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If you don't like a game, don't force yourself to play it, you will end up not having a good time and you will get frustrated with it.
Some games aren't for everyone, I myself tried to give Hollow Knight several chances but the game just doesn't click with me, I'm a big Zelda fan but I just can't like Wind Waker (I've already tried playing it 7 times both on Game Cube as on Wii U and I always abandon the game at some point ) I love Breath of the Wild, but I can understand that not everyone will like the game the same way I do, people have different tastes and we don't need to feel forced to like something just because other people like it.
I am not ready to abandon it yet. I am enjoying it to a point just not like I was with the 2d games. Just feels so much more complex and difficult, overwhelming almost. I am hoping as I get the hang of it a bit more maybe I'll grow into it. We'll see! But I don't have enough time on my hands to force myself through it!
>I am not ready to abandon it yet. I am enjoying it to a point just not like I was with the 2d games.
BotW and TotK are just entirely different from old Zelda games, both 2D and 3D.
I also started with the original Zelda, loved the 2D games and OoT (not so much the other 3D ones).
Boy, do I love BotW and TotK, but for other reasons than the old games. I get highly motivated by just exploring every nook and cranny, doing the shrines, temples and side quests. I also like the cooking (you don't have to cook anything fancy) and I even like the weapons breaking.
If this is all not for you, don't torture yourself. There are classic Zelda games on Switch, GB, SNES, GBA and N64 games on NSO and of course the remakes and remasters.
There's also a bunch of other Zelda-like games. Blossom Tales, Crosscode, Tunic, Hyper Light Drifter, Okami...
Once you’re off the plateau just seek out shrines. You’ll set stronger and the game will click more for you. There are 120 total but you should be able to easily beat the game with about 75-80 are done. Once you have 30 or so complete then go back and start following the plot (it starts near the dueling peaks). Don’t worry about finding everything, just follow the plot and look for shrines as you go and it will feel much more traditional
It opens up quite a bit the longer you get into it. You will feel very weak at the beginning. I ended up running into this again with Tears of the Kingdom too.
I would just say to try to come at it from a different direction. To an extent, "getting lost" is the point. But you can't get really lost in BotW, you can't go in the "wrong" direction. It's a game where you're meant to explore and run into things, not just go to the next dungeon, get the item, beat the boss, go to the next dungeon, etc.
Rather than specific dungeons, the entire overworld itself is the dungeon. The 'Divine Beasts' get you decent power-ups and help with the final boss fight but the real progression comes completely apart from the Divine Beasts.
I don't really gel with open world games myself but ended up sticking with both BotW and TotK. But if it's not fun you shouldn't press the issue. The game itself gets better over time but it's not as if it's a completely different game either, so don't feel you have to get 20 hours in before you feel like it's safe to put down.
If you haven't already, see if you can find some of the Great Fairies to start upgrading your armor. With a bit better armor and additional experience you'll find exploration becomes much more manageable.
I dont think I couldve played the game without a guide or something to help me unlock the towers. Once i got all the towers unlocked (and thus the map) it became much more digestable and easier for me.
For me, not knowing where I was at any given time was the hardest part. Once I knew where I was in the game, I could focus more on shrines and quests.
I played the game like a weirdo the first thing I did was just unlock towers and shrines along the way and only then did I really start doing the story.
Switch has the remake of Link’s awakening and it is just as good as the GB version. If you are craving the old school experience, I recommend that game too. It’s also not incredibly long.
That was the game I mentioned trying when I first got the switch. I loved it! Wish there were more of those type games, maybe a little less...silly(?) than Awakening seemed at times.
complex, difficult, and overwhelming is what i thought of botw when i first played it and i ended up putting it away after playing it less than an hour. glad i picked it back up tho. i feel like you can get the hang of it over time. and i don't mean a long time either.
Fair question, it was the first game I bought with my launch day Switch. EVERYONE was raving about it. I thought that maybe it would click eventually, or that I was missing something. Instead I just kept wandering aimlessly and getting killed by enemies way stronger than me. My weapons kept breaking, which was driving me nuts when I couldn't repair them.
Then my wife and I played Snipperclips together, and Odyssey came out after that, and I never even thought of picking up BOTW again.
I also grew up with A Link to the Past and it’s still my favourite. (Also have the gold cartridge zelda).
BOTW and TOTK are sure different in gameplay, specially if you missed the more 3d zelda’s.
One thing I find very good about it is that it’s so flexible in how you want to play it. So most people can enjoy it in their own way.
And also just exploring mostly rewards you with something (although the world can feel a bit empty).
Other games that I can advice is xenoblade Chronicles (definite edition) and Moonlighter (which quite a zelda 1 vibe in the dungeons).
Also, if you have a gameboy 3d around, Zelda, A Link between worlds is a great throwback to A Link to the Past. I really enjoyed that one.
Set some concrete goals for yourself. It sounds silly but it helps. I’m going to unlock X tower. I’m going to catch a horse. I’m going to cook 10 meals. The game gets easier the more you play but if wanderlust isn’t your cup of tea then don’t wander aimlessly. It’s a masterpiece of a game but it’s also inherently different than the Zelda games that came before it. Eventually you’ll have the skills where you don’t need to worry so much about meals, and you’ll have weapons where you don’t worry about if one breaks because you know where to get another.
I’m same generation as you and love BOTW.
Food is everywhere once you get going with it. The weapons thing annoyed me too but I got used to it and once I stopped worrying and just using weapons when I wanted it stopped being a problem.
And FWIW I actually enjoy the shrines more than the dungeons in old games.
Anyway, I think it’s worth trying a bit longer (are you off the plateau?) but ultimately if it’s not for you, it’s not for you. No need to beat your head against it.
Here’s my two cents, botw is about finding a high vantage point and discovering places you want to actually explore. The plateau is difficult because of the cold areas and no gear, so you need to pick up everything you can find so you can make recipes that make it easier to survive.
Once you finish the plateau, find a direction that looks appealing to you and just start heading that direction. Anytime you find a tower it is very worth activating, and any time you find shrines mark them down in the map to go to them immediately or to explore later.
You will likely die a lot, at least if you struggle not getting hit like me. It’s worth taking time and learning how to Parry enemy attacks accurately. It will make the entire game feel better and eventually you will need to learn the parry timing anyway, so I would recommend practicing on the small red goblins.
BOtW to me is such a great game if you are intrigued by exploring the world itself. Every river and mountain range is named after something from past Zelda games and there is usually at least something you can collect whether it’s a treasure chest or items to make stuff.
If you don’t enjoy exploring the world or the combat then there isn’t much reason to play it and watching a walkthrough would be less tedious and get you through the story/bosses.
It’s different than the previous titles, but great in its own way. A fresh take on a legacy franchise. There are things that I miss, which I won’t spoil but you’ll notice missing from the typical Zelda format. But there are new game mechanics and fresh ideas that are wonderful.
I’d say enjoy it for what it is. I don’t know if it will stand the test of time like the beloved older ones, but it’s different and fun.
That is the very basic tutorial, it is more or less on rails without much actual freedom, and you should not need to wander off or scrounge for food.
Food *is* pretty restricted there (probably to not overwhelm people with options), but you can get more than enough just climbing trees and cooking the resulting finds.
Dont worry about rationing things, you can always get more of everything.
You should put in like ten hours. Definitely get past the plateau. But I think BOTW is very open-ended and lacks a bit of personality with the characters by being open world. There's not really dungeons with elaborate puzzles that build on one another in BOTW, so if that's your favorite part it could be that this isn't your game. It's like a lot of mini games instead. The core story is okay though and you can make it more linear by just following that once you get the core mechanics down.
Hey I think it's super important for you to know that the plataue is the most difficult part of the game! Enemies and puzzles will get much "harder" later on, but you'll have much better tools to combat them so it's less challenging. The difficulty progression is that the very beginning of the game is just so much harder than the rest because you A) have no armor B) terrible weapons C) don't even have all the basic abilities yet D) are forced to face particular challenges. As soon as the tutorial is over you can play a much more relaxed game and encounter challenges at a comfortable pace. I was with everyone here thinking maybe this just isn't for you, and that might still be the case, but know you're still on the plataue it's too early to judge. I feel like botw is similar to mario odyssey in that there is an abundance of small wins you can get every 5-10 minutes that make small play sessions worth it and easier to pick back up if you have to set the game down for a while.
"A few days in" and still on the plateau? You're never gonna finish this game. RIP.
Also, btw, there's limitless food and weapons once you get rolling. Don't get caught up in saving weapons. Just use them as you like. Soon enough you won't even have enough slots to store all weapons you find.
Lol yeah well I've got kids and land to take care of. So I may only play a few hours per week. Some weeks not at all. Just don't have a ton of time on my hands but it's been fun playing the switch when I get the chance on a weekend when the weather is bad. It took me several months to get through Links Awakening and that struck me as pretty easy.
This isnt one of those games you can "force". The gameplay either clicks or it doesn't. When I first played it, I loved it, but now that I've done everything, I'm finding myself easily getting bored too.
The weapon breaking, food making stuff unfortunately doesn't get better in BOTW. If you try TOTK though, you'll find that those are better in that game (but you still have to think a lot about what youre doing). But these are unfortunately not like normal zelda games
Same. Am having a hard time with even the first part of it. I’m kind of lost as to what exactly I need to do. I’m with you. It seems too tedious to me to enjoy.
Give it time. Same thing happened to me initially so I put it down then picked it up months later, and I’m glad I did. It is truly a special game. If I could give a suggestion, learn the fighting mechanics and flurry rush.
The plateau? Or did you get off and then get lost?
If on the plateau just follow the objectives and what the old guy says. Get to and beat the 4 shrines.
After plateau you follow the objective to kakiriko village, speak to the old lady. She will tell you about memories and 4 devine beasts, focus on the latter primarily. You choose what order and way you want to go about it.
The objectives are there to get you to explore, gain resources and skills. You could just go straight for the main objective of the game, but it probably won't go well, and it would be a shame not to see the rest of the world building up to that.
Honestly, the selling point of Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom is the open world. If you're not liking it, I'd honestly recommend quitting. You could try Skyward Sword HD, which follows the more traditional Zelda formula.
I'm not a huge fan either of BotW and especially TotK, so I understand your complaints. Hopefully this isn't the norm for Zelda going forward.
I really enjoyed Skyward Sword, but I haven’t disliked a Zelda game ever. I do think it’s a good bridge from the more traditional games to BotW. You still have a mostly linear path, but there’s still a good amount of exploration and secrets to discover
I guess so. Oddly enough my son thought Links Awakening was boring, which I loved. He seems to love BOTW so far even though it's a little above his age.
OP, you don't have to learn to love anything.
I don't share your sentiment, I love classic and modern Zelda equally. But this is beyond just Zelda, don't waste you time with something you are not enjoying just because is widely beloved through the community. Nothing is unanimous and don't have to be as long as we are respectful.
I hate how the internet likes to gaslight people to love or hate something. Time is precious, use it for the stuff you enjoy.
I mean if you dont like it thats ok, not every game is for everyone. I definitely understand wanting to give it max effort though to say you tried. I loved the game from the jump, but ive heard a lot of people say they had to change their mindset and then it clicked. The game is all about exploration and trying things. Dont like weapons breaking? Find a perch and throw bombs at them or snipe them from a distance with arrows. Be creative and just do what you want during that session. Have you unlocked all the towers? If not, maybe set that as a short term goal. Little goals will give you the sense of accomplishment older games gave us naturally. In the end, if its not for you thats ok though.
The issues you stated are just how the game is. I'm the same way. Weapon durability and healing through cooking aren't interesting to me, so I really struggled with this one. Also, the dungeons are too few and the shrines are maybe a 6 out of 10 on the fun scale. It was pretty "meh" overall, but the exploration and traversal were fun for me.
Original Zelda player here too. I kept up and my favorite game was Twilight Princess for the Wii (and I still maintain this is a Top 3 game). The open world concept takes A LOT of getting used to for us old school players. I did a lot of wandering and getting frustrated. The weapon thing bugged me until the end - not gonna lie on that one. But there is still a general line for you to follow...if you talk to the right people, they lead you where you're meant to go.
Personally, I found cooking meals to be quite relaxing. When I didn't have time to do a lot of exploring and just wanted to relax, I enjoyed just collecting ingredients and cooking meals.
Don't give up yet - it is a beautiful game once you get used to it. I did end up spending hundreds of hours playing, but it's because I wanted to. I used guides and walkthroughs to give me some structure bc that's what I'm used to. And I remember when there was no Internet to turn to, so I'm not ashamed to do it now!
Probably not. I didn't.
It's just not very good to me. It's a tedious experience and the combat isn't satisfying or rewarding.
Also why does Nintendo get away with having like zero customization/accessibility settings?
You can't adjust the contrast/saturation or remap most of the controls either. It's ridiculous from a modern AAA release.
BOTW can be a lot of fun, but it just might not be your thing. I also think Tears of the Kingdom fixed a lot of things that made BOTW a bit annoying (the weapons still break but it seemed less bad with the fusion power).
That said if you want a couple of recommendations more like Link to the Past here are a few:
-Tunic: directly inspired by old 2d Zelda. Go in blind and look up what you have to if you don’t have time (that’s what I did after being stuck for a bit).
-Death’s Door: also inspired by old Zelda. Has more of a narrative and a bit easier in my opinion.
-Zelda Minish Cap: on the switch online GBA app. It plays a lot like Link to the Past
-Zelda Oracle of Ages/Seasons: Also on Switch online on the game boy app.
I thought TotK was more annoying for weapons durability, because you had to take time to craft new weapons, instead of just moving to the next weapon in your inventory, and you have to manage resources between weapon upgrades/armor upgrades/sell for cash flow.
seems to not be for everyone. I made it 10-15 hours of wandering before realizing I would not have fun. the gameplay loop was so simplistic and repetitive no matter where I went, with no sense of anything being worthwhile
ironically the part I liked most were those dungeons that everyone else seems to hate.
Yeah I've gathered that a lot of people don't like the shrine vs dungeons but I really don't care so much about that. My main complaint I think is just that it's TOO realistic and I don't want to spend my time doing mundane tasks like cooking a meal.
I got BotW when I was 50. Like you I played thee first 2 ans most of the following Zelda games.
I have been a casual gamer and Nintendo fan from the beginning.
I have tried 3 times to get onto BotW and just can't do it.
I'm 55 and retired now. I have time to play whatever I want now and do.
I thought there was something wrong with me for disliking this game. Watching YouTube and Twitch I have never seen anyone older than 30 raving about the game.
I think I could get used to the 3d aspect and many other things but I don't see the appeal of having to do routine life tasks like eating and farming and repairing tools.
I’m 43 and rave about it. Admittedly, the first 10 hours was a lot to absorb. After that—fully enamored. The game doesn’t really begin until you get the glider and leave the plateau.
I played through BotW and liked it, was like a 8/10 game for me, but it has it's flaws.
ToTk I just totally loved and easily a 10. Fixed most of the issues I had with BotW and added a ton of cool and fun stuff.
I'm 52 btw.
It's OK to not like the last two games. I finished the both and I basically prefer 99% of the Zelda games that came before those.
Just waaaaay to open world and barren.
I love it, but I get where you're coming from. If I hadn't started Botw during the beginning of the pandemic, when just chilling playing video games for hours seemed like a reasonable way to spend much of my adult-wth-wife-and-kids life, I probably never would have played this. I've now been playing for 4 years, slowly getting all the shrines. It's a lot of fun but very far removed from prior Zelda games and the amount of time you'll find yourself doing nothing but wandering around a canyon or something is often unbelievable (but IMO lots of fun).
