Support NeoGAF

[Thief1987]

I love when game "encourage" me to make a boat because my stamina is so pathetic, that i couldn't swim across 5-meter wide river. Feels so natural.

 

[BouncyFrag]

Can't wait to see what people with way more imagination than me come up with.

Speedrun strats will be bonkers.

This video is amazing showing what could be done in BOTW with persistence and imagination:

 

[Danjin44]

Some are annoying. Some aren't.

That subjective what game mechanics you like or dont like, I heard some people dont like inventory management in their games, thats simply their taste.

 

[CrankyJay™]

Weapon durability still in? Fucking lame….that was my least favorite part of the last one by far.

Fair, but then you'd have some chud complaining that you shouldn't be able to hit someone with a tree branch infinitely and that it takes the realism out of the game.

 

[Banjo64]

In what universe is botw combat better than tlou2 or max payne 3?

I mean sure gameplay is more than combat, but combat is usually a big part of these games and zelda is as barebone as it comes.

Not just combat, nearly all elements of game play. But yeah, the combat is eons ahead.

 

[lachesis]

The freedom that's offered in this game seem quite impressive. Very much looking forward to it, but I do also hope it will have good focused sessions + good puzzle dungeons too...

 

[Cashon]

But didn't you just suggest they could have made the game so that you have to switch to different weapons constantly to defeat different types of enemies? Is that really any better or different than pressing to move to your next weapon and using that?

Fair enough if you don't like certain weapon types, but the point is that you found out that you didn't like them because the game did encourage your to try them. How would you know otherwise if it didn't? I know it's a wildly different game but looking at recent things I've played for an example, I have absolutely no idea what half the different weapons in Rogue Legacy 2 feel like because I got to the one I liked and used it to beat the game, and I'll never use the rest because I've moved on to other games. Now, nothing wrong with that at all, that's how that game is designed. But I used every single weapon type in BotW and even if I didn't like them all, that's something that I rarely ever do in games because I've never had an incentive to once I found my comfort zone. Again I think that's key, BotW took some people out of their comfort zone and it really didn't sit right with them. Whereas if you let it, you quickly find that the mechanic becomes a non-issue very quickly.

Off to play RE4 now so sorry for a missed/delayed response but thanks for at least providing an in-game reason why you didn't like it rather than trying to design a different game.

Because there's no *reason* to. It's switching weapons, just to switch weapons.

I'm currently close to finishing Dead Space. In a sense, the weapon/combat is similar: you have different weapon types, that you may switch to if you run out of ammo (not too dissimilar to weapon degradation so far). But in Dead Space, the weapons actually feel designed to be more/less useful depending on certain situations, so the player may choose to keep the flamethrower for some enemies/situations, the plasma cutter, for others. And the game only gives you ammo for the weapons you have equipped, so you feel like it's more bespoke to your personal play style. Plus, the games design/structure encourage you to play with each weapon when you find it, so you at least use it once and know what they're like. Then if you don't want them, you just put them away in storage and never look back.

 

[GymWolf]

Not just combat, nearly all elements of game play. But yeah, the combat is eons ahead.

Good one

 

[Stafford]

I'm actually a little excited by the fact that it looks slightly rough. What I mean is, it looks like they are just 100% going all in on gameplay first this time.

That giant spear they made doesn't fit on his back well. It probably clips through objects and doors. It looks bizarre and unrealistic. But is it fun to have a spear that's way longer than it should be? Yes.

Graphically, the game definitely looks dated. But that was basically unavoidable to have a decent framerate.

This to me seems like the Zelda B team. They haven't shown one interview with Fujibayashi. He's probably working on the next true original entry, and probably has been for some time.

This is extremely optimistic. Not sure about that man. The last bit.

Switch it’s not powerful system but despite of that it looks good to me. Xenoblade also great looking game but remember that game’s world it’s not as interactive as Zelda.

That's true. But still, damn. So was Switch already pushed to the max six years ago?

 

[Business]

The mechanics seemed pretty cool but somehow the game felt stripped from any soul. The machines feel out of place, there’s no feel of being in a fantasy universe playing an epic adventure at all. I still have faith but the BOTW map, with the same music, animations, enemies… plus added sandbox elements and flying map nuggets doesn’t make it for me.

