So, like a year late, I finally beat Breath of the WIld, have some of my thoughts.
First off, I do not like this Zelda. Because let's be real, she’s waifu material and she has been since Skyward Sword. Her voice actress leaves much to be desired. Her design is, eh? (The white dress is hideous). Her narrative is incomplete, unsatisfying. Her main conflict was with her father over her role. She wanted to be a researcher, he wanted her to focus on praying. Turns out, by all accounts, her father was right. Because what defeated calamity Ganon was Zelda’s ‘knowledge’ of the Guardians but her innate power. Period. She didn’t gain confidence over the course of the memories-- she just befriended and warmed-up to Link. Ultimately, that is her character arc, accepting Link. She doesn’t like him, and then she does, and then she likes him enough to save him. Nevermind that the entire reason they lost in the first place was that she didn’t have her power, indirectly making this mess her fault. Her father, her kingdom, her best friends, her own convictions even?! That’s not enough to inspire her to use her power, but fucking Link is? God. There was a lot of potential in Zelda but I can’t help but feel the writers just squandered it.
Second, the story and much of the worldbuilding doesn’t make sense. The Shiekah built 120 massive shrines 10,000 years ago for the possibility that a hero may one day use them to train him to defeat Calamity?! What? The only reason there was a time skip was that Zelda didn’t have her powers, I don’t want the entire plot to be Zelda’s fault but that is literally there in the subtext even if the cast doesn’t blame her. Nevermind I have no clue what she was doing for 100 years or how she survived. I actually don’t know why there was a time skip, just gathering the guardians would net the same story and wouldn’t have such a massive plot hole. There is not a single character in this game who completes a satisfying arc. I mean, yeah, Urbosa is fun but lmao dude she and all the other champions are one-note personalities. Another thing, what have they done to Gano? Remember when he was a cool and dynamic villain, intimidating, to say the least? Often times with complex motivations? Why, yes, I am so terrified and engaged by the cloud of black evil goo.
The gameplay was fun, I liked all the variety and the ways it challenged me. However, there were not enough enemies to keep me fully engaged for the entirety of my run. Horse mechanics were screwy and difficult but I liked gliding, shield surfing, the sand seals, etc. By far the most fun I had in a Legend of Zelda game. Even if the narrative annoyed me the gameplay kept me. Once I learned how to defeat Lynels though the only challenge was not screwing-up. On that note, holy cow did the bosses suck, the same enemy four times and Calamity Ganon was a walk in the park. The Divine Beasts were fun, at least getting into them was, but they repeated the same aesthetic and structure, pretty much exactly, four times. Just a different gimmick to spice things up a little.
After shrines and the main quest, there wasn’t much left to do in the world. Find Korok seeds, uninvolved side quests? Weapons don’t last so there’s very little reward in finding them. You will have more rupees, materials, food, etc. Then you will ever need by the mid-point of this game and it is trivial to get more. The only thing I ever bought was arrows. I found and completed all 120 shrines to say I could but there wasn’t much reward or satisfaction in it.
Graphics and animation were gorgeous, landscapes, and the character models all looked good. Exploring was fun because of all the pretty sights and the sense of nature. Makes me wanna go hiking. The fun in this game is finding stuff, but once you’ve found it? You’ve lost the magic. I can’t imagine I’ll have a second playthrough.
So in summary: The story and narrative were poorly constructed and less involving compared to many Zelda games; Flat Characters on a senseless story; BOTW Zelda is by far my least favourite Zelda; The gameplay was fun but the bosses and dungeons disappointing for a Legend of Zelda game. It was at least worth my money.
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jacobvanloon
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