Topic: Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Switch/Wii U)

[Adrock]

Let's face it, it's a screen you use a lot.

So is the pause screen.

[GoldenPhoenix]

Yeah I found out about the shrine/korok stats on the loading screen long after I completed the main story. Then again I also didn't realize you could turn divine beast abilities on and off on the inventory screen either until later (not as late as the korok/shrine stat thing though lol).

On another note we found out how cool it is to have the Switch be portable, while playing the game the power went out right in the middle of a shrine but that didn't stop the game from being played, just propped it up via the stand and continued on.

[Ian Sane]

Then again I also didn't realize you could turn divine beast abilities on and off on the inventory screen either until later.

You can?!!!  I have to give that a go.  The one I got from Gorons gets used up every time I use my shield and I always thought it was annoying to waste it on routine baddies.

[Caterkiller]

The first one I got was from the Elephant Guardian. I thought aww man this will make the game too easy. It took one large group of Bokoblins and one Lynell for me to turn that ship around. I don't know if having that ability emboldens me to do more but I feel like now with all of my know how and super high defenses I get killed more often than ever now.

Over 150 hours in and still going strong. I LOVE the side quests and Korok hunts in this game. I know some people can't seem to stand half of them but I find myself meeting people and half the time they'll ask me to do something or get something and I already have it or killed it just from randomly exploring the world. I know that 55 Rushroom hunt is ridiculous and the 30-40 bundles of wood is annoying but I don't usually go out of my way to do only that. I just go on my adventure and naturally collect and hoard everything along the way and before I realize it I have everything I need.

Now when I upgrade materials its a little different because then I really do go out of my way to hunt for specific items like Lynel Guts or the horn from some giant serpent. It's all still fun to me though.

I think after I get all the shrines, clothing, fill up my Shiekadex and get at least 700 Koroks I just might use a guide to find the rest. I have never fully completed a Zelda game since Links Awakening and Majoras Mask. I just don't care enough for the heart pieces. With this game though, I really enjoy looking for signs of Koroks.

[GoldenPhoenix]

Then again I also didn't realize you could turn divine beast abilities on and off on the inventory screen either until later.

You can?!!!  I have to give that a go.  The one I got from Gorons gets used up every time I use my shield and I always thought it was annoying to waste it on routine baddies.

Lol, that is the reason why I found it so annoying as well until I learned you could turn them off. Kept on thinking how odd it was that you could waste abilities when it wasn't necessary.

[Ian Sane]

The first one I got was from the Elephant Guardian. I thought aww man this will make the game too easy. It took one large group of Bokoblins and one Lynell for me to turn that ship around. I don't know if having that ability emboldens me to do more but I feel like now with all of my know how and super high defenses I get killed more often than ever now.

I use the elephant one as my indicator if I'm in over my head or not.  If I end up using it it's like "okay, time to get out of here".  The cooldown is long but works well enough in that when I'm exploring I usually won't find big trouble again until it's recharged.

I have only one tower left.  It's kind of sad because unlocking the map is my favourite part and I'm almost done.

[Evan_B]

I listened to Joseph Anderson's exhaustive critique of the game's systems and such. It's about two hours long, for those brave enough to find it, and while I have some huge issues with what he finds to be the most compelling aspects of Zelda games in general, he also admits that Breath of the Wild is one of the best games he has ever played. In many ways, I think the amount of freedom presented by the game mechanics, as well as the high quality in world design do put this game up there, for me. There's simply nothing else like it. However, a game can still have flaws, which Breath of the Wild does, and still be one of the best games ever. Subsequent games in the Zelda franchise might usurp this one, or the DLC, if truly worthwhile (which I highly doubt will be the case) might catapult this game even further, but the fact that it is a very free game with solid fundamentals.

[Stratos]

The first one I got was from the Elephant Guardian. I thought aww man this will make the game too easy. It took one large group of Bokoblins and one Lynell for me to turn that ship around. I don't know if having that ability emboldens me to do more but I feel like now with all of my know how and super high defenses I get killed more often than ever now.

I use the elephant one as my indicator if I'm in over my head or not.  If I end up using it it's like "okay, time to get out of here".  The cooldown is long but works well enough in that when I'm exploring I usually won't find big trouble again until it's recharged.

I have only one tower left.  It's kind of sad because unlocking the map is my favourite part and I'm almost done.

