Board 8 > Breath of the Wild is redefining open world games for me.

(+) Yeah! (+)

MGS3 unlocked the series imhotbqh

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Jakyl25 posted...

Finding every collectible rewards you with a pile of poop so its the ultimate joke

I've collected about 80 Korok Seeds so far just from naturally exploring and looking around. It's fun!

The idea of going out of your way to hunt down 900 total seems like an exercise in masochism.

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LeonhartFour posted...

"is redefining" sounds like this is currently happening to me not something that has already happened

See to me that can sound like after a replay or thinking it over after some time of playing other open world games after BotW or something.

Although I did miss post 5 I will admit

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I will say I'm not trying to turn this into a "my open world game is better than your open world game" just that the testimonials make the game sound like any good open world game I've played + banjo kazooie elements so I'm definitely missing something as far as what is actually causing the hype for the game. (Or this board just really likes collectathons I guess)

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get the Rare collect-a-thon plague out of my life

but thankfully it's a really minor part of the game if you want it to be

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Full disclosure as to whether anyone wants to take my opinions on this game seriously - I'm the guy who did this:

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/189707-the-legend-of-zelda-breath-of-the-wild/76231533

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I dont think it ruined the series though Ive never been a huge LoZ fan in general. I grabbed this because everyone said it was really different from the majority of LoZ games. I had a blast up until finishing my first dungeon and then the magic just kinda sadly faded. Those first dozen hours were nice though.

Like in theory I should like this game especially keeping the "this is for people who like Zelda 1" in mind but what is it actually doing that other open world games don't.

I actually kinda want to be sold on it cause I have a Switch which is my only current gen console other than a gaming PC, and haven't liked a Zelda game since Link to the Past so it would be refreshing. But like everything I'm reading sounds like Skyrim + Zelda reskin. What does it do better than Skyrim? Is it just Skyrim with more world randomization and Zelda gameplay or what? Like this whole less/more dense idea doesn't really resonate with me cause I think a lot of open world games hit the sweet spot there-- there's no real demand for it from me.

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Even with my not loving BotW nearly as much as the general population it's still good enough to try out for yourself in your circumstance I think Lopen

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swordz9 posted...

I think its a fair criticism because even if they can do different stuff theyre still all Bokoblins and you meet like 98% of the non-boss enemy types you will ever see in the game just on the Great Plateau. I mean it would be one thing if the bosses at least were good enough to make up for that, but they all sucked too

Wasnt sure if I should spoiler that or not at first, edited it in just to be safe

Im pretty sure this is incorrect

The only non-boss enemies on the Great Plateau that I recall are Bokoblins, Keese, Decayed Guardians, and Guardian Scouts in the Shrines

Am I forgetting something?
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This might be the only "truly" open world game I've ever played, so I can't compare it to whatever else may be popular in the genre. Umm... I liked it a helluva lot more than GTAIII and Vice City?

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Oh and Stalkoblins
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CaptainOfCrush posted...

This might be the only "truly" open world game I've ever played, so I can't compare it to whatever else may be popular in the genre. Umm... I liked it a helluva lot more than GTAIII and Vice City?

Wind Waker is pretty Open World to be honest
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Lopen posted...

Like in theory I should like this game especially keeping the "this is for people who like Zelda 1" in mind but what is it actually doing that other open world games don't.

Significantly better environment design, more freedom on how to tackle objectives, much more fun to actually move around in the world, better atmosphere, and is overall more relaxing to play while still being engaging

A big issue with open-world design is that a lot of times it feels like collecting objective markers to address, like you're going down a checklist of things you need to do that are filling up your quest log. BotW feels like I'm making my own adventure, while in most other open-world games I kind of don't.

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Lopen posted...

Like in theory I should like this game especially keeping the "this is for people who like Zelda 1" in mind but what is it actually doing that other open world games don't.