 

[Banjo64]

Good one

It’s true mate, sorry. Uncharted is one of my favourite franchises but liking it doesn’t mean it excels where it doesn’t. Same for TLoU. BotW is one of the most open games ever in terms of combat engagement.

 

[acidagfc]

A new and exciting ability - wallhack!

Seriosly, this Ascend stuff looks so unnecessary and tacked on. Like they were debugging some glitched warping, could not fix it, and decided to just call it a feature.

 

[HofT]

Some are annoying. Some aren't.

And that's my point. You simply don't like the game because it emphasis on exploration which allows the player freedom and choice. And in that freedom the game has restrictions which forces players to be creative and experimental which Breath of the Wild is the epitome of. That's fine you find that annoying but I enjoyed that survival aspect. So, it would be weird if BotW didn't have weapon durability.

Now with this new game, we already know the map so we still don't really know what the game is really about yet.

 

[Punished Miku]

This is extremely optimistic. Not sure about that man. The last bit.

It's total speculation. But honestly, I'm nearly 100% convinced. Zero chance they spent 6 years just on Tears. The bulk of the work will be in doing the next true entry on Switch 2 with new art style, new everything. Fujibayashi has done zero press associated with this game. I bet he's not the director.

 

[GymWolf]

It’s true mate, sorry. Uncharted is one of my favourite franchises but liking it doesn’t mean it excels where it doesn’t. Same for TLoU. BotW is one of the most open games ever in terms of combat engagement.

It's basic as shit, an indie like asterigos has better, more nuanced (and more challenging) combat than botw, let's be real.

The novelty of lifting a rock to let it fall down on enemies or throwing a metal weapon to enemies during a thudnerstorm dries out pretty quickly dude, and the game is pretty fucking long if you do all the dungeons and shit.

 

[Danjin44]

That's true. But still, damn. So was Switch already pushed to the max six years ago?

The way I see it the devs pushing things I care about in video games. Guerrilla Games had the budget and the tech and what exactly done with its open world design? absolutely NOTHING! Its open world is nothing more than eye candy so people can take screenshot to show how powerful their system is.

 

[Freeman76]

These motherfuckers need to pull their heads out their arses and update their hardware.

Imagine what this game could be like on a PS5 or Series X running 4k60. Tired of them being years behind and I wont buy this unless they bring it up to speed on a new console.

Im not a GFX whore, I still play old games, but they dont cost 70 fucking quid for something thats miles behind the current tech and costs the same as anything else on the market.

 

[TIGERCOOL]

The mechanics seemed pretty cool but somehow the game felt stripped from any soul. The machines feel out of place, there’s no feel of being in a fantasy universe playing an epic adventure at all.

this is exactly what people said during BotW previews when Link was running around the great plains beating up bokoblins with piece of wood, chopping down trees and making soup. they'll have those big zelda moments and themes in there, this is just a showcase of some mechanics.

 

[yet_another_alt]

Am I really seeing comparisons to Monster Hunter and World of Warcraft in regards to weapon degradation?

In MH, sharpness is a balancing mechanic where the player is made to choose durability over power/utility. It's up to the player to overcome a weapon's limitations. You can use armor skills like handicraft to increase durability. You can use master's touch or razor sharp to have a percentage chance of not losing sharpness. You can use protective polish to not lose sharpness for a limited time. Or you can actually want to lose sharpness so you can take advantage of skills that synergize with that. Each of them has an opportunity cost. Do I use comfort skills at the cost of damage skills? Do I sharpen in the middle of a fight and risk taking damage or do I continue fighting with lower sharpness?

In WoW, it takes hours of playtime for weapons and armor to break unless you're constantly dying. The cost of repair is vastly below the rate a player earns gold. Of course raiding and wiping can take a toll on durability but it's a punishment for terrible play. As a solo player, you're barely going to be interacting with a mechanic that's meant to be a gold sink for raiders who tend to be swimming in gold. Besides, by the time of Wrath, any guild worth their salt not only pays for repairs of its raiders but also has mounts with access to banks and vendors to further minimize downtime. It's a skill issue. Or maybe a management issue if your guild leadership is incompetent.

 

[LordOfChaos]

 

[Abriael_GN]

And that's my point. You simply don't like the game because it emphasis on exploration which allows the player freedom and choice. And in that freedom the game has restrictions which forces players to be creative and experimental which Breath of the Wild is the epitome of. That's fine you find that annoying but I enjoyed that survival aspect. So, it would be weird if BotW didn't have weapon durability.

