The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild | Official Thread

[Scruffington]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/0e/BreathoftheWildFinalCover.jpg


Release Date
----------------


WW: March 3, 2017









The Legend of Zelda: Breath of The Wild officially releases on March 3, 2017 for both the Nintendo Switch and Wii U.

Recently, it was reported in a Eurogamer article that the official Nintendo guide on Amazon revealed some new information about the game (http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2017-01-23-zelda-breath-of-the-wild-guide-pulled-from-amazon-after-revealing-how-big-the-game-is). It will apparently have 120 Shrine mini-dungeons, 900 Korok seed puzzles, and 76 side quests.

Personally, I'm just hoping the main dungeons are as good as Zelda dungeons always are. What are you looking forward to most about Zelda: BoTW?

[Del Murder]

I don't give two craps about how many repetitive fetch quests or monster hunts there are in this game. As you said, as long as the dungeons are on par with the series' legacy then I'm sold. Hopefully it doesn't go too deep into the 'open world RPG time sink' genre.

[Depression Moon]

How do you know it's repetitive and the game isn't out yet?

[Del Murder]

Oh I'm just being obtuse. :p

[Lyndis Highwind]

I'm looking forward to the story the most actually. It seems like the story telling is different from the other Zelda games, especially with the voice acting and all, so I'm looking forward to seeing how the story will be told.

[Scruffington]

I'm also worried that there's going to be a lot of fetch quests and busywork in this game. Nintendo isn't exactly known for making open world games or good side quests. The industry now seems to be trending towards big, empty sandboxes with little substance to them. I'm optimistic though; Nintendo has never made a bad Zelda game. I'm pretty confident they'll do a good job.


I'm looking forward to the story the most actually. It seems like the story telling is different from the other Zelda games, especially with the voice acting and all, so I'm looking forward to seeing how the story will be told.

After Skyward Sword, Nintendo has proved they can make a great story. SS has the best story in the entire series, period.

I'm disappointed that BotW won't have Japanese voices with English subtitles. You either get everything in JP or everything in ENG. Which is disappointing, because I felt that the performance from Zelda's voice actress from the recent trailer was very weak from the NA voice actress compared to the JP version.

[Depression Moon]

The sidequests in Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask were legit. I have no worries in that. I think that 900 is a typo though. 900! That's ridiculous. I love everything I've seen of this game and I can feel that I'm going to be a horse collector looking for that right horse with the right stats.

[Skyblade]

The sidequests in Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask were legit. I have no worries in that. I think that 900 is a typo though. 900! That's ridiculous. I love everything I've seen of this game and I can feel that I'm going to be a horse collector looking for that right horse with the right stats.

Eh, a typo actually seems unlikely, given what we've seen of the world so far. This game world is big. The Great Plateau starting area (which is itself pretty expansive, and is all that was shown off in the demos and such that people have played, at least until recently, I don't know if the stables are a part of that Plateau or not) is 1% of the world, and analysis of the world map seems to indicate that, yeah, that's not an invalid claim. And Nintendo has said that they've done their best to fill the game world with as much content, and varying content, as they could.

Also, good interview here, that gives a little insight into their design philosophy:

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[Scruffington]

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http://i.imgur.com/wy7XCoA.png

[Depression Moon]

Hard Mode, behind a paywall. I'm not for that.

[Scruffington]

Hard Mode, behind a paywall. I'm not for that.

Agreed. To me the positives are the low price, and the near guarantee that the pass will have good content. Unfortunately, I still strongly dislike having to pay for expansion passes and I absolutely dislike the idea that Hard Mode is behind a paywall.

That said, at least the game won't have any cut content and will be shipped as a complete game (unlike a certain Fantastic companies' newest game).

[Squall Leonhart Loire]

I don't give two craps about how many repetitive fetch quests or monster hunts there are in this game. As you said, as long as the dungeons are on par with the series' legacy then I'm sold. Hopefully it doesn't go too deep into the 'open world RPG time sink' genre.
Well, Zelda was never an RPG to begin with.