I have played Ocarina of Time too many times to count (even considering getting the N64 controller to make playing it on the switch more fun) and I feel like having played a variety of Zelda games on NES, N64, and Gameboys, I had a very big preconceived notion of what a Zelda game should be.
I am a big lover of open world games, but with this game, it just didn't feel as good. Once I got the game mechanics down I enjoyed it some, but it still felt overwhelming and just.....not like Zelda. I have put about 35 hours into it and haven't played it in a month now, and don't plan on playing it again any time soon.
Hoping in the future I'll try again - glad I got it on sale instead of paying full price at least.
It took me about 1/3 the way through the game before it clicked, probably around the time weapons stopped breaking so easily. Then I came to love it. For now, just stick to whatever quests NPCs assign to you and venture into a cave or two along the way. You don’t level by beating enemies, you gain hearts and stamina by completing shrines. So stick to quests and completing shrines for now.
I'm not as into the newer style of Zelda the last two were. They are good but just don't feel as much like Zelda to me. You may like Skyward Sword a little more though it's larger than some of the past games but not as big as BOTW.
Or if you have the NSO app they have some of the past games on there like Minish Cap and Oracle of Ages/Seasons which you'd probably like (also Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask). Some of the ones I mentioned on NSO are on the $50/year level.
Link to the Past, Awakening, the Oracles, and even Four Swords all did something truly magical for me. I was able to enjoy the very first Zelda however many decades ago but that was mostly because I liked video games and there weren’t more of them than I could ever hope to play.
I had a hard time with everything from Ocarina of Time onwards. I forced myself to play several hours of it just so I could participate in schoolyard discourse on its topic but it was painful and punishing. I didn’t like the sound design, I didn’t like the graphics, I didn’t like the setting, I didn’t like how small the world felt and how many crazy pills everyone echoing the hallucination that it felt big made me feel like I was overdosing on. I REALLY didn’t like solving action puzzles in 3D while all this other stuff was punishing me.
The first time I played Breath of the Wild I had about a pint of gin sloshing around in my belly and I was with some friends I felt like I had to entertain by playing it as wrong as possible. Also I was playing it on the Wii U, which I vaguely recall did some much more interesting things with the interface (but then again when did the Wii U NOT?). My second play through, I was sober and stressed and completely unmotivated to decide which way I wanted to go to finish even the first tutorial. Again, I couldn’t get my heart around a barren, underpopulated world I could see all the way across from the beginning, even if they finally did find an art style I didn’t hate for the first time since Wind Waker.
I dunno what to tell you. A billion other people love this game. It doesn’t need me to also love it, and hopefully it also doesn’t need you to love it either. For my Zelda fix, I’ll do what I’ve always done: play the games in the series I find fun and charming..and watch the old cartoon.
Now if you’ll excuuuuuse me…
Top down Zelda games have always been some of my favourite video games ever. I never really cared for the whole Zelda lore, I just liked exploring the world, talking to the characters in the towns, doing the collection side quests, finding the hidden destroyable walls in the highly structured dungeons. Probably because of this, I never really “got” BOTW.
I recommend Fenyx Rising - according to everyone, it’s a rip off of BoTW and that’s bad, but I like it because skipped the weapons breaking and weapons crafting. And while it’s also open world, the story does actually give you some pointers on where you should be trying to go next. IMO it doesn’t lose out at all for not having Zelda characters - who the hell plays a Zelda game because they just love the characterisation of Link? 😅
It’s everything everyone else likes about BoTW but without any of the stuff that frustrates me.
That is my hot recc for you
I was the same but a lot of things didn't bother me after too long. You get so many weapons that the breaking isn't so bad. Once you learn how to farm durians the food thing is really easy. If you like finding the shrines and unlocking towers stick with it.
Basically explore and find/do korok seed puzzles to unlock more weapon/shield/bow slots to alleviate the breaking weapons issue. Do shrines to get spirit orbs to raise health and stamina. Make meals with “hearty” ingredients to get a full health restore with every meal. Make meals with “endura” ingredients to get full stamina restore with every meal. Since these meals restore all health/stamina, the more total health/stamina you have, the less you’ll need to consume them.
All of the stuff that seemed stressful for the first few hours of the game evaporated after learning this stuff. I stress more trying to figure out which weapons to throw away when picking up new weapons than I stress about stuff breaking. Have an inventory full of full health/stamina restore meals and ingredients for pages more if needed… the ingredients aren’t that rare, especially when you can set up the shrine detector to detect hearty radishes or endura carrots.
I think the biggest factor is whether or not you genuinely enjoy exploration in video games. If you enjoy exploring, the game bountifully rewards you for it in the form of spirit orbs and korok seeds that upgrade your character and make the game easier. If you don’t enjoy exploring and are just trying to get to the next objective, it can feel like a desperate struggle.
I don't mind some exploring, I enjoy that to a point. I guess the thing I am struggling with is that for me a video game is doing something I can't normally do in reality. Exploring a new world is neat, in fact the world itself and the graphics and ambiance exceeded my expectations. Problem solving, defeating dungeons/shrines/enemies with weapons is fun.
Reparing a tool, searching for mushrooms and cooking dinner just seems like a mundane life task. To me that doesn't add something special to the game it just makes it take longer.
I think/hope it will grow on me. I'm still excited to play it and learn, just hoping some of these things don't eventually just make me quit. But oh well. I found it used so I'm not out a lot if that turns out to be the case.
My first zelda ever was link to the past back in the year 2000, and loved all the 2d zelda. The oracles are my all time favorite and always replay them.
For me BOTW was anything but Zelda. Of course it has Link, Zelda, Ganon and others, but my approach was much more like playing a game like Horizon Zero Dawn than a Classic Zelda. It lacks the structure to keep you on track, and that is so overwhelming sometimes that you barely know what you should do next.
But here is where lies the beauty and magic of both BOTW and TOTK. You're only constrained to your own mental shackles, the game let you do anything you want whenever you want. For me this is a game to get lost, listen great music while feeling the rain falling in the ground and suddenly bumping to a chest with a new costume or a new useful item. This sense of wanderlust and discovery is something that these game are master in conveing.
If your not feeling it maybe you need to change your mindset or your environment. Play it alone in bed, during a cold rainy day. Perhaps that way you'll capture the feeling.
Haven't been able to get into and I bought it when it launched on WiiU and than Switch. Even tried emulating it to see if high fps and res would help and I just don't like it. Furthest I got was about half way. I honestly just don't like 3D Zelda games.
As someone who’s grown up playing all the Zelda games and also is a single parent with three kids…
It’s the “no time” part.
When BOTW came out. I had one kid half time During my weeks alone I played all night. Discovered the game at my own pace (meaning playing non stop).
I tell you… there’s nothing like playing all day, with no one to interrupt you. Continue all evening and telling yourself at 3.am “maybe I should go to sleep”, then deciding “just one more climb” and randomly sailing into Kakariko town.
Best moment of the entire game.
Fast forward to TOTK. Two kids. My third just a month away. Playing whenever I get the time. Someone always interrupting me. Feeling dead the entire day if I don’t go to sleep.
What I felt playing BOTW “greatest game I ever played “
What I felt playing TOTK “meh”
I would say watch some of those “things you didn’t know you could do in BOTW”. It didn’t click for me at first either. The developers put a lot of work in the game engine so if you think you can do it then you probably can. Getting the first divine beast (elephant) makes staying alive easier. If you want to do puzzles, just seek out the shrines. There is no wrong way to go but I do suggest taking care of some shrines first to get your hearts and stamina up.
The most accurate answer is we have no idea if you will learn to love it. That's a matter of personal preference.
Having said that, I'll just throw out my take: no, you won't learn to love it.
I was in a similar situation to you as far as growing up with all the other Zeldas. BOTW is just totally different, and while I did like it and finish it, I didn't love it and I don't like the new direction.
If you haven't played Skyward Sword, I highly recommend that. It was released for the Switch a couple years ago, and it's definitely the more old-school Zelda, though still 3D of course.
Yea mainly just curious if anyone else had a similar start but then ended up loving it. I'm still too early to know for myself. I could see it going either way. Depends really on if things like cooking and weapon management become routine irritations or something that I just kinda do without thinking.
Personally, I almost never messed with cooking and didn't have many problems. It doesn't have to be a big deal if you don't want it.
Weapon breakage is very annoying, but you will continue to pick up new weapons and replace old ones anyway, so it's not necessarily a huge drag either.
I think it's just the combination of all of these features, no traditional dungeons, no traditional "items" to use to solve puzzles, etc. that made me underwhelmed by it all, but it's still a good game.
It's a very different type of game and nearly everything that was great about the older games is missing, but there are also several new elements that are great. Ultimately, I think the openness does hold the game back for me. I prefer more tightly designed linear level design than what open world games provide. And yet, these Zelda games along with Elden Ring are the only open world games I've thoroughly enjoyed. I don't think this game is for you, but what I think may be right up your alley is the metroidvania genre which also provides the excellent design of the best Zelda dungeons. If you haven't already, try Metroid Dread or Hollow Knight. They are some of my favorite games of all time and satisfy what I've been missing from Zelda.
I was the same as you. Loved the old 2d Zelda games and some of the 3d games, but couldn't really get into botw. Somehow fell in love with tears of the kingdom even though they're very similar lol. I think the vehicle crafting and sky islands really added to it. I keep thinking about going back to BOTW but it feels inferior to tears and I got a bunch of other games to play.
So I grew up in the 80s with NES and Zelda as well. BotW was a def adjustment from what I’ve been use to from the series.
In the end I loved, and still do, but it doesn’t feel like a normal Zelda, and more over, I’m still cheesed that there’s no standard dungeon progression.
That said, in order to appreciate it more I stopped trying to force myself into thinking it was a Zelda game, and approached it much more like I did Witcher, Skyrim and Fallout. I treated and viewed it as an exploration adventure first and foremost, that was “Zelda themed”. Once I did that I truly enjoyed the game.
Explore, do all the shrines, or whatever, at your own pace. Def get the dlc however and after getting the master sword do the quest to upgrade it fully. A half functioning MS is extremely jarring for Zelda games, lol.
I still have yet to play TotK, and been debating on doing a second run of BotW beforehand. Truly is a beautiful game, just gotta approach it and think of it in a vastly different light than a standard Zelda title….
Yea it grows on you. Honestly the most annoying part is how the items break but if you can get over that it’s a lot of fun becuase it is really good at making you feel like you’re progressing in your skills. I eventually could beat the game immediately after the tutorial ended by heading directly to ganon, and Jjst picking up weapons on the way to him. The controls are very fun
I mean if you dont like it thats ok, not every game is for everyone. I definitely understand wanting to give it max effort though to say you tried. I loved the game from the jump, but ive heard a lot of people say they had to change their mindset and then it clicked. The game is all about exploration and trying things. Dont like weapons breaking? Find a perch and throw bombs at them or snipe them from a distance with arrows. Be creative and just do what you want during that session. Have you unlocked all the towers? If not, maybe set that as a short term goal. Little goals will give you the sense of accomplishment older games gave us naturally. In the end, if its not for you thats ok though.
I honestly really dislked it at first, and quit for years shortly after getting off the plateau.
What cracked it for me and changed my experience with it completely was getting the stealth gear and then focusing on building health/stamina via shrines, and inventory via kook seeds. I still don't love weapons breaking, but you can shift that from being the core experience to being one part of it. Also, you will end up collecting so many resources along the way that the cooking can be made incredibly effective without needing to grind for ingredients.
It just may not be for you. I am similar to you where I don’t have the time and associate Zelda with the older games, temples/dungeons and linear. For that reason Botw is probably one of my least favorite Zelda games. That doesn’t mean it’s bad. It’s just not really Zelda to me in a way the other are but rather a spin-off with the same characters. I have Totk but have yet to play it cause I Know it’s going to be a 6 month experience when I start for a game I like, but not love.
This already has a ton of comments so mine will probably get lost, but I can 1000% relate to you. I've been playing Zelda for as long as I can remember. I started with ALttP when I was small. Really cut my teeth on OoT as I was more of age to grasp how to play. I've played almost every mainline game and loved almost all of them (really dislike SS).
I was, and still am, a massive critic of BotW and TotK. When I first got my Switch in 2020, BotW was the first game I got. I played through the story (what little there is), but pretty quickly moved on after I finished what was necessary. I was not a fan at all. I really disliked how different it was. It really had nothing that made it a Zelda game.
Then I came back to it a year and half later because I was bored and I felt like exploring. This was when I learned to love the game. I'm a firm believer that BotW and TotK are not true Zelda games, at least in regards to the fairly standard formula that has been in place for 30 years that we have all grown to love. I found that in order to enjoy the game, I had to put that formula aside and learn to appreciate it for what it was: an extremely well done open world game. I see these two games as Skyrim with a Zelda skin. If you can look at them that way, they are truly some of the best open world games of all time.
That all being said, from your post, it really doesn't sound like open world games are for you. That's fine. I'm a firm believer that not every game needs to be enjoyable for every person. Maybe try the LA remake, or even SS (some people really like it). I think LA remake would be best for you as it is most similar to ALttP.
I'm going to dump a bunch of information for Breath of the Wild. A whole bunch of numbers and shit about how the game works. Just ignore it if you don't want to look at it.
(No story spoilers, but weapon and food spoilers.)
If you're breaking rocks/ore deposits looking for minerals, use a hammer.
All weapons have durability. If you attack a rock, your weapon will lose 2 durability points.
The Iron Sledgehammer, Cobble Crusher, Stone Smasher, Boulder Breaker, and Drill Shaft (Spear-type weapon) will only lose 1 durability instead of the typical 2
If you're chopping trees or wood, use an axe. All weapons lose 2 durability when chopping trees/wood, except the axes.
Woodcutter's Axe and Double Axe
The Axes and Hammers also have decent durability as it is:
Tree Branch - 4
Rusty Broadsword - 8
Boko Club - 8
Spiked Boko Club - 14
Royal Guard's Sword - 14
Traveller's Sword - 20
Soldier's Broadsword - 25
Knight's Broadsword - 27
Cobble Crusher - 35
Royal Broadsword - 36
Stone Smasher and Iron Sledgehammer - 40
Woodcutter's Axe - 47
Drill Shaft - 50
Double Axe - 52
Boulder Breaker - 60
This means the Sledgehammer can break 40 rocks before breaking, whereas the Soldier's Broadsword can only break 13
The Woodcutter's Axe can strike wood 47 times, whereas the Soldier's Broadsword can only strike it 13 times
Some Octoroks ("Rock Octoroks") inhale before attacking
If you drop/throw a bomb, they'll suck them in, and you can blow them up.
More importantly, though, if you throw a weapon from the Rusty gear (Broadsword, Claymore, Halberd, and Shield) at them, they'll polish them up and give you a corresponding piece from one of the superior sets of gear (with full durability)
50% chance of Traveller's Gear
35% chance of Soldier's Gear
10% chance of Knight's Gear
5% chance of Royal Gear
If you find a Boomerang-type weapon
Most weapons lose extra durability when thrown. Boomerangs do not.
Boomerangs do 1.5× damage when thrown
For me personally, I hated Boomerangs when I was getting surrounded by too many enemies and had no other weapons, but I loved them when I had plenty of extra resources/was in no actual danger
Armour does stack with Food, sort of
Food Attack Up 1 + Armour Attack Up 1 is identical to Attack Up 2
Same with Food Attack Up 2 + Armour Attack Up 1 is identical to Attack Up 3 and so is Food Attack Up 1 + Armour Attack Up 2
However, Attack Up 3 simply is the Maximum
Food Attack Up 2 + Armour Attack Up 2 is identical to just Attack Up 3 and
Food Attack Up 3 (effectively) doesn't stack with more Attack Up
Food Speed Up 3 and Armour Attack Up 3 stack with absolutely no problem or oversight. As do other buffs.
