-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
-=-=->S P O I L E R S<-=-=- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Spoiler Thread
- Thread starter Dystify
- Start date
I always just thought of it as them being fresh water fish and so couldn't handle the sea.
What's most surprising for me in WW is that Gorons, the race that seemed least capable of surviving the new world, didn't change at all.
Many games from the early GameCube era were rushed, unfortunately.
Not necessarily due to localization differences mentioning other timelines.
My take on this is when the divine beasts and ancient technology were unearthed, the people of Hyrule of that era which is right after OoT named the divine beasts after their sages.
Other localizations change the line and point to other games. I don't think that line should be considered very heavily in timeline talk.
EatinOlives
Member
One thing that doesn't make sense to me with regards to the memories:
All the locations of the memories are exactly the same 100 years ago. It goes completely against the narrative of the game in that Ganon destroyed the world and much of it is in ruins that have been reclaimed by nature. But then you visit ruins and then you see their respective memories from 100 years ago and they were still ruins. The obvious exception is the memory that's inside Hyrule Castle.
I mean the story reason for the game world being so barren in terms of civilization is that Ganon destroyed everything and everyone save for Hateno Village is still just barely rebuilding. But none (except for Hyrule Castle) of the memories really communicate that. They still take place in isolated ruins miles from civilization, exactly the way they are now. I really didn't get the sense from the memories that these happened 100 years ago. They could've said it happened 3 years ago and I would've believed it.
I was expecting the memories to be looking through a keyhole of a bygone era where Hyrule was a thriving kingdom, you visit ruins and remember them as these majestic sprawling monuments that have now been reduced to rubble. But what we really got was just an overly long "Link remembering things!" animation followed by character models swapped into the same in-game location delivering exposition with an Instagram filter put on top.
Huge missed opportunity, IMO. They did a much better job communicating the whole "Hyrule was a majestic thing a long time ago" narrative in Wind Waker...
All the locations of the memories are exactly the same 100 years ago. It goes completely against the narrative of the game in that Ganon destroyed the world and much of it is in ruins that have been reclaimed by nature. But then you visit ruins and then you see their respective memories from 100 years ago and they were still ruins. The obvious exception is the memory that's inside Hyrule Castle.
I mean the story reason for the game world being so barren in terms of civilization is that Ganon destroyed everything and everyone save for Hateno Village is still just barely rebuilding. But none (except for Hyrule Castle) of the memories really communicate that. They still take place in isolated ruins miles from civilization, exactly the way they are now. I really didn't get the sense from the memories that these happened 100 years ago. They could've said it happened 3 years ago and I would've believed it.
I was expecting the memories to be looking through a keyhole of a bygone era where Hyrule was a thriving kingdom, you visit ruins and remember them as these majestic sprawling monuments that have now been reduced to rubble. But what we really got was just an overly long "Link remembering things!" animation followed by character models swapped into the same in-game location delivering exposition with an Instagram filter put on top.
Huge missed opportunity, IMO. They did a much better job communicating the whole "Hyrule was a majestic thing a long time ago" narrative in Wind Waker...
And_Gignac
Member
The game is a narrative mess. nintendo needs to hire better writers.
And also the atmosphere was broken the moment I reached Zora's Domain and everything was fine. Seems the Calamity only hit Hyrule Castle Town and that was it.
A lot of missed opportunities with this game.
And also the atmosphere was broken the moment I reached Zora's Domain and everything was fine. Seems the Calamity only hit Hyrule Castle Town and that was it.
A lot of missed opportunities with this game.
Each of the races had surviving centers of power while Hyrule Castle didn't. That's why Hylians are spread across the world and each race still are operating under their own kingdoms. The Zora probably rebuilt their kingdom in the ensuing 100 years.
But the whole point is everything is not fine. They are in danger of being flooded over and their front door is filled with enemies. 100 years have passed since Ganon and they are almost completely cut off from the rest of the world. The constant rain is meant to feel like doom.