Mipha's Grace is my climbing helper. I like to push my stamina to the limit, and that leads to falls. Falls over ravines. Ravines filled with water, which I drown in. Mipha's Grace saves me from a fall/drown/death accident which I can commonly get myself into.

[Ian Sane]

I listened to Joseph Anderson's exhaustive critique of the game's systems and such. It's about two hours long, for those brave enough to find it, and while I have some huge issues with what he finds to be the most compelling aspects of Zelda games in general, he also admits that Breath of the Wild is one of the best games he has ever played. In many ways, I think the amount of freedom presented by the game mechanics, as well as the high quality in world design do put this game up there, for me. There's simply nothing else like it. However, a game can still have flaws, which Breath of the Wild does, and still be one of the best games ever. Subsequent games in the Zelda franchise might usurp this one, or the DLC, if truly worthwhile (which I highly doubt will be the case) might catapult this game even further, but the fact that it is a very free game with solid fundamentals.

This game is so great that it has set this standard for me that I fear is going to make other games unappealing in comparison.  The fact that Breath of the Wild is flawed is actually kind of encouraging because later Zelda games may be even better.  They could use this formula for quite a few games before it becomes stale.  We wanted them to rejuvenate Zelda and they did!  The series has probably bought itself another 7 or 8 years, maybe even 10 since these will take a lot longer to make than the OoT template.

[nickmitch]

Considering it's been six years since Skyward Sword, that could only mean one more console game.

[Lemonade]

Im hoping they do make another one for Switch based on this engine or whatever. Even if its on a smaller scale.

[Luigi Dude]

Considering the biggest complaint from fans is lack of traditional dungeons, I wouldn't be surprised if we get a sequel using the same engine in the next 3-4 year that focuses more on dungeons this time.  Basically take the world of Breath of the Wild and fill it with more places like Hyrule Castle, massive dungeons that are part of the overworld itself.  This way instead of designing the dungeons and overworld separately, they'll be making much of the overworld part of the dungeons themselves to help save time.

[Ian Sane]

The Divine Beasts parts feel more like a traditional Zelda.  Typically they start with some quest to see so-and-so or retrieve this and then you do something to actually enter the beast and then the beast itself is a dungeon.  Once you trigger them they're actually quiet linear, similar to traditional Zeldas.  So it has four of those and Majora's Mask also only had four "proper" dungeons with everything else being sub-quests as well.  I really like the new approach of Breath of the Wild and don't want it to be more of a traditional Zelda.  But they could always double the amount of Divine Beasts-like content to have 8 instead of 4.  8 dungeons is pretty standard.

[Caterkiller]

I do not want to go back to typical Zelda any time soon. Give me open ocean world with real massive islands this time, give me open sky world with sky islands every where or give me another big apple game like this again. Just let me start the game and go.

Now more typical dungeons, cool, bring em on. Especially if we get themed dungeons again. Otherwise the shrines and Divine Beasts satisfied that aspect for me pretty well.

With weapons I don't mind the durability system but I do want a few more permanent things beyond the runes. What those things are I'm not entirely sure, but I'm sure there is a solution out there.

I know what weapons I want I just don't know how feasible they are with current set up.

1-Hook Shot - Gliding doesn't instantly mean the hook or claw shot is obsolete. For one the hook shot can aim up to cross certain gaps and there are a million ways to make so that Link can't just climb to the desired area once he glides across. Using the hook shot like the bow and arrow during bullet time to grab things as you glide across them would be really fun and cool to me.

2-Magic Rods - I want them to be permanent! That Meteor Rod is so fun to use! Maybe one Rod and you find different somethings to change from ice, fire or electricity. Maybe give us a magic meter again to make sure we don't spam them indefinitely during a fight?

I don't know.

[GoldenPhoenix]

I do not want to go back to typical Zelda any time soon. Give me open ocean world with real massive islands this time, give me open sky world with sky islands every where or give me another big apple game like this again. Just let me start the game and go.

Now more typical dungeons, cool, bring em on. Especially if we get themed dungeons again. Otherwise the shrines and Divine Beasts satisfied that aspect for me pretty well.

With weapons I don't mind the durability system but I do want a few more permanent things beyond the runes. What those things are I'm not entirely sure, but I'm sure there is a solution out there.

I know what weapons I want I just don't know how feasible they are with current set up.

