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[inner-G]

Hey y'all, I'm not even sure where to begin.

I loved The original Zelda and liked Link to the Past, but haven't really dug other 3D Zeldas. This game was billed as a return to form of the first Zelda, but it doesn't really feel like it to me.

Was excited for Switch/BotW and managed to actually get one a couple weeks after launch.

So far, I'm maybe 5 hours into Zelda, but I feel like I still haven't done anything. I just wander around and beat stuff up with whatever weapons I find. I've done some shrines and have like 6 hearts, but the 'moon' thing has happened a few times and now basically everything is kicking my ass.

Spoiler

I tried going to one of the 'divine beast' missions, but they are far away and stuff kicks my ass before I can get there.

I haven't done much to progress the story, and honestly, I'm not really even sure what to do. I've been to several villages and found

Spoiler

a labyrinth

, but just poked around and haven't finished much. have the guide but that hasn't been very helpful either because it jumps all over and the game isn't linear. Also, the recipes are stupid. No list or book of recipes? What??

For some reason, I just wish the story worked more like an Elder Scrolls game or something, that way 'feels' better to me or makes more sense or something. Any advice? Should I just give it up and move on to something else or do you think I will eventually turn a corner if I stick with it?

Spoiler

Or maybe I'm just falling out of love with games

 

[Quonny]

It's okay to not like a game.

 

[CronoShot]

It simply might not be the game for you.

Also, you don't have to fight every enemy you come across. You should be able to get wherever you want on the map without fighting a single enemy.

 

[Hindl]

It's a game where the joy comes from wandering around and discovering stuff. If you aren't enjoying wandering around then it's probably just not for you. It happens. Also, this is probably the last game I would want a guide for

 

[Inferno313]

Do whatever you're finding fun. That's the whole point of the game's open-endedness. Is the current area kicking your ass too much? Go to a different area that isn't. Feeling a little aimless? Advance one of your main story quests in the quest log. In the mood to relax with some puzzles? Do some shrines.

 

[Massicot]

I would try to do one of the Divine Beast areas if you can. The Zora area I think is the one most people do first. If the story/questing beats don't grab you for one area I don't think the rest of the game will do anything different.

But yea, don't force yourself if youre not having fun.

 

[sanstesy]

If you feel lost and don't know what to do follow the way the game guides you. Go to Kakariko first and then NPCs will tell you where to go from there.

After the first Divine Beast you should have a good grasp on how the game works.

 

[TwistedFreeze]

With BotW, the best way to play it is to really just wander around to different points if interest while making your way to the various Divine Beasts. If you see a shrine or NPC or village, then just go and see what it has to offer. Maybe do some side quests here and there. Really, you're just encouraged to play however you want

However, if none of that is doing it for you, then, yeah, just drop it. No way you're gonna like every game and that's fine

 

[tearsintherain]

I think it'll eventually turn a corner but you aren't alone, I played 3-4 hours (on wii u) and was bored senseless and just didn't feel like playing anymore. I'll return to it some day, but I switched to Persona 5 and had like multiple 12 hour gaming sessions, for me personally its hard to deal with the production values of something like BOTW nowadays after playing stuff like HZD, Persona 5, Call of Duty, etc.

 

[maquiladora]

It's okay to not like a game.

.

 

[TangoAlphaLima]

It's okay to not like a game.

Sure, but not this game.

 

[Lilo_D]

Play something else

 

[piratethingy]

So far, I'm maybe 5 hours into Zelda, but I feel like I still haven't done anything. I just wander around and beat stuff up with whatever weapons I find. I've done some shrines and have like 6 hearts, but the 'moon' thing has happened a few times and now basically everything is kicking my ass.

Spoiler

I tried going to one of the 'divine beast' missions, but they are far away and stuff kicks my ass before I can get there.

I haven't done much to progress the story, and honestly, I'm not really even sure what to do. I've been to several villages and found

Spoiler

a labyrinth

, but just poked around and haven't finished much.

This could be copy and pasted from a late 80's gaming mag about the original Zelda lol

 

[Nyoro SF]

I wouldn't force yourself to play a game that doesn't click for you, it'll just end up being more annoying down the line. (Like me and Blazblue...)

 

[Tiops]

Stop playing it. Play something that you can get into.

 

[TwistedFreeze]

for me personally its hard to deal with the production values of something like BOTW nowadays after playing stuff like HZD, Persona 5, Call of Duty, etc.

How's BotW inferior to those games in terms of production values, especially something like Persona 5?

 

[Guardians]

It's okay to not like a game.

Not if it's The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

 

[Danis Saur]

Same here. Recently got a Switch for it and regret the buy.

