The Legend of Zelda series has been the the best video game series bar none. I have loved playing these games since the original Nintendo version (although, technically, I played The Adventure of Link first). While there have been some missteps [cough ... Skyward Sword ... cough], most of these games have been ahead of their time, creating a feeling of adventure and fun that no other series has matched. So please understand when I say that this is the greatest Zelda game, and possibly the greatest video game, to date. Not since the original Zelda game have I felt such an amazing feeling of adventure and exploration. Meanwhile the Internet is full of tips, secrets, and tricks that are still being discovered by avid players around the world.
I knew that this game was special before we even went through our interesting journey in getting it (involving store outages, external hard drive swaps, and hours of downloading). No other game has had so many members of my family interested in playing it. While I am often content to wait until a game drops in price (usually during the Christmas sales after its release), a few games warrant my "vote" by paying the full price. In this case, we had originally purchased the Wii U in anticipation that this game was going to be released ... only to have it delayed several years, and then for it to be the feature game of the Nintendo Switch. The betrayal I felt originally made me want to sour grapes the game entirely, but Janelle (who hasn't been excited about a video game since Skyrim and hasn't finished a game since probably a decade before that) and my children convinced me that the game would be worth it. The fact that four of us were taking turns playing it for the past few weeks indicates just how great the game is. I am also happy to report that the game plays just fine on the Wii U. While there are some occasional issues of frame-rate drop, they are few (particularly with moblin falling animations) and have been reported with the Switch version of the game as well.
What is so great about the game? Well, first of all: SPOILERS! You have been warned.
The game recreates the lonely feel of exploring a defeated world in a way that reminds me heavily of the very first game in the series. Like the first game, nearly every area in the game is loaded with secret goodies. Basically, while the first Zelda game had me burning every bush and bombing every wall, this game also encouraged me to leave no stone unturned, no surface unclimbed, no lake unswum, no fruit tree unpicked, etc. Even after hours and hours of playing the game, I know that I missed many, many of its secrets. Honestly, I started playing, thinking that I would uncover every single item possible, but I now leave the game (for at least a while) knowing that there are still places that have gone unexplored. Unlike many other open world games, with the exception of completing all of the shrines and memories, there's no real incentive for finding every hidden item (actually, the game even makes fun of people who take the time to do so).
The game departs from the previous games in several ways. Instead of a line of complex dungeons, there is only one massive castle and four mid-sized "divine beasts" who together make up the size of one of the previous game's larger dungeons. In place of the sometimes overly complex monstrosities, this game hosts over a hundred smaller shrines, each holding only a few puzzles based on a some game mechanic the game uses. Activating these shrines not only rewards you with spirit orbs (basically the heart pieces of the earlier games, although they can also be used to increase Link's stamina--another new game mechanic), but provides locations for Link to quickly transport to at any time (thus, always look for a shrine near an inhabited area). The game's map only opens after climbing suspiciously Assassin Creed-like towers, which not only expose new areas of the map and allow you to spot distant locations (pretty much, if you can see it, you can get there), but provide perfect jumping-off points for one of my favorite new Zelda tools: the paraglider, a tool acquired early in the game that works as a hang-glider for relatively quick travel throughout the massive world.
Item use in the game is also quite different than before. Instead of a page or two of unique items, this game has only a handful of techno-magic abilities necessary to beat the game and pages of items that can be used (or not) in a wide variety of fashions, from cooking meals (as little hearts no longer pop out of defeated enemies or defeated grass, Link must either rest in beds, complete shrines, or eat food to regain lost health), to crafting elixirs, to dying clothes, to starting fires, to making money, to floating heavy objects, and probably other uses that I have not figured out. Even Link's various outfits serve different purposes, requiring the player to consider what to wear depending on the situation. Gone also is the single, dependable sword. Link can now use a wide range of weapons. Moreso, he must use them as all weapons and shields break over time (the one mechanic that was a bit frustrating, even if it forced me to break out of my comfort zone in some delightful ways).
The game also harkens back to the past. Bows and arrows are still one of the best tools to use in the game. There are plenty of places to use bombs (which thankfully are on a recharge rather than running out). Horses are a main form of transportation. Not only are Zelda, Link, Ganon, and Impa still important characters, Gorons, Ritus, Gerudas, Koroks, Sheikas and Zoras all have significant parts in the story too. Side characters are full of their unique Nintendo charm. Bokoblins, moblins, octoroks, lizalfos, chuchus, wizzrobes, and even lynels have returned to plague the world. The shrines of Power, Wisdom, and Courage make appearances. The Great Fairies are particularly helpful this time around. The Deku Tree is still an impressive sight. Most importantly, the Master Sword is truly deserving of its name in this game.