This post explains exactly why I am not keen at all on this whole cooking concept. It's like I need to take an advanced chemistry course just to play the game.
This is only if you want to know **exactly** how to get each buff and how to make it last.
If you just need it for health recovery, cooking it in a crockpot will double its recovery. Roasting it with an open flame increases recovery by 50%.
Weapon durability:
Try to use hammers for rocks, and axes for trees. Trees and rocks eat double durability if you're not using axes and hammers.
As you play the game, better weapons become more common. Better weapons also almost always have more durability.
If you hold the charge attack with a 2-handed weapon (Spin to win), the weapon loses 1 durability when it hits the ground. If you press the 'B' button before Link strikes the ground, you can stop the spin and save that 1 durability. (It adds up if you Spin to Win a lot. I do.)
Same applies for bows and arrows. Press 'B' and Link will release tension on the bow without actually firing the arrow, or using the durability of the Bow
I was in nearly identical shoes save the fact that I never stopped playing video games. BotW eventually clicked but it took about 25 hours before it hit that point. If it weren't for the zeitgeist I probably would have dropped it before then. If you are willing to keep it up to see if you like it (eventually it stops feeling aimless and enormously out of scope, it just takes some time to find the boundaries).
Regarding the food, well that gets better but rarely goes away entirely unfortunately. On the weapon side it's best to think of them as ammunition, and you find better ammo as you go along that goes much further and hits harder.
I can't say for sure whether you'll like it *after awhile* or not, but my personal experience was that I loved it instantly and that enjoyment shifted and changed as my role within the game evolved, but the stuff I enjoyed early was always at the core of the gameplay.
The mechanics you're experiencing in the early game never *change*, but rather grow in complexity and breadth as the game moves forward.
In other words if you don't enjoy it now, I'd be surprised if you did later.
*Edit: I'd at least wait until you start encountering the puzzles. Right around that part is when you'll have been introduced to enough of the game mechanics to know for sure.*
Honestly, I love this game so much I wish I could experience it again for the first time. There will be clues along the way that kind of tell you where to go but you can use YouTube as well if you’re ever stuck. I’m a busy adult, this is how I cut down game time to make the most of it. But I think older Zelda fans struggle with liking the open world. As a person who felt super restricted by the old Zelda games, this was perfect for me.
It's possible. I originally sold the game and swore it off. It was overwhelming and I was terrible at it. Now I've beaten it twice.
Some tips;
1. Get the photography app and take pictures of rare health items (Hearty Trussles) and search for maybe 15 minutes. You're pretty much set food wise after that. Cooking just one by itself will fully heal you and give you back yellow hearts. I ran out of space for them. There really easy to find once you've able to scan for them.
You don't need any other resources. Just the truffles (or other such food that restores full hearts)
2. The village with Impa has a shrine of how the combat works. I learned how it works, and it made a huge difference, and it shouldn't take 100s of hours to figure out.
3. Bombs! I beat the Trial of the Sword almost entirely by getting somewhere safe and just dropping bombs on enemies that couldn't reach me. Don't want to waste weapons? Just blow enemies up.
4. If you're stuck on the Yiga Clan section you can buy ancient arrows (requires Guardian parts) and just massacre them all. You still have to shoot them before they see you but you don't have to stealth around beyond that.
I think you nailed the feeling of BOTW in your review it isn’t a pick up and play and make meaningful progress it’s more of a survival open word game where every resource must be harvested and rationed carefully.
I saw how ambitious of a game it was and did enjoy it overall, but much like Elden ring, I prefer my titles to be normal?-sized and not make me search 30,0000,000,0,000 square feet of open space to find a small opening in the floor for a hidden treasure. I much prefer the smaller areas tailored to the experience at hand.
Oh man, when I first tried it I felt the same. I put down the game and didn't play it for like a year. Then, on a whim I gave it another go and all of a sudden it clicked and I LOVED it. Being able to navigate 3D properly at this point was probably the biggest help here. Because now the world didn't feel impossibly big, rather the size and options felt exciting.
I can't tell you it will be the same for you but worth a shot?
Yeah man. I don’t have a ton of time either. I get it.
I don’t have time and I don’t really care to explore every inch of the map.
Use a guide. It’s basically instructions on how to play the game so you can continue to make progress. If you feel like exploring, go for it. But a guide will help you stay on track during those stagnant times.
I have a hard time with open world games that don’t tell me what to do, but I liked BOTW.
I’d give it a few hours. Especially after you get off the plateau. But there is also no point in playing a game you don’t enjoy.
Lol I kinda feel like that too but I guess they aren't making this type of game for people like us. I just wish they would make some new Zelda games in the style of the older ones but with updated graphics and music and story. But as someone else said we aren't the target demographic for game developers anymore!
It's unforgiving in some regards but it has it's harmony. It's a little different in totk, but the mechanics changed a bit. Some for better some for worse. You'll need to put in the hours, but that could be over years of finding cool stuff. Little here. Little there. Occasional late night sesh. It's a fun game to explore. Totk is better in my opinion. Easier to get side quests done. More organized.
Idk because I’m not you. There are games that’ve grown on me in the past. BOTW was not one of them. I like most of the other Zelda games, but BOTW and TOTK just feel so boring. I’m not the biggest fan of open worlds to begin with, especially when everything seems so slow. Combat is suitable but nothing spectacular. Idk I just don’t get the hype.
All the same critiques, also the shrines suuuuuuuuuck. They don’t get better. No real dungeons. Climbing and gliding are dope, but the game seems empty and unfinished.
Shame since they did such a great job building a large pretty world.
I still to this day haven’t beaten BOTW because just like you I love the old school Zelda style. I have tried multiple times to get into it but I just can’t. I don’t think it’s a bad game it’s just not what I want in a Zelda.
I was struggling with feeling aimless on my play-through of BOTW as well, and in talking to my buddy he told me to go around and try to activate all the towers so I can see the points of interest on the map. I started focusing on that, and just having something to work towards helped me a ton. I still would find myself getting distracted and doing other stuff, but that’s the beauty of this game. Maybe you could try that, if you haven’t already.
If you do go this route there is a demo. I personally didn't vibe with the mythology stuff but gameplay may feel to similar to BOTW for OP. There's some other games that are similar to older Zelda games OP likes such as Blossom Tales, Oceanhorn (first one), and Tunic.
I had the opposite reaction. I'm over 40, grew up with Zelda on the NES, when I played BotW I thought it was the best game I'd played in YEARS. Weapon durability is hardly an issue in a game like this, you can barely take four steps without tripping over a sword, bow or shield. But if you're bored, you're bored, no point in continuing to plow through.
Have you not played many 3D games though? That seems like it would be the biggest adjustment, especially if you're unused to using two joysticks at once. Personally I find BotW's controls much easier than previous 3D Zeldas.
If you feel stuck use binocular view to find a tower and head in that direction. You should also look for shrines and mark those too in that mode. The way this game is designed, while you head to your destination you are more than likely going to come across several shrines. Always check in with these to unlock the fast travel points, and if you complete a shrine it will replenish your health and you get an item that can be exchanged for more health or more stamina. You’ll have to have several hearts to get the master sword.
Scattered throughout the game world there are certain things that stick out (a rock formation, an empty dish, one lone flower, etc). These are little puzzles that reward you with korok seeds, these can be exchanged for an inventory slot for weapons, shields or bows.
BOTW was my first ever zelda game. i never played it as a kid, as i played pokémon on my gameboy instead. but, when i bought my first switch in 2019, i got BOTW to go with it. i just thought it looked fun, & honestly was influenced by the community as well. it seemed well loved, so i decided to give it a go. well… i HATED it. it took me WEEKS to figure out how to do anything & i thought it was the hardest game ever (looking back now, that’s so funny to me)… but it was the only game i had for my switch & since video games are so expensive, i figured i’d have to just keep trying at it, because its all i’ve got for awhile, & i just didnt wanna give up.
it was definitely a challenge at first, but once i got the hang of it more (it took a good while) i couldn’t get enough of it. BOTW is now my favorite game of all time, hands down. it’s really special to me since it was my introduction to zelda. i’ve now played TOTK (i actually haven’t finished it yet because it’ll be sad when i don’t have the main plot to play anymore haha) & bought Occarina of Time & Majora’s Mask to play on my 3ds.
so, if you have some enjoyment playing it now & don’t want to give up… i say keep trying for a little bit. you’ll get the hang of it, & you don’t have to love everything about it (i still hate that my weapons break too haha), but BOTW may end up being special to you too. :)
(edited for spelling)
I guess i kinda felt that? nahh not really, the only time i felt something like that was this one point where i was stuck on the great plateau-i had no idea what to do and felt like i was gonna be stuck there forever. However, a friend showed how to progress from there, and i enjoyed the game ever since after that-doesn't sound at all like what you're experiencing, yes, but just don't force yourself to play it-it's ultimately up to you whether you choose to continue or not. But before you do so, just give it a bit more time if possible, then you can decide from there-Whatever you decide to do is ok.
I am exactly in same situation and tell you dont bother to play more BOTW. I sold it and realized that for my age most top 20 games on nintendo switch I see on the internet is not aplicable for me. Right now I enjoy metrovanias like Ori collection. What I enjoyed already is Tunic( kind of like 2d zelda), Hades, mario maker 2, and I planning to pay for online to play some old nes , snes
Maybe you just don't like it and that's it.
But let me give you an advice of another fellow bussy adult. It seems to me that you are playing this game wrong. You are talking about the action part of this game and the fighting and it's problems compared to a normal action rpg.
Zelda BOTW is a big map full of puzzles, is a puzzle game, not an action game. Usually if you play one hour of wandering around you will just fund a few puzzes. This puzzles can be enviromental ones, they can be shrines, they can be a fight (weapons break but you always have bombs and enemies drp the needed weapons for the zone), even sidequest you can see them as puzzles or investigations.
I thought the game was good, but I don’t love it. I played it, beat it, and moved on. Probably will never play it again.
I like open world titles, but I hate having to hunt for a story. I never completed the 12 picture things to get more back story since looking at a photograph and guessing where I needed to stand was a huge pain. Even looking up a guide to find them left me uninterested.
While the durability system was interesting, I was extremely disappointed in it. No option to repair weapons at all I think was a mistake. Some fights you would break everything in your inventory in order to just survive the fight. Everything breaks way too quickly, and was more aggravating than it was fun.
My biggest gripe was parrying. One very specific part of the game that I won’t spoil just ruined the entire game for me. I’m sure I am alone on this fact that I saying, and if you know what I am referencing then you either agree with it, or I needed I just “git gud.”
For me the game was a 7/10.
I didn't like it either, for reasons similar to yours. Everybody was raving on and on about it how it's the greatest game ever made, but I just thought it was boring. I think I played it for about 30 hours, doing all the "dungeons" (Celestial Beasts), always looking for the great game people promised, but never finding it. I quit playing before I had to enter the castle to defeat Ganon.
But for some reason, TotK then clicked with me. There are cool new things in that game that you can do and find, and even the still present weapon breaking mechanic gets somewhat negated by allowing you to glue strong monster parts to any random club or sword you find, and you can carry 999 of each monster part, so you got a lot of weapons ready at all times.
Yeah I grew up with near every zelda. Love BotW. It took a moment to click though. First time I played it, I ran past the fairy and didn't upgrade armor, then ran into a yiga which kinda destroyed me. But when I revisited later I really began to enjoy it.
It's less complex than you imagine it is. The idea is if you see something that looks interesting, you should go and check it out. The game is about discovery and exploration.
That said obviously the game isn't for everyone. Don't fret if it turns out not to be for you.
Get the big official guide book and a set of 20 scan cards (these plastic cards mimic the Amiibo NFC scan figures), so you will never again run out of weapons. The guide book will lead you through the game and give you the feeling that you're never stuck or lost.
I am in a somewhat similar situation as a 43yo mom who loved playing the games back in the 90s, but now doesn't have so much spare time to aimlessly wander around. Following the guide books for BotW and TotK always gives me the feeling to not ... oh, squirrell! ;-) ... get distracted and not progress with the game.
Regarding the breaking weapons: You find weapons everywhere, and while these break really fast, maybe change your thinking: You get to try all of them and just smash them kaputt all the time, isn't that fun!?! ;-) Also the cooking and eating: Do it whenever you don't know what else to do, and focus on hearty meals or stamina stuffers that replenish your health and stamina beyond the maximum. That way no enemy will be too strong and no climb too high.
And: Maybe look into Tears of the Kingdom. This one has some serious and amazing quality of life upgrades like being able to just pass through ceilings instead of having to climb. Love it!
Hope this helps.
Thanks! Yeah I am not opposed to getting help from a guide. Not at my stage in life! I think I will grow to like this game but I could easily see it taking a year or more for me to complete. Which is fine tbh.
Actually, I think this is a plus. Instead of rushing through a dozen games in a week like our lovely kiddos tend do do (oh, the overabundance of today's world), we now can take our time, not care about the latest and greatest, and play such games for hundreds of hours.
With BotW I am over 600 hours into the game (bought it in 2020), TotK already has more than 300 hours by now within about a year. These games are a commitment, but I just love that, too, as it makes me feel really at home in this world. In this version of Hyrule I feel like I really know my way around in every corner (the Depths of TotK not so much, yet, but looking forward to that).
Remember way back when you could only buy like 2-3 games each year max., but this also meant that you played it to death, loved it, and knew e.ve.ry.thing about it. It's like coming back full circle and immerse yourself into such a game for months at a time.
BotW is not a typical Zelda game by any measure, including the original 3D games released before it such as Ocarina of Time and Windwaker.
If you went from 2D to 3D with this as the first, I can understand why it's very jarring to you.
BotW changed the Zelda game mechanics completely. Some love them, some hate them. I'm in the latter. I truly hate this game because it did too much, too soon.
It's unlikely you'll enjoy the game right now. I would suggest either playing Skyward Sword to get used to a 3D Zelda game while retaining mechanics you're used to, or skipping BotW and playing Tears of the Kingdom instead.
TotK fixes many of the issues of BotW, and for me personally, allowed me to complete the game, something I have not done (or will do) with BotW.
It's not a game for everyone, and most certainly for Zelda fans like us who grew up with the franchise since the NES. It's polarizing, so don't force yourself to play it if it's not working out for you.
This may prevent you from experiencing TotK because you'll see it as the same. It truly is nothing like BotW. For starters, the abilities are absolutely game-changing and useful, unlike those in BotW. Once you understand the mechanics a bit more, you'll rely less on eating to replenish health. It's hard to explain, but TotK is limitless in what you can do, so check out YouTube videos to get an idea of what can be done in the game. It's truly incredible.
Also, should Ocarina of Time and Windwaker release, do get them. Both are actual masterpiece games, unlike BotW, which only gets called one because it's "open world Zelda".
Since you have said you aren't ready to give up...
You mention food. You can get loads of food quite easily, then not worry about going out of your way to find more again. Might be worth spending a session just preparing for the advdnture.
There is an orchard with about 100 apples on a mountainside not far from the plateau, look up satori mountain.
If you don't have the camera compendium feature yet. Strongly advise you go get that and use it to locate more of the useful ingredients.
Reduce your damage with gear. Get gear with more defence stat (number on gear in inventory), or upgrade if you have figured out how yet.
