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The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Discussion in 'Console Gaming' started by Geoff, Jun 14, 2016.

  1. Geoff

    Geoff Administrator
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    So we finally had the lid blown off the new Zelda game today. We've seen the new trailer as well as pretty hefty chunks of gameplay on and off throughout the day.

    What are your thoughts? Excited? Disappointed? Is it what you expected? I'm thinking that there will be a lot of varying opinions here, and I'm pretty sure I'll be in the minority.

    For reference, here's the trailer:
     
  2. TRIFORCE89

    TRIFORCE89 Sage

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    I love what I've seen of it so far.

    It looks like the realization of the promise of Skyward Sword. After Twilight Princess, we were told that the game would be "without a doubt, the last Zelda game as you know it in its present form" and that they were looking to alter the "traditional flow" of Zelda games. Then Skyward Sword came along and it was like this compromised vision of something greater.

    The seeds were there: real-time item switching/use, the introduction of stamina, the item upgrade system, beacons, shield damage, inventory expansions, and an exploration-heavy dungeon-esque overworld. That first time exploring Faron felt almost as grand and and magical as it did for Bob-Omb Battlefield in Super Mario 64.

    And while I enjoyed all of that, the game felt... misguided. The overworld was disjointed. I want a vast field to connect the overworld; I want to be able to walk from Lanayru to Eldin without having to fly through drab clouds. As much as I enjoyed the exploration of the world, it also felt barren. There were not towns beyond the aerial hub, and NPCs were sparse. Overall plot, scenario, and characters (NPCs as well) just didn't mesh or feel like Zelda to me as well.


    What I saw today looks take all that good and up it several notches. All of that is still there, just refined. With a very clear influence of Western-developed open-world games (which Zelda basically pioneered on the NES). The world is vast and interactive, ripe for exploration and experimentation. There are layers upon layers of things you can do and systems the interact with it. Trying to start a fire to build up heat to go airborn hot-air balloon style? Oh, but there's a weather system and a gust of wind comes by throwing up the embers. You start a forest fire, which tears through some nearby enemies and causes an explosion. Awesome.

    Fighting a Stalfos? Steal the arm and smack them with it. Cool. Make a makeshift shield out of a pot lid at an enemy camp. Smart. Then use it as a snowboard? Nifty. Let me approach the game how I want, without guidance. Let me learn and uncover what I can do and how. I want to be immersed.

    Everything appeared well-thought out. There's a set of laws to this world that the developers are abiding by. Lots of physics engines, but it allows for comical situation. Like guiding a raft with sail using gusts of a leaf.

    The clothing system seems interesting because it isn't just playing dress-up. It's an advancement on the tunics, in that Link reacts to temperature now. Super hot outside? Go shirtless. Freezing cold? Put a parka on.

    No more hearts to collect to refill your life. You must scavenge for food, and cook, to survive. You can even go vegan if you're so inclined.

    It captures the idea of that NES Zelda, brings it back, and makes it modern. As if gaming history took an alternate path, A Link to the Past didn't happen and Nintendo didn't try to remake that game 27 times over.

    I was concerned though again about the barrenness - as that bothered me about Skyward Sword a good bit. Nintendo said they removed most of the NPCs and dialogue to avoid plot spoilers. They will exist. And there will be towns and locales to visit. So, this sounds good to me.

    Sure the overworld isn't teeming with enemies, but that's been a long-standing issue of the 3D entries in this series. Not to mention that all we're seeing at E3 amounts to the beginning of the game and a mere 2% of the map. Maybe the enemy encounters get more hectic later on?

    We get good old massive dungeons as per usual, but also over 100 "shrines". Mini-dungeons that focus on one thing. And you can approach everything in any order you want.

    The amount of choice and content seem immense, so I am excited and optimistic.

    Oh, and voice acting. Finally.
     
  3. Incineroar

    Incineroar Level 2

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    I didn't watch the gameplay videos since I want to experience it fully for myself, but from what I'm hearing, it's the kind of open-world game that I have always wanted not only from the Zelda franchise, but from Nintendo in general. The fact that I can go in whatever direction I want to and approach things in my own way makes the game so much more immense and adds a ton of replayability, especially if I want to perhaps try limiting myself or only doing something once a day or eating only certain kinds of food, etc. The mechanic changes will take some getting used to, such as the lack of hearts, but I don't mind it, it almost makes it as open as Minecraft where you have to get all your resources yourself, and sometimes you may have to start from zero because something may have happened - say, you ran out of your tools and didn't remember to make extras, so you have to revert back to wood, and build up from there. In this, if you run out of food, you have to go out and harvest your food again.
     

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