Let me start by saying that I know they are different games but it's probably the only other game I can compare it with. I also know these games are not classic RPGs but when I see an inventory and stats on items in my mind those are at least RPG elements. I'm not a fan of RPGs but I have tried them before though I couldn't keep me interested enough to complete one :/

So I played HZD and I started enjoying it but after 25-30 hours I couldn't enjoy it anymore. Quest and side quests were kind of tedious for me, I know I was leveling up and getting a lot of useful items but I wasn't enjoying it anymore, even when I kept myself on the Main Quests I started to get tired of managing the inventory, go back to a merchant to get more shards, killing more machines, solving people's problems (for some reason I kept myself helping everybody, like I didn't have problems of my own), etc.

I have to admit that I enjoyed some fights, they were really fun and challenging but when I wanted to make progress it became annoying to not be able to move around the world without machines attacking me every mile, it felt like "random encounters" in games like Dragon Quest or Final Fantasy.

So, do you think it could be the same for me with BotW?

It really depends on who you are and what you like. Personally, though I guess I didn't like Horizon enough to get the DLC, I still thought it was great and one of the best games of last year. On the other hand, Zelda Breath of the Wild while good, I was pretty disappointed in. I think this is only a question you can answer.

I’m someone who didn’t like Horizon at all and Zelda BOTW was my favourite game last year.

It’s not perfect mind you. The inventory management is kind of bad. But whereas HDZ is a very by the number open world, Zelda is really different than other games in the genre. At the end of the day it’s a game that’s all about exploration, the minute to minute gameplay is not necessarily amazing but the world itself is the most fun I ever had exploring an open world in a videogame.

It’s worth trying for sure even though you might end up not liking it.

I liked Zelda a lot but couldn't get into horizon.

If you were distracted by side quests in HZD then BotW will likely ruin you.

HZD at least labels the main quest, it's rather nebulous in BoTW.

Inventory in HZD certainly has problems, if you don't get some internet tips you'll end up making things a big mess for yourself because it's hard to tell what to keep. BotW has approximately the same problem, weapons breaking on you means you're carrying multiples and I cannot explain how many times you'll find the game telling you you can't have what's in a chest because you already have too many. Then you have to search your inventory manually to find what to drop and open the chest again.

I personally think both are good games. But I'm not sure either is your kind of game.

I probably have given enough opportunity to RPG games (like a couple of Dragon Quest and one Final Fantasy) and a game with RPG elements like HZD. Maybe these kind of games are not my genre but I decided to ask for opinions because lately I've been tempted to give BotW a try. Maybe it's the last game I'm going to give an opportunity in the RPG/RPG-ish genre. I'll get the physical version in case I didn't like it I can trade it or sell it later.

Thank you for all your answers, helped me to make a decision

These are my #1 and #2 games of last year, so I'd say go for it! I wouldn't recommend playing them at the same time or maybe even back-to-back, as the traversal systems are different enough to make that very confusing. I tried to hop into Zelda while I was playing Horizon and the lack of ability to hop up mountainsides in Horizon led to some interesting deaths as I was trying to run away from dinosaurs. The weapons and fighting are easily more interesting in Horizon, but there's a lot more of a sense of exploration in Zelda, so if that's your bag, it might work for you.

It's hard to say definitively, but for what it's worth I'm another person who didn't like Horizon but loved BotW.

Horizon really put me off because it felt like the game was actively trying to derail me from the story - I'd get to a new place, and there'd be all these people with boring errands trying to send me back the way I came. I wanted to follow the main plot, and it seemed like the game was working against me.

In Zelda, the whole point is to mess around and explore, though. Getting lost or backtracking didn't feel like a chore, it felt like something fun and rewarding in its own right.

Keep in mind, too, that BotW isn't really and RPG the way the games you name (Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy) are. There's not a ton of plot or story.

I loved Horizon and didn't like Zelda, so you'll probably be okay.

I never got around to playing Horizon but Zelda was my absolute, no contest, favorite game of last year and may just end up on one of my favorite games of all time. Zeldas open world is so impressively designed but you have to be a certain kind of player to really absorb it. If your the kind of person that doesn't get bogged down by mechanics and appreciates small details Zelda is for you full stop. Bask in the world around you, be adventurous, creative and let the promise of seeing something new guide you and you will have a great time with it.

Also, keep in mind that every obstacle the game gives you there is always a way around it. Stamina too low? experiment with cooking, Tired of rain? find a dry patch under a tree or mountain, build a fire and sleep until morning. Tired of weapons breaking? I actually think this is a none issue as there are weapons absolutely everywhere and I was never at a loss for things to hit enemies with. Don't forget you have powers that can be used in ways you may not expect helping you out of sticky situations.

I know this isn't a tip thread but I adore Zelda and get gitty at the chance of new players getting their chance to play it. Don't let your expectations get the better of you though it's not for everyone and for the people it is for the things it does are so specific that the thing I love about it may not be what someones else loves about it. So if you are asking me if you should give it a shot I think it's clear that I think you should.

Ok, I'm done.

I haven't played Horizon, so I can't exactly compare the two. However I think you'll like BotW. At first it doesn't feel like a Zelda game, but once you get the hang of things it'll feel more and more like Zelda.

It's a coin toss. One aspect sticks out, like another duder mentioned, where:

This will ruin you in BotW. The inventory is a complete hassle and you'll constantly be juggling weapons in and out of your person. It's not necessarily a deal breaker, but since you noted this as a negative on HZD, know that going forward into BotW this will also be a negative.

The only reason I said this was a coin toss is because your love for BotW is going to entirely rely on how interested in the world you are. You'll be presented with NPCs, side quests, and unique vistas galore, but if you don't like traversing the land and want to mainline it: BotW has little to offer you.