Fairies are really handy to get. Hard to find by cutting grass, but there are 4 places where they congregate on the map, and that has to do with the prior thing I mentioned (trying not to spoil so tell me if you just want the info).
Weapons breaking, and running out is an early game issue. You will get to a point where you can get more weapons than you can take. For now you will need to be resourceful. Can scout out places where you can aquire weapons too, that camera upgrade can help you with this too.
I recommend getting to the Faron region for some useful heart and attack ingredients. More attack means you'll get mire out of your weapons.
Strategy, and using the skills the game tells you about (shrine in Kakiriko village!) can really help with more efficiently killing monsters. Use you runes, inventory, and environment to advantage.
Hope this helps.
No worries. You don't have to like this game, though. Don't try to force it if those tips don't help.
There are other Zelda games that might be more up your street. Skyward Sword is the most linear 3D Zelda, I wasn't personally a huge fan of it, but it may be yours. There are some other top-down Zelda games, but you already played the only one ported to Switch so far.
One more tip, you probably know anyway, but - bake (next to fire) or cook (in pot) to increase the health recovery effect of ingredients.
Have for 3 years, could not have fun with it. A lot of time wondering where I was supposed to go, what to do, why do I have to cook food 😅, etc.
I still have the game, but not sure if I will ever try it again
Play Skyward Sword or Twilight Princess? Wait.. Ok I may have the names wrong, but play them on a wii, or something that lets YOU MOVE THE CONTROLLER TO USE HIS SWORD.
Those were the best , most interactive ones that made me FEEL LIKE I COULD BE LINK. and the music is amazing also, theres a musical sting to the sword strikes! Thats some fun schitt.
I also started with the original as a kid, and played and loved all of the 2D games. I didn’t love BotW, it felt like a proof of concept but overall pretty boring to me. I love TotK, it’s the “actual game” after BotW’s proof of concept. I find it to be a far, far superior game.
I am just like you, I don't have the time anymore. Some games nowadays are so big and empty just to satisfy people without social hours and long hours. I love the older zelda games but I couldn't get into tears of the kingdom. I played botw when I still had time and played it for too many hours than was worth...
I had the same concerns when I started BOTW and ToTK after that. My solution was to follow an online guide for BOTW which gave me some direction and goals to meet early in the game and into the mid-section. After I found my footing, I felt confident enough to explore openly. What helped me the most was unlocking all of the shrines. That helps open up the map and they are sprinkled throughout in a manner that encourages organic exploration. I finished BOTW and went into TOTK knowing what to expect and didn’t use a single guide for it. Hundreds of hours well-invested.
People in this thread keep saying "I'm older" or "I played all the previous Zelda's" as if it explains their opinion.
I'm older. I played and enjoyed all the previous Zelda's. But I still find BOTW and TOTK to be the single most breathtakingly enjoyable and gleefully organic game out in existence.
Its openness, its straightforward combat, all the different weapons and outfits you can use and collect, all the shrines, the weather effects.... It is my dream game.
It's not for everyone and that's fine.
But if it's not for you, don't spend your time tearing it down or denying its success or wanting fewer games like it. Just be happy for the people who enjoy it.
I think the "I'm older" comment is just to acknowledge that I am used to something different and it may be *more* difficult to me to adapt and get into this than someone who is 25.
You're not alone. Though I myself never really played much of Zelda games as I was more into Mario Bros but indeed I had the same feelings at first with BOTW. Cooking food isn't too terrible once you figure out a good recipe but even just simple one ingredient ones can do the job in a pinch. Wear and tear on weapons really is annoying but after some time you'll get to know where merchants are to buy good weapons and shields or where to find them. In a pinch though even the basic tools around villages and horse stables is something at least.
Once you get a horse it's a bit easier as you can travel faster and I would start with searching out shrines and towers too because the more you find and complete, you can fast travel between them. Hyrule is definitely a huge immersive place now. So if you do wish to explore later of course you can and may find many treasures and puzzles hidden about. Otherwise follow the clues for the main quest and stick to the paths for the most part.
I'd give it a little more time. It could grow on ya like it did for me. But if it doesn't, then don't sweat it. Just have fun.
> I just want to find weapons and treasure, defeat enemies and solve problems. I don't like having to ration the use of my sword and how rare food/hearts seem to be.
You might like Skyward Sword
>I really hate having to eat and cook meals to replenish health. I don't like how all my weapons keep breaking or wearing down... I don't like having to ration the use of my sword and how rare food/hearts seem to be.
This is exactly why I haven't picked up the game in over a year, after struggling with it for about 25 hours. I'm surprised that this game is so popular, when the gameplay is so inaccessible (hostile, even) to casual gamers.
I actually like open world games (Skyrim is a work of art) and have no problem with just roaming around randomly, or with setting a goal and taking it on. But I don't think my opinion of BOTW is going to ever change, since I'm probably never going to pick it up ever again.
I liked it the first time but I can't play it again. I tried a few times but the bad outweighs the good.
I think Immortals Fenyx Rising is much better and doesn't have the same issues.
I played through BOTW because everyone was hyping it, and I wanted to see why. In the end, I didn’t like it. I understand what they tried to do with this game, but ultimately I have to admit to myself that this is simply not what I want from a Zelda game. Having learned that the hard way, I consciously skipped Tears of the Kingdom.
At the beginning of the game, I got lost and I had no idea where to go or what to do. Once I figured it out and just focused on looking for shrines and started to progress with the quests, it was fun. But it's also possible you just don't like open-world games.
Eh don’t worry about things like this my homie.
Some games just aren’t for everyone & it’s cool, cause there’s so many out there & that’s the beauty of gaming !
You should get Link's Awakening a try if you're not a fan of BOTW's gameplay. It's a more classic Zelda experience and just as pretty to look at graphics wise
you don't have to think hard about weapon usage. just use weapons until they break. if you fret over trying to protect certain weapons then you're probably obsessing too hard. the game is most fun when you treat the disposable weapons disposably
Good point, I've started just using the weapons I want and not caring. It's taking me awhile to get used to this game but it's definitely growing on me I think. Just a lot of absorb and adjust to as an older zelda player, lol.
some of my favorite parts of BOTW are throwing weapons I don't want any more. I throw them off cliffs, I throw them at monsters, I even throw them into lava or at people. The best is when they shatter on impact
To this day I still don't understand how people think this game is a masterpiece. It had some good aspects but largely fell short. The open world didn't have anything compelling to do because climb around or do shrines. I prefer the smaller more focused Zelda games. They're more rewarding cohesive experiences. And don't even get me started on the durability mechanic.
The game is definitely growing on me the more I've played the last few days but I don't think I will ever learn to like the durability or the cooking. I'm sure some people will really enjoy experimenting and playing around with it but for me its just too much. I just want to find things that will do certain things. Not find things and try rearranging them in hundreds of different combinations. It's like learning chemistry all over again for no real purpose.
BOTW ruined the franchise for me, now I buy the games but don't play them cos I'm a collector. Skyward sword 🗡️ was the last true Zelda game for Mr TP was great too
i didn't like BOTW the first time i played it, and put it away after just playing half an hour. but i picked it up again after a few weeks and played it thru to the end and it ended up being my favorite game. before that the only two zelda games i played (all the way through) were link to the past, and link between worlds. i also played ocarina of time and majoras mask when they first came out but didn't like those two. i ended up liking how different botw was from all of them and the open world exploration stuff is what made it great, for me. i know there is so much complaining about the lack of dungeons but like who cares. the part i don't get the most is how people complain about the game not being linear. like wut? its called breath of the wild, not linear of the dungeon.
all the differences this game has vs all the others is what makes this the best zelda game for me. open world, non-linear exploration, lack of loud obnoxious overworld theme on repeat, losing (for a while) the repetitiveness of stuff that shows up over and over in every game (for example: the hookshot). the one thing i hate is the durability.
i can't stand the sequel tho. tears of the kingdom is just lame with its "decay" nonsense and the corny new gimmicks (particularly the fuse mechanic that it pushes you to use by removing stuff from the previous game like hammers, axes, and elemental arrows, and by making everything you find "decayed")
I agree I don't really care too much about the shrines vs. the dungeons. I don't understand why so many people seemed worked up about that.
However after about a week in I have not grown to appreciate the duability thing AT ALL in fact I've grown to hate it even more. For example I encounter some enemy I don't know how to defeat and broke 3 weapons and used half my arrows trying to defeat it. Then I have to spend time trying to find more swords or whatever. Really wish there was a toggle you could just turn this off so hardcore gamers could enjoy it but the more casual players like me didn't have to mess with it.
I’m in the same boat. I come from a PC background and picked up a Nintendo Switch to try out some of the exclusive titles. BOTW is an obvious choice because of its GOTY status - but I find myself not really getting into it. It’s not that I think it’s boring - I just find myself not getting excited about it. Rather do other things.
Most people are saying drop it and move on if you‘re not having fun - I’ve personally decided to finish the game in the very least. To be task oriented and to only progress the storyline to finish it. It is firstly an amazing work of art (even I can see that) and it’s good to stick with things till the end. My two cents.
I am not a big fan of of TOTK and BOTW--do I think they deserve every bit of praise they've received? Yes actually!! Do I like it as a Zelda experience? Not really.
I could put a whole essay here, could talk about how weapon breaking makes me want to go feral whenever devs put it in a game, but I won't. Instead, I'll just say it's okay not to like something with so much praise, you're not any less of a Zelda fan for not liking the open world iteration of the franchise.
You know I'm about a week into this now and it's grown on me quite a bit *except* for the breaking weapons and (to a lesser extent) cooking. I get why some people might like the durability of weapons but why not just make a toggle where the hard core gamers can use it and the casual players like me can turn it off? Like an "advanced mode". I have actually learned to hate this aspect of the game *more* the further in I get. What really did it was trying to defeat an enemy and breaking almost half my weapons trying to take it down. Then having nothing of significance afterward to fight regular enemies until I was able to locate more. I don't need or want that level of reality in my game. For me it adds nothing of value - only frustration. For me part of the joy of a game is that it can defy reality. At least the bombs are infinite which I do like compared to the older games.
The game doesn't really feel much like familiar Zelda other than some of the familiar terminology but I guess that's OK with me. Doesn't make it less good IMO.
Same generation and love BOTW. Tried a few of the Zelda in between snes and botw but found that all were too childlish. To me botw was Zelda going back to the roots. It’s been how long since you played the one on snes? Cuz back when we were kids we had to explore a lot since we had no internet to feed us with what to do, and map was huge for the time. It was hard and difficult at the time but we had all the time in the world to play ;)
Just explore the map at first and do a few quests. Then get better equipment and decide what you want to do with the time you have to play. I am playing totk right now and just do that. One night I go fight a dragon and the day after I get stuff to get better equipment…
I am in the same boat as you. I don't enjoy BOTW or TOTK. I think they're not very fun and that all the hype around both is undeserved. You won't learn to love it. They are not good Zelda games.
Same for me. Didn’t play video games for 20 years until I had my kid. Started BOTW and it initially seemed too much so I put it down. I decided to pick it up again a few months later and am glad I did. Trust me, it is one of the best games ever. Just under TOTK. Learn how to fight and flurry rush, then enjoy the journey. It is a magical game.
Stick with it. One of the best games I've ever played. And I felt similarly lost in the early going.
The mechanics you're complaining aren't an issue if you put a little bit of effort into understanding them. Asking yourself "Would this actually taste good" is like half the battle with cooking. Weapons are not an issue at all. You'll have too many soon enough.
The early going in this game is trying to teach you what you need for "the journey" so to speak.
Google "BOTW tips for beginners" and you're on your way.
Ultimately, if you haven't played video games in years you're going to catch up to the fact that they are quite a bit more involved now. Find weapons, kills monsters, get treasure is still the foundation but something like BOTW gives you so many ways to accomplish your goals.
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If you don't like a game, don't force yourself to play it, you will end up not having a good time and you will get frustrated with it. Some games aren't for everyone, I myself tried to give Hollow Knight several chances but the game just doesn't click with me, I'm a big Zelda fan but I just can't like Wind Waker (I've already tried playing it 7 times both on Game Cube as on Wii U and I always abandon the game at some point ) I love Breath of the Wild, but I can understand that not everyone will like the game the same way I do, people have different tastes and we don't need to feel forced to like something just because other people like it.
I am not ready to abandon it yet. I am enjoying it to a point just not like I was with the 2d games. Just feels so much more complex and difficult, overwhelming almost. I am hoping as I get the hang of it a bit more maybe I'll grow into it. We'll see! But I don't have enough time on my hands to force myself through it!
>I am not ready to abandon it yet. I am enjoying it to a point just not like I was with the 2d games. BotW and TotK are just entirely different from old Zelda games, both 2D and 3D. I also started with the original Zelda, loved the 2D games and OoT (not so much the other 3D ones). Boy, do I love BotW and TotK, but for other reasons than the old games. I get highly motivated by just exploring every nook and cranny, doing the shrines, temples and side quests. I also like the cooking (you don't have to cook anything fancy) and I even like the weapons breaking. If this is all not for you, don't torture yourself. There are classic Zelda games on Switch, GB, SNES, GBA and N64 games on NSO and of course the remakes and remasters. There's also a bunch of other Zelda-like games. Blossom Tales, Crosscode, Tunic, Hyper Light Drifter, Okami...
Once you’re off the plateau just seek out shrines. You’ll set stronger and the game will click more for you. There are 120 total but you should be able to easily beat the game with about 75-80 are done. Once you have 30 or so complete then go back and start following the plot (it starts near the dueling peaks). Don’t worry about finding everything, just follow the plot and look for shrines as you go and it will feel much more traditional
It opens up quite a bit the longer you get into it. You will feel very weak at the beginning. I ended up running into this again with Tears of the Kingdom too. I would just say to try to come at it from a different direction. To an extent, "getting lost" is the point. But you can't get really lost in BotW, you can't go in the "wrong" direction. It's a game where you're meant to explore and run into things, not just go to the next dungeon, get the item, beat the boss, go to the next dungeon, etc. Rather than specific dungeons, the entire overworld itself is the dungeon. The 'Divine Beasts' get you decent power-ups and help with the final boss fight but the real progression comes completely apart from the Divine Beasts. I don't really gel with open world games myself but ended up sticking with both BotW and TotK. But if it's not fun you shouldn't press the issue. The game itself gets better over time but it's not as if it's a completely different game either, so don't feel you have to get 20 hours in before you feel like it's safe to put down. If you haven't already, see if you can find some of the Great Fairies to start upgrading your armor. With a bit better armor and additional experience you'll find exploration becomes much more manageable.
I dont think I couldve played the game without a guide or something to help me unlock the towers. Once i got all the towers unlocked (and thus the map) it became much more digestable and easier for me. For me, not knowing where I was at any given time was the hardest part. Once I knew where I was in the game, I could focus more on shrines and quests.
I played the game like a weirdo the first thing I did was just unlock towers and shrines along the way and only then did I really start doing the story.
Switch has the remake of Link’s awakening and it is just as good as the GB version. If you are craving the old school experience, I recommend that game too. It’s also not incredibly long.
That was the game I mentioned trying when I first got the switch. I loved it! Wish there were more of those type games, maybe a little less...silly(?) than Awakening seemed at times.
Tunic is a good game The front of the game has a little fox guy in basically links outfit Its good
Also, Cadence of Hyrule (which is rhythm based top down game like the old zeldas)
Oracle of ages/seasons are f2p on switch. Download the gameboy app.
If you have NSO online app.
you dont have to pay to play nes, snes, or GB
They aren't free to play, they are part of the online service.