[Del Murder]

Yeah, that's the point.

[Sephiroth]

I don't give two craps about how many repetitive fetch quests or monster hunts there are in this game. As you said, as long as the dungeons are on par with the series' legacy then I'm sold. Hopefully it doesn't go too deep into the 'open world RPG time sink' genre.
Well, Zelda was never an RPG to begin with.

That may be what you think and some RPG haters who defend the Adventure aspect of Zelda to death but Zelda games have plenty of more RPG heart in them than other games that you guys accept as RPG. Even the creators back in the days called Zelda RPG so I see no problem with that. Especially not as an RPG fan. I see no problem of a genre-mix.

[DMKA]

I really loathe the visuals/art style. I'll probably end up playing it eventually just to use my Wii U one last time.

[Squall Leonhart Loire]

It looks like it was painted in watercolor.

[Scruffington]

Although the official review embargo has not been lifted, a few review scores have been posted.

Edge (http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1347513) gave the game a perfect 10/10. According to a Reddit thread, German Gamepro (https://www.reddit.com/r/NintendoSwitch/comments/5w5spg/german_gamepro_gave_botw_94100_its_the_second/?sort=confidence) gave it a 94/100.

A lot of the previews released so far have been calling it a classic similar to Ocarina of Time and Super Mario Galaxy.

Basically...it's time to get hyped.

[Squall Leonhart Loire]

I'll be watching a friend play.

[Scruffington]

I should also mention that I plan on picking up a Switch and this game at launch, if I can manage to get them. I haven't preordered, but I'll be waiting outside a few hours in advance.

[Squall Leonhart Loire]

I should also mention that I plan on picking up a Switch and this game at launch, if I can manage to get them. I haven't preordered, but I'll be waiting outside a few hours in advance.It's sold out everywhere in my area.

[Scruffington]

It's sold out everywhere in my area.

Stores have stock separate from those who pre-order.

[Squall Leonhart Loire]

It's already out in Peru. Why is everything coming out in Peru so early?
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1347449

[Scruffington]

Obviously there are only 2 reviews out for the game, but they combine for a 97% score so far. I really hope these scores hold when the embargo lifts because if they do, BotW will become the highest reviewed game since 2013's GTA V.

Could be a truly historical game.

[Sephiroth]

Someone should stop sending all that stuff to Peru so early.

[Squall Leonhart Loire]

They break street date. But what is weird is that Nintendo doesn't distribute in Peru.

[Del Murder]

How dare German Gamepro only give it a 94. I know what magazine I won't be picking up next time I'm in Frankfurt.

I'm holding out for the score from Slovakia EGM. They never let me down.

[Sephiroth]

How dare German Gamepro only give it a 94. I know what magazine I won't be picking up next time I'm in Frankfurt.

I'm holding out for the score from Slovakia EGM. They never let me down.

Gamepro is crap.

Their official website even once stole own written Crisis Core walkthrough without crediting me and never reacted to my emails or the mails of the guy who ran the FF site I wrote it for. Gladly it is not there anymore.

[Scruffington]

98 on Metacritic. Highest reviewed game in history since Ocarina of Time.

[Fox]

98 on Metacritic. Highest reviewed game in history since Ocarina of Time.

Shame that apparently the story is fairly weak compared to previous entries.

I've had enough open world games that are great mechanically but with weak stories recently.

[Slothy]

How dare German Gamepro only give it a 94. I know what magazine I won't be picking up next time I'm in Frankfurt.

I'm holding out for the score from Slovakia EGM. They never let me down.

Gamepro is crap.

Their official website even once stole own written Crisis Core walkthrough without crediting me and never reacted to my emails or the mails of the guy who ran the FF site I wrote it for. Gladly it is not there anymore.

I'm not sure if German Gamepro is actually related to the old American Gamepro. That magazine went under back in 2011, and it's hard to find English information on this German one it seems.

[Scruffington]

Shame that apparently the story is fairly weak compared to previous entries.

I've had enough open world games that are great mechanically but with weak stories recently.