Its just work playing the game, I'm not having fun with it.

 

[Skittzo0413]

If you want to improve your abilities a bit you might want to pursue the story a bit. That lets you

Spoiler

upgrade most of your runes

which can make combat a bit easier.

If you're wandering around from landmark to landmark and aren't really finding it fun or engaging then the game might not be for you. That's kinda where it shines for me at least. Getting incredibly distracted every time you see a new vista over the next hill.

 

[New002]

There's nothing wrong with that. Don't waste your time playing a game you're not enjoying. IMO 5 hours seems like enough time to get a sense of if you're gonna like this game or not.

 

[NinjaCoachZ]

If you aren't feeling that satisfied by the shrines and exploration, then the game just might not be your cup of tea. That's basically what the majority of the game ends up being.

 

[doop_]

I would recommend trying your best to get to a Divine Beast. if it still is not clicking with you then i would suggest not playing the game anymore.

 

[jokkir]

Get your mindset off of it being like other Zelda games and just explore and kill stuff whatever way you want. You can also try to be creative on how to appraoch things.

Maybe the non-linearity isn't what you like? And yeah, it's ok not to like some games lol

 

[deoee]

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1369069&highlight=

 

[Regiruler]

The game isn't the end all be all, but I did like it more than you did by evidence of the fact that I'm pretty sure I'm over 100 hours quite easily.

 

[Reptars Revenge]

Runnnn to the tower where you can activate the zora divine beast story quest, its really easy to get to, finish the divine beast and see if you still cant get into it.

 

[WordsintheWater]

If you're not enjoying the best aspect of the game, then I think it may just not be for you. For me after about 10 hours of game time the experience became majorly mediocre. When I think back on those first 10 hours though the best part of them was wandering aimlessly and discovering things.

 

[inner-G]

I think it'll eventually turn a corner but you aren't alone, I played 3-4 hours (on wii u) and was bored senseless and just didn't feel like playing anymore. I'll return to it some day, but I switched to Persona 5 and had like multiple 12 hour gaming sessions, for me personally its hard to deal with the production values of something like BOTW nowadays after playing stuff like HZD, Persona 5, Call of Duty, etc.

Thanks - I might take a break and play one of these as a palate-cleanser, then try BotW again later.

I think I really did myself a disservice by wandering around too far without really doing anything story-wise. I probably need to just warp myself back to the beginning area and 'start over'.

Runnnn to the tower where you can activate the zora divine beast story quest, its really easy to get to, finish the divine beast and see if you still cant get into it.

I might try that too. I was trying to go to the SouthWestern-most beast because it was closest to me.

This could be copy and pasted from a late 80's gaming mag about the original Zelda lol

Hey, I loved the original one! I had the NP map and drew the pixel art of the different items in my notebook back ini 5th grade, lol. This game is WAY more complicated though

 

[BossDarkseid]

I like it, but yet to get THAT far (done 1 Divine Beast, somewhere in Garudo land atm, done a lot of Shrines etc)....but Kinda the same. No part of me is on the train into London in the mornings, or train home in the evenings, and daydreaming about what I'm gonna do on BOTW. I love the interaction of the systems...i just find the world...eh.

I will probably carry on with MSQ at some point. It just feels like all the side quest stuff (and I appreciate it is just that, optional) reminds me too much of what got me burnt out on Ubi/AC games several years ago. If they had the system interaction on a more focused game with a smaller scale, it'd be pretty dreamy for me.

 

[Memory]

I feel like we are getting this thread weekly now.

It's okay OP, if your not feeling it after 5 hours then you likely never will.

My one piece of advice is to follow the main story quest only and stop wandering aimlessly since that seems to be your hang up.

 

[Gator86]

Use all your tools for combat. I invested my first dozen or so orbs into stamina so I had low health for the early going. That said, I breezed through using bombs and such. Bombs do solid damage to early enemies, hit a large area, disarm them, and set off other explosives nearby. You can take out most enemies and camps before they even have a chance to respond.

 

[Hazmat]

Not every game is for everyone. It sounds like this one just isn't for you.

 

[AAMARMO]

Dont worry OP I dropped it when I was 10 Hours in.

Most of my opinion of the game is like SupperBunnyHop review:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNLMDWZY6_A

 

[aBarreras]

I think it'll eventually turn a corner but you aren't alone, I played 3-4 hours (on wii u) and was bored senseless and just didn't feel like playing anymore. I'll return to it some day, but I switched to Persona 5 and had like multiple 12 hour gaming sessions, for me personally its hard to deal with the production values of something like BOTW nowadays after playing stuff like HZD, Persona 5, Call of Duty, etc.

