Zelda: Breath of the Wild Named Top Game of All Time in Japan

More than 50,000 Japanese people recently voted for the most popular game of all time, and the results are in to reveal Zelda: Breath of the Wild at the number one spot. The most recent Legend of Zelda game was released almost five years ago and remains extremely popular worldwide. A similar popularity poll at this year’s Golden Joystick Awards saw DOOM (1993) and Dark Souls at the top two spots, with Zelda: BOTW in 3rd as the Ultimate Game of All Time.

With the latest game’s focus on open-world exploration, Zelda: BOTW fans are continuing to discover new ways to have fun in the largest Hyrule sandbox to date. Previous games had players tackle major quests and side missions in a more linear format compared to the freedom that BOTW offers players to complete quests in any order they choose. While the game isn’t the first to successfully build a living open-world for gamers to explore, it definitely became one of the most influential. One of its most notable features is how it rewards players for exploration, which is continuing to inspire future open-world games like Elden Ring.

After a three-hour televised countdown for the most popular 100 games of all time, 50,000 Japanese people voted The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild as number one as reported by Kotaku. Japanese celebrities and comedians had their own opinions on which game deserved the top slot while sharing their thoughts on each game as they went down the list. The results of the poll include mostly Japanese games, with Dragon Quest V and Final Fantasy VII claiming the number two and three spots, but that is not saying the list contained a few surprises.

Japanese voters filled the top ten slots with expected entries, such as Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and Super Mario Bros. 3. When looking at the list’s 20 most popular games, a few games from the West managed to make a significant impression on Japanese gamers. Minecraft won the number 20 spot, making it a few spots more popular than Pokemon Red and Tetris. A shock for sure, but even more shocking is Undertale‘s ability to fill Japanese fans with determination placing the game in 13th place, which managed to rank better than Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Pokemon Sword and Shield. Reading the entire list of the most popular 100 video games sees very few games from the Western side of the world. Still, the fact that both Undertale and Minecraft made the list with such a large voting pool is something to be incredibly proud of.

With the end of the year coming soon, Video Game Award awards have been aplenty. Few of these award shows allow fans to vote for the winners, but after 50,000 votes, it is safe to say this list represents a good indication of what video games are popular among Japanese players. Nintendo knows fans are excited for a follow-up to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild but voters making it the number one most popular game five years after its release should be a clear message to Nintendo that fans are eager to sink their teeth into Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 on its release date.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is available on the Nintendo Switch and the WiiU.

Source: Kotaku

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