1-Hook Shot - Gliding doesn't instantly mean the hook or claw shot is obsolete. For one the hook shot can aim up to cross certain gaps and there are a million ways to make so that Link can't just climb to the desired area once he glides across. Using the hook shot like the bow and arrow during bullet time to grab things as you glide across them would be really fun and cool to me.

2-Magic Rods - I want them to be permanent! That Meteor Rod is so fun to use! Maybe one Rod and you find different somethings to change from ice, fire or electricity. Maybe give us a magic meter again to make sure we don't spam them indefinitely during a fight?

I don't know.

The pegasus boots could be really interesting in an open world game like this.

[Khushrenada]

I was thinking about what could be done in the future to be a different from this game and what I was thinking of was a 3 layered world. What I mean by that is consider the current world of BotW as one layer. In the sequel, there would be a layer underneath of a grand connected cave system or being able to dive and swim underwater to the bottom of lakes and oceans. There would also be a top layer reached by higher peaks and with an interconnected cloud / floating island type layer. In some ways, there are glimpses of this higher level when climbing up high enough causes the temperature to drop showing you've reached this level.

I'm not really sure it would add that much but I think it might be a way to expand the world more economically than just trying to create an even bigger sprawling space to cover.

[Khushrenada]

I've actually gone a week now without playing BotW which is kind of sad but others have come up this past week and I guess with all the time I've put into the game, watching some other shows like Hockey playoffs and movies like Your Name as well as get invited out to various things by friends. I kind of want to get back to playing this game but I'm going to be on vacation by the end of the week and it's the first time I wish I had this on the Switch to bring it on the go with me and keep playing because now I'm going to have another longer break with it. You win, Switch, you win....

[Ian Sane]

One thing I do really like about traditional Zeldas, and this is really what I like about Metroid as well, is that you'll get some new item that offers a new ability and then you'll instantly remember all these places where you couldn't proceed but now can.  This game doesn't really have that.  I get a similar feeling when I get a new piece of armor in a shrine or find some item for the first time that I know I need to power up my armor but it isn't quite the same.  The feeling is more "well that might make it easier to go back to that part" instead of "cool, I can now explore that place".  I'm not sure if a game with this freedom could allow for that sort of gated content.  Hell, part of the appeal of this game is that you usually have multiple ways to tackle something.  For example there is usually armor to let you deal with an environmental hazard but you also can make potions or food that do the same thing.

The OoT formula is great but it was getting stale and now we've got a new approach with lots of untapped potential.  So I say we go away from the traditional design for a bit and return to it after we've gotten tired of BotW's formula and a "retro" style Zelda seems like a fresh idea.  If you're looking for a traditional Zelda, they've been making them for decades.  There is only one open-world Zelda so maybe those of us who dig it can get a least another game like that before going back to a rigid formula?

One thing that was nice about Nintendo having a separate handheld was that they could make more retro-style games as handheld entries while pushing the "main" console series forward.  Now it would have to be a deliberate effort to alternate.

[nickmitch]

I was thinking about this earlier and I think a sequel could have dungeons the size of the Great Plateau.  Nintendo could take cues from this game by making 16 dungeons with half of them being mandatory/story driven and half being optional.  Then, every time you clear a main line dungeon, the enemies of the world get stronger as with the shrines in BotW.

[ShyGuy]

I'm working a scam to get some boots outside of Gerudo town and I feel kind of sleazy.

Link cops an attitude in this game. I first noticed when he started demanding the glider from the old man in the plateau.

[NWR_insanolord]

I mean, to be fair to him, he's being told that he's the chosen one and the only person that can save the world from destruction, so I think he's got a right to be irritated by people stringing him along like that. You'd think they'd be in a hurry to let him do that.

[Soren]

Officially 3/4 of my game completed. Still very resolute in my goal of getting to all 120 shrines(81 so far) which is crazy for me. I really like the variety in their design and the way the shrine quests add to the overall experience.

[ShyGuy]

I have an obsessive need to light every blue lantern even if I have already lit the furnaces.

[nickmitch]

I just hit 107 on my shrines.  Still surprising how many places in the game I haven't been to.  Hearing my Sheikah Sensor go off has become as exciting as it was in the first parts of the game.

[Evan_B]

There is a specific shrine that took me ages to find because of how it was hidden, but finally discovering it was one of the most rewarding experiences I've had with the game.

When I eventually restart the game on Hard Mode, I'll likely play without the Sheikah Sensor so I can have a more organic sense of discovery.