I just recently got to BotW after borrowing it from someone and that's where I landed. I mainlined the game, going from divine beast to divine beast, with no interest in any of the NPCs or side quests they presented. Sometimes I'd fly off to see what's on top of a nearby plateau, but the answer usually turned out to be yet another seed or a shrine I didn't want to do. I wanted to enjoy the land more, but several things like the inventory being a chore, I hated the stamine wheel in its entirety (every single upgrade went to stamina), almost every puzzle shrine seemed crazy out of place in a Zelda game, and re-obtaining horses for faster travel was just left to how badly you want to travel from a nearby stable... all turned me away from it.

I had an overall ok experience with BotW, with my hands-down favorite portion being trying to take Ganon down with the freshly acquired Sheikh gear and 3 hearts straight after getting the glider. Nothing was more exhilarating than toppling giants, laser guardians, and undead behemoths with nothing more than a few apple platters in tow. Unfortunately I was only able to beat 3 of the 4 Ganon forms before the true final fight, with the 2nd phase Electric Ganon posing a problem with someone with 3 hearts, but I'm glad I got to enjoy a bit more of the game before ending my time with it.

Thank you for your tips @fatalbanana, @gooddoggy and @rorie

I think you nailed it @joedangerous, the others have mention there are similarities in terms of inventory management and side quests but if I ever going to like BotW it might be because the world is interesting enough to keep me playing. There are also people like @afabs515, @fear_the_booboo and @xanadu who didn't like HZD but enjoyed BotW so... we will see, I think I'll have time this weekend to start playing it.

Give it a shot, only way to know. I burned out on BotW after 20 hours, but finished HZD (30+ hours I think) so your mileage may vary.

Probably. I hated Horizon, it was a huge disappointment and miserable waste of time for me, but BotW is probably the best game ever made. Amusingly after Horizon I thought "well maybe I just don't like open world games," then BotW came out and I realized "no, I do, I just don't like poorly made "open world" games."

I only played horizon for a couple of hours but I don’t know what it is, I bounced off super quick. I think it feels a little soulless. The characters seem a bit dead eyed like they are reading from a script (Obviously they are because it’s a game) but they don’t feel alive to me. Same goes for the world and the game itself, like it’s just ticking all the boxes in an open world game check list.

Where as Zelda had a charming world a little bit of character, just with the way the characters animated was great and just added a lot to the game. I don’t think botw is the best game ever but it’s very good and I played that all the way through reasonably quickly.

I would definitely try botw and see what you think the magic of the game wore out close to the end but overall I really enjoyed it, in comparison to horizon I felt motivated to play it and finish it.

Botw is all about wonder and exploration. You pick a direction and go discover things. Also dissent or not its going to be considered one of the greatest of all time.

Horizon is a typical open-world task list. There's a greater focus on narrative, which is hit or miss. The combat is stellar, but not intuitive(aka a lot of ppl are put off by how different it is). Don't get me wrong, its a good game. But, it's not something that people will get nostalgic about 20 years from now.

I'd say yes. For me HZD being an open world game was an afterthought. I really enjoyed the story, the world they made and the characters. I did zero side quest stuff because it didn't seem fun and I just focused on b-lining the story and loved it. BOTW brought me into that world like no other game has in a long long time. Everyone's mileage will very but, to me, HZD and BOTW are two different beasts and liking or not liking one doesn't have any bearing on the other.

I liked Horizon Zero Dawn but DIDN'T enjoy Breath of the Wild.

Interpret that however you will.

I'm bumping this old post just to let all the people that gave me their opinions that I've been playing BOTW and I'm enjoying it much more that HZD.

I can't pinpoint exactly what keeps me playing BOTW but I like the world and the sense of accomplishment when I complete the shrines. I sometimes waste a lot of time collecting korok seeds, I haven't feel bored by that but I probably have to stop doing that if I want to complete the game this year ;)

Thank you for your help.

For me, they are on completly different levels in terms of the wonder that the open world provides and the charm of the characters. I stoped playing horizon after a few hours but played hundereds of hours of BOTW. Defo my game of the generation.

People will cry foul of the inventory management in BOTW, but thats a key gameplay element that forces you to engage with the varied types of weaponry. Horizons was just bad menus. I dont mean to shit all over Horizon, but i felt like I wasted 60 dollars on what was promised to me as a beautiful achievement of gaming and art, and what I got was a B tier Ubisoft Tower Climber with no identity. Breath of the Wild captivated me so hard that I beat it 3 times, and my entire family played it nonstop for weeks when it came out. Theres something special and handcrafted about BoTW that counters the machined collectathon that was HZD

The story being good is curiously enough the defining factor that made my experience with hzd stick with me as a bad one. If the story wasnt good I wouldve stopped playing after 10 hours at most and wouldve said that the gameplay was pretty cool but not for me and I had a couple of hours of fun with it. But because the story/idea of the world was what it was I kept playing waaaaaaaay past where I was still having fun and eventually ended up hating everything I was doing in it for 3/4 th of my time with it.I did finish it though and then...... the AI you just defeated turns into a floating magic entity that can go into sylence's lantern and ...wait what!? ugh fuck that sequelbait shit, they've definitely lost me for part 2.

I never finished zelda but my experience with it was way more possitive, I had fun with it for like 30 hours and now ive had enough, and thats fine imo. Because theres no 'good story' or psychological tricks being applied to keep me coming I can just feel good about it and let that be.

Great to hear the OP got inpired to give BotW a shot after this thread and is enjoying it a lot too ^^

I actually ended up not really liking HZD aside from the setting. BOTW I liked all aspects of. So I'm gonna say yes.

EDIT:YES. I was right!