The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (contains spoilers)

Finally got off my lazy butt and decided to finish the game.

Gotta say, that was one heck of an awesome experience. Still ranks as my favorite game of the 2010s for a reason after all. What about you guys?

On another note, while the story isn't exactly what I would call the best one I've seen in a video game, far from it, I still found myself engrossed in it, especially regarding the Champion's and the many hints sprinkled throughout the world regarding the past. For that matter, this might actually be my favorite incarnation of Princess Zelda, alongside Tetra. Rather than the typical stoic and proper beauty in other games, here, she's shown to be quite vulnerable and human, simply trying to do her best to live up to the expectations hoisted upon her, yet having much in terms of self-doubt and the like. Honestly, I found myself getting pretty choked up upon seeing her finally break down and cry in Link's arms, the stress of everything that happened and her failure to complete her task finally catching up to her (for that matter, I think it was done better in the Japanese version, as you aren't gonna be composed when full of despair like she was).

Heck, given everything regarding her character, I can't help but feel that the theme from NieR: Automata fits her character extraordinarily to a tee, to the point that it could just as much be the main theme for BOTW, and it would work just as well.

BOTW Zelda's story arc is excellent. I love it.

I listened to a few different languages for the cutscenes - I liked the German and Latin American Spanish tracks. Japanese I didn't like because they give Zelda a breathy little-girl voice similar to Mipha's. Works for demure Mipha, not so much for our headstrong Princess. But that's personal taste.

Last time I did the Champion's Ballad, I did the Great Plateau shrines in a different order. Turns out the order you do the shrines in affects where on the Great Plateau Kass shows up. He appears near the second shrine you complete.

Another thing I learned recently is that if you have the Champion weapons remade, it takes time as if you rested at a fire till morning. Interesting detail.

Goddamn, I forgot how awful the Yigs Hideout was.

I might just vaporize those bastards with Ancient arrows.

Edited by Rationalinsanity on Jan 1st 2020 at 5:55:25 AM

That's what I mostly did after a while.

Not all of them of course, but it makes the most sense to have that ready for the ones you can't believably one shot with other arrows or by sneaking up on them.

Its funny, I think the Hideout proper might be the worst portion of the game. But the boss isn't difficult, and is one of the more amusing fights in the game.

Edited by Rationalinsanity on Jan 1st 2020 at 6:08:25 AM

I like the Yiga hideout, but then again I found it more enjoyable to play as much of the game as possible as a ninja.

Ninjas and the hideout are too short to leave much of an impression.

I love stealth games, but BOTF has average at best stealth mechanics.

The Hideout isn't well laid out, takes away several of your options, and is jarringly restrictive compared to the rest of the game.

The stealth is actually pretty well developed, but it really requires that you move slowly and fully use the environment and unorthodox decisions. So yeah, not as well put together in terms of that like say, Thief or Metal Gear.

My problem with the Yiga Hideout was twofold. One, for a game that's pretty wide open and gives the player a lot of freedom for most sections, it is annoying that it basically forces you into one playstyle. Great if you happen to really like stealthing around, but aggravating if you don't.

Another, strongly related to the first, is that the penalty for screwing up is way too harsh. If you do screw up and are forced into combat, the first section is technically doable (I did, in fact, pull it off after alerting the guards - you have to be extremely careful about kiting the guards at just the right distance). But it's rather difficult, and the second is nigh impossible to do if you screw up. Death Is a Slap on the Wrist makes it so that you can try again easily enough... that said, it's frustrating to the extreme to have to do so over and over again.

So, the DLC armors and helmets look cool and all. But they can't be upgraded and have middling defense...

My disappointment is immense.

A lot of them make for an excellent Disc-One Nuke with the set bonuses, and Majora's Mask is so powerful it basically makes the masks from Kilton useless, but yeah, they all fall off very quick, so unless you gun for them before getting two fairy fountains running they don't stay relevant long.

Edited by NaraNumas on Jan 2nd 2020 at 1:34:36 PM

Better that than the horrible Serial Escalation that typically comes with DLC armors

So if I beat the game before I get the DLC, then they're useless?

Well shit. Eh. Majora's Mask will still get me some mileage I suppose. Not having to worry about fighting enemies at random is always good.

I always rather liked the enemy ambushes.

I disagree. Paid DLC should be potent in some regard.

I started grabbing them with 3 Fairy Fountains active, and a lot of sets (especially the environmental ones) upgraded to level 2 and 3. They are mostly a cosmetic waste of effort now.

At least its not as bad as Ace Combat 7's so called "superplanes"...

Edited by Rationalinsanity on Jan 3rd 2020 at 4:11:06 PM

It's a sad state of affairs when nothing can outfly the the F-35

Both Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword involved pumpkin soup

You can't make pumpkin soup in Breath Of The Wild but you can make pumpkin STEW

I wonder what happened in between TP and BOTW to cause Hylians to realize pumpkins are tastier in stew form than as a soup

"I wonder what will happen if I make a stew version of this soup... Oh, wow, that's really good. Hey, honey, taste my new recipe!"

Cornstarch was invented.

So here's a thing I learned: you know the hot springs in Death Mountain's hot zone? If you drop a wooden weapon in the water there, it won't burn.

Completely useless, but I thought it was an interesting detail.

Water takes priority over the heat, that's not really a detail they'd have to program in.

Hi! After "255 hours or more" of playing, I've finally gone and defeated Ganon. I'm not looking for 100% Completion, but I did complete all shrines, and all sidequests I know of except Tingle's costume (because I don't want it). Had to look up some things (like what I was missing to unlock the Sheikah Heirloom event, turns out it was the fireflies thing) but it was overall blind-ish.

Since the wiki mentions a post-game monster-slaying quest I'll probably try that a bit (if only to see whether the playing hours counter is capped at 255 or not, and to see if I met all taluses and hinoxen — I know I avoided some lynels).

I loved the Champion's Ballad DLC, but I enjoyed the Trials a lot less — Nonetheless I ended up completing it. However since that was the last thing I did before fighting Ganon, the perma-unlocked Master Sword entered Bragging Rights Reward territory (the only monster left doesn't need it!) — though that was before I learned of the monster slaying quest...

Edit: I don't plan to try Master Mode. I know I'm not that good, so attempting it would be masochistic, which I ain't either. For the same reason I don't plan to go after more Korok seeds (I have over half of them, so full inventory) except maybe that one in Laurelin Village that I keep failing...

Edited by Medinoc on Feb 19th 2020 at 4:17:37 PM

Master Mode is really only particularly difficult in the early game (and in some of the DLC content; not looking at anyone in particular, Waterblight Ganon refight). Outside of those, it's just that every regular enemy is a tier up, and they regen up to half their health.

Oh, and if you're talking about the Lurelin Village Korok that I think you are, I personally cheesed it by using Octorok Balloons to bring a rock up onto that roof.

I tried that strat time and again, with and without a korok leaf, with and without Revali's Gale, and I still couldn't get it there.

I tried stasis launches, failed too.

I wonder if I could bring some metal door/crate into the village...

Edited by Medinoc on Feb 19th 2020 at 6:43:11 PM