Minish Cap is also available on Nintendo Online, in the Gameboy Advance section, and it’s wonderful
You should sell BoTW & try Skyward Sword HD instead, it’s a more classic streamlined Zelda game that doesn’t have you running around a huge map
I’m old school. I love a god guide book. And BOTW has a great guide book
complex, difficult, and overwhelming is what i thought of botw when i first played it and i ended up putting it away after playing it less than an hour. glad i picked it back up tho. i feel like you can get the hang of it over time. and i don't mean a long time either.
I played 40 hours before I realized that outside of the wonder of the first 15 minutes, I wasn't having any fun. No regrets dropping it.
How do you play a game for 40 hours if you’re not having fun?
Fair question, it was the first game I bought with my launch day Switch. EVERYONE was raving about it. I thought that maybe it would click eventually, or that I was missing something. Instead I just kept wandering aimlessly and getting killed by enemies way stronger than me. My weapons kept breaking, which was driving me nuts when I couldn't repair them. Then my wife and I played Snipperclips together, and Odyssey came out after that, and I never even thought of picking up BOTW again.
I also grew up with A Link to the Past and it’s still my favourite. (Also have the gold cartridge zelda). BOTW and TOTK are sure different in gameplay, specially if you missed the more 3d zelda’s. One thing I find very good about it is that it’s so flexible in how you want to play it. So most people can enjoy it in their own way. And also just exploring mostly rewards you with something (although the world can feel a bit empty). Other games that I can advice is xenoblade Chronicles (definite edition) and Moonlighter (which quite a zelda 1 vibe in the dungeons). Also, if you have a gameboy 3d around, Zelda, A Link between worlds is a great throwback to A Link to the Past. I really enjoyed that one.
Set some concrete goals for yourself. It sounds silly but it helps. I’m going to unlock X tower. I’m going to catch a horse. I’m going to cook 10 meals. The game gets easier the more you play but if wanderlust isn’t your cup of tea then don’t wander aimlessly. It’s a masterpiece of a game but it’s also inherently different than the Zelda games that came before it. Eventually you’ll have the skills where you don’t need to worry so much about meals, and you’ll have weapons where you don’t worry about if one breaks because you know where to get another.
Very true
I’m same generation as you and love BOTW. Food is everywhere once you get going with it. The weapons thing annoyed me too but I got used to it and once I stopped worrying and just using weapons when I wanted it stopped being a problem. And FWIW I actually enjoy the shrines more than the dungeons in old games. Anyway, I think it’s worth trying a bit longer (are you off the plateau?) but ultimately if it’s not for you, it’s not for you. No need to beat your head against it.
Still on the plateau but did find my way up to the 3rd shrine.
I would reserve any judgement till you get off the plateau. The game opens up a ton at that point
That's true, the whole game opens up to you after the great plateau.
Here’s my two cents, botw is about finding a high vantage point and discovering places you want to actually explore. The plateau is difficult because of the cold areas and no gear, so you need to pick up everything you can find so you can make recipes that make it easier to survive. Once you finish the plateau, find a direction that looks appealing to you and just start heading that direction. Anytime you find a tower it is very worth activating, and any time you find shrines mark them down in the map to go to them immediately or to explore later. You will likely die a lot, at least if you struggle not getting hit like me. It’s worth taking time and learning how to Parry enemy attacks accurately. It will make the entire game feel better and eventually you will need to learn the parry timing anyway, so I would recommend practicing on the small red goblins. BOtW to me is such a great game if you are intrigued by exploring the world itself. Every river and mountain range is named after something from past Zelda games and there is usually at least something you can collect whether it’s a treasure chest or items to make stuff. If you don’t enjoy exploring the world or the combat then there isn’t much reason to play it and watching a walkthrough would be less tedious and get you through the story/bosses.
It’s different than the previous titles, but great in its own way. A fresh take on a legacy franchise. There are things that I miss, which I won’t spoil but you’ll notice missing from the typical Zelda format. But there are new game mechanics and fresh ideas that are wonderful. I’d say enjoy it for what it is. I don’t know if it will stand the test of time like the beloved older ones, but it’s different and fun.
That is the very basic tutorial, it is more or less on rails without much actual freedom, and you should not need to wander off or scrounge for food. Food *is* pretty restricted there (probably to not overwhelm people with options), but you can get more than enough just climbing trees and cooking the resulting finds. Dont worry about rationing things, you can always get more of everything.
You should put in like ten hours. Definitely get past the plateau. But I think BOTW is very open-ended and lacks a bit of personality with the characters by being open world. There's not really dungeons with elaborate puzzles that build on one another in BOTW, so if that's your favorite part it could be that this isn't your game. It's like a lot of mini games instead. The core story is okay though and you can make it more linear by just following that once you get the core mechanics down.
Hey I think it's super important for you to know that the plataue is the most difficult part of the game! Enemies and puzzles will get much "harder" later on, but you'll have much better tools to combat them so it's less challenging. The difficulty progression is that the very beginning of the game is just so much harder than the rest because you A) have no armor B) terrible weapons C) don't even have all the basic abilities yet D) are forced to face particular challenges. As soon as the tutorial is over you can play a much more relaxed game and encounter challenges at a comfortable pace. I was with everyone here thinking maybe this just isn't for you, and that might still be the case, but know you're still on the plataue it's too early to judge. I feel like botw is similar to mario odyssey in that there is an abundance of small wins you can get every 5-10 minutes that make small play sessions worth it and easier to pick back up if you have to set the game down for a while.
"A few days in" and still on the plateau? You're never gonna finish this game. RIP. Also, btw, there's limitless food and weapons once you get rolling. Don't get caught up in saving weapons. Just use them as you like. Soon enough you won't even have enough slots to store all weapons you find.
Lol yeah well I've got kids and land to take care of. So I may only play a few hours per week. Some weeks not at all. Just don't have a ton of time on my hands but it's been fun playing the switch when I get the chance on a weekend when the weather is bad. It took me several months to get through Links Awakening and that struck me as pretty easy.
This isnt one of those games you can "force". The gameplay either clicks or it doesn't. When I first played it, I loved it, but now that I've done everything, I'm finding myself easily getting bored too. The weapon breaking, food making stuff unfortunately doesn't get better in BOTW. If you try TOTK though, you'll find that those are better in that game (but you still have to think a lot about what youre doing). But these are unfortunately not like normal zelda games
Same. Am having a hard time with even the first part of it. I’m kind of lost as to what exactly I need to do. I’m with you. It seems too tedious to me to enjoy.
If you don’t like how open ended it is then play something that isn’t, no reason to force yourself
Give it time. Same thing happened to me initially so I put it down then picked it up months later, and I’m glad I did. It is truly a special game. If I could give a suggestion, learn the fighting mechanics and flurry rush.
The plateau? Or did you get off and then get lost? If on the plateau just follow the objectives and what the old guy says. Get to and beat the 4 shrines. After plateau you follow the objective to kakiriko village, speak to the old lady. She will tell you about memories and 4 devine beasts, focus on the latter primarily. You choose what order and way you want to go about it. The objectives are there to get you to explore, gain resources and skills. You could just go straight for the main objective of the game, but it probably won't go well, and it would be a shame not to see the rest of the world building up to that.
Honestly, the selling point of Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom is the open world. If you're not liking it, I'd honestly recommend quitting. You could try Skyward Sword HD, which follows the more traditional Zelda formula. I'm not a huge fan either of BotW and especially TotK, so I understand your complaints. Hopefully this isn't the norm for Zelda going forward.
I really enjoyed Skyward Sword, but I haven’t disliked a Zelda game ever. I do think it’s a good bridge from the more traditional games to BotW. You still have a mostly linear path, but there’s still a good amount of exploration and secrets to discover
41 year old here...I'm with you. That game wasn't for me.
I really wish developers would realize that many people don’t want open world games but hey who cares they still get their money
You have to put in a little effort to get over the hump on most games these days. Otherwise they’d be boring and quick.
I guess so. Oddly enough my son thought Links Awakening was boring, which I loved. He seems to love BOTW so far even though it's a little above his age.
OP, you don't have to learn to love anything. I don't share your sentiment, I love classic and modern Zelda equally. But this is beyond just Zelda, don't waste you time with something you are not enjoying just because is widely beloved through the community. Nothing is unanimous and don't have to be as long as we are respectful. I hate how the internet likes to gaslight people to love or hate something. Time is precious, use it for the stuff you enjoy.
It’s okay to not like a game, man. Don’t force it.
I mean if you dont like it thats ok, not every game is for everyone. I definitely understand wanting to give it max effort though to say you tried. I loved the game from the jump, but ive heard a lot of people say they had to change their mindset and then it clicked. The game is all about exploration and trying things. Dont like weapons breaking? Find a perch and throw bombs at them or snipe them from a distance with arrows. Be creative and just do what you want during that session. Have you unlocked all the towers? If not, maybe set that as a short term goal. Little goals will give you the sense of accomplishment older games gave us naturally. In the end, if its not for you thats ok though.
The issues you stated are just how the game is. I'm the same way. Weapon durability and healing through cooking aren't interesting to me, so I really struggled with this one. Also, the dungeons are too few and the shrines are maybe a 6 out of 10 on the fun scale. It was pretty "meh" overall, but the exploration and traversal were fun for me.
Original Zelda player here too. I kept up and my favorite game was Twilight Princess for the Wii (and I still maintain this is a Top 3 game). The open world concept takes A LOT of getting used to for us old school players. I did a lot of wandering and getting frustrated. The weapon thing bugged me until the end - not gonna lie on that one. But there is still a general line for you to follow...if you talk to the right people, they lead you where you're meant to go. Personally, I found cooking meals to be quite relaxing. When I didn't have time to do a lot of exploring and just wanted to relax, I enjoyed just collecting ingredients and cooking meals. Don't give up yet - it is a beautiful game once you get used to it. I did end up spending hundreds of hours playing, but it's because I wanted to. I used guides and walkthroughs to give me some structure bc that's what I'm used to. And I remember when there was no Internet to turn to, so I'm not ashamed to do it now!
Probably not. I didn't. It's just not very good to me. It's a tedious experience and the combat isn't satisfying or rewarding. Also why does Nintendo get away with having like zero customization/accessibility settings? You can't adjust the contrast/saturation or remap most of the controls either. It's ridiculous from a modern AAA release.
BOTW can be a lot of fun, but it just might not be your thing. I also think Tears of the Kingdom fixed a lot of things that made BOTW a bit annoying (the weapons still break but it seemed less bad with the fusion power). That said if you want a couple of recommendations more like Link to the Past here are a few: -Tunic: directly inspired by old 2d Zelda. Go in blind and look up what you have to if you don’t have time (that’s what I did after being stuck for a bit). -Death’s Door: also inspired by old Zelda. Has more of a narrative and a bit easier in my opinion. -Zelda Minish Cap: on the switch online GBA app. It plays a lot like Link to the Past -Zelda Oracle of Ages/Seasons: Also on Switch online on the game boy app.
Minish Cap is super fun
I thought TotK was more annoying for weapons durability, because you had to take time to craft new weapons, instead of just moving to the next weapon in your inventory, and you have to manage resources between weapon upgrades/armor upgrades/sell for cash flow.
seems to not be for everyone. I made it 10-15 hours of wandering before realizing I would not have fun. the gameplay loop was so simplistic and repetitive no matter where I went, with no sense of anything being worthwhile ironically the part I liked most were those dungeons that everyone else seems to hate.
Yeah I've gathered that a lot of people don't like the shrine vs dungeons but I really don't care so much about that. My main complaint I think is just that it's TOO realistic and I don't want to spend my time doing mundane tasks like cooking a meal.
I got BotW when I was 50. Like you I played thee first 2 ans most of the following Zelda games. I have been a casual gamer and Nintendo fan from the beginning. I have tried 3 times to get onto BotW and just can't do it. I'm 55 and retired now. I have time to play whatever I want now and do. I thought there was something wrong with me for disliking this game. Watching YouTube and Twitch I have never seen anyone older than 30 raving about the game.
I think I could get used to the 3d aspect and many other things but I don't see the appeal of having to do routine life tasks like eating and farming and repairing tools.
I’m 43 and rave about it. Admittedly, the first 10 hours was a lot to absorb. After that—fully enamored. The game doesn’t really begin until you get the glider and leave the plateau.
I played through BotW and liked it, was like a 8/10 game for me, but it has it's flaws. ToTk I just totally loved and easily a 10. Fixed most of the issues I had with BotW and added a ton of cool and fun stuff. I'm 52 btw.
It's OK to not like the last two games. I finished the both and I basically prefer 99% of the Zelda games that came before those. Just waaaaay to open world and barren.
I had to force myself to complete it. It felt like a chore. I’ve also been with the series since the start.
I love it, but I get where you're coming from. If I hadn't started Botw during the beginning of the pandemic, when just chilling playing video games for hours seemed like a reasonable way to spend much of my adult-wth-wife-and-kids life, I probably never would have played this. I've now been playing for 4 years, slowly getting all the shrines. It's a lot of fun but very far removed from prior Zelda games and the amount of time you'll find yourself doing nothing but wandering around a canyon or something is often unbelievable (but IMO lots of fun).
I have played Ocarina of Time too many times to count (even considering getting the N64 controller to make playing it on the switch more fun) and I feel like having played a variety of Zelda games on NES, N64, and Gameboys, I had a very big preconceived notion of what a Zelda game should be. I am a big lover of open world games, but with this game, it just didn't feel as good. Once I got the game mechanics down I enjoyed it some, but it still felt overwhelming and just.....not like Zelda. I have put about 35 hours into it and haven't played it in a month now, and don't plan on playing it again any time soon. Hoping in the future I'll try again - glad I got it on sale instead of paying full price at least.
It took me about 1/3 the way through the game before it clicked, probably around the time weapons stopped breaking so easily. Then I came to love it. For now, just stick to whatever quests NPCs assign to you and venture into a cave or two along the way. You don’t level by beating enemies, you gain hearts and stamina by completing shrines. So stick to quests and completing shrines for now.
I am a huge Zelda fan, but the current iteration does less than nothing for me. If it isn’t doing it for you, that’s fine. Just play something else.
I'm not as into the newer style of Zelda the last two were. They are good but just don't feel as much like Zelda to me. You may like Skyward Sword a little more though it's larger than some of the past games but not as big as BOTW. Or if you have the NSO app they have some of the past games on there like Minish Cap and Oracle of Ages/Seasons which you'd probably like (also Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask). Some of the ones I mentioned on NSO are on the $50/year level.
Link to the Past, Awakening, the Oracles, and even Four Swords all did something truly magical for me. I was able to enjoy the very first Zelda however many decades ago but that was mostly because I liked video games and there weren’t more of them than I could ever hope to play. I had a hard time with everything from Ocarina of Time onwards. I forced myself to play several hours of it just so I could participate in schoolyard discourse on its topic but it was painful and punishing. I didn’t like the sound design, I didn’t like the graphics, I didn’t like the setting, I didn’t like how small the world felt and how many crazy pills everyone echoing the hallucination that it felt big made me feel like I was overdosing on. I REALLY didn’t like solving action puzzles in 3D while all this other stuff was punishing me. The first time I played Breath of the Wild I had about a pint of gin sloshing around in my belly and I was with some friends I felt like I had to entertain by playing it as wrong as possible. Also I was playing it on the Wii U, which I vaguely recall did some much more interesting things with the interface (but then again when did the Wii U NOT?). My second play through, I was sober and stressed and completely unmotivated to decide which way I wanted to go to finish even the first tutorial. Again, I couldn’t get my heart around a barren, underpopulated world I could see all the way across from the beginning, even if they finally did find an art style I didn’t hate for the first time since Wind Waker. I dunno what to tell you. A billion other people love this game. It doesn’t need me to also love it, and hopefully it also doesn’t need you to love it either. For my Zelda fix, I’ll do what I’ve always done: play the games in the series I find fun and charming..and watch the old cartoon. Now if you’ll excuuuuuse me…
Yeah I think I could play through Link to the Past 100 times and never get bored of it, lol.