There are aspects of the game that still bother me (getting items from dragons being the top of the list), but I consider this game a "must-play" for anyone who likes video games, especially games with a fantasy-exploration theme. In my mind, the mark of a great game is whether I want to go play it again even after many, many hours of gameplay the first time. And I certainly look forward to exploring this version of Hyrule again.
I knew that this game was special before we even went through our interesting journey in getting it (involving store outages, external hard drive swaps, and hours of downloading). No other game has had so many members of my family interested in playing it. While I am often content to wait until a game drops in price (usually during the Christmas sales after its release), a few games warrant my "vote" by paying the full price. In this case, we had originally purchased the Wii U in anticipation that this game was going to be released ... only to have it delayed several years, and then for it to be the feature game of the Nintendo Switch. The betrayal I felt originally made me want to sour grapes the game entirely, but Janelle (who hasn't been excited about a video game since Skyrim and hasn't finished a game since probably a decade before that) and my children convinced me that the game would be worth it. The fact that four of us were taking turns playing it for the past few weeks indicates just how great the game is. I am also happy to report that the game plays just fine on the Wii U. While there are some occasional issues of frame-rate drop, they are few (particularly with moblin falling animations) and have been reported with the Switch version of the game as well.
What is so great about the game? Well, first of all: SPOILERS! You have been warned.
The game recreates the lonely feel of exploring a defeated world in a way that reminds me heavily of the very first game in the series. Like the first game, nearly every area in the game is loaded with secret goodies. Basically, while the first Zelda game had me burning every bush and bombing every wall, this game also encouraged me to leave no stone unturned, no surface unclimbed, no lake unswum, no fruit tree unpicked, etc. Even after hours and hours of playing the game, I know that I missed many, many of its secrets. Honestly, I started playing, thinking that I would uncover every single item possible, but I now leave the game (for at least a while) knowing that there are still places that have gone unexplored. Unlike many other open world games, with the exception of completing all of the shrines and memories, there's no real incentive for finding every hidden item (actually, the game even makes fun of people who take the time to do so).
The game departs from the previous games in several ways. Instead of a line of complex dungeons, there is only one massive castle and four mid-sized "divine beasts" who together make up the size of one of the previous game's larger dungeons. In place of the sometimes overly complex monstrosities, this game hosts over a hundred smaller shrines, each holding only a few puzzles based on a some game mechanic the game uses. Activating these shrines not only rewards you with spirit orbs (basically the heart pieces of the earlier games, although they can also be used to increase Link's stamina--another new game mechanic), but provides locations for Link to quickly transport to at any time (thus, always look for a shrine near an inhabited area). The game's map only opens after climbing suspiciously Assassin Creed-like towers, which not only expose new areas of the map and allow you to spot distant locations (pretty much, if you can see it, you can get there), but provide perfect jumping-off points for one of my favorite new Zelda tools: the paraglider, a tool acquired early in the game that works as a hang-glider for relatively quick travel throughout the massive world.
Item use in the game is also quite different than before. Instead of a page or two of unique items, this game has only a handful of techno-magic abilities necessary to beat the game and pages of items that can be used (or not) in a wide variety of fashions, from cooking meals (as little hearts no longer pop out of defeated enemies or defeated grass, Link must either rest in beds, complete shrines, or eat food to regain lost health), to crafting elixirs, to dying clothes, to starting fires, to making money, to floating heavy objects, and probably other uses that I have not figured out. Even Link's various outfits serve different purposes, requiring the player to consider what to wear depending on the situation. Gone also is the single, dependable sword. Link can now use a wide range of weapons. Moreso, he must use them as all weapons and shields break over time (the one mechanic that was a bit frustrating, even if it forced me to break out of my comfort zone in some delightful ways).
The game also harkens back to the past. Bows and arrows are still one of the best tools to use in the game. There are plenty of places to use bombs (which thankfully are on a recharge rather than running out). Horses are a main form of transportation. Not only are Zelda, Link, Ganon, and Impa still important characters, Gorons, Ritus, Gerudas, Koroks, Sheikas and Zoras all have significant parts in the story too. Side characters are full of their unique Nintendo charm. Bokoblins, moblins, octoroks, lizalfos, chuchus, wizzrobes, and even lynels have returned to plague the world. The shrines of Power, Wisdom, and Courage make appearances. The Great Fairies are particularly helpful this time around. The Deku Tree is still an impressive sight. Most importantly, the Master Sword is truly deserving of its name in this game.
There are aspects of the game that still bother me (getting items from dragons being the top of the list), but I consider this game a "must-play" for anyone who likes video games, especially games with a fantasy-exploration theme. In my mind, the mark of a great game is whether I want to go play it again even after many, many hours of gameplay the first time. And I certainly look forward to exploring this version of Hyrule again.
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