The Thread of Zelda

I think I'm going to pick up the Wii U version when I get off work because I don't want the game to get spoiled before I can play it and it'll probably take a while for more consoles to come in. I'll hold off on the Switch until Splatoon 2 comes out, make it a graduation present to myself.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Smooth sailing here, been playing for a few hours and so far so good. Looks like it's really big.

One thing of note though: I was going to play it mobile at first, directly on the screen, but I felt like it didn't do the game justice. I wonder if some games will be more suited to it than others.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Aazealh said:
Smooth sailing here, been playing for a few hours and so far so good. Looks like it's really big.

Yeah, I haven't quite seen what makes it so great beyond how much potential for interactivity and immersion the environment offers (plus it reminds me of a lot of great games beyond Zelda, and feels more modern and less Nintendo-y). I'm assuming from the reviews that they pay this off. I'm actually surprised how much guidance there's been so far, but the important thing is the gameplay in between. Conversation is straight to the point and then you're free to wander off mission because, "I'd rather check THAT out."

Speaking of how many great games it reminds me of...

Johnstantine said:
So I'm about 5 hours in to BotW and I already feel like this is out-OoT-ing OoT. The mechanics and story are just fantastic.

Let me go back to this and say how about we hold our horses after 5 hours? =) I think to really have that kind of impact it needs to completely change the way you experience the game and even gaming in general (something like Zelda VR). So unless something dramatically changes (likely concerning the level of immersion), this ain't that; it reminds me of a lot of good games, so while it's certainly an evolution, that doesn't make it revolutionary like OoT. Actually, Skyward Sword was arguably more of an attempt with its 1:1 motion controls but it was still bogged down in other 3D Zelda tropes, which this one does a better job of sheddingn obviously. What's incredible is how much all these games are still like OoT two decades later. I mean, this is STILL basically OoT "mechanics" but bigger and more refined! Let's remember that was when Shigeru Miyamoto basically dropped the mic and hasn't had to pick it up since because his shit from 20 years ago is still state of the art.

One thing of note though: I was going to play it mobile at first, directly on the screen, but I felt like it didn't do the game justice. I wonder if some games will be more suited to it than others.

Yeah, I had the same feeling playing it on the Wii U gamepad; it's a bit of waste to shrink down a game where vastness, grandeur, and immersion are main features. Was there notable performance differences on the undocked Switch as well? I get a little framerate slowdown when there's too much on screen at once, and particularly in the area approaching the first fire from the starting temple but that's the only spot I've noticed it with any consistently.

Oh, and there is ZERO touchscreen support. Literally touching it will just switch between it and the TV creating the effect that trying to interact with the touchscreen will literally shut you down. Otherwise, decent port! =)
 
Well, WalMart didn't have any Wii U copies (boo, no discount) but the GameStop across the street did. Seems tougher than Zelda has been for years, I had a few close calls with the blue bokoblins. Ran around exploring the plateau for about 2 hours until I died trying to climb a cliff. I didn't die in Skyward Sword until the final boss fight.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Sareth said:
Seems tougher than Zelda has been for years, I had a few close calls with the blue bokoblins. Ran around exploring the plateau for about 2 hours until I died trying to climb a cliff. I didn't die in Skyward Sword until the final boss fight.

Oh, it's much more treacherous than any of the recent 3D games since probably MM, and I've already died several dozen times by now, if not more. But I have an excuse: with that newfound do-as-you-will freedom I ran straight for the end game, stealth raided the final areas for super weapons I could use to kill high end baddies, and just made it to the final fucking boss! :ganishka:

Spoiler free description, but I tagged it just for those (Aaz =) that don't even want to see this discussed in the vaguest terms:
We'll see where I go from here, I just knocked it, what I'm assuming is only a first form, halfway down on my second try, but I can't get hit even once and I'm assuming there might be a few more rounds.
Anyway, while this was something I wanted to try, succeeding really wasn't part of the plan. I don't want to spoil the whole game for myself and even just keeping these weapons for the rest of it could do it. Then again, if it's this easy anyway... :iva:

So, I'm probably going to take a couple more stabs at it until I deem it hopeless and then boogie with the goods. Of course, I've been intending to do that every step of the way.


