I absolutely adore this game. The movement mechanics in general are just fantastic—every action feels tight and responsive, and Link's ability to navigate uneven terrain and climb anything build...
I absolutely adore this game. The movement mechanics in general are just fantastic—every action feels tight and responsive, and Link's ability to navigate uneven terrain and climb anything build this sense of freedom that I've never felt before in a game. Add in the wonderful ambiance and minimalist piano... And I could just wander around for hours without accomplishing anything story-related.
Breath of the Wild's shortcomings are well-documented (especially on reddit), but the game makes you feel like you're living in a damn Studio Ghibli movie. I can't help but feel that the folks overly-angry at things like weapon durability, shrine repetitiveness, lack of classic dungeons, etc. are missing the point a little.
It's the videogame equivalent of being told to go outside as a kid. Once you're out there, it's up to you what you make of it.
I'm not sure where the line is between 'overly-angry' and 'justifiably-disappointed,' but I think it's unfair to say those who were disappointed by the absence of many Zelda-series staples...
I can't help but feel that the folks overly-angry at things like weapon durability, shrine repetitiveness, lack of classic dungeons, etc. are missing the point a little.
I'm not sure where the line is between 'overly-angry' and 'justifiably-disappointed,' but I think it's unfair to say those who were disappointed by the absence of many Zelda-series staples (collecting new items, Metroidvania-style dungeon progression, etc.) are 'missing the point a little.'
It's possible those of us who were underwhelmed and/or disappointed by Breath of the Wild simply don't care for open-world games. I see the point of them, they’re just not something I enjoy.
Breath of the Wild and other open-world games occupy a place on the continuum from 'Sandbox' to 'Linear Adventure' games that doesn't appeal to me. I enjoy games at either end of the spectrum (Minecraft vs. Ocarina of Time, for example) but those in the middle I find tedious. When experimenting creatively, I think I need the particular balance of freedom vs. constraint offered by sandbox games and creative ventures IRL (e.g. writing poetry, storytelling, sketching) in order to feel engaged. Although you can set your own goals and restrictions to an extent in open-world games, for some reason they don't resonate with me in the same way that setting your own goals in Minecraft or poetry does. Again, I understand the appeal for others in the same way that I understand why other people like marzipan, but it's just not for me.
When I sit down to play a Zelda game, I'm usually hoping to turn off the creative part of my brain for a while to let someone else (i.e. the game developer) do the creative thinking for me. For 20+ years, the Zelda series has satisfied that desire -- but Breath of the Wild just didn't do it for me in the way I'd hoped it would. I still think it's a good game, but it's never one I'll love.
Maybe I fall more on the 'justifiably-disappointed' side of the scale though, haha.
Edit: elaborated on why I think I find constraint vs. freedom more compelling in sandbox games and real-life creative pursuits than open-world games. And the more I think about it, the more I realize that I simply don’t find the goals you can set in open-world games rewarding. It’s not that the limitations are too strict (often strict limitations enhance creative, in my experience!). It’s that the goals themselves (finding a new way to kill an enemy or scale a tower) aren’t worthwhile to me.
I did enjoy BotW but I didn't finish the story. The open world aspect meant that I just kind of fucked about a lot until I ultimately lost interest in the game. Meanwhile I've just picked up...
I did enjoy BotW but I didn't finish the story. The open world aspect meant that I just kind of fucked about a lot until I ultimately lost interest in the game. Meanwhile I've just picked up Minish Cap for the first time and I am LOVING it!
That's totally fair. I certainly don't mean to deride your perspective—I was mostly directing that thought at people I've interacted with who struggle to see past their own sensibilities when...
That's totally fair. I certainly don't mean to deride your perspective—I was mostly directing that thought at people I've interacted with who struggle to see past their own sensibilities when judging the value of a game (or how well a game executed on a certain vision).
I absolutely adore this game. The movement mechanics in general are just fantastic—every action feels tight and responsive, and Link's ability to navigate uneven terrain and climb anything build this sense of freedom that I've never felt before in a game. Add in the wonderful ambiance and minimalist piano... And I could just wander around for hours without accomplishing anything story-related.
Breath of the Wild's shortcomings are well-documented (especially on reddit), but the game makes you feel like you're living in a damn Studio Ghibli movie. I can't help but feel that the folks overly-angry at things like weapon durability, shrine repetitiveness, lack of classic dungeons, etc. are missing the point a little.
It's the videogame equivalent of being told to go outside as a kid. Once you're out there, it's up to you what you make of it.
I'm not sure where the line is between 'overly-angry' and 'justifiably-disappointed,' but I think it's unfair to say those who were disappointed by the absence of many Zelda-series staples (collecting new items, Metroidvania-style dungeon progression, etc.) are 'missing the point a little.'
It's possible those of us who were underwhelmed and/or disappointed by Breath of the Wild simply don't care for open-world games. I see the point of them, they’re just not something I enjoy.
Breath of the Wild and other open-world games occupy a place on the continuum from 'Sandbox' to 'Linear Adventure' games that doesn't appeal to me. I enjoy games at either end of the spectrum (Minecraft vs. Ocarina of Time, for example) but those in the middle I find tedious. When experimenting creatively, I think I need the particular balance of freedom vs. constraint offered by sandbox games and creative ventures IRL (e.g. writing poetry, storytelling, sketching) in order to feel engaged. Although you can set your own goals and restrictions to an extent in open-world games, for some reason they don't resonate with me in the same way that setting your own goals in Minecraft or poetry does. Again, I understand the appeal for others in the same way that I understand why other people like marzipan, but it's just not for me.
When I sit down to play a Zelda game, I'm usually hoping to turn off the creative part of my brain for a while to let someone else (i.e. the game developer) do the creative thinking for me. For 20+ years, the Zelda series has satisfied that desire -- but Breath of the Wild just didn't do it for me in the way I'd hoped it would. I still think it's a good game, but it's never one I'll love.
Maybe I fall more on the 'justifiably-disappointed' side of the scale though, haha.
Edit: elaborated on why I think I find constraint vs. freedom more compelling in sandbox games and real-life creative pursuits than open-world games. And the more I think about it, the more I realize that I simply don’t find the goals you can set in open-world games rewarding. It’s not that the limitations are too strict (often strict limitations enhance creative, in my experience!). It’s that the goals themselves (finding a new way to kill an enemy or scale a tower) aren’t worthwhile to me.
I did enjoy BotW but I didn't finish the story. The open world aspect meant that I just kind of fucked about a lot until I ultimately lost interest in the game. Meanwhile I've just picked up Minish Cap for the first time and I am LOVING it!
That's totally fair. I certainly don't mean to deride your perspective—I was mostly directing that thought at people I've interacted with who struggle to see past their own sensibilities when judging the value of a game (or how well a game executed on a certain vision).