Prince of Space
Banned
The narrative is fine, especially for what it's trying to do. I don't know how you got that everything in Zora's Domain is "fine" when you first reach it, as the king states the Divine Beast is close to flooding the entire area.
ffejeromdiks
Banned
Someone didn't pay attention at all it seems. The world tells the most compelling story in this game.
The Calamity is contained at Hyrule Castle, the Divine Beasts are infected with it and are causing natural disasters in the form of sandstorms, floods / torrential downpour, volcanic eruptions and gusts of wind.
There are certainly missed opportunities in this game, I don't think this is a component of the narrative that is hard to understand.
kunonabi
Member
The problem is Zora's domain is the only one that feels like it's in any real danger. The rest come off as more of a mild inconvenience for the most part.
DragonGirl
Member
Not at all. Ganon didn't set off a nuke that wrecked everything equally. Ganon himself got no further than the castle. The damage to Hyrule was caused by the rampaging guardians while Ganon had direct control over them before being sealed. The guardians themselves didn't hit every area equally and seeing as how they don't swim, Zora's Domain is pretty protected. The worst damage is close to the castle and other places the guardians directly attacked, like the Hyrule forts.
I mean, the landscape itself tells the story of what areas came directly under attack. The Divine Beasts were probably harder to control, especially since they were directly bonded to their Champions, and it's only now that Ganon is regaining the last of his strength that his influence is causing them to rampage and become a threat to their respective areas. It's actually a masterful example of story telling via the environment. You can read the record of the battle and the subsequent decline and fragmentation of Hyrule in the landscape without a single word being spent in explanation.
Majukun
Member
both the other cities have divine beasts raging at the door of their cities..it's not like you have to imagine what would happen the moment ganon takes back complete control of them
Geno Breaker
Banned
Oh my god the final battles with Calamity Ganon and then Beast Ganon were so awesome. The game built up to this moment and damn the pay off was great. The music really sold the moment. I think this is easily one of the best boss fights I've ever played in my life. It's right up there with MGS3 and W101.
RoadHazard
Gold Member
Finally beat the game today. Overall I absolutely loved it, and consider it a masterpiece and one of the best games ever made, but on the story front I was left wanting more. I was one of those hoping this game would be about the fallen Link from OoT being resurrected and gradually learning about his past (the events in OoT - that would just have been so cool!), and while it became clear early on that wasn't the case, I guess I was still hoping for something more from the ending. As it is, it really doesn't do anything for the story, it's just "yay, Ganon's gone, now let's rebuild Hyrule". Felt a bit anticlimactic for me. I was expecting something more epic. Some big reveal, more of a payoff, something. In fact, you basically learn everything important story-wise right at the start of the game (or very early on at least), and all the cutscenes and memories from then on really only detail that same stuff a bit more, without revealing anything new. So yeah, a bit disappointed that what started out sounding like a big, epic story never really grew into much.
As for the ending and Ganon battle itself: With the way Calamity Ganon was built into this great existential threat, I was expecting something grander. Making my way up to and through the castle was very cool, but I was expecting more of a build-up to the final confrontation. Instead I stepped into some hall (here I was expecting some story exposition and such) and the final battle just started. The battle itself was fine, but also not as epic as I was expecting. And really easy (just like all the other bosses - the hardest parts of this game were the more powerful regular enemies). The Beast form looked cool, but had exactly zero challenge. And then the game was just over. No big ending cutscene, not much of anything (and yes, I did unlock all the memories, so I saw the extra bit at the end).
EDIT: Unfortunately I was also in the ancient armor set during the ending. It's a pretty awesome set, but that's not exactly how I wanted Link to look during the end battle and cutscenes. I wasn't prepared for the boss battle to start the instant I stepped into that hall, otherwise I would have switched (guess I still could have done that during the battle, but then I didn't think of it).
I still love this game to pieces, but it really feels like story had to take a backseat in order for them to achieve their ambitious plans for the scope and such. Maybe in the next title we can get both.
My stats:
115h (according to my Switch profile)
39% completion (lol?)