Update with specifics:
So I beat the first form (turns at with 4 full hearts I can take 1 hit from them and live with a quarter heart left, heal, repeat), but yep, there's another form, and from the look of things at least 2 or 3 more.
I guess I could keep this up until I master all their patterns, and what sucks is it only keeps so many saves backed up, so if I leave I can't come back without doing all this again.

Update 2:
Okay, got all the way to a fourth form. Now I'm enticed by the possibility of another save point before a final, final fight (also, I cant imagine this being hard with end game life, stamina and gear).
An even more limiting factor than health is weapon durability. If I don't have enough to reach the end, it's pointless, but it honestly seems possible...

Update 3: Eh, trying to conserve resources sucks and gets me killed earlier/faster, I'm going to bed for now. This was fun but I can't decide if its ultimately a waste of play time if not the whole game for my purposes, but kudos to Nintendo for living up to their word.
 
I am my own worst enemy in this game. I'm still getting used to the controls and I keep making dumb mistakes, like accidentally firing a bomb arrow at my feet >.>
 
Sareth said:
I am my own worst enemy in this game. I'm still getting used to the controls and I keep making dumb mistakes, like accidentally firing a bomb arrow at my feet >.>

Don't worry, I've done myself in many times already lol. You do get used to the controls eventually, they really utilized every button for something useful. My only small gripe with the game is actually the inventory, Once you start getting loads of items, I wish there was a slightly better system of scrolling or organizing faster.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
With a clearer head this morning I decided it wasn't worth the trouble to spoil the experience and vacated the final area. Maybe I'll try this again after going through the game at a more leisurely pace.

Sareth said:
I am my own worst enemy in this game. I'm still getting used to the controls and I keep making dumb mistakes, like accidentally firing a bomb arrow at my feet >.>

Or even hitting an enemy with one... at point blank range. My first death was falling while trying to climb down the first tower, "Whoops." :ganishka:

Tama said:
Don't worry, I've done myself in many times already lol. You do get used to the controls eventually, they really utilized every button for something useful. My only small gripe with the game is actually the inventory, Once you start getting loads of items, I wish there was a slightly better system of scrolling or organizing faster.

What my little speed running attempt showed me is just how powerful, or capable, you are from the start because Link can basically maneuver around or over any obstacle. I thought I'd hit a wall long before getting near the end, and while everything can kill you easily enough, there's always a way around. But yeah, the clunky inventory limited item space holds things back and is frustrsting ("Your inventory is full"). I sure hope it will expand with new clothes and armor. I'm still in my starting tunic.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
Managed to get a Switch today and played Zelda for ~4h tonight. Love it. I couldn't put it down. Intended to go to sleep at midnight, and now it's close to 2am. I'd go into more detail bu- zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Walter said:
Managed to get a Switch today and played Zelda for ~4h tonight. Love it. I couldn't put it down. Intended to go to sleep at midnight, and now it's close to 2am. I'd go into more detail bu- zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Stoked you got it, I honestly felt a little bad that you weren't able to play, "Man, I think Wally would love this... I bet he can't stand reading all about it and not being able to dive in!" Yep! :ganishka:

I also ritually play until I'm passing out asleep. I get mad how much time I waste in this game getting killed, I'm also always shocked when like one arrow does it, trying to do some stupidly specific little activity I stumble on in the environment, "Well, there goes an hour... oh yeah, save Hyrule."
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
A few scattered thoughts ~4 hours into Breath of the Wild. No story spoilers, but just to be safe...:

I feel like my dozens of hours in Farcry 2 prepared me for enjoying this game a little more than most. The fun in that game came from your ability to approach combat scenarios in a huge variety of ways. You can cook up a plan, execute on it, and when it inevitably fails, you improvise. That formula never really gets old for me, so long as the actual combat has a heightening skill ceiling (and so far, it does).