"the production values of something like BOTW"


holy shit

 

[upandaway]

It's not a game for everyone but what's weird is you say your problem is the early difficulty, feeling aimless and the guide not helping you with the game's non-linearity, but it's pretty much exactly like the original Zelda in those aspects which you loved (and you also don't think it's similar/a return to the original Zelda). The original Zelda was also pretty hard until you got better gear similar to this game.

Dunno, to me the game is a huge love letter to the original Zelda. I can see similarities and inspirations deep into the core of the game, so it's weird to hear that.

 

[Jawmuncher]

Just turn on all towers, beat all dungeons, get enough hearts to get the master sword, and then beat ganon. To me it sounds like you just don't really like the whole "explore and make your own stories". Don't worry I don't either. So streamlining the experience is a better thing to do.

 

[Cathcart]

It's actually pretty easy to get into: from the home screen just click on the image of Link standing on a mountain. Nintendo went minimalist with the Switch UI but it's fairly simple to use. Good luck!

 

[sixteen-bit]

OP, it's often worse to try to force yourself to like a game.

 

[AzerPhire]

I had the same problem. Stopped just before the third divine beast. Playing Horizon before Zelda was a huge mistake as Horizon to me is just a better and more enjoyable game all around.

 

[phantasmic_glaive]

I feel the exact same way op. But I have to push through it. I absolutely hate leaving quests unfinished, so I'm always getting side tracked. I heard it's only

Spoiler

4 dungeons

so I kinda just leave em alone till I get to em. Graphics are dope, like the world a lot but it's hard to put good time into it.

 

[foxuzamaki]

just try following the story for a bit, going along the paths eventually eads to villages all over aswell as horse stables

 

[Glass Shark]

.

 

[DeuceGamer]

Maybe it's just not your cup of tea, so to speak. That said, the game is difficult and the world is huge. There are times where it can feel overwhelming in the beginning. The story isn't told in a traditional sense and while I personally enjoyed it, there isn't nearly as much story as other games it's size.

My advice if you are set on sticking with it would be not to focus too much on the story. Try to focus on exploring and locating the shrines. As you find more and more shrines the world will start to get easier to traverse and won't feel so overwhelming. You will also get stronger which will help with the difficulty.

Last, just don't force it. If you aren't enjoying it maybe try something else for a few days/weeks. If you come back and still aren't enjoying it then maybe it's just not for you, which is just fine.

 

[HStallion]

If you're not big on sandbox open world games that want you to do as you please and don't do a ton of hand holding it won't be the end all and be all like it is for a lot of people. I like my open world's generally more directed than what is in Breath of the Wild so I wasn't hot on it myself. If I had to review I'd probably give it a B.

 

[balohna]

Your "main quest" is essentially to get prepared to fight Ganon. Then if you're like me, you keep going for completion's sake, and next thing you know it's been 170 hours and you haven't fought him yet. But I'm still having fun exploring, upgrading my armour, completing side quests, expanding my inventory.

My motivation has been tied to having objectives in mind when exploring. Finding shrines and towers are the most important things at the start, IMO. If any of them feel too hard to get to, go somewhere else. The game is huge, you won't run out of new shrines to find for a loooong time.


Side note: I've never liked open world games much, but this one is just straight up fun all the way through, with new things to discover around every corner.

 

[red731]

It's actually pretty easy to get into: from the home screen just click on the image of Link standing on a mountain. Nintendo went minimalist with the Switch UI but it's fairly simple to use. Good luck!

 

[SciencePilot]

It's a generally peaceful game. You roll at your own pace, do what you want. Maybe that doesn't speak to you but that's okay.

 

[inner-G]

Just turn on all towers, beat all dungeons, get enough hearts to get the master sword, and then beat ganon. To me it sounds like you just don't really like the whole "explore and make your own stories". Don't worry I don't either. So streamlining the experience is a better thing to do.

What does that mean, it highlights everything? Is it something you can just do from a menu??

 

[Dynheart]

It's okay to not like a game.

This is the truth.

I'm not a fan of the Grand Theft Auto games, Last of Us, and Horizon did not capture me like it did many. Just because the game is critically acclaimed, does not mean it will automatically mean everyone should like it. Even worse, people forcing themselves to like a game. If it does not click, it does not click.

I do know that the Uncharted series I did not like for several years. I just randomly picked back up the games (still kept them) years later, and I burned through part 1 and 2 in 4 days. Very fun games. Maybe come back to the game later instead of forcing yourself to like the game?

 

[family_guy]

It's okay to move on. I did. When a game clicks for you, you'll know it. Don't try to force it.