Pretty sure the game won't have as 'weak of a story' as you're suggesting it does, considering that not a single reviewer found the story weak enough to give the game a low score.

This game looks like it's one of the greatest games of all time. I'm excited.

[Formalhaut]

I mean, has a Zelda game ever had 'story' as the strongest element? Granted, I say this having only played a grand total of two, but the story isn't the thing I remember vividly in both of the games I played. I remember the puzzles, the creatures and the characters more than the actual plot.

[Fynn]

I mean, has a Zelda game ever had 'story' as the strongest element? Granted, I say this having only played a grand total of two, but the story isn't the thing I remember vividly in both of the games I played. I remember the puzzles, the creatures and the characters more than the actual plot.

Y-you do realize there is a timeline debate online that's probably as big as if not bigger than the SMT timeline discussion or making sense of Kingdom Hearts, right?

The games have become a bit more interconnected, but with Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword, the story was pretty big. It may not have been front and center, but it still showed effort put into it, with tons of cutscenes and all that stuff.

[Skyblade]

From what I've heard of the few reviewers who have discussed it (though I have thankfully remained completely spoiler free), the story is not "weak", it's "simple". Which, frankly, is not something which I consider inherently to be a negative. Plenty of my favorite games of all time have simple stories, while games that overcomplicate their stories wind up falling a lot in my eyes. *coughFFXIIIcough*

Now, granted, I don't know anything about the story (not yet, but SOOOON, yay!), so I won't say that it IS a good story. I don't know yet. But I'm willing to give it the benefit of the doubt.

[Formalhaut]

I suppose there's the mindlessly confusing timeline thing, but at least in the individual games I played, the story didn't seem that integral.

The last one I played, Spirit Tracks, had me go to the four corners of the map and... I spent a lot of time on that train. The story was there, sure, I'm not saying Zelda stories are bad, but it felt out of focus as you went about collecting things.

Then again, maybe Spirit Tracks was one of the less successful games in the series, so I could be picking a bad example.

EDIT: And what Skyblade said makes sense. The Spirit Tracks story was pretty 'simple', but that's not a negative. I enjoyed the two Zelda games I played because of the mechanics and the local storylines, as opposed to the overarching plot. I didn't mind that Spirit Track's main plot was out of focus because I was exploring the Ice Temple or cavorting with pirates.

[Fox]

Shame that apparently the story is fairly weak compared to previous entries.

I've had enough open world games that are great mechanically but with weak stories recently.

Pretty sure the game won't have as 'weak of a story' as you're suggesting it does, considering that not a single reviewer found the story weak enough to give the game a low score.

This game looks like it's one of the greatest games of all time. I'm excited.

What I said was "fairly weak compared to previous entries," which is what I have read. Eurogamer for example only vaguely talks about the story, says "it's a shame it's not as good as in the other games" and then explains why that's OK though because the rest of the game is so cool.

And fair enough, I'm not trying to say that it sucks or anything... all I'm saying is I seem to remember a certain Final Fantasy game reviewing extremely well despite having some weaknesses in the story; so evidently whilst a great 'everything else' may make up for a weak plot for other people, I know from experience that that is not always the case for me.

[Slothy]

Y-you do realize there is a timeline debate online

In fairness, that timeline debate can mostly be chalked up to Nintendo trying to connect games that were never originally intended to connect to anything and doing a really bad job of it because Nintendo aren't generally known for their writing.

As much as a small handful of the later games have gone on to have more fleshed out stories, can I just say the ones that did are generally among my least favourite games in the series and the ones with the simple but effective stories that did a much better job of the gameplay are the ones I greatly prefer? Because that's true. And I'd rather have more games that focus on the gameplay and keeping the story simple than see Nintendo continue to try and be writers personally.

EDIT: I mean when you get right down to it a simple story can be great. Hell, the story in Portal is actually extremely simple, one of the two characters doesn't even talk, and in terms of narrative and gameplay it's one of the greatest games ever made, so that says something I think.