Now with this new game, we already know the map so we still don't really know what the game is really about yet.

I love games that place emphasis on exploration. As a matter of fact, they're one of my favorite genres.

There are just many, many games that do it much better than Zelda does, and without adding artificial annoyance to encourage something that doesn't need to be encouraged because it's the whole point.

Again, I have a strong feeling that people who believe BoTW is this incredible sandbox miracle have a very, very narrow view of this kind of game limited to Nintendo platforms. It's a big world out there.

 

[TIGERCOOL]

These motherfuckers need to pull their heads out their arses and update their hardware.

Imagine what this game could be like on a PS5 or Series X running 4k60. Tired of them being years behind and I wont buy this unless they bring it up to speed on a new console.

Im not a GFX whore, I still play old games, but they dont cost 70 fucking quid for something thats miles behind the current tech and costs the same as anything else on the market.

I mean... you can dump your game file onto a pc and use an emulator to get that experience.

 

[GymWolf]

Am I really seeing comparisons to Monster Hunter and World of Warcraft in regards to weapon degradation?

In MH, sharpness is a balancing mechanic where the player is made to choose durability over power/utility. It's up to the player to overcome a weapon's limitations. You can use armor skills like handicraft to increase durability. You can use master's touch or razor sharp to have a percentage chance of not losing sharpness. You can use protective polish to not lose sharpness for a limited time. Or you can actually want to lose sharpness so you can take advantage of skills that synergize with that. Each of them has an opportunity cost. Do I use comfort skills at the cost of damage skills? Do I sharpen in the middle of a fight and risk taking damage or do I continue fighting with lower sharpness?

In WoW, it takes hours of playtime for weapons and armor to break unless you're constantly dying. The cost of repair is vastly below the rate a player earns gold. Of course raiding and wiping can take a toll on durability but it's a punishment for terrible play. As a solo player, you're barely going to be interacting with a mechanic that's meant to be a gold sink for raiders who tend to be swimming in gold. Besides, by the time of Wrath, any guild worth their salt not only pays for repairs of its raiders but also has mounts with access to banks and vendors to further minimize downtime. It's a skill issue. Or maybe a management issue if your guild leadership is incompetent.

What you see is usually called "grasping at straws"

 

[Magic Carpet]

I like the fancy No Clip through the level mechanic. Fancy No Clip.
My Wii U is going to enjoy this DLC.

 

[mxbison]

I

Just want to point out in wow not only did your weapon break but your entire armor. I remember some nights in lich king content borrowing gold from guild's after a series of wipes.
It's not disingenuous to say that I think the talk about weapon breaking is overblown and an overreaction.
Especially when I point out games where your entire gear is broken.

Yeah but then you just repaired it. Minor annoyance, nothing more. Didn't make the items any less valuable.

In BotW when I find a weapon I couldn't care less, there is no excitement. It's gonna break after 2 enemies anyway. Just throw it to the rest of the trash you cycle through while fighting.

 

[Danjin44]

Yeah but then you just repaired it. Minor annoyance, nothing more. Didn't make the items any less valuable.

In BotW when I find a weapon I couldn't care less, there is no excitement. It's gonna break after 2 enemies anyway. Just throw it to the rest of the trash you cycle through while fighting.

Because BotW is not about caring about your weapons, games like Elden Ring and Monster Hunter you care about weapons because you can build your entire character around weapon of choice but thats not BotW is about.

BotW is about exploration and weapons is just another tool to help you explore, its not main drive of the game.

 

[Robb]

So, Zelda Nuts & Bolts.

 

[ResurrectedContrarian]

I get it, but... there's a huge difference between having to go into some dedicated "workshop" interface to build vehicles, versus having free construction & combination powers over everything around you in the world as you explore.

 

[TIGERCOOL]

I get it, but... there's a huge difference between having to go into some dedicated "workshop" interface to build vehicles, versus having free construction & combination powers over everything around you in the world as you explore.

what are you looking for, a nuanced conversation? petty and reductive takes only buddy

 

[HofT]

I love games that place emphasis on exploration. As a matter of fact, they're one of my favorite genres.

There are just many, many games that do it much better than Zelda does, and without adding artificial annoyance to encourage something that doesn't need to be encouraged because it's the whole point.

