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PaperclipPerfector  3mo ago (text post)   2581 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for August 9, 2024

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

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You know, Breath of the Wild IMHO had vibes going for it a lot. A lot of those vibes were downwind of game design decisions, some were nostalgia though. Going from your typical Ubisoft open world slop, with a map full of ADHD/OCD inducing icons yanking you left and right, to Breath of the Wilds more sedate experience of scaling tall mountains and then manually placing markers for places you want to explore, the difference in vibes is enormous. Ubislop makes me downright anxious, Breath of the Wild felt remarkably chill and relaxing. I think people responded to that strongly.

Then again, if you enjoy Ubislop, Breath of the Wild feels empty and boring.

Another aspect of Breath of the Wild that was deeply rewarding was that the world wasn't as empty as it seems at first. Sure there are the Shrines, then there are also some great riddles to solve, puzzles in the landscape, and literally hundreds of Korok puzzles hiding in plain sight. Now I'm not encouraging anyone to try to do all of them. That would be insane. But it's deeply rewarding to be wondering through an "empty" area, and suddenly something catches your eye. Some tree that seems to have a little too much intent. Turns out it actually is a puzzle and you get a little reward. It's nice.

Some of the best quest have very little advertising. I forget how I discovered the Terrytown questline, but it was fantastic, and largely did not involve following quest markers for 2 hours straight.

All that said, I played Breath of the Wild before I had a family. When I could spend upwards of 4 hours a play session enjoying the vibes and being immersed in the world. When I attempted to play Tears of the Kingdom however many years later, it went significantly less well. First I could only play in short burst, which I wanted to be far more goal oriented than is optimal to enjoy the game. I forget how far I got, and I doubt I'll ever return to finish it. All the complaints you have were made far more manifest.

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