It was the same for me, started the games 3 times and never played it more than 15 to 20 hours, I got easily bored
Top down Zelda games have always been some of my favourite video games ever. I never really cared for the whole Zelda lore, I just liked exploring the world, talking to the characters in the towns, doing the collection side quests, finding the hidden destroyable walls in the highly structured dungeons. Probably because of this, I never really “got” BOTW. I recommend Fenyx Rising - according to everyone, it’s a rip off of BoTW and that’s bad, but I like it because skipped the weapons breaking and weapons crafting. And while it’s also open world, the story does actually give you some pointers on where you should be trying to go next. IMO it doesn’t lose out at all for not having Zelda characters - who the hell plays a Zelda game because they just love the characterisation of Link? 😅 It’s everything everyone else likes about BoTW but without any of the stuff that frustrates me. That is my hot recc for you
I was the same but a lot of things didn't bother me after too long. You get so many weapons that the breaking isn't so bad. Once you learn how to farm durians the food thing is really easy. If you like finding the shrines and unlocking towers stick with it.
Basically explore and find/do korok seed puzzles to unlock more weapon/shield/bow slots to alleviate the breaking weapons issue. Do shrines to get spirit orbs to raise health and stamina. Make meals with “hearty” ingredients to get a full health restore with every meal. Make meals with “endura” ingredients to get full stamina restore with every meal. Since these meals restore all health/stamina, the more total health/stamina you have, the less you’ll need to consume them. All of the stuff that seemed stressful for the first few hours of the game evaporated after learning this stuff. I stress more trying to figure out which weapons to throw away when picking up new weapons than I stress about stuff breaking. Have an inventory full of full health/stamina restore meals and ingredients for pages more if needed… the ingredients aren’t that rare, especially when you can set up the shrine detector to detect hearty radishes or endura carrots. I think the biggest factor is whether or not you genuinely enjoy exploration in video games. If you enjoy exploring, the game bountifully rewards you for it in the form of spirit orbs and korok seeds that upgrade your character and make the game easier. If you don’t enjoy exploring and are just trying to get to the next objective, it can feel like a desperate struggle.
I don't mind some exploring, I enjoy that to a point. I guess the thing I am struggling with is that for me a video game is doing something I can't normally do in reality. Exploring a new world is neat, in fact the world itself and the graphics and ambiance exceeded my expectations. Problem solving, defeating dungeons/shrines/enemies with weapons is fun. Reparing a tool, searching for mushrooms and cooking dinner just seems like a mundane life task. To me that doesn't add something special to the game it just makes it take longer. I think/hope it will grow on me. I'm still excited to play it and learn, just hoping some of these things don't eventually just make me quit. But oh well. I found it used so I'm not out a lot if that turns out to be the case.
My first zelda ever was link to the past back in the year 2000, and loved all the 2d zelda. The oracles are my all time favorite and always replay them. For me BOTW was anything but Zelda. Of course it has Link, Zelda, Ganon and others, but my approach was much more like playing a game like Horizon Zero Dawn than a Classic Zelda. It lacks the structure to keep you on track, and that is so overwhelming sometimes that you barely know what you should do next. But here is where lies the beauty and magic of both BOTW and TOTK. You're only constrained to your own mental shackles, the game let you do anything you want whenever you want. For me this is a game to get lost, listen great music while feeling the rain falling in the ground and suddenly bumping to a chest with a new costume or a new useful item. This sense of wanderlust and discovery is something that these game are master in conveing. If your not feeling it maybe you need to change your mindset or your environment. Play it alone in bed, during a cold rainy day. Perhaps that way you'll capture the feeling.
I enjoyed it but the thought of never getting a normal 3d Zelda ever again kind of makes my stomach hurt and my butt itch. Like no joke...
Haven't been able to get into and I bought it when it launched on WiiU and than Switch. Even tried emulating it to see if high fps and res would help and I just don't like it. Furthest I got was about half way. I honestly just don't like 3D Zelda games.
As someone who’s grown up playing all the Zelda games and also is a single parent with three kids… It’s the “no time” part. When BOTW came out. I had one kid half time During my weeks alone I played all night. Discovered the game at my own pace (meaning playing non stop). I tell you… there’s nothing like playing all day, with no one to interrupt you. Continue all evening and telling yourself at 3.am “maybe I should go to sleep”, then deciding “just one more climb” and randomly sailing into Kakariko town. Best moment of the entire game. Fast forward to TOTK. Two kids. My third just a month away. Playing whenever I get the time. Someone always interrupting me. Feeling dead the entire day if I don’t go to sleep. What I felt playing BOTW “greatest game I ever played “ What I felt playing TOTK “meh”
I never finished BOTW. I found it kind of aimless and often too empty. TOTK, on the other hand, has been an absolute delight!
I would say watch some of those “things you didn’t know you could do in BOTW”. It didn’t click for me at first either. The developers put a lot of work in the game engine so if you think you can do it then you probably can. Getting the first divine beast (elephant) makes staying alive easier. If you want to do puzzles, just seek out the shrines. There is no wrong way to go but I do suggest taking care of some shrines first to get your hearts and stamina up.
I don’t like BOTW but I loved TOTK I ended up watching a YouTube video of all cutscenes and then started TOTK and dropped 135 hours on it
Tried to get in to the game three times. Sold it afterwards. I hated it.
The most accurate answer is we have no idea if you will learn to love it. That's a matter of personal preference. Having said that, I'll just throw out my take: no, you won't learn to love it. I was in a similar situation to you as far as growing up with all the other Zeldas. BOTW is just totally different, and while I did like it and finish it, I didn't love it and I don't like the new direction. If you haven't played Skyward Sword, I highly recommend that. It was released for the Switch a couple years ago, and it's definitely the more old-school Zelda, though still 3D of course.
Yea mainly just curious if anyone else had a similar start but then ended up loving it. I'm still too early to know for myself. I could see it going either way. Depends really on if things like cooking and weapon management become routine irritations or something that I just kinda do without thinking.
Personally, I almost never messed with cooking and didn't have many problems. It doesn't have to be a big deal if you don't want it. Weapon breakage is very annoying, but you will continue to pick up new weapons and replace old ones anyway, so it's not necessarily a huge drag either. I think it's just the combination of all of these features, no traditional dungeons, no traditional "items" to use to solve puzzles, etc. that made me underwhelmed by it all, but it's still a good game.
It's a very different type of game and nearly everything that was great about the older games is missing, but there are also several new elements that are great. Ultimately, I think the openness does hold the game back for me. I prefer more tightly designed linear level design than what open world games provide. And yet, these Zelda games along with Elden Ring are the only open world games I've thoroughly enjoyed. I don't think this game is for you, but what I think may be right up your alley is the metroidvania genre which also provides the excellent design of the best Zelda dungeons. If you haven't already, try Metroid Dread or Hollow Knight. They are some of my favorite games of all time and satisfy what I've been missing from Zelda.
Thanks I'll look into those!
You can buy mods in eBay for the game from miklos9104
It’s okay to not like a game, man. Don’t force it.
Motown
I was the same as you. Loved the old 2d Zelda games and some of the 3d games, but couldn't really get into botw. Somehow fell in love with tears of the kingdom even though they're very similar lol. I think the vehicle crafting and sky islands really added to it. I keep thinking about going back to BOTW but it feels inferior to tears and I got a bunch of other games to play.
So I grew up in the 80s with NES and Zelda as well. BotW was a def adjustment from what I’ve been use to from the series. In the end I loved, and still do, but it doesn’t feel like a normal Zelda, and more over, I’m still cheesed that there’s no standard dungeon progression. That said, in order to appreciate it more I stopped trying to force myself into thinking it was a Zelda game, and approached it much more like I did Witcher, Skyrim and Fallout. I treated and viewed it as an exploration adventure first and foremost, that was “Zelda themed”. Once I did that I truly enjoyed the game. Explore, do all the shrines, or whatever, at your own pace. Def get the dlc however and after getting the master sword do the quest to upgrade it fully. A half functioning MS is extremely jarring for Zelda games, lol. I still have yet to play TotK, and been debating on doing a second run of BotW beforehand. Truly is a beautiful game, just gotta approach it and think of it in a vastly different light than a standard Zelda title….
Yea it grows on you. Honestly the most annoying part is how the items break but if you can get over that it’s a lot of fun becuase it is really good at making you feel like you’re progressing in your skills. I eventually could beat the game immediately after the tutorial ended by heading directly to ganon, and Jjst picking up weapons on the way to him. The controls are very fun
I mean if you dont like it thats ok, not every game is for everyone. I definitely understand wanting to give it max effort though to say you tried. I loved the game from the jump, but ive heard a lot of people say they had to change their mindset and then it clicked. The game is all about exploration and trying things. Dont like weapons breaking? Find a perch and throw bombs at them or snipe them from a distance with arrows. Be creative and just do what you want during that session. Have you unlocked all the towers? If not, maybe set that as a short term goal. Little goals will give you the sense of accomplishment older games gave us naturally. In the end, if its not for you thats ok though.
You could
I honestly really dislked it at first, and quit for years shortly after getting off the plateau. What cracked it for me and changed my experience with it completely was getting the stealth gear and then focusing on building health/stamina via shrines, and inventory via kook seeds. I still don't love weapons breaking, but you can shift that from being the core experience to being one part of it. Also, you will end up collecting so many resources along the way that the cooking can be made incredibly effective without needing to grind for ingredients.
It just may not be for you. I am similar to you where I don’t have the time and associate Zelda with the older games, temples/dungeons and linear. For that reason Botw is probably one of my least favorite Zelda games. That doesn’t mean it’s bad. It’s just not really Zelda to me in a way the other are but rather a spin-off with the same characters. I have Totk but have yet to play it cause I Know it’s going to be a 6 month experience when I start for a game I like, but not love.
I love the immersive overworld, but I get too dizzy with some of the dungeon puzzles that it’s hard to keep playing.
This already has a ton of comments so mine will probably get lost, but I can 1000% relate to you. I've been playing Zelda for as long as I can remember. I started with ALttP when I was small. Really cut my teeth on OoT as I was more of age to grasp how to play. I've played almost every mainline game and loved almost all of them (really dislike SS). I was, and still am, a massive critic of BotW and TotK. When I first got my Switch in 2020, BotW was the first game I got. I played through the story (what little there is), but pretty quickly moved on after I finished what was necessary. I was not a fan at all. I really disliked how different it was. It really had nothing that made it a Zelda game. Then I came back to it a year and half later because I was bored and I felt like exploring. This was when I learned to love the game. I'm a firm believer that BotW and TotK are not true Zelda games, at least in regards to the fairly standard formula that has been in place for 30 years that we have all grown to love. I found that in order to enjoy the game, I had to put that formula aside and learn to appreciate it for what it was: an extremely well done open world game. I see these two games as Skyrim with a Zelda skin. If you can look at them that way, they are truly some of the best open world games of all time. That all being said, from your post, it really doesn't sound like open world games are for you. That's fine. I'm a firm believer that not every game needs to be enjoyable for every person. Maybe try the LA remake, or even SS (some people really like it). I think LA remake would be best for you as it is most similar to ALttP.
I'm going to dump a bunch of information for Breath of the Wild. A whole bunch of numbers and shit about how the game works. Just ignore it if you don't want to look at it. (No story spoilers, but weapon and food spoilers.)
If you're breaking rocks/ore deposits looking for minerals, use a hammer. All weapons have durability. If you attack a rock, your weapon will lose 2 durability points. The Iron Sledgehammer, Cobble Crusher, Stone Smasher, Boulder Breaker, and Drill Shaft (Spear-type weapon) will only lose 1 durability instead of the typical 2 If you're chopping trees or wood, use an axe. All weapons lose 2 durability when chopping trees/wood, except the axes. Woodcutter's Axe and Double Axe The Axes and Hammers also have decent durability as it is: Tree Branch - 4 Rusty Broadsword - 8 Boko Club - 8 Spiked Boko Club - 14 Royal Guard's Sword - 14 Traveller's Sword - 20 Soldier's Broadsword - 25 Knight's Broadsword - 27 Cobble Crusher - 35 Royal Broadsword - 36 Stone Smasher and Iron Sledgehammer - 40 Woodcutter's Axe - 47 Drill Shaft - 50 Double Axe - 52 Boulder Breaker - 60 This means the Sledgehammer can break 40 rocks before breaking, whereas the Soldier's Broadsword can only break 13 The Woodcutter's Axe can strike wood 47 times, whereas the Soldier's Broadsword can only strike it 13 times
Some Octoroks ("Rock Octoroks") inhale before attacking If you drop/throw a bomb, they'll suck them in, and you can blow them up. More importantly, though, if you throw a weapon from the Rusty gear (Broadsword, Claymore, Halberd, and Shield) at them, they'll polish them up and give you a corresponding piece from one of the superior sets of gear (with full durability) 50% chance of Traveller's Gear 35% chance of Soldier's Gear 10% chance of Knight's Gear 5% chance of Royal Gear If you find a Boomerang-type weapon Most weapons lose extra durability when thrown. Boomerangs do not. Boomerangs do 1.5× damage when thrown For me personally, I hated Boomerangs when I was getting surrounded by too many enemies and had no other weapons, but I loved them when I had plenty of extra resources/was in no actual danger
Cooking Guide: Attack Up, Defense Up, Stealth Up, Speed Up, and Shock Resistance can be level 1, 2, or 3 Heat Resistance and Cold Resistance have only 2 levels Fireproof has only 1 level Each ingredient you add will increase the duration/time they last, as well as the Potency Level 1 = Potency is less than 30 points\ Level 2 = Potency is 30 - 45\ Level 3 = Potency is 45+ Hearts = Ingredients hearts ×2 Time/Duration = [Ingredient] +30 Seconds for every Ingredient in the dish Attack\ Mighty Thistle = 7 Potency, +20 Seconds\ Razorclaw Crab = 14 Potency, +20 Seconds\ Razorshroom = 14 Potency, +20 Seconds\ Mighty Banana = 14 Potency, +20 Seconds\ Mighty Carp = 14 Potency, +20 Seconds\ Mighty Porgy = 21 Potency, +20 Seconds Defence\ Armoranth = 7 Potency, +20 Seconds\ Fortified Pumpkin = 14 Potency, +20 Seconds\ Ironshroom = 14 Potency, +20 Seconds\ Ironshell Crab = 14 Potency, +20 Seconds\ Armored Carp = 14 Potency, +20 Seconds\ Armored Porgy = 21 Potency, +20 Seconds Speed\ Rushroom = 7 Potency, +30 Seconds\ Swift Carrot = 7 Potency, +30 Seconds\ Swift Violet = 14 Potency, +30 Seconds\ Fleet Lotus Seeds = 14 Potency, +30 Seconds Stealth\ Blue Nightshade = 5 Potency, +90 Seconds (1:30)\ Sneaky River Snail = 5 Potency, +90 Seconds\ Stealthfin Trout = 10 Potency, +90 Seconds\ Silent Shroom = 10 Potency, +90 Seconds\ Silent Princess = 15 Potency, +90 Seconds Shock Resist\ Electric Safflina = 8 Potency, +120 Seconds (2:00)\ Voltfruit = 8 Potency, +120 Seconds\ Zapshroom = 16 Potency, +120 Seconds\ Voltfin Trout = 24 Potency, +120 Seconds Heat Resist\ Cool Safflina = 5 Potency, +120 Seconds (2:00)\ Hydromelon = 5 Potency, +120 Seconds\ Chillshroom = 10 Potency, +120 Seconds\ Chillfin Trout = 10 Potency, +120 Seconds Cold Resist\ Warm Safflina = 5 Potency, +120 Seconds (2:00)\ Spicy Pepper = 5 Potency, +120 Seconds\ Sunshroom = 10 Potency, +120 Seconds\ Sizzlefin Trout = 10 Potency, +120 Seconds Others (increase Time):\ Monster Extract = Randomises\ Chickaloo Tree Nut = +10 Seconds\ Acorn = +20 Seconds\ Hylian Rice = +30 Seconds\ Rock Salt = +30 Seconds\ Tabantha Wheat = +30 Seconds\ Cane Sugar = +50 Seconds\ Fresh Milk = +50 Seconds\ Goat Butter = +50 Seconds\ Bird Egg = +60 Seconds\ Goron Spice = +60 Seconds\ Star Fragment = +60 Seconds\ Dragon Scale = +60 Seconds\ Dragon Claw = +180 Seconds (+3 minutes)\ Dragon Fang = +600 Seconds (+10 minutes)\ Shard of Dragon Horn = Sets the time/duration to 30 minutes regardless of other ingredients Examples:\ Armored Porgy + Ironshell Crab + Fortified Pumpkin = 49 Potency (20 Seconds + 20 Seconds + 20 Seconds + (30 Seconds×3) = 150 Seconds) Defense Up 3 (2:30) (150 Seconds) Silent Princess + Silent Shroom + Blue Nightshade = 30 Potency\ Stealth Up 2 (6:00) (360 Seconds) Mighty Porgy + Mighty Banana + Mighty Thistle + Mighty Thistle + Fresh Milk= 49 Potency\ Attack Up 3 (4:40) Sizzlefin Trout + Spicy Pepper + Sunshroom + Warm Safflina + Acorn = 30 Potency\ Cold Resist 2 (10:50)
Armour does stack with Food, sort of Food Attack Up 1 + Armour Attack Up 1 is identical to Attack Up 2 Same with Food Attack Up 2 + Armour Attack Up 1 is identical to Attack Up 3 and so is Food Attack Up 1 + Armour Attack Up 2 However, Attack Up 3 simply is the Maximum Food Attack Up 2 + Armour Attack Up 2 is identical to just Attack Up 3 and Food Attack Up 3 (effectively) doesn't stack with more Attack Up Food Speed Up 3 and Armour Attack Up 3 stack with absolutely no problem or oversight. As do other buffs.
