The fashion on display here is incredibly exciting, and has the potential to extend into a grander mode of customisation where clothing isn’t the only thing that defines Link’s hairstyle and physique. I hope we’re able to adjust the specific nature of each outfit, perhaps extending to the colour of materials, the stats and buffs provided when you wear them, and possibly specific adjustments to accessories and st
Hyrule is no longer a land of the unknown. We’ve explored it for literal days as we talked to citizens, tackled shrines, and eventually saved the world. People know who we are and what we’ve accomplished, so take advantage of that reputation and use it to shape the land in our image. Link shouldn’t be given a voice, but for a narrative set in the here and now to work his identity will need to be cemented in the surrounding landscape. I want to step back into reimagined versions of Zora’s Domain and Kakariko Village and be greeted with open arms by a populace who are happy to see me and perhaps want help with a few local issues as a larger conflict rages on in the background.
However, neither of these games encourage experimentation like Breath of the Wild does, so it’s much easier to provide us with an easier mode of traversal instead of artificially increasing the time required to reach our destination. However you slice it, these games viewed climbing in the rain and weapon degradation as negatives, choosing to build upon Nintendo’s vision by removing them entirely. I understand why games that adopt so many of the ideas pioneered by Breath of the Wild opt to change them, because every game is different and it’s unfair to tar them all with the same brush. That being said, I don’t want the upcoming sequel to follow in their footsteps. Nintendo needs to stick to its guns, favouring clumsy wet traversal and obscenely delicate weapons over an adventure that simplifies things to the point of triviality.
I can’t play the Spyro trilogy for the first time again, nor can I approach it with the same innocence and sense of wonder that I did when I was ten years old. I still love the series, but games have changed a lot since Spyro first came out. There have been 20 years of evolution and innovation since Spyro the Dragon was made, and I’ve seen how games have been refined and enhanced since then. I’ve changed a lot too. I’m a critic now, and I pick games apart and analyze them for a living. I can revisit Spyro from a new perspective, but now I experience it as an echo of the original - a snapshot of my childh
There are a few things that always come up when you talk to someone about The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild . Weapon degradation is one of the defining discourses around the game, with fans either despising the fact your equipment bursts into nothing after a handful of strikes or adoring how it forces you to think outside the box and constantly adapt your strategy to a changing inventory.
Despite seeming like a simple game, there's a lot of depth to Earthbound that most people don't notice until they've sunk a few hours into this adventure. The charm of this title makes it perfect for Studio Ghibli fans who want to enjoy more video games in the same v
The removal of design decisions previously viewed as irksome would undermine so much of what Breath of the Wild managed to achieve, and the last thing I want to see is Nintendo steering its formula in a direction that abides by more traditional genre conventions. Assassin’s Creed and similar games of this ilk are arguably more akin to content mill, built to draw you in for hundreds of hours even if much of that time is filled with uninspired busywork. The time you spend with the game is what matters, and Breath of the Wild managed to challenge a system that has become increasingly tired in the eyes of players. Its sequel needs to continue chasing that ambition, and not compromise on its own design ethos.
Like the majority of Breath of the Wild’s design ethos, fashion is always something dictated by the player. Much like Dark Souls, I overlooked stats and buffs in favour of how fabulous something looks, preferring to look amazing as opposed to being a giant chunk of metal who walked with the pace of a snail being drenched in salt. Once I donned the Gerudo gear in the sunny desert sands, I seldom took it off, opting to take on the Divine Beasts in such an outfit because Link looked cute and wasn’t afraid to express an aesthetic that went against the generic definition of masculin
Breath of the Wild is so special because every moment feels like a discovery you made on your own terms. A mixture of basic yet impactful abilities like stopping time and lifting metal objects allows you to play with the game’s definition of physics in ways that are still being discovered to this day. You can build a chain of metal weapons and charge them with lightning to activate a distant switch instead of following the traditional solution, showing that the game’s systems are built to be toyed with and alpha Protocol revival taken advantage of in ways that have near limitless potential. Nobody will play Breath of the Wild in the same way, and given the open world genre largely remains defined by chasing down icons and completing repetitive objectives, this is a breath of fresh air that remains unmatched. You could argue "it doesn’t feel like Zelda" because its dungeon design abandons tradition, but the rewarding discoveries of Breath of the Wild are intentionally spread throughout the entirety of Hyrule.
