Posted: Mon Mar 06, 2017 8:12 pm
Well, this game is the reason some smartass changed the title of the Gaming thread to "Reppy In Peace", due to the joke being that the game has claimed me and I've barely been on Nationstates since launch, soooo....
LOVING the game so far. Aside from being downright beautiful, the controls handle wonderfully once you get accustomed to them. The game eases you into how things work in a manner that flows easily and doesn't especially feel like a tutorial- it gives you a smaller sandbox to play in while you learn the basics through gameplay, and once you've gotten all the tools you need to survive, then it opens up the bigger sandbox for you to begin exploring.
Honestly, it feels like the most "Zelda" title possibly since the original on the NES 30 years ago. You have an objective- beat the Big Bad, save the princess, something something get these things... but unlike the games since about OoT, it is NOT a linear progression and you are free to explore the game world and find your plot coupons in whatever order and at whatever pace your patience and skill level dictate. The puzzles in the shrines are an absolute delight, ranging from the relatively straightforward and obvious to some real good brain teasers forcing you to really make use of all your tools. The game world feels extremely believable- the wilderness is littered with ruins and dangers, and thus you only rarely run across other travelers; the towns are believably populated and you're more likely to meet people on the road the closer you get to a population center. The geography itself is incredibly believable, with flora and fauna that change as you cross climate zones, as does the weather conditions. So many little touches that make it an involved experience that really sucks you in.
Also, special mention to the horse AI. Unlike every previous game in the series where you have a horse (or hell, pretty much any game I've played where you get to ride a horse, period), when you're riding, you aren't just controlling the horse exactly as you would control Link. You can steer it, obviously, but the horse will navigate around trees and obstacles without your input, and if you're following a road or trail, it will follow that road or trail without you having to explicitly tell it to. Which is good, because that way you can be alert and surveying the surroundings for enemies or things of interest rather than putting most of your attention into controlling where you're going.
Or, the tl;dr version: OMFG THIS GAME IS EVERYTHING I IMAGINED AND MORE <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
LOVING the game so far. Aside from being downright beautiful, the controls handle wonderfully once you get accustomed to them. The game eases you into how things work in a manner that flows easily and doesn't especially feel like a tutorial- it gives you a smaller sandbox to play in while you learn the basics through gameplay, and once you've gotten all the tools you need to survive, then it opens up the bigger sandbox for you to begin exploring.
Honestly, it feels like the most "Zelda" title possibly since the original on the NES 30 years ago. You have an objective- beat the Big Bad, save the princess, something something get these things... but unlike the games since about OoT, it is NOT a linear progression and you are free to explore the game world and find your plot coupons in whatever order and at whatever pace your patience and skill level dictate. The puzzles in the shrines are an absolute delight, ranging from the relatively straightforward and obvious to some real good brain teasers forcing you to really make use of all your tools. The game world feels extremely believable- the wilderness is littered with ruins and dangers, and thus you only rarely run across other travelers; the towns are believably populated and you're more likely to meet people on the road the closer you get to a population center. The geography itself is incredibly believable, with flora and fauna that change as you cross climate zones, as does the weather conditions. So many little touches that make it an involved experience that really sucks you in.
Also, special mention to the horse AI. Unlike every previous game in the series where you have a horse (or hell, pretty much any game I've played where you get to ride a horse, period), when you're riding, you aren't just controlling the horse exactly as you would control Link. You can steer it, obviously, but the horse will navigate around trees and obstacles without your input, and if you're following a road or trail, it will follow that road or trail without you having to explicitly tell it to. Which is good, because that way you can be alert and surveying the surroundings for enemies or things of interest rather than putting most of your attention into controlling where you're going.
Or, the tl;dr version: OMFG THIS GAME IS EVERYTHING I IMAGINED AND MORE <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3