[Scruffington]

What I said was "fairly weak compared to previous entries," which is what I have read. Eurogamer for example only vaguely talks about the story, says "it's a shame it's not as good as in the other games" and then explains why that's OK though because the rest of the game is so cool.

And fair enough, I'm not trying to say that it sucks or anything... all I'm saying is I seem to remember a certain Final Fantasy game reviewing extremely well despite having some weaknesses in the story; so evidently whilst a great 'everything else' may make up for a weak plot for other people, I know from experience that that is not always the case for me.

Well Nintendo and Zelda games in particular have always emphasized gameplay above all else. Their core development principle is making a game that people would enjoy playing. Story is second to them. And for me personally, I really appreciate this approach. It's only with recent entries such as Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword that the story started to become more and more at the forefront of the game.

It looks as though Breath of the Wild still continues this trend, even if it is more simplistic and not as significant as those two titles.

[Sephex]

Got my Switch at midnight and I picked up Zelda.

Worth it. This is...man, this is something fantastic here.

[Sephiroth]

Got my Switch at midnight and I picked up Zelda.

Worth it. This is...man, this is something fantastic here.

I hate my life right now.

[Skyblade]

I'm still waiting on Breath of the Wild to arrive (Master Edition was online only, it'll be here later today).

[DMKA]

Woah. It currently has a 98 on Metacrtic with multiple reviews calling it the greatest game ever made. 0__0

[Del Murder]

With this, Horizon Zero Dawn, and Mass Effect Andromeda coming out this year, will this be a year to remember for action/adventure game fans?

[Scruffington]

With this, Horizon Zero Dawn, and Mass Effect Andromeda coming out this year, will this be a year to remember for action/adventure game fans?

This year is already one of the best in gaming history, and we aren't even a full 3 months in yet.

[DMKA]

With this, Horizon Zero Dawn, and Mass Effect Andromeda coming out this year, will this be a year to remember for action/adventure game fans?

I'd say so. This year has been the best in years for video games thus far.

I can't believe after both of these fanstastic, massive games, we're getting ME:A in a couple weeks.

[Fox]

If Berseria ends up not being the best game I play this year then it's going to be one hell of a year, definitely!

I'm likely gonna pick up the WiiU version of Zelda once I've finished that and Gravity Rush 2... and maybe Andromeda now I think about it

[Sephiroth]

So, I have it since Saturday and I absolutely love it. I am sad though because I should have Nier 2 already and nothing except FFVII comes even close to Nier for me. Yes, Nier is my #2 righest ranked fictional piece of all time. Nevertheless I enjoyed the beauty of Breath of the Wild to console me a bit longer. Tomorrow though - or today in my case - it means to taek a few days of a break from it. Good that once I return I have a lot more to do, I did not even finish the story yet.

Just exploring the world was already great, especially climbing higher and higher but when I continued the story I was glad that there really was more than I feared would be.

[Skyblade]

Yeah, I have to say, this is one of my favorite Zelda games, story-wise. There's a lot more to it than some people made it seem, and the story is filled with a lot of interesting and engaging characters.

That said, most of my time is spent off exploring the world, ignoring these wonderful characters and their personal journeys. But they're there, and they're great.

Also, found the traditional gambling house of the series. "Pay so much, open one of three chests". Save before hand, and Rupees are no longer a concern. It's slow, but dang it, there's a lot of cool stuff to buy! And more arrows. ALWAYS more arrows.

[Depression Moon]

How do the NPCs compare to Majora's Mask?

[Skyblade]

So far, they compare quite favorably. Similar to Majora's Mask, there's a daily cycle that goes on, and people live and move through routines in their daily lives.

None of the sidequests that I've done so far have been as poignant as, say, the Lover's Mask quest (they've been shorter thus far too, though I'm finding longer ones as I go). But the NPCs are just as strongly written.

Overall, they're well written. There are actually some pretty strong parallels between some of the major plot NPCs and some of the Majora's Mask characters (The Champions compared to those you use the Song of Healing on to get their masks.). But the major plot NPCs are all well written, they expand the lore a lot (honestly, it's looking like almost a combined timeline), and they're all lovable.