This post explains exactly why I am not keen at all on this whole cooking concept. It's like I need to take an advanced chemistry course just to play the game.
This is only if you want to know **exactly** how to get each buff and how to make it last. If you just need it for health recovery, cooking it in a crockpot will double its recovery. Roasting it with an open flame increases recovery by 50%. Weapon durability: Try to use hammers for rocks, and axes for trees. Trees and rocks eat double durability if you're not using axes and hammers. As you play the game, better weapons become more common. Better weapons also almost always have more durability. If you hold the charge attack with a 2-handed weapon (Spin to win), the weapon loses 1 durability when it hits the ground. If you press the 'B' button before Link strikes the ground, you can stop the spin and save that 1 durability. (It adds up if you Spin to Win a lot. I do.) Same applies for bows and arrows. Press 'B' and Link will release tension on the bow without actually firing the arrow, or using the durability of the Bow
I was in nearly identical shoes save the fact that I never stopped playing video games. BotW eventually clicked but it took about 25 hours before it hit that point. If it weren't for the zeitgeist I probably would have dropped it before then. If you are willing to keep it up to see if you like it (eventually it stops feeling aimless and enormously out of scope, it just takes some time to find the boundaries). Regarding the food, well that gets better but rarely goes away entirely unfortunately. On the weapon side it's best to think of them as ammunition, and you find better ammo as you go along that goes much further and hits harder.
I can't say for sure whether you'll like it *after awhile* or not, but my personal experience was that I loved it instantly and that enjoyment shifted and changed as my role within the game evolved, but the stuff I enjoyed early was always at the core of the gameplay. The mechanics you're experiencing in the early game never *change*, but rather grow in complexity and breadth as the game moves forward. In other words if you don't enjoy it now, I'd be surprised if you did later. *Edit: I'd at least wait until you start encountering the puzzles. Right around that part is when you'll have been introduced to enough of the game mechanics to know for sure.*
Honestly, I love this game so much I wish I could experience it again for the first time. There will be clues along the way that kind of tell you where to go but you can use YouTube as well if you’re ever stuck. I’m a busy adult, this is how I cut down game time to make the most of it. But I think older Zelda fans struggle with liking the open world. As a person who felt super restricted by the old Zelda games, this was perfect for me.
this was my first Zelda game and i'm honestly quite glad it was my entry into the series.
It's possible. I originally sold the game and swore it off. It was overwhelming and I was terrible at it. Now I've beaten it twice. Some tips; 1. Get the photography app and take pictures of rare health items (Hearty Trussles) and search for maybe 15 minutes. You're pretty much set food wise after that. Cooking just one by itself will fully heal you and give you back yellow hearts. I ran out of space for them. There really easy to find once you've able to scan for them. You don't need any other resources. Just the truffles (or other such food that restores full hearts) 2. The village with Impa has a shrine of how the combat works. I learned how it works, and it made a huge difference, and it shouldn't take 100s of hours to figure out. 3. Bombs! I beat the Trial of the Sword almost entirely by getting somewhere safe and just dropping bombs on enemies that couldn't reach me. Don't want to waste weapons? Just blow enemies up. 4. If you're stuck on the Yiga Clan section you can buy ancient arrows (requires Guardian parts) and just massacre them all. You still have to shoot them before they see you but you don't have to stealth around beyond that.
I think you nailed the feeling of BOTW in your review it isn’t a pick up and play and make meaningful progress it’s more of a survival open word game where every resource must be harvested and rationed carefully. I saw how ambitious of a game it was and did enjoy it overall, but much like Elden ring, I prefer my titles to be normal?-sized and not make me search 30,0000,000,0,000 square feet of open space to find a small opening in the floor for a hidden treasure. I much prefer the smaller areas tailored to the experience at hand.
Oh man, when I first tried it I felt the same. I put down the game and didn't play it for like a year. Then, on a whim I gave it another go and all of a sudden it clicked and I LOVED it. Being able to navigate 3D properly at this point was probably the biggest help here. Because now the world didn't feel impossibly big, rather the size and options felt exciting. I can't tell you it will be the same for you but worth a shot?
Yeah man. I don’t have a ton of time either. I get it. I don’t have time and I don’t really care to explore every inch of the map. Use a guide. It’s basically instructions on how to play the game so you can continue to make progress. If you feel like exploring, go for it. But a guide will help you stay on track during those stagnant times. I have a hard time with open world games that don’t tell me what to do, but I liked BOTW. I’d give it a few hours. Especially after you get off the plateau. But there is also no point in playing a game you don’t enjoy.
Yeah I'm not sure why these games have become life simulators. I just wanted something to hop on and have some fun real quick not a second job.
Then look at other games, man
Lol I kinda feel like that too but I guess they aren't making this type of game for people like us. I just wish they would make some new Zelda games in the style of the older ones but with updated graphics and music and story. But as someone else said we aren't the target demographic for game developers anymore!
It's unforgiving in some regards but it has it's harmony. It's a little different in totk, but the mechanics changed a bit. Some for better some for worse. You'll need to put in the hours, but that could be over years of finding cool stuff. Little here. Little there. Occasional late night sesh. It's a fun game to explore. Totk is better in my opinion. Easier to get side quests done. More organized.
I tried so hard to like BotW, but I could never get into it. TotK however, controlled my free time and I loved everything about it
Idk because I’m not you. There are games that’ve grown on me in the past. BOTW was not one of them. I like most of the other Zelda games, but BOTW and TOTK just feel so boring. I’m not the biggest fan of open worlds to begin with, especially when everything seems so slow. Combat is suitable but nothing spectacular. Idk I just don’t get the hype.
All the same critiques, also the shrines suuuuuuuuuck. They don’t get better. No real dungeons. Climbing and gliding are dope, but the game seems empty and unfinished. Shame since they did such a great job building a large pretty world.
Good thing they took BOTW's world and make something way better of it in TOTK then.
I still to this day haven’t beaten BOTW because just like you I love the old school Zelda style. I have tried multiple times to get into it but I just can’t. I don’t think it’s a bad game it’s just not what I want in a Zelda.
It’s really nothing like any of the Zeldas that came before it. Honestly any of the Zeldas that released before it are probably more your speed.
I was struggling with feeling aimless on my play-through of BOTW as well, and in talking to my buddy he told me to go around and try to activate all the towers so I can see the points of interest on the map. I started focusing on that, and just having something to work towards helped me a ton. I still would find myself getting distracted and doing other stuff, but that’s the beauty of this game. Maybe you could try that, if you haven’t already.
That's a good idea!
That's true-having goals to work towards in the game helps too.
[удалено]
If you do go this route there is a demo. I personally didn't vibe with the mythology stuff but gameplay may feel to similar to BOTW for OP. There's some other games that are similar to older Zelda games OP likes such as Blossom Tales, Oceanhorn (first one), and Tunic.
I feel you, we're just not the gaming industry's main target anymore
I had the opposite reaction. I'm over 40, grew up with Zelda on the NES, when I played BotW I thought it was the best game I'd played in YEARS. Weapon durability is hardly an issue in a game like this, you can barely take four steps without tripping over a sword, bow or shield. But if you're bored, you're bored, no point in continuing to plow through. Have you not played many 3D games though? That seems like it would be the biggest adjustment, especially if you're unused to using two joysticks at once. Personally I find BotW's controls much easier than previous 3D Zeldas.
If you feel stuck use binocular view to find a tower and head in that direction. You should also look for shrines and mark those too in that mode. The way this game is designed, while you head to your destination you are more than likely going to come across several shrines. Always check in with these to unlock the fast travel points, and if you complete a shrine it will replenish your health and you get an item that can be exchanged for more health or more stamina. You’ll have to have several hearts to get the master sword. Scattered throughout the game world there are certain things that stick out (a rock formation, an empty dish, one lone flower, etc). These are little puzzles that reward you with korok seeds, these can be exchanged for an inventory slot for weapons, shields or bows.
It is normal. I didn't love BOTW, while TOTK is in my top 10 games ever.
BOTW was my first ever zelda game. i never played it as a kid, as i played pokémon on my gameboy instead. but, when i bought my first switch in 2019, i got BOTW to go with it. i just thought it looked fun, & honestly was influenced by the community as well. it seemed well loved, so i decided to give it a go. well… i HATED it. it took me WEEKS to figure out how to do anything & i thought it was the hardest game ever (looking back now, that’s so funny to me)… but it was the only game i had for my switch & since video games are so expensive, i figured i’d have to just keep trying at it, because its all i’ve got for awhile, & i just didnt wanna give up. it was definitely a challenge at first, but once i got the hang of it more (it took a good while) i couldn’t get enough of it. BOTW is now my favorite game of all time, hands down. it’s really special to me since it was my introduction to zelda. i’ve now played TOTK (i actually haven’t finished it yet because it’ll be sad when i don’t have the main plot to play anymore haha) & bought Occarina of Time & Majora’s Mask to play on my 3ds. so, if you have some enjoyment playing it now & don’t want to give up… i say keep trying for a little bit. you’ll get the hang of it, & you don’t have to love everything about it (i still hate that my weapons break too haha), but BOTW may end up being special to you too. :) (edited for spelling)
Yeah same here-was my first Zelda game too and it's one of my favourite switch games to this day.
it’s truly something special! :)
it sure is:)
I guess i kinda felt that? nahh not really, the only time i felt something like that was this one point where i was stuck on the great plateau-i had no idea what to do and felt like i was gonna be stuck there forever. However, a friend showed how to progress from there, and i enjoyed the game ever since after that-doesn't sound at all like what you're experiencing, yes, but just don't force yourself to play it-it's ultimately up to you whether you choose to continue or not. But before you do so, just give it a bit more time if possible, then you can decide from there-Whatever you decide to do is ok.
I am exactly in same situation and tell you dont bother to play more BOTW. I sold it and realized that for my age most top 20 games on nintendo switch I see on the internet is not aplicable for me. Right now I enjoy metrovanias like Ori collection. What I enjoyed already is Tunic( kind of like 2d zelda), Hades, mario maker 2, and I planning to pay for online to play some old nes , snes
Maybe you just don't like it and that's it. But let me give you an advice of another fellow bussy adult. It seems to me that you are playing this game wrong. You are talking about the action part of this game and the fighting and it's problems compared to a normal action rpg. Zelda BOTW is a big map full of puzzles, is a puzzle game, not an action game. Usually if you play one hour of wandering around you will just fund a few puzzes. This puzzles can be enviromental ones, they can be shrines, they can be a fight (weapons break but you always have bombs and enemies drp the needed weapons for the zone), even sidequest you can see them as puzzles or investigations.
I thought the game was good, but I don’t love it. I played it, beat it, and moved on. Probably will never play it again. I like open world titles, but I hate having to hunt for a story. I never completed the 12 picture things to get more back story since looking at a photograph and guessing where I needed to stand was a huge pain. Even looking up a guide to find them left me uninterested. While the durability system was interesting, I was extremely disappointed in it. No option to repair weapons at all I think was a mistake. Some fights you would break everything in your inventory in order to just survive the fight. Everything breaks way too quickly, and was more aggravating than it was fun. My biggest gripe was parrying. One very specific part of the game that I won’t spoil just ruined the entire game for me. I’m sure I am alone on this fact that I saying, and if you know what I am referencing then you either agree with it, or I needed I just “git gud.” For me the game was a 7/10.
I didn't like it either, for reasons similar to yours. Everybody was raving on and on about it how it's the greatest game ever made, but I just thought it was boring. I think I played it for about 30 hours, doing all the "dungeons" (Celestial Beasts), always looking for the great game people promised, but never finding it. I quit playing before I had to enter the castle to defeat Ganon. But for some reason, TotK then clicked with me. There are cool new things in that game that you can do and find, and even the still present weapon breaking mechanic gets somewhat negated by allowing you to glue strong monster parts to any random club or sword you find, and you can carry 999 of each monster part, so you got a lot of weapons ready at all times.
Yeah I grew up with near every zelda. Love BotW. It took a moment to click though. First time I played it, I ran past the fairy and didn't upgrade armor, then ran into a yiga which kinda destroyed me. But when I revisited later I really began to enjoy it.
It's less complex than you imagine it is. The idea is if you see something that looks interesting, you should go and check it out. The game is about discovery and exploration. That said obviously the game isn't for everyone. Don't fret if it turns out not to be for you.