Opening
The game does a good job of easing you in, but I was honestly getting a bit bored of the plateau shortly before they allow you to leave. Then of course the massive world opens up and BOOM, I was playing another 2 hours. I'd still be playing if I didn't have real life stuff to do.

Off the Plateau
I feel like everyone will have their own story to tell about their first moments off the Plateau. I recognized how special that moment was about a minute upon landing. The world is huge, surprisingly so, and immaculately designed with tons to see and explore. For me, I headed east in the direction of Kakariko, but diverged when I saw the massive bridge spanning (what I assume is) Lake Hylia. After making my way past the relatively tougher enemies and finding some fresh, more powerful weapons (soldier broadsword, I'll miss you...), I made it through an army to the tower just beyond the bridge using a variety of techniques involving stealth, headshots and running for my fucking life from a mob. That's all I had time for so far...

Weapon Degradation
I like it! It's jarring at first, and introduces an added element of panic when your weapon breaks mid-combat. But overall, I appreciate how the system forces you to learn to adapt to a variety of weapons, dissuading you from leaning on a comfortable crutch. It also has the added effect of making you CARE about the weapons you truly like, and hastening the cycle of getting excited about the next weapon around the corner you'll be getting (which heretofore in Zelda consisted of a single weapon -- though admittedly one of the most iconic video game weapons). This only felt like a problem on the Plateau, where the variety of weapons was pretty thin. Now that I'm in the wide world, I've gotten at least 12 different types or variations of weapons, so I'm pretty okay with the degradation, so long as it encourages you to approach combat slightly differently each time.

Story
Eh... I've admittedly seen only the top layer of it, but it's not really blowing my skirt up. I do appreciate the "doomed world" setup, but the explanation for how it arrived at this state felt poorly conceived. Still, I welcome surprises in this department. It seems to me the meat of this game will come in exploration, discovery and inventive combat -- and honestly, that's A-OK with me.

Controls
Is anyone else thrown by these, so far? Switching between weapons still doesn't feel natural, and neither does switching powers. I've never successfully done it on the first try mid-combat, when it counts. I've accidentally blown myself up with bombs after getting L+R's functions confused, and I'm sure it won't be the last time. I spent a good long time up on the Plateau just trying to familiarize myself with the controls, how to maneuver myself in combat, but I still haven't attained what I'd call a comfort level in combat yet. Every encounter feels slightly hectic, a little clumsy, and I'm hoping that's me still getting a hang of the buttons.

Switch Experience
My TV setup at home literally has no room for additional devices. We're full-up. So I was hoping I could play the Switch in portable mode 100% of the time, but as Aaz mentioned, it feels too small for Zelda. I jerry-rigged the Switch up to my TV by robbing my family's other entertainment devices of their HDMI and coveted power outlets, sitting on the floor, just to see how BotW compared on the big screen -- and it was a HUGE experiential difference. Your mileage may vary, but for me, the portable mode just isn't conducive to the atmosphere of a massive, open-world game, where there's tons to see, and so many details to pour over in every little landscape. I felt like I was missing out on half the game with the small screen.
 

Johnstantine

Skibbidy Boo Bop
Not trying to brag, but I think I had the best death in the game.

I was climbing a mountain and ran out of stamina, then a ram hit me from behind and I fell to the river below and drowned.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
Johnstantine said:
Not trying to brag, but I think I had the best death in the game.

I was climbing a mountain and ran out of stamina, then a ram hit me from behind and I fell to the river below and drowned.