All divine beasts done
All memories unlocked
90-ish shrines done
200+ seeds found
A big pile of half-finished sidequests left
A big reason for my possibly inflated playtime is that I basically didn't fast-travel at all. I wanted to experience as much of the world as possible, by actually traveling from place to place, etc. And I'm glad I did, it was great. I only started fast-traveling frequently at the very end, when I was going all over the place finishing up my preparations before heading for the castle (and wow, did I overdo that, lol - I was waaaay overpowered for the castle + Ganon).
As for the ending and Ganon battle itself: With the way Calamity Ganon was built into this great existential threat, I was expecting something grander. Making my way up to and through the castle was very cool, but I was expecting more of a build-up to the final confrontation. Instead I stepped into some hall (here I was expecting some story exposition and such) and the final battle just started. The battle itself was fine, but also not as epic as I was expecting. And really easy (just like all the other bosses - the hardest parts of this game were the more powerful regular enemies). The Beast form looked cool, but had exactly zero challenge. And then the game was just over. No big ending cutscene, not much of anything (and yes, I did unlock all the memories, so I saw the extra bit at the end).
EDIT: Unfortunately I was also in the ancient armor set during the ending. It's a pretty awesome set, but that's not exactly how I wanted Link to look during the end battle and cutscenes. I wasn't prepared for the boss battle to start the instant I stepped into that hall, otherwise I would have switched (guess I still could have done that during the battle, but then I didn't think of it).
I still love this game to pieces, but it really feels like story had to take a backseat in order for them to achieve their ambitious plans for the scope and such. Maybe in the next title we can get both.
My stats:
115h (according to my Switch profile)
39% completion (lol?)
All divine beasts done
All memories unlocked
90-ish shrines done
200+ seeds found
A big pile of half-finished sidequests left
A big reason for my possibly inflated playtime is that I basically didn't fast-travel at all. I wanted to experience as much of the world as possible, by actually traveling from place to place, etc. And I'm glad I did, it was great. I only started fast-traveling frequently at the very end, when I was going all over the place finishing up my preparations before heading for the castle (and wow, did I overdo that, lol - I was waaaay overpowered for the castle + Ganon).
kunonabi
Member
nobody really seems to care all that much though. Gerudo is the only other town that comes close to actually giving a damn. It's this odd disconnect where taking out Ganon is the most important thing in the world to Zelda's little circle but everbody else just thinks it would be kinda nice. I mean that would be fine if they hadn't hyped Ganon to all hell and added Calamity to his name before revealing that's he's no more dangerous than a stray dog at the end of the game.
While I was one of the most vocal fans who wanted the formula to get shaken up, and adore the exploration focus it had now, I'm kind of sad the triforce didn't play any part in this. The story was bare in terms of character development, but also in mythology, well compared with other Zeldas at least.
I actually really like the idea that you are basically
playing the epilogue from this story about Zelda trying to unlock her ancestral power to defeat ganon, recruiting the champions, etc. She never wanted to do it, and feels forced into it and hates her father for doing it. He hates himself for forcing her to do it, and infact changes his mind, decides to tell her to do what makes her happy, but doesnt get a chance because ganon is unleashed and link fails, the guardians all get killed, zelda get trapped in an eternal battle with ganon. You wake up 100 years later, gather your memories, power up, get the help of the champions to get revenge on ganon/ finally take him down.
I know its a spoiler thread, but this is pretty much the whole story lol. I know how easily people are pissed off
RoadHazard
Gold Member
Yep, agreed. I was waiting for that stuff to come into play toward the end of the game, but nope, nothing.
I just realized for the first time that the reason Ganon created the Blight Ganons is because he learned from the last time he attacked and was defeated 10,000 years ago in part because of the 4 divine beasts and their champions. For the same reason, Ganon takes over the guardians with malice because they too helped in his defeat the last time he attacked. So even though Ganon is kind of mindless in BOTW, without ever even uttering a word, he does demonstrate intelligence in other ways.
Also, Zelda and the kind shouldn't have relied on the old strategy from 10,000 years ago. If they did something new, Ganon wouldn't have been so prepared to defeat them.
Random thoughts.
Also, Zelda and the kind shouldn't have relied on the old strategy from 10,000 years ago. If they did something new, Ganon wouldn't have been so prepared to defeat them.