I need to get more of my Let's Play uploaded so you can meet some of them. Trust me, they're awesome. :)

[MSJ]

I haven't read this thread in full yet, so if anything I say has already been said, I apologize.

Now, I haven't played this game. So anything I say should be taken with a grain of salt. This is simply my opinion after watching maybe 2-3 hours total of gameplay.

I really don't understand all the perfect reviews this game got. Don't get me wrong, it looks fun. And until I play it I can't judge it either way. I may just be getting old, but I really think once I DO play it, I am going to prefer the traditional style Zelda game. Nintendo wants to innovate and push the envelope, I get that. It's necessary and admirable. I just prefer the older style.

There's something satisfying about beating a dungeon, getting a new item, and then being able to do x number of new things throughout Hyrule. I enjoy games like Skyrim and Fallout where you just do a few things and then you are on your own, but to me Zelda was never about that. It's about puzzles and adventure.

The shrines seem like they have replaced the big, elaborate dungeons for the most part. I know there are dungeons still, but not as many as usual, correct? That's a big turn off for me. Wandering Hyrule slaying meaningless moblins and watching my weapon break every 10 minutes is not super enticing for me. If the shrines were bigger and more involved, I'd be in heaven. But the ones I have seen seem fairly basic, solve a puzzle or two and get an orb.

that's another thing. I REALLY enjoy the hunting for heart pieces in these games. Having health given to you after collecting so many orbs is just not as fun, IMO.

As I said, I haven't played the game. So for all I know once I get my hands on it and actually experience the game for real, this will all change. But these are my thoughts on it as of now. Seems like a 7/8 out of 10 for me personally. Great game considering the scope and the innovations, but below ALttP, OoT, Twilight Princess AND Wind Waker easily for me.

[Skyblade]

I haven't read this thread in full yet, so if anything I say has already been said, I apologize.

Now, I haven't played this game. So anything I say should be taken with a grain of salt. This is simply my opinion after watching maybe 2-3 hours total of gameplay.

I really don't understand all the perfect reviews this game got. Don't get me wrong, it looks fun. And until I play it I can't judge it either way. I may just be getting old, but I really think once I DO play it, I am going to prefer the traditional style Zelda game. Nintendo wants to innovate and push the envelope, I get that. It's necessary and admirable. I just prefer the older style.

There's something satisfying about beating a dungeon, getting a new item, and then being able to do x number of new things throughout Hyrule. I enjoy games like Skyrim and Fallout where you just do a few things and then you are on your own, but to me Zelda was never about that. It's about puzzles and adventure.

The shrines seem like they have replaced the big, elaborate dungeons for the most part. I know there are dungeons still, but not as many as usual, correct? That's a big turn off for me. Wandering Hyrule slaying meaningless moblins and watching my weapon break every 10 minutes is not super enticing for me. If the shrines were bigger and more involved, I'd be in heaven. But the ones I have seen seem fairly basic, solve a puzzle or two and get an orb.

that's another thing. I REALLY enjoy the hunting for heart pieces in these games. Having health given to you after collecting so many orbs is just not as fun, IMO.

As I said, I haven't played the game. So for all I know once I get my hands on it and actually experience the game for real, this will all change. But these are my thoughts on it as of now. Seems like a 7/8 out of 10 for me personally. Great game considering the scope and the innovations, but below ALttP, OoT, Twilight Princess AND Wind Waker easily for me.

There's a couple points where I disagree, and a few areas where I think you're selling the game short (unintentionally).

I had no problem with the move away from the standard item format the way it occurred in Link Between Worlds. You get most of the tools early on, the dungeons still have a "focus" item, it's just not given in that dungeon. This game follows a similar structure.

Then too, the "complete a dungeon and see what else opens up" isn't wholly gone. Each dungeon is tied to world elements that give you access to new armor. And armor in this game is similar to Ocarina of Time in that it helps you explore. Heat resistance, cold resistance, increased swim speed, and (with some armor you get from shrines) increased climbing speed. You can get around many of these limitations early (by cooking spicy dishes that keep you warm in cold areas, for example), but getting those bonuses permanently does give you a lot more freedom to explore.

