Support NeoGAF

[Vader1]

I think the polarity between those who like it or don't comes down mostly to the idea of character building vs moment-to-moment gameplay. There are some elements in which you build Link over the course of the game but they're not really the point, nor do they take the focus, compared to a more traditional open-world game in which you have skill trees to max and checklists to check. BOTW's rewards are simply the adventures you take yourself, the immersion factor that plays into you traveling to a new landmark. One of my favorite areas in the entire game is when you land on a far away island (I can't remember the name) and you're stripped of your entire inventory, saving is disabled and using what you find only on that little island you must find 3 different orbs to get your stuff back. You don't really get areas like that in games like Spiderman or GTA V.

My main reasons for being mixed on it were more the lackluster dungeons, bosses, and story.

 

[GAMETA]

I tried playing it again but there's nothing to the game after you explored the whole map.

Ocarina of Time, Wind Waker, ALttP, they all are highly re-playable and I've beaten them a couple of times each (I replay OoT once every 2 years or so since I was around 10, I'm 30 now, lol)... BotW just has nothing to come back for.

I hope they get back to a more traditional formula for "BotW Part 2"

 

[mindfreak191]

I'm still on my first playthrough that I started last year, but since I'm traveling to work an hour each day I started playing it again on the bus....still pretty annoyed about the weapon breaking and not being able to call your horse wherever, but right now I stopped my second divine beast boss fight to go and find the Master Sword cause I can't take scavenging for a new weapon every 10 minutes....

 

[zeelman]

With Linkle and on PC. What in God’s name?

WiiU emulation has evolved extremely fast. The developers even implemented mod support. I also have my PS4 controller set up so the game can use its motion sensors.

 

[ultrazilla]

I started playing this again on CEMU with the Linkle mod and it’s still fantastic. Playing at 60 FPS is a game changer.

Same. I own the physical Switch cartridge but play via CEMU on my computer. 2k/60fps on my GSync monitor and 2080 Founders Edition. It's jaw dropping beautiful!

 

[mindfreak191]

How would it run on a i5 7300HQ and a 1060 max q?

 

[JimmyJones]

Some people shit on Wind Waker the same way I shit on Breath of the Wild, but the sense of adventure is far greater in WW compared to BOTW IMO. Sailing the great sea and finding different islands was amazing, you felt like you were on an epic voyage.

In BOTW they completely removed the classic Zelda formula and copy pasted shrines all over the map. That's pretty much all there is to do. You can explore the entire map from the get go but there's not really anything to do except the shrines and collect korok seeds which are useless.

At least in WW they had classic dungeons. The divine beasts in BOTW are just slightly bigger shrines and even the bosses are copy pasted.

OOT, MM and WW are the pinnacle IMO. Twilight Princess is amazing also but I feel like there's something lacking in it compared to the other three.

 

[Vader1]

Some people shit on Wind Waker the same way I shit on Breath of the Wild, but the sense of adventure is far greater in WW compared to BOTW IMO. Sailing the great sea and finding different islands was amazing, you felt like you were on an epic voyage.

In BOTW they completely removed the classic Zelda formula and copy pasted shrines all over the map. That's pretty much all there is to do. You can explore the entire map from the get go but there's not really anything to do except the shrines and collect korok seeds which are useless.

At least in WW they had classic dungeons. The divine beasts in BOTW are just slightly bigger shrines and even the bosses are copy pasted.

OOT, MM and WW are the pinnacle IMO. Twilight Princess is amazing also but I feel like there's something lacking in it compared to the other three.

Maybe. OoT and WW are my two favorites. LttP, MM, and TP are slightly after them, and always kind of switching in order for me.

 

[TLZ]

I've been thinking of starting again for a few days now and try new things; like go straight to the castle, or take a shield and just board around, or maybe challenge myself and try play through without shielding and only dodging. Whatever I can come up with. I like that world.

 

[Ulysses 31]

Forgot how often it rains in this game... >.>

Also gonna use link amiibo to get Epona, can't be the true hero of time with one.