:isidro: A death from land, sea, and air! That is unlikely to be topped.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Walter said:
Weapon Degradation
I like it! It's jarring at first, and introduces an added element of panic when your weapon breaks mid-combat. But overall, I appreciate how the system forces you to learn to adapt to a variety of weapons, dissuading you from leaning on a comfortable crutch. It also has the added effect of making you CARE about the weapons you truly like

Yeah, from the start I was like, "Ummm, where's my sword? It's dangerous to go alone!" Then I got used to improvising so when I snagged a traveler's sword off a Bobokin I felt like maybe they gave me "the starting sword" too soon... then it broke during the next battle and I realized we were on to something here. =)

Walter said:
Story
Eh... I've admittedly seen only the top layer of it, but it's not really blowing my skirt up. I do appreciate the "doomed world" setup, but the explanation for how it arrived at this state felt poorly conceived. Still, I welcome surprises in this department. It seems to me the meat of this game will come in exploration, discovery and inventive combat -- and honestly, that's A-OK with me.

The story so far is very generic and a bit weird in the overall scheme of Zelda
(all the talk of 100 years ago, 10,000 years ago, etc)
, but as an excuse for a post-apocalyptic techno Hyrule it's fine (there's some awesome payoffs on this theme in certain areas). Overall, I think the story will be what you make it out in the field. Speaking of story elements, I was annoyed on principle they once again decided not to go full voice, especially given the sparse population... until I heard some of the voice acting; that made me prefer the text elements. =)

Walter said:
Controls
Is anyone else thrown by these, so far? Switching between weapons still doesn't feel natural, and neither does switching powers. I've never successfully done it on the first try mid-combat, when it counts. I've accidentally blown myself up with bombs after getting L+R's functions confused, and I'm sure it won't be the last time. I spent a good long time up on the Plateau just trying to familiarize myself with the controls, how to maneuver myself in combat, but I still haven't attained what I'd call a comfort level in combat yet. Every encounter feels slightly hectic, a little clumsy, and I'm hoping that's me still getting a hang of the buttons.

Yeah, there's a lot of complexity they tried to streamline in there, with varying success. I got pretty adept out of necessity during my
castle
run but I still find myself tripping over the controls every once in a while (I didn't even learn how to crouch until after that, and parrying was like yesterday!). I've tried switching the jump button to the more natural bottom position, but the problem is I'm used to it in that spot for every other function it does so I just stuck with it. It seems they made your sprints have a bit of delay after release so the jump button being above isn't a hindrance (clever, but again, not usual).

Walter said:
Your mileage may vary, but for me, the portable mode just isn't conducive to the atmosphere of a massive, open-world game, where there's tons to see, and so many details to pore over in every little landscape. I felt like I was missing out on half the game with the small screen.

I've actually played about 50/50 on my TV and the Wii U GamePad (in bed or when the wife is watching TV, which I fully support for expanded game time =), and I think it's still pretty immersive. I'll sort of focus in on the details so it doesn't bother me I'm not getting the full impact of the big picture experience. Still, whenever I can I try to play on the TV, and might even reserve what I think are important parts strictly for that, but when I'm fucking around in familiar minutia it's just nice to have the extra playing option.

Johnstantine said:
Not trying to brag, but I think I had the best death in the game.

I was climbing a mountain and ran out of stamina, then a ram hit me from behind and I fell to the river below and drowned.
Walter said:
:isidro: A death from land, sea, and air! That is unlikely to be topped.

It's pretty stiff competition [general environmental spoilers within]:

http://kotaku.com/legend-of-zelda-breath-of-the-wild-players-share-their-1793006745
 
Walter said:
Opening
The game does a good job of easing you in, but I was honestly getting a bit bored of the plateau shortly before they allow you to leave. Then of course the massive world opens up and BOOM, I was playing another 2 hours. I'd still be playing if I didn't have real life stuff to do.

I agree that the plateau "tutorial" was kind of boring by the end but i think it's a better experience than constant frozen screens telling you how to play the game. 5 mins off the plateau and I already forgot that I was ever bored.

Walter said:
Story
Eh... I've admittedly seen only the top layer of it, but it's not really blowing my skirt up. I do appreciate the "doomed world" setup, but the explanation for how it arrived at this state felt poorly conceived. Still, I welcome surprises in this department. It seems to me the meat of this game will come in exploration, discovery and inventive combat -- and honestly, that's A-OK with me.