I actually kinda want to be sold on it cause I have a Switch which is my only current gen console other than a gaming PC, and haven't liked a Zelda game since Link to the Past so it would be refreshing. But like everything I'm reading sounds like Skyrim + Zelda reskin. What does it do better than Skyrim? Is it just Skyrim with more world randomization and Zelda gameplay or what? Like this whole less/more dense idea doesn't really resonate with me cause I think a lot of open world games hit the sweet spot there-- there's no real demand for it from me.

Why do you need to be sold on it this far after it came out? Just... play it?

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The Zelda aura does add a lot

If youre big into Zelda lore, encasing a world that references all of it, sometimes in subtle but very significant ways, really enhances the experience.

And that its all long dead and being mourned here hits hard sometimes
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Waluigi1 posted...

Why do you need to be sold on it this far after it came out? Just... play it?

Well I don't want to waste 50 bucks and like 10 hours on something that's babby's first open world game for Zelda fans I guess. So I was hoping for some alternative selling on it since that's the vibe I get right now, but there's probably something I'm missing.

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Im gonna say you probably shouldnt bother

I imagine if the Zelda franchise held a special place in your heart that you wouldnt have missed it for 3 years and need to be sold on it

And thats really what my recommendation hinges on if you have open world fatigue
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For the record I dont think Lopen would like BotW

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I mean, I'm not a big Zelda fan and I really like the game!

It's difficult to objectively explain what makes Breath of the Wild so good. You almost have to play it for yourself to figure it out one way or the other.

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Jakyl25 posted...

The Zelda aura does add a lot

True. The game mechanics are pretty unique relative to earlier 3D Zeldas, but it's still deeply entrenched in the series lore (perhaps more than any other Zelda game). If you're not a fan of the series, all of those references and easter eggs may not be meaningful to you.

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The references to past games are nice, but I think the experience would work the same without them. The game does a good job at creating a post-apocalyptic world in a Zelda way.

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I've got friends who aren't really into Zelda and they love it as a comfy exploration game. And it's great at that!

I've been criticizing the game but I still put dozens of hours into it when it came out because I'm a big Zelda fan. It's a good game, just not what I'm really in the mood for anymore.

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Jakyl25 posted...

I imagine if the Zelda franchise held a special place in your heart

It absolutely does not.

But I like Zelda 1, Zelda 2, and Link to the Past! If we've got 3D Zelda 1 that would be cool but I suspect that's not entirely accurate either.

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Once you wrap up the tutorial, you can literally go anywhere. You can rush the final boss immediately if you feel like getting your ass served to you. I'm pretty sure you couldn't do that in Zelda 1, so it's different but in a way that offers even more freedom.

I would say that in terms of difficulty, the game starts hard but gets considerably easier as Link gains stronger gear and consumables, whereas Zelda 1 got tougher for me as I neared the end.

Oh and speaking of tutorials, I'm gonna HOT TAKE the Great Plateau as EASILY the greatest tutorial in gaming history. Those first ~4 hours with the game were some of my funnest.

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Its Zelda 1 in the heres a fully accessible map, you exist, figure it out

Thats really it
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CaptainOfCrush posted...

Once you wrap up the tutorial, you can literally go anywhere. You can rush the final boss immediately if you feel like getting your ass served to you. I'm pretty sure you couldn't do that in Zelda 1, so it's different but in a way that offers even more freedom.

True. You can go to the final dungeon straight from the start in Zelda 1 but it wont let you in without the full Triforce of Wisdom
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CaptainOfCrush posted...

Once you wrap up the tutorial, you can literally go anywhere. You can rush the final boss immediately if you feel like getting your ass served to you.

This is the best part of the entire game tbqh and doing this probably informed my whole experience!

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I guess I'm asking cause I've had an open world itch for a while now and my two options are

1. Set up Skyrim on my gaming PC. This is kinda daunting since I prefer to mod the crap out of the game and I haven't played it in years so I'm looking at a few hours of setup probably as I figure out which mods I used to have still work or have been obsoleted etc. (My laptop I originally played it on is in dire straits)
2. Roll the dice with this one for a whirl. Maybe it'll put me at ease till the next Elder Scrolls game worth playing comes out and I won't need to do all the dumb mod hunting.