 

[Paasei]

I'm having a difficult time getting in this game. Started a new save file, after being completely lost and not having a single clue what the entire purpose is of the game. Should I only try my hardest to find these 4 guardian beasts and kill Ganon, or should I explore and find.... something? Because of the durability on weapons I try to avoid any kind of combat so I do not lose them. Always thinking and worried I'd find something/someone where I would actually need my weapons to kill, I don't want them to break. Perhaps this feeling will be lost once I actually have a decent amount of weapon slots unlocked and also having them filled, but that's not the case as of yet.

Slowly but surely I'll get to finish it, but it's not a game I truly seem to enjoy so far. Bummer, I was really looking forward to be playing a Zelda game after so long (last Zelda I played from start to finish Ocarina of Time). I still believe it does get a whole lot better (much) later on, based on the screenshots I've seen from people being completely decked out in armour and weaponry. I wonder when I get to that point.

 

[Pimpbaa]

This thread is making me want to replay it for the 4th time. I love open world games on my ps4 pro. But despite the lower IQ and graphic fidelity on the Switch, no other open world game has captivated me as much as this game (RDR 2 comes close).

 

[Ulysses 31]

I'm having a difficult time getting in this game. Started a new save file, after being completely lost and not having a single clue what the entire purpose is of the game. Should I only try my hardest to find these 4 guardian beasts and kill Ganon, or should I explore and find.... something? Because of the durability on weapons I try to avoid any kind of combat so I do not lose them. Always thinking and worried I'd find something/someone where I would actually need my weapons to kill, I don't want them to break. Perhaps this feeling will be lost once I actually have a decent amount of weapon slots unlocked and also having them filled, but that's not the case as of yet.

Slowly but surely I'll get to finish it, but it's not a game I truly seem to enjoy so far. Bummer, I was really looking forward to be playing a Zelda game after so long (last Zelda I played from start to finish Ocarina of Time). I still believe it does get a whole lot better (much) later on, based on the screenshots I've seen from people being completely decked out in armour and weaponry. I wonder when I get to that point.

A purpose could be to explore and slowly get stronger and learn some more of the world through the NPCs.

For me at the beginning it was about finding shrines to upgrade stamina to climb to even higher places to explore. Also resorting to sneak attacks that can one shot most mobs. Use the more advanced combat tactics(slomo dodging, parrying) and your weapons last longer, kill mobs with sheikah bombs helps to preserve weapons. Also being on the look out for seeds challenges to upgrade gear slots eventually. Good way to make rupees is through mining and selling ores. Also I'd make my way to Hateno to upgrade your sheikah slate and be able to catalog all items, enemies, wildlife and weapons you come across. Find fairy fountains to upgrade your armor, find a decent horse, experiment with cooking etc.

Later on you'll find more weapons than you'll ever have use for, especially once you obtain the master sword.

Completing divine beast dungeons also gives you a perma buff/cooldown.

 

[#Phonepunk#]

Because of the durability on weapons I try to avoid any kind of combat so I do not lose them. Always thinking and worried I'd find something/someone where I would actually need my weapons to kill, I don't want them to break

dont worry about weapons. IMO better to cycle through them. the way BOTW is setup, you get your weapons from enemies, so if you are going to where there are tougher enemies, you will be getting better weapons naturally. if you don't want to lose what you have, you could end up holding on to a weaker weapon and bypassing stronger ones.

if you have 2 or 3 really good weapons, it's easy to just use your weakest ones, save them for later. then when the weak ones break, you pick up the nearest replacement, usually it's better. there are way too many good weapons laying around the world to start hoarding.

 

[JCK75]

I played it when it first came out and put an insane amount of time into it and went 100% on shrines, just fired it up again this week and it's strange because it's like I never played it for some reason.. like most games I go back to and remember everything but it feels all new to me for some reason.

 

[kunonabi]

I'm having a difficult time getting in this game. Started a new save file, after being completely lost and not having a single clue what the entire purpose is of the game. Should I only try my hardest to find these 4 guardian beasts and kill Ganon, or should I explore and find.... something? Because of the durability on weapons I try to avoid any kind of combat so I do not lose them. Always thinking and worried I'd find something/someone where I would actually need my weapons to kill, I don't want them to break. Perhaps this feeling will be lost once I actually have a decent amount of weapon slots unlocked and also having them filled, but that's not the case as of yet.