Zelda has never had the deepest storyline with plot twists and so forth but honestly I've been impressed at their ability to re-imagine the "zelda" story with subtle differences similar to skyward sword. But, to be honest I don't keep coming back to zelda games for the story. Another thing i noticed about BotW is pretty much everyone you can talk to has something useful to say- i suggest talking to everyone you meet in a new area as they might put you on the track to some neat things.

After playing like ~20 hrs or so I can say that I do like how the story starts off feeling totally hollow
(seems to fit with Link's amnesia)
and you learn more as you find
the other races and track down the locations of Zelda's 12 mysterious pictures and start to fill the voids in what happened.

My best death so far is after i upgraded the bombs (they get a bigger blast radius) I was trying to blow up a tree to get all the apples out (yes im too lazy to climb up) I blasted myself off of a ~200ft cliff and died as i bounced down the bluffs.
 
Looks like everyone has been playing the hell out of zelda lol. My switch came in early on monday and i was giddy like a little kid on christmas. Damn this game is fun. Every-time i see one of those curious spots.... Everything else goes out the window.
I also just killed 3 gaurdians in a row. So that was fun.
Also how do i do those spoiler things?
 
Gamehowitzer said:
Looks like everyone has been playing the hell out of zelda lol. My switch came in early on monday and i was giddy like a little kid on christmas. Damn this game is fun. Every-time i see one of those curious spots.... Everything else goes out the window.
I also just killed 3 gaurdians in a row. So that was fun.
Also how do i do those spoiler things?

Use the spoiler tag: wrap the text you wanna black out with a [/spoiler] at the end and one without the slash at the beginning.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Gamehowitzer said:
Looks like everyone has been playing the hell out of zelda lol. My switch came in early on monday and i was giddy like a little kid on christmas. Damn this game is fun. Every-time i see one of those curious spots.... Everything else goes out the window.

I couldn't play last night due to a power outage! :puck:

I was able to
recover Link's first memory
before that though, which I loved and which seriously raised the plot potential of the game. I can now imagine it being among the best in that regard.

Speaking of which, this game's growing reputation naturally has me thinking of the greater Zelda pantheon and where it fits in. For sure it's the signature title of the Fujibayashi era, and though this is only his second effort as captain of the Zelda flagship, he made his bones long ago on handhelds with Oracle of Ages/Seasons and The Minnish Cap.

It also has me considering Aonuma's legacy following Miyamoto/Tezuka (who are largely responsible for the first five Zelda games, so untoppable), starting out as an assistant director on OoT and ultimately being director of Majora's Mask (with Koizumi), Wind Waker, and Twilight Princess. It's hard to pick one among those three, but I guess I'd say Wind Waker is his "signature" contribution since it's so unique and MM and TP are still so OoT-centric in their own ways; one a direct sequel in the same engine, the other a virtual remake/greatest hits compilation, whereas WW is where he really gets away from it and makes the series his own (it's also hard not to think of him and Toon Link joined at the hip). BotW owes a lot to that game too; it's like Wind Waker on land in more ways than one.

Gamehowitzer said:
Also how do i do those spoiler things?
Arc said:
Use the spoiler tag: wrap the text you wanna black out with a [/spoiler] at the end and one without the slash at the beginning.

Or highlight the text you want blacked out and click this
spoiler.gif
button. It's located roughly above the Azan and Puck emojis. =)
 
Ok well i'm searching for the 3rd fairy fountain. I have the 1st and the one by Tabantha tower just below piper ridge but i just dont know where to search for the 3rd. I just have death mountain left to take care of and finishing shrines. I have the Master sword and i need to learn more about the Dragons. Farosh and dinraal. i havent seen the blue one yet but im keeping my eyes peeled. my only problem im running into now is that i need to focus on gathering materials more. Also if anyone knows about the Mirro shaz shrine, in the back i just can't get the ball to go in no matter what. Its the optional chest in the back thats harder and further than the one before it.
 
