Conversation

Notices

1. Embed this notice
   Alex Gleason (alex@gleasonator.com)'s status on Sunday, 11-Jun-2023 01:31:12 JST Alex Gleason
   Zelda TOTK review
   
   tl;dr - 6.5/10
   
   This game has gotten an unprecedented level of 10/10 scores from wojak critics. If it hadn't, I wouldn't feel compelled to write this.
   
   I believe the critics are simply hyped about a new Zelda game with lots of content to fill the empty void of loneliness they feel. It's a good game, but it doesn't meet the Zelda standard I expect.
   
   This game feels like a fangame mod of Breath of the Wild. If you had told me open source developers created this game in their free time over the course of 6 years, I'd believe it. Now don't get me wrong - I played it and beat it, and it was somewhat enjoyable. But the entire time something felt wrong.
   
   I'm very much of the mindset that "developers rule". And in a way, the epic record-breaking sales of this game prove that I'm correct. But it feels like no product person was involved in this game whatsoever. I assume that during the pandemic, the product/design/management people struggled the most while developers thrived. It's like the development of this game was entirely based around voluntary pull requests that people just merged, instead of a visionary leading their team towards a cohesive vision.
   
   BOTW was a cohesive vision about redefining Zelda. It's based on the very first Zelda game on NES. It has themes of past and future. Everything about the game is in harmony. By contrast, TOTK is about "progress". But progress towards what, exactly? The developers' fantasies about what Link could do in this sandbox world? I did not feel like there was any real purpose of this game except to kill time. I expect more from a Zelda game.
   
   The reused assets feel lazy, and the extra "content" they added doesn't make up for it. People hoped this game would be like Majora's Mask, but Majora's Mask was based on Aonuma's nightmares. That level of vision simply isn't present for TOTK.
   
   The game feels like a Zelda + Fortnite mashup. It mainly rewards dorks who want to build ridiculous machines, something that feels very wrong for Zelda. If it wasn't a Zelda game, maybe I'd feel differently.
   
   They didn't even explain what happened to Guardians and shrines from BOTW. Every time a cutscene came on it was agony. 😩 They'd give 10 minutes of "story" without telling any of the things you actually need to know. The "story" of this game is complete and utter bullshit, and further exemplifies how disjointed this game is. Gannondorf hardly belongs.
   
   If you have time to kill; if you're looking for a game that keeps drawing you back, and giving you a just little bit while taking from you more, I highly recommend giving TOTK a try.
   • Seahorses are horses likes this.
   • Embed this notice
     Doughnut Lollipop 【記録係】:blobfoxgooglymlem: (tk@bbs.kawa-kun.com)'s status on Sunday, 11-Jun-2023 01:32:48 JST Doughnut Lollipop 【記録係】:blobfoxgooglymlem:

     in reply to
     @alex I miss traditional Zelda games.
   • Embed this notice
     Alex Gleason (alex@gleasonator.com)'s status on Sunday, 11-Jun-2023 01:34:09 JST Alex Gleason

     in reply to

     • Doughnut Lollipop 【記録係】:blobfoxgooglymlem:
     @tk I've been missing N64 Zelda a lot since playing this game.
     Doughnut Lollipop 【記録係】:blobfoxgooglymlem: likes this.
   • Embed this notice
     MattZ (colinsmatt11@gleasonator.com)'s status on Sunday, 11-Jun-2023 01:51:24 JST MattZ

     in reply to

     • Doughnut Lollipop 【記録係】:blobfoxgooglymlem:
     @alex @tk I miss minish cap, its art art style is one of best sprite work I have seen.
     Doughnut Lollipop 【記録係】:blobfoxgooglymlem: likes this.
   • Embed this notice
     marlin (marlin@poa.st)'s status on Sunday, 11-Jun-2023 01:55:04 JST marlin

     in reply to
     @alex Reasonable critisisms. When BoTW came out I gave it a 7/10, but after a second replay a year later I gave it a 10/10. I would like your opinion a year from now after a second replay.
     
     This was my review of TotK.
     
     poa.st/@marlin/posts/AVrJvgYZGUjey5zDcm
   • Embed this notice
     Alex Gleason (alex@gleasonator.com)'s status on Sunday, 11-Jun-2023 01:55:04 JST Alex Gleason

     in reply to

     • marlin
     @marlin I give BOTW maybe a 9 or 10. There's an amazing sense of exploration, curiosity, mystery, and amusement in that game that you simply don't get in the conquered version of that world in TOTK.
   • Embed this notice
     Morgthorak the Undead (morgthorak@poa.st)'s status on Sunday, 11-Jun-2023 01:57:32 JST Morgthorak the Undead

     in reply to
     @alex I didn't play BOTW so I am enjoying TOTK. Agree the cut scenes can go on too long, I skip them if they are too familiar and boring. But I am enjoying running around the world, and I am taking it slow.
     
     I finished the Water Temple last night. That boss is a pain in the ass as I had run low on Splash Fruit and could not get the damn mud out of the way, so the fight took longer than it should have.
     
     Overall, I like the game. But if someone played BOTW, then I can see how it might feel like just more of the same. I don't mind the vehicles but I use them when I must, otherwise I just run on foot or use a horse. Ascend, Ultrahand, Rewind,etc. are fun to use and add good gameplay.
     Alex Gleason likes this.
   • Embed this notice
     marlin (marlin@poa.st)'s status on Sunday, 11-Jun-2023 02:00:22 JST marlin

     in reply to
     @alex You mentioned progress. I recently finished The Wind Waker after a ten year hiatus and BotW/ToTK feel like massive improvements to that formula.
     
     poa.st/@marlin/posts/AWKk1g6fmDReUg5vKC
     Alex Gleason likes this.
   • Embed this notice
     Mike Rockwell (mike@libertynode.net)'s status on Sunday, 11-Jun-2023 03:41:20 JST Mike Rockwell

     in reply to

     @alex The fuse ability with weapons is much nicer as well. It turns the weapon degradation into a mechanic — when one of my weapons breaks there’s this neat moment of discovery to see what I can put together when I pick up my next weapon.

     There’s no longer the need to manage multiple types of arrows — you just have an inventory of plain arrows and fuse them with whatever type of item you need at the time.

     Alex Gleason likes this.
   • Embed this notice
     Mike Rockwell (mike@libertynode.net)'s status on Sunday, 11-Jun-2023 03:41:34 JST Mike Rockwell

     in reply to

     @alex my opinion of TOTK has changed as I played it more. I believe it’s overhyped, for sure, but now that I’ve spent more time with the mechanics, I think it’s a better game than BOTW.

     The key difference for me is that the game is much easier to traverse. The ability to build vehicles, the existence of the towers, and sky islands make it so much easier to travel further without having to trudge through all the climbing that annoyed me during my playthrough of BOTW.