Slowly but surely I'll get to finish it, but it's not a game I truly seem to enjoy so far. Bummer, I was really looking forward to be playing a Zelda game after so long (last Zelda I played from start to finish Ocarina of Time). I still believe it does get a whole lot better (much) later on, based on the screenshots I've seen from people being completely decked out in armour and weaponry. I wonder when I get to that point.

Dont worry too much about the weapons as you will be swimming with them most of the time and the game usually has some laying around when you need them.

As for how to play I suggest just climbing a tower and heading to whatever location looks interesting. The one thing the game does better than anything is placing points of interest that catch your eye as you're heading to your various destinations. It's very organic and it makes it really fun to just get sidetracked. It will get tiresome and unrewarding eventually but in the beginning it feels amazing and considering how awful the dungeons and main story are you really dont want to just blitz the game.

 

[Mihos]

I started playing it again, also.... but then my weapon broke


Is there a mod out on the emulators for this?

 

[trufflepigg]

like many others, the game was pretty good, but left me NOT wanting to play anymore after 2 dungeons
the dungeons were terrible
weapon durability is a terrible idea for Zelda
items in general don't play as big a role
enemies are not fun to fight, it's only fun getting creative killing them for so long, after that you avoid encounters
boss fights were bad

overall, 7.5/10 for me

 

[dorkimoe]

I got hooked on this game when i got my switch for xmas this past year; i took a break after like 20+ hours and now i cant get back into it. The combat is ridiculously hard for no reason, 1 hit kill even after 20+ hours into the game.
Weapon durability is AWFUL.

I enjoyed the shrines though. The rain got annoying because I would be needing to climb something and had to wait 20 minutes for the rain to go away

 

[pennythoughts]

I got hooked on this game when i got my switch for xmas this past year; i took a break after like 20+ hours and now i cant get back into it. The combat is ridiculously hard for no reason, 1 hit kill even after 20+ hours into the game.
Weapon durability is AWFUL.

I enjoyed the shrines though. The rain got annoying because I would be needing to climb something and had to wait 20 minutes for the rain to go away

You need to find great fairies and upgrade your equipment. The first one is super close to

Spoiler

kakariko village

 

[zcaa0g]

It's always felt like an early access open world adventure game to me with no real point. The Witcher 3 ruined other games for me.

 

[zcaa0g]

I can't understand the weapon breaking out loud cry. They are abbundant all over the game. Then you grab the Master Sword which is unbreakable.

Maybe because I can take a Louisville Slugger and hit the dirt ground with it a 1000 times in a row and it's not going to break. Weapon durability has always been dumb in games because it is either accelerated or completely unrealistic. It's a bad and pointless game mechanic.

 

[Inanilmaz]

like many others, the game was pretty good, but left me NOT wanting to play anymore after 2 dungeons
the dungeons were terrible
weapon durability is a terrible idea for Zelda
items in general don't play as big a role
enemies are not fun to fight, it's only fun getting creative killing them for so long, after that you avoid encounters
boss fights were bad

overall, 7.5/10 for me

Reads like a 5/10

 

[Pimpbaa]

Despite my previous praise of the game, the only thing I didn't like was the weapon durability. I have no doubt both that and the dungeon issue will be fixed in the sequel.

 

[juliotendo]

Been playing a lot lately. Still a fantastic game and I’m always just lost wandering and exploring. It truly is relaxing.

I will agree, weapon durability is quite frankly terrible. At least if they want to go this route tweak it so weapons last far longer. I believe on a few occasions even guardian weapons became worthless after a few quick hits at enemies. Come on now.

I think they should add some dungeons while keeping the open format the same. That way there’s a balance of both.

 

[Shaqazooloo]

Weapon durability never really bothered me, you get crapton anyway and later on you get so many good ones that make having them brake become a minor inconvenience.

 

[Vbrasa]

Man, it's such a great game. I wish I had time to jump back into it! I just love the added hard mode!

 

[MagnesG]

Heh, I just bought the Switch version the other day after never finishing the Wii U version, and I'm having the opposite experience as you. I still hate the weapon durability system as much as I initially did. Completely ruins the game for me and makes combat as well as managing my weapons way more stressful than it should be.

BOTW2 will be an insanely easy pass for me if they keep that system.