The shrines don't exactly take the place of the dungeons. Attempting to broadly describe them isn't helpful, though, because there are several different types. Some are just combat fights. Others are the equivalent to 1-3 rooms of a standard dungeon's puzzles. And others are as simple as walking in and grabbing the orb, because the shrine's puzzle is finding and unlocking the shrine (similar to puzzles to get Heart Containers in earlier games).

The shrine puzzles definitely get more complex, most of them being themed around a single ability or mechanic, and stretching so that some are as much as three rooms from a traditional dungeon. And the biggest hunt you get to most of them is the name.

The Spirit Orb mechanic is a bit odd, but shrines are basically just Heart Pieces. Figure out how to get to the end, collect it, get four, get your boost.

As for the "wandering Hyrule, slaying random moblins"... Yeah, you can do that, but it's not exactly the point. Your weapons break to encourage you to use more, and various types. But foes aren't just things to hunt. They're obstacles, or objectives. Atop a frozen mountain I saw a mighty Lynel. As I approached, he drew his bow, standing firm and gazing straight at me. I pull a treasure chest from the ground nearby and open it. He just keeps his warning gaze, daring me to try something. Needing Lynel horns for an armor upgrade, I draw my weapon, and the beast begins to fire Shock arrows at me before I can even close in. Just a part of the world, an adventure to enjoy. Enemies are things to hunt, or obstacles guarding chests or blocking the way to the top of the next hill. You can kill for the sake of it, but mostly you're out exploring.

And there are things to find. Aside from hidden shrines, there are quests and chests, and Koroks galore. And just things to find out in the world. Landmarks and beauty and hidden secrets and lore.

Give the game a try. It's something special.

[Sephiroth]

There's something satisfying about beating a dungeon, getting a new item, and then being able to do x number of new things throughout Hyrule. I enjoy games like Skyrim and Fallout where you just do a few things and then you are on your own, but to me Zelda was never about that. It's about puzzles and adventure.

Though different indeed the main dungeons are still there and I think they provide enough of a "challenge" to call themselves the main dungeons. And they have more story connection than most Zelda dungeons so you might enjoy them at least somewhat I guess. The Shrines are sort of "mini dungeons" buts truth be told they are more to be compared to ordinary caves you find in older Zeldas were there is a smaller riddle and were you get a treasure chest. You have a shorter riddle that might remind you of a dungeon but that is it really. And some of them only need a few minutes. Or many. It depends on you.


Wandering Hyrule slaying meaningless moblins and watching my weapon break every 10 minutes is not super enticing for me.

I know it is very tempting to say that but that is something which you really should try. Just running around for a few hours and simply "feeling" the world while exploring or even just climbing around might provide you with more entertainment than you expect. This game made me enjoy collecting stamina vessels just so I could climb higher and easier.

[Vyk]

Admittedly I'm just as cautious as MSJ but there's a good point to be made about experiencing I suppose. An example for me would be Dragon Quest Builders which just looks like Mine Craft with a Dragon Quest mod. But it was a really magical thing to experience first hand. That being said, what I've seen and read don't have me very anxious to try the latest Zelda, but I can admit its possible I'll feel very different if and when its in my hands

[Scruffington]

https://cdn0.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/q4fIWqfkzx2VqlH-rfT0PC6Oxz0=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn0.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/8448811/tingle.jpg

The new costume coming out in DLC 1 is pretty interesting. :p

[Scruffington]

Just started this game from scratch again, with the intent of finally beating it this time.

I honestly think BotW has singlehandedly restored my faith and optimism in Nintendo. It's one of the most satisfying and enjoyable games I think I've ever played.

Can't wait for the Summer DLC!

[Darth Ganon]

I was left with a bit of a depressed feeling when I finally beat the game. All the hype and anticipation leading up to the game, especially those last two months, and the blast of a time I had exploring the world for so many hours was ultimately over.