Again, I have a strong feeling that people who believe BoTW is this incredible sandbox miracle have a very, very narrow view of this kind of game limited to Nintendo platforms. It's a big world out there.

And as do I. But with you it seems like you need to prove to people that what they like about BotW open world is somehow not up to today's gaming's standard.

 

[SaintALia]

I mean, most games of this style put a huge amount of development time into writing, character creation and RPG systems and mechanics that allow for a huge variety of character builds and ways to interact with the world. BotW doesn't do any of that, and while its physics systems were ambitious on one front, it also featured a main character that couldn't swim underwater and an entire game world that had almost no interior spaces (even caves) to explore and little engagement options besides the core physics suite.

Contrast this with something like Morrowind, which came out fifteen years earlier and was highly systems-driven while featuring a lot of the stuff BotW lacks and the latter seems less impressive. I like Breath of the Wild and had a great time with it, but the idea that it did something wildly ambitious by building a dedicated physics sandbox at the expense of no-brainer key features found in other open worlds, simply isn't true.

Legend of Zelda games aren't RPGs. They are pretty much adventure puzzle games(a genre that is actually kind of rare these days apart from Zelda clones-the Souls clones run in parallel to the Zelda series I suppose, but have entirely different focus-there used to be more of it's ilk in the 90's and even 2000s). They have never really emphasized writing, character creation, character builds or anything of the sort.

They usually start off with some central mechanic/game idea and the game is crafted around that. From what I've seen of game design docs and interviews anyway. The 'couldn't swim underwater' seems an odd critique but okay.

Hard to say Morrowind is like this, it is systems driven, but not physics driven in the way Zelda is(and it was a PC first game).

"but the idea that it did something wildly ambitious by building a dedicated physics sandbox at the expense of no-brainer key features found in other open worlds, simply isn't true."

Not entirely sure what that's all about. I did say Far Cry 2 and Crysis were doing physics sandbox open world gameplay, and those games are far older than BOTW. For doing what Zelda is doing though, yeah, you're going to have to come up with a better example than Morrowind. Far Cry and Crysis seems more apt comparisons, Morrowind seem systems driven in an entirely different way.

 

[eye__writ]

I get it, but... there's a huge difference between having to go into some dedicated "workshop" interface to build vehicles, versus having free construction & combination powers over everything around you in the world as you explore.

Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts is a 15 year old game. Of course the interface for achieving the mechanic has changed - that's just a perk of having a console with (just about) more memory and performance than a 360.

 

[ANDS]

Graphics whores are a fun bunch. They'll go on and on about "jagged edges" and the like but they never talk about gameplay. Why, you ask? Because they just like to enjoy the visuals as a casual gamer might. Never do you hear them talk about wearing metal equipment or carrying metal weapons in a lightning storm or replacing sleeping enemies' weapons with fan leaves then waking them up.

Naw, they just want to talk about pixel counting and what year it is.

We get it. You played BOTW for hours and never tired of having to play Polly Playdate because it started raining and are overjoyed that none of that has changed in the next game, that has been worked on for six years, that looks exactly the same as the first game, right down to using the exact same game world.

. . .others would like ANY kind of innovation from the previous game; graphics are just one such change. Feel free though to ignore the overwhelming other content that is going on that is not graphics focused that folks have highlighted as being disappointments.

But hey, "they" don't mind getting bent over a barrel for expensive PC innards now do "they" ?

These "points" aren't the slam dunks you think they are.

The way I see it the devs pushing things I care about in video games. Guerrilla Games had the budget and the tech and what exactly done with its open world design? absolutely NOTHING! Its open world is nothing more than eye candy so people can take screenshot to show how powerful their system is.

So you just haven't played HORIZON? I mean lets be real here, this is just as hacky a take as some of the criticism you are pushing back on. As for BOTW, other than being able to do it, what exactly did they do with the immersive systems in BOTW that felt needed? Other than just being there, what was the point of the systems? What did the systems do to help NINTENDO tell an (environmental or otherwise) story. If it's just meant to be THERE to use or not use then sure; that doesn't evolve open worlds, just introduces an interesting way to engage with it.

 

[Jeff Spicoli]

Cant wait to come back to the philosophical world of BOTW.