Random thoughts.
I would have liked different powers from the champions. You don't really need combat powers and I think they could have been better used to improve exploration. Also they should better represent the champions and not the divine beasts (e.g. Urbosa's fury doesn't feel very 'gerudo', it's just what the divine beast uses)
Mipha's grace is fine as a safety net and really just replaces the usual bottles/pockets full of fairies.
Rivali's gale is a good example as I never used it for attacking, only to help get up high cliffs or onto towers.
Daruk's protection is ugly and annoying. It triggers if a bokoblin throws a rock at you so gets used up at inopportune moments, and the massive shield is just ugly. And when you have decent armour/are more used to combat you shouldn't need it. Lots of options here - you could roll up in a ball like a goron to traverse the environment more quickly (horse speed without a horse); you could smash ore with your bare hands (or using a weapon without using up durability because of mining skills); or as the divine beast is a lizard you could get the ability to climb without using up stamina, or climb even during rain
Urbosa's fury I'm not sure what could replace it though. Maybe being able to burrow through the ground like a sand seal? Or upset strength because they're so strong, but that wouldn't be particularly useful as there aren't big boulders blocking your path
Mipha's grace is fine as a safety net and really just replaces the usual bottles/pockets full of fairies.
Rivali's gale is a good example as I never used it for attacking, only to help get up high cliffs or onto towers.
Daruk's protection is ugly and annoying. It triggers if a bokoblin throws a rock at you so gets used up at inopportune moments, and the massive shield is just ugly. And when you have decent armour/are more used to combat you shouldn't need it. Lots of options here - you could roll up in a ball like a goron to traverse the environment more quickly (horse speed without a horse); you could smash ore with your bare hands (or using a weapon without using up durability because of mining skills); or as the divine beast is a lizard you could get the ability to climb without using up stamina, or climb even during rain
Urbosa's fury I'm not sure what could replace it though. Maybe being able to burrow through the ground like a sand seal? Or upset strength because they're so strong, but that wouldn't be particularly useful as there aren't big boulders blocking your path
Majukun
Member
it's more like there's anything anyone can do..also, apart from the zora,most of the people were not even born when the calamity first happened..they lived their whole life in this post-apocalypse..for them it's a typical monday.
but it's clearly implied that everything will turn way shittier the moment ganon is free to act once more...the threat is not only ganon (that isn't the one you fight outside but the complete form of that thing you fight in the laboratory under the castle),it's ganon + the beasts plus guardians that instead of just roam endlessly and patrol areas go against villages..if i remember correctly ther's a story about a roaming guardian that attacked zora's village in the game,and from the description that was not pretty.
How is dealing an immense amount of damage and stunning your foes NOT indicative of a culture of warrior women?
Also, two of your ideas of a Goron power would either make the entire inclusion of mounts redundant and could be abused to kill enemies without weapons or would defeat the point of a whole weather setting and stamina and neither of those are really measurable. The other one is even more pathetic than what we have now "oh yay I get to use up a whole charge to instantly mine an ore that would've cost me like two hits on the weapon I got for the sole purpose of mining" like the Daruk's Protection shouldn't have such a hair trigger, yeah, but it's still useful when it's used in the right situation.
In case you didn't know, you can disable any of the abilities in the key items menu, if you don't wanna waste them, or if they annoy you otherwise. Didn't realize you could do that until my brothers told me about it after I'd already beaten the game and completed all the shrines. That would've been useful sometimes. >_>
If one of the powers were to be changed, I wish it would've been made to work like a hookshot. Maybe it would've been a bit redundant with Revali's power since that too helps you get to high places fast, but with a hookshot type ability, you could've also moved fast horizontally.