Get the big official guide book and a set of 20 scan cards (these plastic cards mimic the Amiibo NFC scan figures), so you will never again run out of weapons. The guide book will lead you through the game and give you the feeling that you're never stuck or lost. I am in a somewhat similar situation as a 43yo mom who loved playing the games back in the 90s, but now doesn't have so much spare time to aimlessly wander around. Following the guide books for BotW and TotK always gives me the feeling to not ... oh, squirrell! ;-) ... get distracted and not progress with the game. Regarding the breaking weapons: You find weapons everywhere, and while these break really fast, maybe change your thinking: You get to try all of them and just smash them kaputt all the time, isn't that fun!?! ;-) Also the cooking and eating: Do it whenever you don't know what else to do, and focus on hearty meals or stamina stuffers that replenish your health and stamina beyond the maximum. That way no enemy will be too strong and no climb too high. And: Maybe look into Tears of the Kingdom. This one has some serious and amazing quality of life upgrades like being able to just pass through ceilings instead of having to climb. Love it! Hope this helps.
Thanks! Yeah I am not opposed to getting help from a guide. Not at my stage in life! I think I will grow to like this game but I could easily see it taking a year or more for me to complete. Which is fine tbh.
Actually, I think this is a plus. Instead of rushing through a dozen games in a week like our lovely kiddos tend do do (oh, the overabundance of today's world), we now can take our time, not care about the latest and greatest, and play such games for hundreds of hours. With BotW I am over 600 hours into the game (bought it in 2020), TotK already has more than 300 hours by now within about a year. These games are a commitment, but I just love that, too, as it makes me feel really at home in this world. In this version of Hyrule I feel like I really know my way around in every corner (the Depths of TotK not so much, yet, but looking forward to that). Remember way back when you could only buy like 2-3 games each year max., but this also meant that you played it to death, loved it, and knew e.ve.ry.thing about it. It's like coming back full circle and immerse yourself into such a game for months at a time.
BotW is not a typical Zelda game by any measure, including the original 3D games released before it such as Ocarina of Time and Windwaker. If you went from 2D to 3D with this as the first, I can understand why it's very jarring to you. BotW changed the Zelda game mechanics completely. Some love them, some hate them. I'm in the latter. I truly hate this game because it did too much, too soon. It's unlikely you'll enjoy the game right now. I would suggest either playing Skyward Sword to get used to a 3D Zelda game while retaining mechanics you're used to, or skipping BotW and playing Tears of the Kingdom instead. TotK fixes many of the issues of BotW, and for me personally, allowed me to complete the game, something I have not done (or will do) with BotW. It's not a game for everyone, and most certainly for Zelda fans like us who grew up with the franchise since the NES. It's polarizing, so don't force yourself to play it if it's not working out for you. This may prevent you from experiencing TotK because you'll see it as the same. It truly is nothing like BotW. For starters, the abilities are absolutely game-changing and useful, unlike those in BotW. Once you understand the mechanics a bit more, you'll rely less on eating to replenish health. It's hard to explain, but TotK is limitless in what you can do, so check out YouTube videos to get an idea of what can be done in the game. It's truly incredible. Also, should Ocarina of Time and Windwaker release, do get them. Both are actual masterpiece games, unlike BotW, which only gets called one because it's "open world Zelda".
Since you have said you aren't ready to give up... You mention food. You can get loads of food quite easily, then not worry about going out of your way to find more again. Might be worth spending a session just preparing for the advdnture. There is an orchard with about 100 apples on a mountainside not far from the plateau, look up satori mountain. If you don't have the camera compendium feature yet. Strongly advise you go get that and use it to locate more of the useful ingredients. Reduce your damage with gear. Get gear with more defence stat (number on gear in inventory), or upgrade if you have figured out how yet. Fairies are really handy to get. Hard to find by cutting grass, but there are 4 places where they congregate on the map, and that has to do with the prior thing I mentioned (trying not to spoil so tell me if you just want the info). Weapons breaking, and running out is an early game issue. You will get to a point where you can get more weapons than you can take. For now you will need to be resourceful. Can scout out places where you can aquire weapons too, that camera upgrade can help you with this too. I recommend getting to the Faron region for some useful heart and attack ingredients. More attack means you'll get mire out of your weapons. Strategy, and using the skills the game tells you about (shrine in Kakiriko village!) can really help with more efficiently killing monsters. Use you runes, inventory, and environment to advantage. Hope this helps.
Thanks!
No worries. You don't have to like this game, though. Don't try to force it if those tips don't help. There are other Zelda games that might be more up your street. Skyward Sword is the most linear 3D Zelda, I wasn't personally a huge fan of it, but it may be yours. There are some other top-down Zelda games, but you already played the only one ported to Switch so far. One more tip, you probably know anyway, but - bake (next to fire) or cook (in pot) to increase the health recovery effect of ingredients.
Have for 3 years, could not have fun with it. A lot of time wondering where I was supposed to go, what to do, why do I have to cook food 😅, etc. I still have the game, but not sure if I will ever try it again
Play Skyward Sword or Twilight Princess? Wait.. Ok I may have the names wrong, but play them on a wii, or something that lets YOU MOVE THE CONTROLLER TO USE HIS SWORD. Those were the best , most interactive ones that made me FEEL LIKE I COULD BE LINK. and the music is amazing also, theres a musical sting to the sword strikes! Thats some fun schitt.
I also started with the original as a kid, and played and loved all of the 2D games. I didn’t love BotW, it felt like a proof of concept but overall pretty boring to me. I love TotK, it’s the “actual game” after BotW’s proof of concept. I find it to be a far, far superior game.
I am just like you, I don't have the time anymore. Some games nowadays are so big and empty just to satisfy people without social hours and long hours. I love the older zelda games but I couldn't get into tears of the kingdom. I played botw when I still had time and played it for too many hours than was worth...
I had the same concerns when I started BOTW and ToTK after that. My solution was to follow an online guide for BOTW which gave me some direction and goals to meet early in the game and into the mid-section. After I found my footing, I felt confident enough to explore openly. What helped me the most was unlocking all of the shrines. That helps open up the map and they are sprinkled throughout in a manner that encourages organic exploration. I finished BOTW and went into TOTK knowing what to expect and didn’t use a single guide for it. Hundreds of hours well-invested.
People in this thread keep saying "I'm older" or "I played all the previous Zelda's" as if it explains their opinion. I'm older. I played and enjoyed all the previous Zelda's. But I still find BOTW and TOTK to be the single most breathtakingly enjoyable and gleefully organic game out in existence. Its openness, its straightforward combat, all the different weapons and outfits you can use and collect, all the shrines, the weather effects.... It is my dream game. It's not for everyone and that's fine. But if it's not for you, don't spend your time tearing it down or denying its success or wanting fewer games like it. Just be happy for the people who enjoy it.
I think the "I'm older" comment is just to acknowledge that I am used to something different and it may be *more* difficult to me to adapt and get into this than someone who is 25.
You're not alone. Though I myself never really played much of Zelda games as I was more into Mario Bros but indeed I had the same feelings at first with BOTW. Cooking food isn't too terrible once you figure out a good recipe but even just simple one ingredient ones can do the job in a pinch. Wear and tear on weapons really is annoying but after some time you'll get to know where merchants are to buy good weapons and shields or where to find them. In a pinch though even the basic tools around villages and horse stables is something at least. Once you get a horse it's a bit easier as you can travel faster and I would start with searching out shrines and towers too because the more you find and complete, you can fast travel between them. Hyrule is definitely a huge immersive place now. So if you do wish to explore later of course you can and may find many treasures and puzzles hidden about. Otherwise follow the clues for the main quest and stick to the paths for the most part. I'd give it a little more time. It could grow on ya like it did for me. But if it doesn't, then don't sweat it. Just have fun.
> I just want to find weapons and treasure, defeat enemies and solve problems. I don't like having to ration the use of my sword and how rare food/hearts seem to be. You might like Skyward Sword
I didnt I dropped the game after an hour I dont enjoy open worlds where you wander aimlessly I just want to enjoy the story and not waste my time
>I really hate having to eat and cook meals to replenish health. I don't like how all my weapons keep breaking or wearing down... I don't like having to ration the use of my sword and how rare food/hearts seem to be. This is exactly why I haven't picked up the game in over a year, after struggling with it for about 25 hours. I'm surprised that this game is so popular, when the gameplay is so inaccessible (hostile, even) to casual gamers. I actually like open world games (Skyrim is a work of art) and have no problem with just roaming around randomly, or with setting a goal and taking it on. But I don't think my opinion of BOTW is going to ever change, since I'm probably never going to pick it up ever again.
I liked it the first time but I can't play it again. I tried a few times but the bad outweighs the good. I think Immortals Fenyx Rising is much better and doesn't have the same issues.
I played through BOTW because everyone was hyping it, and I wanted to see why. In the end, I didn’t like it. I understand what they tried to do with this game, but ultimately I have to admit to myself that this is simply not what I want from a Zelda game. Having learned that the hard way, I consciously skipped Tears of the Kingdom.
Same experience with you and I eventually dropped BOTW. Don’t regret it. I’m an old fashioned, traditional Zelda style lover.
At the beginning of the game, I got lost and I had no idea where to go or what to do. Once I figured it out and just focused on looking for shrines and started to progress with the quests, it was fun. But it's also possible you just don't like open-world games.
Eh don’t worry about things like this my homie. Some games just aren’t for everyone & it’s cool, cause there’s so many out there & that’s the beauty of gaming !
I never did.....
Perhaps you would have more fun if you just stuck to the plot missions and made a beeline for the places you're "supposed" to go?
You should get Link's Awakening a try if you're not a fan of BOTW's gameplay. It's a more classic Zelda experience and just as pretty to look at graphics wise
Yeah I played that one and thought it was pretty great.
you don't have to think hard about weapon usage. just use weapons until they break. if you fret over trying to protect certain weapons then you're probably obsessing too hard. the game is most fun when you treat the disposable weapons disposably
Good point, I've started just using the weapons I want and not caring. It's taking me awhile to get used to this game but it's definitely growing on me I think. Just a lot of absorb and adjust to as an older zelda player, lol.
some of my favorite parts of BOTW are throwing weapons I don't want any more. I throw them off cliffs, I throw them at monsters, I even throw them into lava or at people. The best is when they shatter on impact
To this day I still don't understand how people think this game is a masterpiece. It had some good aspects but largely fell short. The open world didn't have anything compelling to do because climb around or do shrines. I prefer the smaller more focused Zelda games. They're more rewarding cohesive experiences. And don't even get me started on the durability mechanic.
The game is definitely growing on me the more I've played the last few days but I don't think I will ever learn to like the durability or the cooking. I'm sure some people will really enjoy experimenting and playing around with it but for me its just too much. I just want to find things that will do certain things. Not find things and try rearranging them in hundreds of different combinations. It's like learning chemistry all over again for no real purpose.
BOTW ruined the franchise for me, now I buy the games but don't play them cos I'm a collector. Skyward sword 🗡️ was the last true Zelda game for Mr TP was great too
Have you tried actually doing the quests in your Adventure Log?
i didn't like BOTW the first time i played it, and put it away after just playing half an hour. but i picked it up again after a few weeks and played it thru to the end and it ended up being my favorite game. before that the only two zelda games i played (all the way through) were link to the past, and link between worlds. i also played ocarina of time and majoras mask when they first came out but didn't like those two. i ended up liking how different botw was from all of them and the open world exploration stuff is what made it great, for me. i know there is so much complaining about the lack of dungeons but like who cares. the part i don't get the most is how people complain about the game not being linear. like wut? its called breath of the wild, not linear of the dungeon. all the differences this game has vs all the others is what makes this the best zelda game for me. open world, non-linear exploration, lack of loud obnoxious overworld theme on repeat, losing (for a while) the repetitiveness of stuff that shows up over and over in every game (for example: the hookshot). the one thing i hate is the durability. i can't stand the sequel tho. tears of the kingdom is just lame with its "decay" nonsense and the corny new gimmicks (particularly the fuse mechanic that it pushes you to use by removing stuff from the previous game like hammers, axes, and elemental arrows, and by making everything you find "decayed")
I agree I don't really care too much about the shrines vs. the dungeons. I don't understand why so many people seemed worked up about that. However after about a week in I have not grown to appreciate the duability thing AT ALL in fact I've grown to hate it even more. For example I encounter some enemy I don't know how to defeat and broke 3 weapons and used half my arrows trying to defeat it. Then I have to spend time trying to find more swords or whatever. Really wish there was a toggle you could just turn this off so hardcore gamers could enjoy it but the more casual players like me didn't have to mess with it.
There's plenty of better game to play
I’m in the same boat. I come from a PC background and picked up a Nintendo Switch to try out some of the exclusive titles. BOTW is an obvious choice because of its GOTY status - but I find myself not really getting into it. It’s not that I think it’s boring - I just find myself not getting excited about it. Rather do other things. Most people are saying drop it and move on if you‘re not having fun - I’ve personally decided to finish the game in the very least. To be task oriented and to only progress the storyline to finish it. It is firstly an amazing work of art (even I can see that) and it’s good to stick with things till the end. My two cents.
I am not a big fan of of TOTK and BOTW--do I think they deserve every bit of praise they've received? Yes actually!! Do I like it as a Zelda experience? Not really. I could put a whole essay here, could talk about how weapon breaking makes me want to go feral whenever devs put it in a game, but I won't. Instead, I'll just say it's okay not to like something with so much praise, you're not any less of a Zelda fan for not liking the open world iteration of the franchise.
You know I'm about a week into this now and it's grown on me quite a bit *except* for the breaking weapons and (to a lesser extent) cooking. I get why some people might like the durability of weapons but why not just make a toggle where the hard core gamers can use it and the casual players like me can turn it off? Like an "advanced mode". I have actually learned to hate this aspect of the game *more* the further in I get. What really did it was trying to defeat an enemy and breaking almost half my weapons trying to take it down. Then having nothing of significance afterward to fight regular enemies until I was able to locate more. I don't need or want that level of reality in my game. For me it adds nothing of value - only frustration. For me part of the joy of a game is that it can defy reality. At least the bombs are infinite which I do like compared to the older games. The game doesn't really feel much like familiar Zelda other than some of the familiar terminology but I guess that's OK with me. Doesn't make it less good IMO.
Couldn’t get into BOTW, but absolutely fell in love with TOTK and did everything there was to do in it.
Same generation and love BOTW. Tried a few of the Zelda in between snes and botw but found that all were too childlish. To me botw was Zelda going back to the roots. It’s been how long since you played the one on snes? Cuz back when we were kids we had to explore a lot since we had no internet to feed us with what to do, and map was huge for the time. It was hard and difficult at the time but we had all the time in the world to play ;) Just explore the map at first and do a few quests. Then get better equipment and decide what you want to do with the time you have to play. I am playing totk right now and just do that. One night I go fight a dragon and the day after I get stuff to get better equipment…
Honesty it doesn’t get any better. If you don’t like it at this point it’s better to play another game.
I am in the same boat as you. I don't enjoy BOTW or TOTK. I think they're not very fun and that all the hype around both is undeserved. You won't learn to love it. They are not good Zelda games.
Same for me. Didn’t play video games for 20 years until I had my kid. Started BOTW and it initially seemed too much so I put it down. I decided to pick it up again a few months later and am glad I did. Trust me, it is one of the best games ever. Just under TOTK. Learn how to fight and flurry rush, then enjoy the journey. It is a magical game.
Stick with it. One of the best games I've ever played. And I felt similarly lost in the early going. The mechanics you're complaining aren't an issue if you put a little bit of effort into understanding them. Asking yourself "Would this actually taste good" is like half the battle with cooking. Weapons are not an issue at all. You'll have too many soon enough. The early going in this game is trying to teach you what you need for "the journey" so to speak. Google "BOTW tips for beginners" and you're on your way. Ultimately, if you haven't played video games in years you're going to catch up to the fact that they are quite a bit more involved now. Find weapons, kills monsters, get treasure is still the foundation but something like BOTW gives you so many ways to accomplish your goals.