I feel like the last year in gaming can be summarized in one sentence: all aboard the hype train. Pre-order culture and cinematic gaming previews have lead to an unhealthy amount of excitement and unreal expectations for upcoming games. It's easy to see why. Take No Man’s Sky (or No Man’s Lie as the fans call it) or instance. The game was hyped like there was no tomorrow. Fans speculated and envisioned a game that was far beyond the reality of what they received. Granted, this wasn’t helped at all by the vague marketing campaign, empty promises, and the so-called “gameplay” video that was really just a pre-rendered recording the devs pretended to play. But fans, myself included, let our imaginations run wild. It led to crushing disappointment and a lot of wasted money. We’ve seen this trend time and time again. Watch Dogs. The Order 1886. Star Wars: Battlefront. Assassin’s Creed Unity. Destiny. The list just goes on. I’ve found myself pulling back from pre-orders and yet, sometimes, I still can’t help but want to ride the hype train. After coming back from the crash that was No Man’s Sky, I’ve had to take a hard look at my most anticipated game, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
As a brief disclaimer for the rest of this article, I want to make sure one thing is known. I love The Legend of Zelda. It is by far my favorite video game series of all time. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time was among the first games I ever played. This is a series that I adore from the bottom of my heart; so much so, that I have bought consoles solely because I wanted to play the new Zelda title. I have the collector's edition of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD and I have read my copy of the Hyrule Historia several times. I have dreamed of making my own Link cosplay. I even have plans for pre-ordering the collector's edition of Breath of the Wild (assuming one is made available) despite what I write in this article. In short, this is going to be a smidge (read as completely) biased.
When the first promo video for the game released in 2014, I was floored. The level of detail combined with beautiful cel-shaded graphics and bright colors instantly caught my attention. Plus, the new Link was decked out in a gorgeous blue outfit that I have wanted to make a cosplay of for the past two years. But if there was one thing that caught my attention more than anything else, it would have to be the promise of an open world. As a long time fan of the open world, sandbox, action-adventure games genre, I couldn’t have been happier with the first promos for The Legend of Zelda: Wii U (it wouldn’t be called Breath of the Wild until much later). Since that time, more videos and information have been released. The game received an official title and we know a lot more about the core gameplay mechanics. However, I have a list of hopes and fears for the new game.
1. Story and Overworld
As far as I’m concerned, The Legend of Zelda games have either an excellent story or an excellent overworld. None of the games have managed to encompass both. My hope for the new game is that it will be able to balance story and overworld design so that both are equally prodigious.
2. The Stamina Wheel
The stamina wheel is back. Love it or leave it, the stamina wheel has made a return from The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. While I personally didn’t find it too grating in Skyward Sword, I felt that the game could have been a better experience without it. Although this wheel seems to have been changed slightly, I’m still hesitant to accept it. If done well, it could add a decent difficulty curve that would force the player to think carefully about how and what they will be doing. Or it could turn into an utter annoyance that ends with a broken window and a controller in the yard.
3. Cooking and Gathering
We can cook! And gather! Oh, I’d love to see what horrible concoctions I can make from the putrid ingredients that can be found in the overworld. Or you know, make Link a pie. That could be fun too. All joking aside, it seems as if the cooking mechanic will either replace or be in addition to the spawning hearts that are found in Zelda games. Essentially, you cook Link a dish and it will replace his health or give temporary buffs like the potions did in other games. My worry is that it will be a tedious exercise that only distracts the player from what they are really there for; slicing and dicing monsters while finding hidden treasures. Plus, it would be a shame if cooking replaces spawning hearts completely. Cutting grass or smashing pots to find hearts and rupees is a staple of the series.
4. Stealth and Verticality
Link has been taking some lessons from Ezio Auditore it seems. Proper stealth mechanics and the ability to climb just about everything has been introduced into the new game. I love it! That’s about it. I don’t really see a downside to this. Of course, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist, I just don’t see a downside right now.
5. The Paraglider
Let’s all give a hearty round of applause to the return of the paraglider. Or well, the mechanic anyways. While the paraglider might not have existed in other games, we’ve certainly had similar items. Link’s sailcloth from Skyward Sword or the Deku Leaf in The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker both served similar functions. Plus all those poor cuccos from Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess that were harassed. The new paraglider offers a faster way to travel and I hope it will be featured in a couple of puzzles. Once again, I’m not really seeing a downside here.
6. Wolf Link
For those of us who got our hands on the The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD Wolf Link amiibo, this is a welcome bit of news. After slaying our way through all 38 floors in the Cave of Shadows, all those extra hearts will come to good use. As meta as it may be, we’ll be able to have Wolf Link as a companion in Breath of the Wild. Of course, this means extra work in Twilight Princess to make sure that Wolf Link always has a good stockpile of health and it’s even worse news for those who don’t have the amiibo. Speaking of...
7. The Amiibos
Just… just take my money Nintendo. I don’t even know what they do and I don’t care all that much. I just want them so that I can finish my epic desk amiibo battle. Ganondorf won the last Pokemon battle against the Inklings and the good guys need the backup. Once again, all joking aside, if they artificially restrict the stock again I’m gonna be pissed. I have heard their arguments for doing so and I call BS. The scalpers don’t need your help Nintendo, so don’t make their bottom feeding job easier.
8. The Overworld
My gods is it big. This can be both a blessing and a curse. Gamers can easily dump hundreds of hours into exploring a huge open world. But, if we aren’t careful, we can get lost. This was the same issue I had with The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. I played the game for about 100 hours and it was only in the last two did I remember that I actually needed to play the story. When I finally got to the story campaign, it was too easy. I had so much experience and a ton of high powered attacks, that the final boss was a breeze. Which is a shame, since he was supposed to be a world-ending disaster of a dragon. Big is great. Too big is too much.
As much as I have gushed over the upcoming Zelda game, I am worried about where this hype train will take me. I know that I am probably expecting too much from the game and I’m bound to be disappointed, but I’m hoping that isn’t the case. I want this game to succeed and I want it to be the most amazing Zelda game I’ve ever played. However, I’ve already got a few issues with the game. Such as the Nintendo NX shenanigans. I got a Wii U to play The Legend of Zelda Wii U, not an inferior version of Breath of the Wild. Nintendo has been putting this game off for years in the name of innovation and adding new features. My worry is that the Nintendo developers may have lost sight of their original goal and have just added so many superfluous things to the game that The Legend of Zelda is buried underneath a mishmash of Skyrim, Assassin’s Creed, and Cooking Mama. So, as the date draws nearer I find myself holding my breath for The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild.
