So, you'll probably have noted I've been absent from EMC for a few days now. I've been sick out of my mind for so long, and trying to get better, but that's part of it. I picked up The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild. This is possibly one of my favorite games of all time, that does so many things correct at a glance, and on a deeper level. So I'm just going to gush list all of this stuff in the hopes of convincing you to buy this game. It breaks the open world cycle. Open world games suffer from three, critical issues of world design: 1) Everything is clustered into one area because the developers think you have the attention span of a 5 year old. 2) The world is big, but you ultimately are just stuck traveling between several key areas. 3) The world is full of stuff to do, but a lot of it is the same, or repetitive. This game for the most part lacks all of these issues because each area has something to get or gain. Even the starting area is worth revisiting for practice fighting or getting materials. So you're encouraged to travel about to get these items exclusive to only certain areas, which then help you reach other areas The game is so ridiculously big and easy to explore. If you can see a mountain in this game, with the right tools you can climb it. Getting up to high points is rewarding not because of a loot explosion, but to see what else you can find or explore. The shrines, which there are I believe over a hundred of, are so varied in skill and task, that you don't know what to expect heading into one. And each one has a chest with extra loot, with an extra challenge to get to said loot. So if a shrine has a challenge of setting stuff of fire to complete it, to get the chest you might have to set specific things or objects on fire. The decaying weapon system ensures you are using a wide variety of weapons, and that you aren't picking up one weapon and running with it for the entire game. And the limited space at the start means you have to choose what weapons you want to keep for which situations. Things, make sense. I know this is stupid to say out loud but you come to appreciate it after a while. It's harder to climb rocks when it's raining, fish will be attracted to food when it's thrown in the water, wooden weapons will catch on fire when exposed to fire. A lot of games fail to recognize logic, ranging from being able to parkour across rooftops in downpour in Assassin's Creed or being able to walk right on top of fire in games and not be set on fire. You're given very minimal information. Any information you are given, it is the absolute basics, and then you are to learn for yourself. And all of the puzzles or hidden areas use the same tools, just applied differently. You are free to pretty much do everything. After meeting with (CHARACTER'S NAME) in the village of (VILLAGE NAME) and doing the (QUEST NAME) quest (yes, I am censoring for spoilers) you can do whatever you want. Do the main story, explore the whole world, attempt to gather the literal hundreds of easter egg items, anything you feel like doing. Discovery means something. The developers didn't shove the game full of features and then put you on a roller coaster ride to see them all. They just threw it all across a map and hoped you'd notice them. When you find that series of underwater chests, or that massive goblin, it feels like you discovered it, and not because the game led you to it. I could probably list an entire series of other things, but this is already a long enough post and it's 5am. I just, really love this game. And this may be all you see of me for the next few days.