finished it two days ago, at 200 hours. Glad they amped the epicness for the final fight and gave it an actual "finish it" which only increased the awesomeness, and the buildup was incredible (THREE locked rooms with three silver Lynels? bring it on!), dozens of roaming guardians, a fantastic, giant Hyrule Castle to explore, couldn't have asked for more
like I said in the non spoiler thread, my GOTG. My only small gripe is that I wanted a deeper lore, all the various towns and races felt a bit cardboardy, I would have LOVED a more TES approach with, say, books to read about the ancient past, or cookery books to hunt and find, or investigation quests unlocked by finding lost letters etc. With a world so vast and old that would have been adventurer's heaven for me
like I said in the non spoiler thread, my GOTG. My only small gripe is that I wanted a deeper lore, all the various towns and races felt a bit cardboardy, I would have LOVED a more TES approach with, say, books to read about the ancient past, or cookery books to hunt and find, or investigation quests unlocked by finding lost letters etc. With a world so vast and old that would have been adventurer's heaven for me
Boards of Canada
Member
Hoping someone can help me out here. The game says I have 119 shrines, but I count 120 on my map (including Shrine of Resurrection). I even compared it with the Zelda Dungeon interactive map and can't see one that's missing.
Anyone with better eyes than me, can you spot anything amiss? I feel crazy right now because I've counted the shrines on this map like 100x. Game also says I've completed 38/42 shrine quests.
Anyone with better eyes than me, can you spot anything amiss? I feel crazy right now because I've counted the shrines on this map like 100x. Game also says I've completed 38/42 shrine quests.
Hoping someone can help me out here. The game says I have 119 shrines, but I count 120 on my map (including Shrine of Resurrection). I even compared it with the Zelda Dungeon interactive map and can't see one that's missing.
Anyone with better eyes than me, can you spot anything amiss? I feel crazy right now because I've counted the shrines on this map like 100x. Game also says I've completed 38/42 shrine quests.
There should be one by the Akkala Stable, and the A button is covering it up.
Hoping someone can help me out here. The game says I have 119 shrines, but I count 120 on my map (including Shrine of Resurrection). I even compared it with the Zelda Dungeon interactive map and can't see one that's missing.
Anyone with better eyes than me, can you spot anything amiss? I feel crazy right now because I've counted the shrines on this map like 100x. Game also says I've completed 38/42 shrine quests.
Yeah the one at Akkala stable North East. The Shrine of Resurrection doesn't count towards the 120.
Fantastic game. I got 102 shrines on my own, but then used some online guides to get the rest - I didn't want to head to Hyrule Castle until I had everything 100% complete (well, not the Koroks, but I'm not tracking down 900 of those things!).
Any speculation as to what the DLC will include? My hope is for some labyrinths with the classic Zelda bosses like Gohma and Manhandla at the end.
Any speculation as to what the DLC will include? My hope is for some labyrinths with the classic Zelda bosses like Gohma and Manhandla at the end.
Boards of Canada
Member
Sorry, yeah that Shrine by Akkala stable was there, it was just covered, so I didn't even label it. I removed the Resurrection Shrine and added the one by Akkala. I'm still at 120 shrines though, unless I'm counting another one that shouldn't be.
I made an animated GIF showing the differences between my map and the Zelda Dungeon map.
I made an animated GIF showing the differences between my map and the Zelda Dungeon map.
Sorry, yeah that Shrine by Akkala stable was there, it was just covered, so I didn't even label it. I removed the Resurrection Shrine and added the one by Akkala. I'm still at 120 shrines though, unless I'm counting another one that shouldn't be.
You might have activated a shrine, but not completed it. The icon will have a blue border and the inside orange, but I can't tell from the map since the dots are covering the icons.
Found it in the gif, its the northernmost in Eldin, in the lava lake.
Boards of Canada
Member
Oh my god. That was it. I didn't even realize I didn't finish one. Thank you!!!
T.Slothrop
Member
Didn't love the story in this game. It was fine but felt a bit forced for some reason. The surprisingly touching twilight princess is still the best zelda narrative to me.
dampflokfreund
Banned
Yes, TP had a amazing story. BOTW's stoy feels lackluster compared to even OoT imo.
Yes, and better equipment. White Lynels will occasionally drop a star fragment.
I liked how you fight them in the gates of Hyrule Castle, but yeah. Hardest fight in the game, easily, was the white-haired Lynel on top of Gerudo Highlands with the 78-power spiked club.
