#I just want to see Zelda feel insecure and then grow and realize she’s awesome

[demiboydemon]

I don’t wanna write rn but I want to connect with the characters in a way I can only do through writing ughhhhhhh why can’t I magically have already written the fic and just be able to read it and not know what’s going to happen next but everyone is written exactly the way I write and perceive them 😭

[nova-wolf-actual]

My Breath of the Wild analysis

I’m a pretty big fan of the Legend of Zelda.  Maybe not the biggest fan.  I couldn’t name 5 of Mikau’s albums or anything, but it’s been one of my favorite franchises for a while.  I remember playing Ocarina of Time for the first time at my grandmother’s. Admittedly, the forest temple was a bit too much for my stupid dumb kid brain, so Saria had to wait just a little while longer for me to find her, and get her sagely blessing.  Before failing miserably at that, I remember the strong sense of mourning and dread when walking out of the Temple of Time into Hyrule Castle Town (and also being horrified by the abominations that are ReDead). This was exacerbated in Hyrule Field, but was coupled with this sense of amazement and wonderment at this devastated world.  Later on, I’d convince procure a strategy guide to help me and my inability to solve simple puzzles, but I won’t forget the impact the game had on me.  

Flash forward several years, and several titles later.  I have thoroughly enjoyed all of it, and I love the lore behind it all.  As well as the je ne sais quoi the franchise carries. The quirk, and the charm.

Just a few weeks ago, Breath of the Wild was released.  I knew it was going to be awesome and a blast to play, but I didn’t expect it to rope me in like it has.  It has all the childhood awe of expanse and scale that I thought Ocarina of Time had, but immensely larger.  I was impressed by Twilight Princess for that, but this is on an incredible level. The fact that after all of these hours I’ve put into the game, and I still have only really breached the surface of everything there is to do and see is astounding to me.  All of the mechanics in the game are so rewarding for spending hours in the game just exploring, too.  I think perhaps the fact that there isn’t much of a conventional leveling system for every great effort that you do (e.g. your stamina doesn’t increase for climbing, you have no strength attribute that grows with every fight won, etc.) is a very wise choice.  In fact, a leveling system wouldn’t fit the narrative at all, despite it fitting the mold otherwise to have that in place.  It’s a bit obvious, so I won’t pretend this is some great revelation.  As the hero (that’s Mr. Hero to the Koroks), you have all the skills you should need to defeat Calamity Ganon, you just need to remember them.  As you learn, you were a great warrior to rise up the ranks; so great in fact you’re awarded the accolade of being Princess Zelda’s personal knight.  You’ve just forgotten all of your own abilities, and all of your memories.  So somehow being able to level up wouldn’t really make sense at all.  The only arguably method of leveling Link is through the completion of shrines, as for every 4 spirit orbs you receive you can add either a heart container, or a quarter of a wheel of stamina.

In an unconventional leveling sense, though, I think the game excels at that.  As you progress to more difficult areas, you find stronger weapons, better ingredients, and more diverse and stronger armor [as well as the ability to strengthen it through the befriending (bribing?) of the bodacious and flirtatious Great Fairies].  I’ve found myself really enjoying that particular system.  Speaking of weapons, they break.  Some weapons last only a few hits, as others will see you through many battles.  Normally I would hate this, as weapon degradation is such a crappy mechanic 9/10 times.  In my opinion, Breath of the Wild is that 1 out of 10 times.  I think that it works because of the ways the game gives you to see through the puzzles and battles in your own way.  It causes you to think (but not always forces you, sometimes pure prowess during fights will allow you to tackle even the toughest of enemies with shoddy weapons) each battle through, to examine your environments and realize different tactics to execute your targets.  It certainly isn’t the only game to offer this, but it does it in a somehow very refreshing way.  It also affords you the opportunity to actually learn the enemies.  I think basically what I’m trying to say is that it gives a tactical and strategic element to the Legend of Zelda that hasn’t really been there before.  Also, in a very weak argument for it, it brings back pleasant memories of Way of the Samurai 2 (short of being able to strengthen your weapons so that they never break) and the weapon system in that game.  In another parallel to that game, the random encounters with assassins is very reminiscent.

I also want to touch on something that really tickles me pink.  The characters are so lovely.  And so many of them are hot [like wtf!?  Link, Zelda, Sidon (wtf?), Urbosa, etc.  This isn’t really worth delving into, but there’s a lot of hotties in this installment of Hyrule].  They have that really bizarre yet endearing oddity and quirkiness that would leave the game remiss were it not there.  Even the random NPCs that don’t particularly matter still seem so full of life.  I’ve thought about this quite a bit, and I think that’s done so well because of the fact that you’re left to your own devices for so long that when you do come across a random encounter, or a small town full of unique characters, it makes you feel drawn to them.  Almost as if you’ve been out in isolation for so long that you’re not quite attuned to the way this new, 100 years in the future from your time, society operates, yet you’re still enamored by them.  To learn who they are.  And it’s handled well.  Some may not have very many interactions at all, and my cycle through the same two things every time you talk to them, but even still it just has so much…  Character. It feels like a living, breathing world.

Another point I want to make: the gameplay is so fun.  I truly feel like I can do anything.  I can go anywhere, I can see what I want to, I can take on (and die to) whatever enemy I feel like, and I am not constrained by normal conventions.  I’ve found myself climbing to incredibly tall peaks just to ravel in the visa, or even just to jump off and see how far I can glide.  I’ll surmount a hill just to turn around and shield-surf down.  It’s been a good long while since I’ve felt the desire to just “play” in a video-game world.  Breath of the Wild allows the perfect place to do just that.  To just enjoy myself doing menial, non-consequential things. It’s okay to be aimless.  To take a breather and just bask in the sun, or splash in puddles.  It offers a perfect escapism that I think couldn’t have come a better time.  It’s almost akin to the type of non-serious “at-my-own-pace” gameplay of Animal Crossing.  It lets you just exist.

I won’t pretend there aren’t some issues with the game (and also Switch as a platform, but that’s a different discussion).  There are some resolutions to side-quests that are pretty lack luster.  They offer no follow up.  It wouldn’t have to be in depth, but would complete the quest in a more satisfying way (I really want to know what became of the creepy guy when we fuck his world up with telling him the girl at the inn wants 100 crickets! There should’ve been some sort of dialogue there).  It would also be nice for some post main-quest recognition (this is a problem I have with a lot of video games.  I’m fucking looking hard at you, Skyrim), though I understand in a free-form open world game this would be very very taxing.  There also isn’t a lot of diversity in the recipes you can learn. I guess this isn’t as big of a problem, as different added ingredients beyond the original recipe just serve to strengthen (or slightly alter) the result.  I just feel like with the myriad of different ingredients, there should be more dishes to be made.  

I really, really love the development of Zelda (this is why the Captured Memories quest is really good to complete!).  She’s way more multi-faceted in this title.  She displays flaws and strengths.  Insecurities while still maintaining poise.  She seems way more 3D of a character than what she’s been given in the past (Though, Zelda playable character when?).  It isn’t the greatest, but it’s the best the franchise has seen.

All-in-all, this title has proven itself to be my favorite in the franchise.  It has its lows as do all games, but its highs are incredible. It has captured me in a way that I haven’t felt in a very long time.  It feels a bit hard to swallow, in a way.  I’ve latched on to Ocarina of Time for so long (maybe for nostalgia?) that it saying another title in the franchise feels alien.  But it’s the future now.  So I’m going to be alien.  I adore Breath of the Wild.