Gamehowitzer said:
Ok well i'm searching for the 3rd fairy fountain. I have the 1st and the one by Tabantha tower just below piper ridge but i just dont know where to search for the 3rd. I just have death mountain left to take care of and finishing shrines. I have the Master sword and i need to learn more about the Dragons. Farosh and dinraal. i havent seen the blue one yet but im keeping my eyes peeled. my only problem im running into now is that i need to focus on gathering materials more. Also if anyone knows about the Mirro shaz shrine, in the back i just can't get the ball to go in no matter what. Its the optional chest in the back thats harder and further than the one before it.

Did this post as all spoilered or was it too descriptive and one of you guys decided it should be blacked? I thought i covered the parts that were kinda spoilery or descriptive but i'd like to know for future reference. I didn't think i posted it like that but mistakes have been made before.

Sareth said:
This has to be my favorite iteration of Link and Zelda. They are the absolute cutest ♥‿♥
I totally agree with you that they look the best, however for some reason Zelda's voice actor just kind of bothers me. I feel like the voice just doesn't fit. I mean i get that they're trying to make her sound refined and regal (maybe not idk) but the way some of the lines are coupled with the accent just bothers me a little bit.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
Gamehowitzer said:
Did this post as all spoilered or was it too descriptive and one of you guys decided it should be blacked? I thought i covered the parts that were kinda spoilery or descriptive but i'd like to know for future reference. I didn't think i posted it like that but mistakes have been made before.

I thought the whole thing was pretty spoilery, so I spoiled it. Speaking of which, please don't double-post. If you have something else to add, you can edit your existing post.
 
Walter said:
I thought the whole thing was pretty spoilery, so I spoiled it. Speaking of which, please don't double-post. If you have something else to add, you can edit your existing post.

My bad. I haven't really been part of internet forums so these things kind of just slip my mind.
If you want to own a house start by looking in Hateno village. Its pretty expensive though so make sure you can shell out some money.
 
I was apprehensive when they stated it was going to be open world, since MGS5 botched the concept completely, but it really works with Zelda, I’ve always wanted a Hyrule that felt as vast as I imagined it to be when I was younger. I was hoping for a more interesting story, given the post apocalyptic mystery box template they were teasing, unfortunately the story plays out exactly how you’d expect it to,
Ganon wins, Link gets wounded and goes into hibernation, Zelda entraps Ganon, I was hoping for more twists, something shocking.

The only interesting revelation was that the story takes place in the far future of the LOZ timeline and that Ganon has been driven insane by the perpetual reincarnation cycle and has reverted to a primal form.
As great as the games selection of overworld mini bosses and enemies are, I’m disappointed they didn’t include Poes, Darknuts, or my personal favourite ; Re deads. However the way they have fleshed out these enemies is amazing, the Lizalfos camouflage themselves while they’re dormant, the stalfos will reform themselves even if their original head has been destroyed, Guardians will attempt to maintain an ideal distance from you, so they’re outside of your range but close enough to shoot you accurately.

The dungeon bosses are decent, but I wish they more more distinct, I would have preferred the bosses be designed like various fantasy monsters like they’ve always done, however if they has to stick to
the cyborg phantom Ganon motif, they could have given the forms more unique designs, however they’re all humanoid in shape, my favourite is the Thunderblight, for the bizzare way it moves, it was the only challenging boss of the Ganon blights.

The combat is a little jarring, but what really makes it frustrating is that the control layout is different from ususal 3d Zelda games, and they don’t give you the option of changing the controls, so my muscle memory is at constant war with the part of my brain trying to figure out these new controls.


I’m really surprised by how difficult this game is, it’s almost as hard as Majoras Mask, they went from the overbearing coddling of Skyward Sword to “Here is a club that will break in 3 hits, go anywhere you want, have fun getting your ass kicked by bog standard nuisance enemies, and if you so much as think of rushing straight to the final stage prepare to get vaporised by a bivouac of steampunk tank robots.”.
 
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