[GranteedEV]

Originally Posted by OutOfTheCube

Skyward Sword is easily the worst 3D Zelda

Subjective. It's fine if you feel that way but I feel Breath of the Wild and Twilight Princess were by far the worst. Skyward Sword had flaws - the main one being that you couldn't shove a sock in Fi's mouth and the other one being that the hub area was unexciting, but it was a well crafted masterpiece in my eyes that really understood what it meant to be a Zelda game. Great dungeons, great boss fights, exciting pre dungeon areas, and while no one plays Zelda for the plot, it was right there with Wind Waker with a fine progression.

and only succeeded in proving how tired and boring that formula was becoming.

I feel like you're describing Twilight Princess, not Skyward Sword. Skyward Sword succeeded in proving that the formula still worked with strong execution. SS wasn't flawless but it was proof that imagination and polish were what TP was missing. And I don't really think BotW was more imaginative than SS. It was more open world and had a great physics engine, but I don't confuse that with the fantastical sense of adventure that the series has always been about. Zelda should never be compared to Skyrim or the like.

The series hallways desperate for a shake-up and they knocked it out of the park with BOTW.

BotW wasn't a shakeup though. It was a denial of all the elements that made the series great in its prime. It was a love song to every other open world game out there. Open world's been a thing since 2003, it's not as if BotW innovated anything that Grand Theft Auto 3 and Assassin's Creed didn't already introduce. It just overemphasized its expansive overworld and underemphasized every other aspect of adventure that "Zelda" encompasses.

Climbing was a fun mechanic and botw even managed to quite literally piss on that with its rain mechanic and the grindiness of building stamina. More importantly, the entire game became about climbing to the highest point and then dropping down to where (or what horse) you needed to go. If anything this made exploration feel tedious outside of the Zora's River area (the lone area where it actually felt like an adventure).

Combat wasn't anything special in BotW and its weapon break system never got funner as the game went along. By the end of it I was hoarding Ancient Weapons and Lynel weapons and using whatever crap was lying around to beat most enemies because I didn't want to have to fight a miniboss just to get my good weapons back. Even the friggin Master Sword had a break mechanic that served no purpose other than to frustrate.

By removing the classic item system there was no longer a reason to go to any dungeon, or even any overworld puzzles to solve. Even Majora's Mask had a more engaging (if small) overworld to explore because at least you needed certain skills to go to new areas a la metroidvania or, well, Zelda. In BotW the only reason you can't go somewhere is because you don't have stamina.

Like, this guy is barely past the tutorial area. Yes, there is lots and lots and LOTS more to it than they showed you there.

Such as...? Fetch quests and hunt quests? More climbing? Easy and forgettable boss fights? No background music?

The tutorial area is a fantastic sample of the rest of the game. If you love the tutorial area you will love... more of that.

If anything, at least the shrines in the tutorial area unlocked new skills to encourage exploration. After you leave the great plateau you're basically relying on those same four skills for the rest of the game.

I get that a lot of people find open world games appealing. I used to too... in 2005. But at some point I realized that making a world bigger and freer doesn't make it more interesting. Wind Waker was a good example of that because even though it was an amazing game, the Great Sea was by far its weakest point - and WW isn't even an open world game like what' s become popular these days.

Breath of the Wild is definitely a modern sandbox game. But sandbox is a genre, not an innovation. I want an adventure game when I buy Zelda and I didn't feel like I was on an adventure for much of BotW. Link to the Past, Link's Awakening, Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, Oracle of Ages & Seasons, Minish Cap, Wind Waker, Skyward Sword... to me these games are what Zelda is about. The excitement of being able to finally travel to a new area because my character has grown in a tangible way whether that's a hookshot or a new transformation mask. The excitement of raiding a new dungeon, complete with a map and a plethora of puzzles.

I didn't hate Breath of the Wild. It had its moments and if you don't compare it to Zelda games it's a big fun romp with some nice Zelda easter eggs. But it's a sandbox game, not a Zelda game. I'd sooner recommend Okami or Darksiders or God of War 2 to someone who wants a Zelda game. And yes, the first Zelda was a sandbox game.... and it wasn't really that fun for me either.

BotW was based on the premise that linearity = bad and non linearity = fun. Skyward Sword was based on the premise that fun = fun.

Your mileage may vary - and that's fine.