What do?

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I think Skyrim without a million mods is boring so you're on your own with that decision

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I haven't played Skyrim but I imagine it's more "traditional" than BotW, which does have aspects core to its design that turned a lot of people off. A vocal group absolutely detests the weapon system, for example. Just about every weapon in this game is a consumable - it will break permanently and quickly with repeated use. If you're the type of gamer who picks a starting weapon, upgrades it to Level 10, and stays with it for the entire campaign... you might dislike BotW bruh.

I was honestly a little unsure about this game because I usually AM that type of gamer, but I wound up loving the weapon system.

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Yeah, weapons and equipment breaking is annoying at first, too, but like I said before, with everything in BotW, you learn to adjust to it. You learn to prioritize which stuff you want to use for which situation.

I think that is one of the cool things about the game. There are features that can be frustrating, but the game functions in such a way that you can learn to live with them. They aren't deal breakers.

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Breakable weapons actually sound cool tbh. It in theory necessitates finding more weapons which means more loot is exciting to find

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The weapon system is significantly more engaging than I thought it would be. I actually like it a lot and I've disliked literally every other weapon durability mechanic in every other game I've played with the exception of maybe some Fire Emblem games.

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the weapon system never really managed to hit with me (outside of eventide isle which is good)

early on it was fine I guess, but it made me want to just avoid combat and throw bombs at everything because there wasn't much of a reason to fight anything

later on it was just "whoops my weapon broke, time to take out one of my thirty identical ones"

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Question for the topic - is the DLC worth it? $20 doesn't seem too bad.

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I haven't played the DLC myself, but I've generally heard it's good.

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I loved the game so I was happy to trade $20 for more things to do. Certainly didn't regret it, but my benchmark for $20 DLC is The Old Hunters, and it wasn't on that level. The Trials of the Sword were pretty epic, though.

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Man, if I held all DLC to the standard of The Old Hunters then I would never get DLC.

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breath of the wild can redefine these nuts

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Durability definitely needs improvement in the sequel. Even the highest STR/DEF stuff breaks way too fast and its annoying having to pause gameplay so often because every weapon might as well be made of wet paper

How can people handle the durability system in BotW? From the three to four hours I played, I was constantly annoyed by my weapons always breaking. While I've always hated weapon durability, this seemed especially excessive. I do want to retry playing BotW again, but when I think of having to constantly be sorting in and out weapons, I get turned off.

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You basically just need to get into a different mindset with it. Some people can, some people can't. I personally couldn't fully and while I can play the game it's part of the reason I rate it at around a 7. I could never shake the feeling of annoyance when stuff broke on me and just feeling shitty having all this dumbass equipment in my inventory if I played the way they want you to play. Some people really embrace that aspect of it though.

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Bought the DLC because why not

https://i.imgur.com/3yOlmVs_d.jpg?maxwidth=640&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium

My current Hero's Path! I've been a busy bee.

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I mean eventually you reach a point where you have way too many weapons and you're tossing weapons at full durability to make room for better weapons.

I don't remember it taking very long to reach that point either.

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Yeah, it's not like the game forces you to be all that frugal. There's always plenty of new equipment to be found.

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Yeah, there has to be plenty of equipment when everything Link uses other than his clothes and slate break nonstop. It doesnt mean it isnt still annoying when it happens though! If the game ever kept track of it I bet everyone who beat the game would probably be at 500+ broken gear easily

Eh, I learned to just adjust to it. Oh, it broke. Switch to something else and just keep swinging away. Save the good stuff for the tougher enemies. Learn to get good at parrying and deflecting. It's just part of the strategy of the game.

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Jakyl25 posted...

I guess Im in the middle on Koroks

Loved finding enough to max out inventory slots

Not that interested after that

I saw that as the point of Koroks. They throw 900 in the game so that everyone's guaranteed to find a good number of them, not so that people will actually collect all 900. It's cool having a collectible with a bonus you don't have to go out of your way to look for. Feels like they enhanced the game in a good way.
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