Finished, after playing pretty much continually (albeit in small bursts) since launch.
I played in a pretty comprehensive way:
44.66%/100%
"135 hours or more"
All Memories
All Divine Beasts
All Main Quests (Well, 14/15 on the page, but YKWIM)
40/42 Shrine Quests
72/76 Sidequests
116/120 Shrines
268/900 seeds
Now I can finally get around to reading everything spoilery... and find out where that bowling is that I've managed to completely miss in amongst all this searching!
Took me a while in the (first) Ganon fight to figure out how to break his shield, though. I assume there's multiple methods (I had two by the time I beat him).
I played in a pretty comprehensive way:
44.66%/100%
"135 hours or more"
All Memories
All Divine Beasts
All Main Quests (Well, 14/15 on the page, but YKWIM)
40/42 Shrine Quests
72/76 Sidequests
116/120 Shrines
268/900 seeds
Now I can finally get around to reading everything spoilery... and find out where that bowling is that I've managed to completely miss in amongst all this searching!
Took me a while in the (first) Ganon fight to figure out how to break his shield, though. I assume there's multiple methods (I had two by the time I beat him).
It's been an awesome journey.
I explored far and wide.
I braved the dangers of the wild.
I scaled huge peaks.
I blew my own mind.
I spent a lot of time here.
Not a bad haul, when all was said and done.
I gazed back at the world that had enraptured me.
I'll be right here whenever you need me...
And the legend will continue.
Until then...
I explored far and wide.
I braved the dangers of the wild.
I scaled huge peaks.
I blew my own mind.
I spent a lot of time here.
Not a bad haul, when all was said and done.
I gazed back at the world that had enraptured me.
I'll be right here whenever you need me...
And the legend will continue.
Until then...
Question: is the idea hinted at in the game that the Yiga Clan somehow helps Ganon with all the Guardians and Sheikah tech that is incorporated into all his Blights and his own reincarnated design?
The game tells us that after Sheikah tech was used to defeat 10,000 years ago for some reason the king of Hyrule forced the Sheikah to abandon their tech. They did and they now live as simple farmers. But some didn't renounce their tech and they became the Yiga Clan and swore allegiance to Ganon. Then, 100 years before the game Ganon returns and he's chock-full of Sheikah tech. That's gotta be the Yiga at work no?
The game tells us that after Sheikah tech was used to defeat 10,000 years ago for some reason the king of Hyrule forced the Sheikah to abandon their tech. They did and they now live as simple farmers. But some didn't renounce their tech and they became the Yiga Clan and swore allegiance to Ganon. Then, 100 years before the game Ganon returns and he's chock-full of Sheikah tech. That's gotta be the Yiga at work no?
Astral Dog
Member
Yeah they hated the royal family and wanted revenge
I see. That makes me wish tech was incorporated into the Yiga Clan hideout. I feel like it should have been some crazy laboratory or something. Or did the Yiga also somehow lose their tech in the 100 years post Ganon? The connection to Ganon could have been stronger too. Like, there should have been Yiga Clan enemies patrolling Hyrule Castle along with all the guardians. That would have been badass.
A question that's sprung up:
After completing all Kass's shrine quests, he returns to Rito Village and tells you a story about his teacher falling for Zelda - and how that, in turn, led to his mission to inform Link about the various legends about shrine quests. Underpinning this tale is a version of Kass's theme, but over time it segues into the classic Zelda theme.
Does this track have a name that I can find on the various OSTs that are out there? I'm struggling to pick it out.
After completing all Kass's shrine quests, he returns to Rito Village and tells you a story about his teacher falling for Zelda - and how that, in turn, led to his mission to inform Link about the various legends about shrine quests. Underpinning this tale is a version of Kass's theme, but over time it segues into the classic Zelda theme.
Does this track have a name that I can find on the various OSTs that are out there? I'm struggling to pick it out.
Finn of Ooo
Member
The yiga clan leader felt like such a random encounter. He is the only non Ganon story boss. Wish the other regions had a unique boss as well.
Similar threads
- Poll