Rating: T
Players: 1
Price Range: ~$119 USD
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Surprised?
This is exactly like Ocarina of Time, except it has less of a reason to be like Ocarina of Time.
Why does this game exist?
Because Wind Waker sold below Nintendo's expectations because the cel-shaded graphics received backlash at the time and further gave off the idea that the GameCube was a "kiddy" system.
And so, it was as if they went into the office, sighed, and said, "We got to make a commercially successful Zelda game", and made the most sterilized video game known to exist.
Yes, if you read my thoughts on Ocarina, then they unfortunately apply here.
On the surface, the graphics range from underwhelming to outright poor, as they decided to go for a more realistic and gritty art direction for the "mature gamers", and they fall flat. Everything just looks so dull and muddy, and the saturation of the light effects are ridiculously awful. Unlike Wind Waker, these graphics have aged rather terribly.
The soundtrack is also completely forgettable, with only Midna's Lament sticking with me to the very end. It is synthesized to the ground and doesn't sound like anything even remotely interesting in the slightest.
Gameplay is also atrocious, with game design that makes as little sense, if not less, than Ocarina.
For one, the structure is so one note, it isn't even funny. The game is much more linear and railroaded, with you clearly directed to go to one area to progress the story, as evidenced by the choreographed Pieces of Heart along the way (five are required for a full heart container for some reason). However, there is pretty much nothing to do except the main quest as the amount of side quests have been decreased to a minimum, which does streamline the experience and trim the fat, but it isn't replaced with really anything of importance.
Just minigames and the Magic Armor quest.
And the problem with the game's structure isn't what bothers me. It is the fact that there is just nothing done with it. A game can be linear, but it is supposed to challenge the player with ever-increasing challenge and complexity, which I feel the game doesn't do.
First of all, Hyrule Field is once again awful. Just a barren wasteland with nothing to do in it except go from point A to B and is degraded by Epona and teleportation.
Exactly like Ocarina.
Ridiculous.
Secondly, Rupees are worthless yet again, as they don't really have much use outside of perhaps the first hours of the game.
However, the epidemy of this issue is the Magic Armor, a set that Link can don after a long and arduous side quest to become immune to damage at the cost of Rupees per hit.
Really?
Okay, now, here is what grinds my gears.
This is not a solution. They are simply acknowledging that they know Rupees don't have much of a use, and just poke fun at it as opposed to actually solve the problem.
YOU ARE READING
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