I'm having a difficult time getting in this game. Started a new save file, after being completely lost and not having a single clue what the entire purpose is of the game. Should I only try my hardest to find these 4 guardian beasts and kill Ganon, or should I explore and find.... something? Because of the durability on weapons I try to avoid any kind of combat so I do not lose them. Always thinking and worried I'd find something/someone where I would actually need my weapons to kill, I don't want them to break. Perhaps this feeling will be lost once I actually have a decent amount of weapon slots unlocked and also having them filled, but that's not the case as of yet.

Slowly but surely I'll get to finish it, but it's not a game I truly seem to enjoy so far. Bummer, I was really looking forward to be playing a Zelda game after so long (last Zelda I played from start to finish Ocarina of Time). I still believe it does get a whole lot better (much) later on, based on the screenshots I've seen from people being completely decked out in armour and weaponry. I wonder when I get to that point.

I hope you guys know that by constantly breaking the weapons that you're using, you will make the game spawn more of,

- Weapons of the same type
- Higher quality weapons
- More frequently.

So avoiding mobs and saving your favorites is a big no no (well except for emergencies), basically it will make said weapons rarer than it should be. As soon I realize I was fighting the system by doing so and started picking fights more, well yeah, I had a blast. So break your weapons to increase the weapon spawn level, and then the game should be easier. That's how progress metric works in this game actually, aside from learning the obvious mechanics and hidden tricks.

 

[Xaero Gravity]

I hope you guys know that by constantly breaking the weapons that you're using, you will make the game spawn more of,

- Weapons of the same type
- Higher quality weapons
- More frequently.

So avoiding mobs and saving your favorites is a big no no (well except for emergencies), basically it will make said weapons rarer than it should be. As soon I realize I was fighting the system by doing so and started picking fights more, well yeah, I had a blast. So break your weapons to increase the weapon spawn level, and then the game should be easier. That's how progress metric works in this game actually, aside from learning the obvious mechanics and hidden tricks.

Seriously? This is a game changer for me.

 

[Paasei]

I hope you guys know that by constantly breaking the weapons that you're using, you will make the game spawn more of,

- Weapons of the same type
- Higher quality weapons
- More frequently.

So avoiding mobs and saving your favorites is a big no no (well except for emergencies), basically it will make said weapons rarer than it should be. As soon I realize I was fighting the system by doing so and started picking fights more, well yeah, I had a blast. So break your weapons to increase the weapon spawn level, and then the game should be easier. That's how progress metric works in this game actually, aside from learning the obvious mechanics and hidden tricks.

This I didn't know.

Just got my ipad fixed and was told to deliver ancient materials from the dungeons. Thank god I decided to keep all of them just in case.

 

[-MD-]

Weapon degradation was the pleb filter. Gonna go back to it soon with all the DLC on Wii-U I think.

Aint that the truth, saw countless people bitch and moan about the breakable weapons and it was never once an issue for me, I remember throwing away weapons constantly because I had so many.

 

[Saruhashi]

Aint that the truth, saw countless people bitch and moan about the breakable weapons and it was never once an issue for me, I remember throwing away weapons constantly because I had so many.

Similar here. Though I tend to stick with only one handed weapons and shields. So I just don't bother too much with anything else.

I think that's another aspect of BotW that gets missed by people. That the game does offer a lot of scope to tailor your own experience.

 

[Ulysses 31]

Headshots with arrows can one shot a lot of mobs too!

Forgot how satisfying it is to parry energybeams back at guardians.

 

[Makoto Niijima]

It’s a masterpiece

 

[Xaero Gravity]

Some of you guys are stupid as hell. "Someone doesn't like what I like, they must suck"

 

[Makoto Niijima]

Some of you guys are stupid as hell. "Someone doesn't like what I like, they must suck"

Looking at this thread it seems to go both ways.

 

[Lupin3]

The main drawback with BotW (for me) was the rain. I felt as though it was raining way too often, and it took away the feeling of being able to do/climb whatever I wanted. Other than that, I actually ended up loving the game even though it had a lot of stuff I usually hate in such games. The shrines were, if a bit on the easy side, very entertaining. Probably the highlight of the game for me (except the test of strength ones).