Sadder yet is a replay will never be as good. Nothing really can be found again. The mystery is gone. The trial and error will be missing. It's a feeling I've never had with a game before.

At the moment I still have five more shrines to find and a handful of quests to uncover. Not to mention the hundreds of more Koroks to find. Outside of that it's just upgrading armor (why so many star fragments, tho?).

[Scruffington]

So the first DLC for Breath of the Wild comes out on Friday, June 30th.

It adds a new difficulty called Master Mode, a new Special Trial, a Hero's Path Mode, new equipment, and a faster method of travel via the Travel Medallion.

Does anyone else plan on picking it up? I'm trying to finish the game before the first DLC releases. I'm really looking forward to the new trial!

[Darth Ganon]

Once anybody gets to know me they know I pre-order anything Zelda (except for the three new Amiibo, I don't know how I dropped the ball on that one), including the DLC.

I have been intentionally not playing BotW just so I can see my hero trail progress. Unfortunately I'm at around 210 hours, so the first ten of my adventure are lost. More than anything I'm looking forward to the Korok mask to make the next 600 easier to find.

[Del Murder]

Just started this and man, this is fantastic. Easily already one of the best Zeldas, and may end up being one of my favorite games ever. I'll have to give it some more time, but after learning about some of the things in store for me on my quest, I'm eagerly anticipating it.

[Darth Ganon]

Downloaded the DLC pack and what is the first thing I do? Spend close to half an hour watching my 225 hour progress from beginning to end.

72806

It was fun being able to recognize specific moments just by how the little green line moved around. Some of the icons I placed on the map helped me recall some as well.

I also like that it tracks ALL deaths, not just game over ones.

[Skyblade]

Hard Mode has changed my playstyle far more than I expected. Although all the enemies are buffed up, weapons aren't. Hence, you're going at Blue Bokoblins with base level gear. Which means you can burn through your entire weapon inventory on just one or two foes. The game goes from "what's the best way to take these foes on" to "how can I evade and survive until I get more powerful". It's a nice change, at least, so far. And with a Lynel on the Great Plateau, I expect things are only going to get rougher from here on out.

[Darth Ganon]

I'm itching to try Master Mode, but I still have work to do in my first playthrough. All the new items have been collected and the Korok mask is SO nice for hunting down those little buggers. So many random instances that would be a pain to scout out if not for a hint.

There's also Hero's Trial I need to do. I probably would have tackled that today, but SGDQ has distracted me.

[Skyblade]

72822

Stumbled into this while playing Master Mode. The Fierce Deity armor is great, but I just had to laugh at that comment with those eyes.

[Darth Ganon]

I have finally upgraded all base game armor pieces sans some of the Gerudo jewelry. Everything else are Amiibo rewards that need a bunch of Star Fragments. :mad:

Soon I need to attempt the Hero trial since I already collected all the new armor pieces (that fortunately or unfortunately can't be upgraded). Also still stalking the three new Zelda Amiibos for availability again.

72873
Random screenshot.

[Del Murder]

I'm almost done with this masterpiece. Just need to find a few more shrines and then the final assault on Hyrule Castle. I wandered in there a couple times and it looks like quite the challenge.

My kids are loving this game. They call it 'Link game' and my son asks me to play it almost every day. They love cooking and helping me pick ingredients to cook. I also let them play a little on their own (they're only 3 so they just run around). They like jumping and climbing and using the magnet power and throwing bombs. For some reason my son likes throwing Link's weapon as soon as he gets the controller so I have to make sure it's a crappy weapon. :p He also gets very scared when the enemy music starts and yells for me to come back so I can hit the bad guys for him. My daughter though does not care at all about the bad guys and just runs circles around them like it's nothing. She also doesn't care that much if Link runs off a cliff or drowns on her watch. No fear, that one.

