launch but just haven't had the time. I have played about five hours and i can say in my opinion it's better than Super Mario Odyssey.

However, it depends on preferences. Both games are so different. I honestly think Breath of the Wild is much better though, for me personally and overall in general. Both games are must own games anyway though for Switch owners.

[BLKxSEPTEMBER]

Two entirely different games...but if I had to choose I'd go with Zelda

[Sirk7x]

To me, BotW was beautiful, silent, engaging and quite melancholy. I found the game to be breathtaking. Odyssey, however...I haven't had that much fun playing a game since I was a kid. I had a big shit eating grin on my face through the entire end scenario. Brilliant game, and I feel Mario deserves GoTY.

[SR388]

They both amazing ... I only have one problem with each... Too easy :/

[FreddyFazbear]

Legend of Zelda for me because aside from the Story and gameplay, uhmm Its Epic!! its Badass!! and cool. Its a more for mature nintendo gamers than mario. Im not saying mario is for kids or casuals but sometimes you feel drawn into the world as daring elf adventurer rather than a caricature looking dude. But both are equal for me gameplaywise.

[Damthatsword]

botw by a long shot. that game is the only well designed open world game so far. every other open world was nothing but a copy paste horizontal plane with a few heights here and there. not to mention having most of the entire world to be climable kind of makes other open worlds look lazy. that feat alone shook the industry since no one has even a shred of that type of creativity in game design to make that possible.

[Bleucrunch]

It is tough to compare both games because both require different kinds of attention. One is a platformer so to speak in Mario and Zelda is an open world. Now as fare as which one was more enjoyable, I wiould say that Mario is because I thought that Zelda was a bit easy on my first play through.

It is also dissapointing that I have to pay for the Masters dlc to get a stronger difficulty....that seems silly to me to have to pay for something like that. Can someone explain that logic because it can't just be for money.

[FernDiggidy]

Both different games that I love equally!

[il-JumperMT]

Mario Odyssey no brainer. I bought Switch for Zelda, and I only got as far as when you have to unlock memories with photos.