Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Smashed in 7 Minutes!
One of the beloved hallmarks of modern Nintendo gaming, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, has an eager audience waiting for its re-release on the new Nintendo Switch 2. The console should make an explosive entrance when it comes out on June 5th, 2025, bringing the new versions of Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom with it, so mark your calendars.
But, here’s the thing, this console and this game aren’t actually out yet, right? So, how, then, could someone have already beaten Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild on the new console to the point of credits rolling without being a dev?
Modern Day Gaming Warriors
Speedrunners are a fascinating breed. Able to glitch their way through developmental exploits to end up on roofs and cut past entire levels, pulling off insane maneuvers without so much as batting an eyelid and taking out bad guys like trained assassins, speedrunners almost seem like they’re seeking a God-like status as they’re always pushing the bounds of any given game that they focus on.
For Japanese speedrunner, Ikaboze, that game is Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Having recently attended one of Tokyo’s test events, he was able to load in a previous save file on the new Nintendo Switch 2 right outside of Calamity Ganon’s castle, then dominate his way through the end level to the big bad himself. Along the way, Ikaboze shed his impressive gear so that he could beat the boss as vanilla as he possibly could, managing to achieve the feat in just 7 minutes, well within the time frame allotted for the demo at the event.
It’s an impressive achievement that could earn Ikaboze bragging rights for months to come as anticipation for the release of the Nintendo Switch 2 and the re-release of Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild increases.
Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’s Re-release
The re-release will feature improved graphics and frame rates, always a welcome update for a game as beloved as this. It has been confirmed, much to the chagrin of the fans, however, that the DLC will not be included for the re-release of Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild or Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
Those who aren’t members of the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack club will have to pay $70 for the base game plus the additional $20 for the DLC if they want the full, immersive experience. The DLC will feature the two new Master of Trials and Champion’s Ballad expansions, as well as three new treasure chests, and should be enough to entice new speedrunners intent on taking up the mantle of trying to beat the fastest run times, including the new content. Who knows? There might even be a chance to see Ikaboze’s name on the scoreboard for something like that.
Time Passes, People Move
It’s possible that Ikaboze can now uniquely say that he is the first person to beat Calamity Ganon on the Nintendo Switch 2. His showmanship at the event in Tokyo has brought a lot of traction to the release of not only the new console, but the revitalized Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild as well. Perhaps we’ll see more speedrunning content like this in the future with the addition of the new DLC content, so watch this space.