They are also very smart and tell me to use my fire arrows on ice enemies and ice arrows on fire enemies. No joke, during one of the boss fights I couldn't figure out how to hit it since it had a lightning shield and my son said 'maybe you should use your magnets' (on the metal spikes it shoots at you)... How did you know that, boy??

[qwertysaur]

Del and Miriel are raising those kids right!

[Edge7]

I rushed through the game on my friend's Wii U (he let me borrow it because he got the game on a Switch). This game might honestly be my favorite game of the decade. For me personally, Zelda has always been more engaging when the exploration to dungeon ratio leaned more on the exploration side, so I'm obviously biased (that being said, I still think A Link to the Past has brilliant dungeon design and is the one example where I enjoy a Zelda game more for the dungeons than the exploration). Majora's Mask and Wind Waker are my favorite Zelda's because of this; the joy was less about doing a level filled with puzzles and combat and more about solving the mysteries of the land. Unlike most Zelda's, the game isn't about a Hero travelling through dungeons to collect Macguffins and save the world; it's about learning to navigate and survive a world filled with natural hazards as well as bloodthirsty monsters. Hell, my favorite moments in the game have less to do with the game's story and more to do with discovering how to finally reach the Goron Village on Death Mountain despite the sweltering heat, or stumbling upon the Gerudo Village when originally I was just exploring the nearby mountain range for the sake of it.

The whole game is about survival; thinking about how you want to progress and obtaining the materials to make it a reality. I LOVE the weapon durability because it reinforces this Link as a hunter-gatherer. You have to make difficult decisions with the limited resources you have, and giving a weapon infinite durability would cheapen that element of the game design.

Anyway, this was me gushing about BotW; I can't wait for Nintendo to reissue the Switch this Holiday Season so I can get the game with both DLCs and take my time with the game.

[Scotty_ffgamer]

Finally got a hold of a switch and this game. Seems pretty fantastic so far. I tend to get burnt out on most open world games pretty quick though, so hopefully I'll get around to beating this.

[Darth Ganon]

Good new is that the game is beatable almost from the get go. If you ever grow tired you can always rush it to see the ending.

I still haven't finished the Hero's Trial yet. I've just been to tired to have the resolve to tackle it lately. I missed out on pre-ordering the Champion Amiibos, too. They were available not long ago, but it was taking to long trying to get it done on my phone at work. By the time I was home they were gone. :(

[Sephiroth]

Timeline yet to be decided:

http://nintendoeverything.com/zelda-breath-of-the-wild-devs-on-why-heros-path-mode-was-added-as-dlc-timeline-more/

[Skyblade]

Timeline yet to be decided:

http://nintendoeverything.com/zelda-breath-of-the-wild-devs-on-why-heros-path-mode-was-added-as-dlc-timeline-more/

Well, from the game itself, we know that the war 10,000 years prior to BotW took place thousands of years after Ocarina of Time. So, it would seem to be one of the latest games in the timeline.

[Darth Ganon]

I finished the first part of the Trial of the Sword and was relieved to discover it was broken up. The third to last room cheesed me hard right in the beginning. The killer is the last time I tried I was right at the end before I died.

[Scotty_ffgamer]

Finally started actually playing this game. It’s fantastic! I really like seeing the people’s schedules in the towns and how they react to stuff like rain. It’s pretty cool.

I finished my first divine beast at Zora’s domain. I liked how Prince Sidon just kept being really encouraging the whole way through. He was a swell guy.

I’m currently hanging out with Garuda.

[Darth Ganon]

Finishing Vah Ruta first will definitely give you an edge early on. Mipha's Grace is a God send when you're still low on hearts and have fewer armor options. Vah Naboris of the Gerudo is by far the most difficult and I, of course, ended up there first and got slapped around.

I'm thrilled that I finally got the last Zelda Amiibo I was missing (TP Link). A $20 import version, but better than waiting forever for GameStop to never restock. Also finished up most of the DLC content. I haven't done everything in the second pack just because I maxed my armor inventory and don't want to sell anything to get the rest of the pieces (come on, Nintendo, just patch in one more page).

Outside of that it's just continuing to hunt for Koroks.