The Champions' Ballad has more substance than the earlier published Zelda expansion The Master Trials. Players who had the hope that this dlc would add more context to the somewhat brief story of the main game are disappointed, but in terms of gameplay there is a fine cross-section of the complete game. A great excuse to start Breath of the Wild again.
Although it will be different for everyone, the undersigned had already said goodbye to Breath of the Wild for a few months. That is no shame: before that, literally hundreds of hours had been put into the beautifully designed, gigantic game world, and every corner of the virtual Hyrule had been cleared up to the sadness. 120 Shrines solved, hundreds of Korok Seeds found, the Divine Beasts tamed and Ganon defeated: the adventure just felt complete. Although this summer appeared The Master Trials was a nice extra addition, it was short-lived and the game could finally be stored.
Until now, of course, because last week, after a trailer at The Game Awards, Nintendo suddenly released the second and, as far as we know, the latest addition to the big winner of the same awards. The Champions' Ballad can only be purchased for 20 euros via the season pass of the game, where you also receive The Master Trials earlier this year. Like the dlc, The Champions' Ballad adds new adventures to your already existing savefile.
Born to be wild
The most striking addition is the Master Cycle Zero, a motor vehicle with which you can go through the game world at a steady pace. Honesty area to say that the engine is not the reward you are waiting for. Yes, he controls smoother than a horse, but since you receive the Master Cycle Zero at the end of the dlc, you really do not need it anymore. In addition, the image froze a few times during our rides on the motor, because the game world was not loaded yet. The game is clearly not optimized for the fast vehicle.
The satisfaction must therefore come from the challenges that precede the reward. Fortunately, The Champions' Ballad knows more points to score. In addition to some simple quests to find boxes with new clothing for Link and equipment for horses (which give you the possibility to call your horse everywhere right away), this extension also includes a new main mission, which will be available at the moment that all four the Divine Beasts are tamed and their bosses are defeated.
One blow and you've been there
You will be asked to travel back to the cave in which Link awoke in the beginning of the game after his hundred years of sleep. There is a new weapon called the One-Hit Obliterator waiting for you. This weapon has the advantage that you defeat enemies in one fell swoop, but the disadvantage is that they can also send you to the afterlife in one well-aimed swipe. You are obliged to use this weapon as long as you stay on the Great Plateau, outside it you will be removed from your inventory. On the Plateau four new enemy camps have been established and they have to be defeated to bring out four new Shrines.
Whether it is because we did not play the game for a while, or because we were so used to having many hearts and food to replenish them: we died, and often too. We have seen the Game Over screen more often in the first hour with The Champions' Ballad than in the game before. Because enemies can floor you in one blow, it is just as in the beginning important to be careful and to sneak around here and there not to get a whole camp behind you at once. This provides a surprisingly nice challenge with checkpoints for each camp to make it not too frustrating.
More of the same
This is followed by the four Shrines and a meeting with the Champions from the main game, after which you can find more Shrines. Miraculously, after 120 Shrines, Nintendo had inspiration for more puzzles. Each Shrine is challenging in its own way and, just like in the main game, players are motivated to experiment with the different forces themselves. There is no wrong way to solve a puzzle. It is so nice that you often have to overcome a certain challenge before a Shrine itself emerges. It yields some exciting fights and adventures.
The whole is rounded off with a new dungeon, again in the form of a Divine Beast, and a final boss fight. This dungeon also offers the necessary puzzle, but players who were disappointed in the main game with this replacement for the traditional dungeons will at no time be convinced of the new challenge. The same applies to the story. Spending more time with the four Champions is a nice addition, but do not expect long films or more context for the brief story of Breath of the Wild. The game is simply not about that and this expansion does not make any effort to change that.
What The Champions' Ballad does offer is more of the same. A final round of a gigantic all-you-can-eat meal that has already dropped for a while. It is so nice to spend even more time in this beautifully designed world, but at no time did we feel that with this dlc (and the previous one) we were experiencing something that we really could not live without. Breath of the Wild is already on its own feet and The Champions' Ballad offers some extra hours for people who can not get enough of it.
The Champions' Ballad is now available via the season pass for Zelda: Breath of the Wild on Switch and Wii U.
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