More than once on TikTok in the run up to Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom I have seen a video that seems to have been born from a simple wish: that cooking in real life was as much fun as cooking in Breath of the Wild is.
It’s always the same. A pot. An armful of ingredients. Chuck them all in and the ingredients jump around for a bit, and then? Bam: dinner.
I always watch these videos a couple of times, revelling in the pure joy of it. And that’s the thing: cooking in Breath of the Wild really is distilled joy. The animation lasts for maybe a few seconds, but it’s often my favourite part of the game.
Sometimes it feels like, if you’re not interested in taking on Ganon or whoever it is, Breath of the Wild is just itching to be whatever game you want it to be. It can be all about climbing mountains. All about Moblin combat. Or, it can be all about cooking. And, really, I’m starting to think it might be one of the best cooking games ever.