 

[DKPOWPOW]

It's total speculation. But honestly, I'm nearly 100% convinced. Zero chance they spent 6 years just on Tears. The bulk of the work will be in doing the next true entry on Switch 2 with new art style, new everything. Fujibayashi has done zero press associated with this game. I bet he's not the director.

Ya know, I'd agree with if you if I didn't feel like one of the reasons Nintendo is taking so long to jump to next gen is because they want the majority of the library on the Switch to get a nice face-lift on the new system.

Maybe I am too optimistic... But I think they know they are gonna have a hard time getting people to pay $70 for remasters of Switch games that simply are not that old. Most games really just need a simple face-lift and frame rate fix to look good on 4K TVs.

So I wouldn't be surprised if they took a page from MS's playbook and had something in mind for people who have a large library of Switch games that want to play them on the new system.

Of course, this won't appease everyone, a lot of people will want a new game that showcases the Switch 2's power... I wouldn't be surprised if some of the Zelda team was set aside to assist with a remake of a very classic game that Grezzo could be working on.

Just speculation on my part, but it would make sense that if TotK ended up being a bonkers wild sequel to BotW... Many fans of the traditional games would feel left out.

And why not appease them afterwards with an entirely new remake of Ocarina with fancy graphics...

Seems predictable to me, but then again Nintendo is hard to predict.

After reading the majority of comments on here and thinking very deeply about what we've seen...

I think it's obvious there is a whole lot more to the game than these 2 mechanics. I think the reason the Ascend mechanic is so jarring is because the likely underground cave system akin to dungeons is n the game.

It seems it would be the best way for you to escape if the dungeon is too difficult and you need to go back up for resources. All while still remaining seamless in a way, with no real loading times.

I imagine maybe they really increased the difficulty to these areas, and needed such a measure so players wouldn't get frustrated. At the same time...

There must be a reverse mechanic named Descend that allows to go back just to where you were so your progress isn't erased.

Just pondering things really...

 

[Danjin44]

So you just haven't played HORIZON? I mean lets be real here, this is just as hacky a take as some of the criticism you are pushing back on. As for BOTW, other than being able to do it, what exactly did they do with the immersive systems in BOTW that felt needed? Other than just being there, what was the point of the systems? What did the systems do to help NINTENDO tell an (environmental or otherwise) story. If it's just meant to be THERE to use or not use then sure; that doesn't evolve open worlds, just introduces an interesting way to engage with it.

Oh I played first game and skip 2nd one because fucking hated original Horizon, that games open world was fucking borefest.

 

[Abriael_GN]

And as do I. But with you it seems like you need to prove to people that what they like about BotW open world is somehow not up to today's gaming's standard.

Because it isn't.

I'm also quite positive that a lot of people convince themselves that they like certain mechanics simply because they feel the need to justify whatever Nintendo does. That has been a thing for ages, and it isn't limited to Zelda.

 

[HofT]

Oh I played first game and skip 2nd one because fucking hated original Horizon, that games open world was fucking borefest.

Thing is, we can't really compare games like Horizon and BotW. They're totally different. Horizon's dev team wanted to make the world look real, whereas Zelda's team wanted to make the world feel real.

 

[TheGodfather07]

Two things I'm disappointed in.

The world is too quiet. Where is the classic zelda music we all know and love?

The background looks blurry. I've been spoiled by 4k gaming on PS5/series x. It sticks out like a sore thumb.

 

[KXVXII9X]

Some people can't simply let other's enjoy Nintendo products without being so condescending while calling them fanboys. It is sad.

I have both a PC and a Nintendo Switch and enjoy both. I played Zelda BotW on my OLED Switch for the first time and it looks beautiful. The OLED panel really enhances it. It barely looked any worse than most games I have for PC. It has a strong art direction and lively feeling to the world most games lack. Lot's of fauna running around coupled with incredible sound design that helps the game feel immersive.

I can see how some people wanted TotK to be more different and I'm not going to argue against that. We saw a small snippet of gameplay and it looks like more is to be revealed later. Some of the new mechanics seem to be adding depth and QoL improvements to the first game.

I'm just happy we are getting games like Zelda TotK, Starfield, FFXVI, Level 5 games, and Spider-Man 2. I'm also the Steam Deck and Switch can coexist. Why make everything into some pointless pissing contest?

 

[Robb]

Because it isn't.

