While the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is not perfect, I think this is a game everyone should play. At it's core is incredible exploration, often done better than any other game. Shortly after the start of the game, you can go anywhere and complete challenges in any order you would like. It is breathtaking being able to see something way off in the distance and within a few moments to have traveled there. In fact, the only game mechanic which may limit your exploration abilities is stamina, as stamina is needed to glide, climb, and swim-- actions which are required to traverse some of the more difficult environmental puzzles you will encounter. Exploring the game world and solving puzzles in the open-world and at the game's various dungeons and shrines is where this game excels, and that alone makes it a strong recommendation to everyone. The game however, is not without flaw.
The open and directionless world is a deliberate design decision on Nintendo's part, and while some love the freedom the game gives you, I found myself looking for more direction. Eventually, I broke down and began using a guide. Most of the problems I have with the game's lack of direction are due to the map often not being helpful enough. The map only displays terrain and locations you have previously been to. Trying to find quests for example, requires one to walk up to every NPC, hoping a red exclamation mark will appear over their head indicating they have a quest to give you. Why your map does not display quest-givers is beyond me. Moreover, the quests in the game are mostly lame fetch quests that aren't worth doing, as they often yield rewards of items or rupees that can more easily be found through exploring the game world. Another oddity of the map is the marking system, as you can place decals on the map yourself; however, those do not appear on your minimap, requiring you to repeatedly open and close the map if you are looking for something specific you had marked earlier. Some of the game mechanics don't quite mesh with the game's otherwise excellent exploration, such as not being able to climb cliffs in the rain. I wish there was something you could equip, such as spiked gloves that would allow you to continue climbing; however, no such item exists in the game.
The largest problem I had with Breath of the Wild however, was the game's combat, which I thought was completely unnecessary. After playing the game for around 20 hours, I realized there was no reward for actually fighting enemies and began running from every encounter. Moreover, most of the enemies you will encounter in the game are in the open-world, as shrines and dungeons rarely have enemies of any substance. Weapons, shields, and bows will break often, and whenever you defeat enemies, they will come back bigger and stronger during the next blood moon. All of this only further incentivizes not fighting enemies and simply running from every encounter. Finally, all of the boss fights in the game are jokishly easy. I defeated every one by running up to the boss and mashing the sword button, occasionally eating food to replenish my health. I think Nintendo had a great idea with the game's fantastic exploration concepts, but didn't go all the way with it. They felt it was still necessary to include combat in the game, which ultimately gets in the way of the game's better aspects.
That isn't to say that Breath of the Wild is a bad game-- far from it. The game's exploration is so good, it makes it much easier to look past the numerous flaws such as the combat and the map. I spent over a hundred hours with the game-- completed all of the shrines and quests and felt satisfied in the end. Because the game's core is so good, it is difficult to not recommend it to everyone. Just expect to be running from a lot of monsters in order to enjoy the game's superb exploration features.