Eh.. BotW came out ages ago and people still play around in it and find new things to do and experiment with. If that’s an open world that’s “not up to standard” then I don’t know what is.

 

[HofT]

Because it isn't.

I'm also quite positive that a lot of people convince themselves that they like certain mechanics simply because they feel the need to justify whatever Nintendo does. That has been a thing for ages, and it isn't limited to Zelda.

What makes BotW's world and gameplay not up to today's standards?

 

[Danjin44]

Thing is we can't really compare games like Horizon and BotW. They're totally different. Horizon's dev team wanted to make the world look real, whereas Zelda's team wanted to make the world feel real.

Thats the difference Horizon open world is about eye candy rather fun to interact while BotW open world fun to explore and interact.

The novelty of "graphics" lasts me hours or so, I need more than pretty graphics to get me invested to the game.

 

[Abriael_GN]

What makes BotW's world and gameplay not up to today's standards?

There are plenty of open-world games on PC that leave it in the dust, and not by a small margin.

What do you think makes it so innovative that other games haven't done better and without the glaring limitations and crappy graphics?

 

[Robb]

The world is too quiet. Where is the classic zelda music we all know and love?

Great point, I would love if they went back to making some catchy tunes instead of the sparse piano notes they went with for BotW.

Would be nice if we got more towns this time as well as dungeons with unique dungeon themes.

 

[SidViscous]

Getting some serious Banjo Kazooie Nuts & Bolts vibes from the latest gameplay video, sadly the image quality really let's it down, sure it's no worse than most other Switch games, but I think I've been playing "current-gen" games long enough now that it's too hard to go back to the Switch. Will hold out for the eventual Switch 2 version I think for that reason alone.

 

[SaintALia]

The reality of game development is that games six years apart from the same developer looking basically the same is the exception, not the rule.

And it's not a good exception.

But hey, feel free to justify them if that floats your boat. From a company with Nintendo's budgets and resources, I expect more.

I mean it isn't though. Like I said, especially when it comes to console games, you are working within set parameters that are likely never going to change. Unless your game had a lot of leeway to allow to push more the engine more, you can't just 'magic optimise' your way to graphical glory.

Even when sequels do look better on the same hardware, it's usually from the developers learning the hardware better and knowing how much they can eke out, they compromise in certain areas(framerate/resolution etc). But there's only so much you can do, especially when it's an open world game with a heavy physics driven engine, with a mobile CPU.

I guess they could have cut down on the physics interactions, cut down on the openworld, make cuts in other places to push the graphics more. The engine doesn't seem to have much headway on Switch from what I saw(even with the devs saying it was a 'basic/uncomplicated' port), but they choose what they chose to focus on.

You don't agree with their direction and it's fine to have that opinion. I'm just pointing out the fact that they made their decisions in regard to game development and that they are working with limited hardware. Budgets and resources don't make the Switch into a PS5....tho maybe if we had that Switch Pro....

 

[Danjin44]

Level 5 games

I'm very looking forward to Decapolice.

 

[KXVXII9X]

I'm very looking forward to Decapolice.

Same. It is one of my most anticipated games of the year.

 

[Variahunter]

Because BotW is not about caring about your weapons, games like Elden Ring and Monster Hunter you care about weapons because you can build your entire character around weapon of choice but thats not BotW is about.

BotW is about exploration and weapons is just another tool to help you explore, its not main drive of the game.

Ah yes, the famous take : "exploration is about exploration".

Like what, is Elden Ring not about exploration too ?

The difference is that Elden Ring REWARDS exploration with weapons, armor, spells, ashes of war, spirit ashes, items that are used for stats progression (smithing stones), lore, and great bosses.
Basically what makes you feel stronger as you play the game and overcome new challenges.

So why even explore in BotW ? So you can just loose more weapons to get other weapons ? What's the point ?
The only good rewards in the game (outside of the very basic like life and stamina, which other games do too so there's nothing to write about) were the armors. You know, the equipment that actually don't break and make you feel like you've gained something that can be useful for the rest of the game. Like the Zora Armor, the Sheikah armor, the climbing armor.
These were useful.

But most of the time, the rewards for exploration were ANOTHER shrine in which you already know what the reward will be : yet another weapon that will break and an orb. What a great way to kill any interest in exploration, past the twenty first hours, good job Nintendo.

TL;DR : Exploration needs good rewards, because there's no incentive at all without it.