Topic: Nintendo Switch --OT--

@nessisonett I'd like to think so too! Whilst I'm adoring totk, I can't QUITE get rid of the feeling that I would like something brand new, and I'm sure the Zelda developers are aware that they can't get away with this a third time. No idea what direction it would go in - I do imagine it'll maintain this completely free open world approach though. I'd love for them to develop both types of 3D Zeldas, the more linear ones with puzzle box dungeons, and these more open ones. I'd also love for more original 2D Zeldas! But we unfortunately can't have everything (not even an explorable Wuhu island!)

@Haruki_NLI Yeah this is a good point, and as a result it ends up not quite fulfilling the wonderful open world freedom or the tightly designed puzzle boxes of older games. That said, I'm judging too early as I've yet to do a single dungeon yet, so maybe I'll be happy with them!

I managed to play a fair bit this weekend finally, did the wind shrine and I’ve been exploring a lot of the depths. My earlier impression of the depths was kinda meh, but actually it’s a lot of fun going from light root to light root, uncovering the map as you go.

Look, I’m never going to finish this game - it can be really, really good, but I won’t be able to stick with it for as long as it requires and once I have forgotten the controls I am not sure I will go through learning them again lol. Or maybe it’s one I will keep coming back to, controls be damned. Glad I went digital so it is always ready to go, I suppose.

Have we spoken about DLC yet?

Considering it'll be late in the next console's lifecycle before another Zelda releases, I'd imagine they're going to build a new world with the improved hardware in mind.

BotW and TotK are games that feel like they're designed to get the absolute most out of the Wii U and Nintendo Switch hardware, respectively. Same will be true next time as well.

@kyleforrester87 The Depths have surprisingly in-depth sidequests and a ton of cool stuff to find. There's even an optional rune, if you haven't found it yet, that makes building vehicles about 100x easier.

I hope there's not DLC. This game really, really doesn't need it, lol.

@Ralizah yeah I know the rune is down there somewhere, trying to find it naturally but will look up it’s location if need to I think

Man, that last memory in BOTW was pretty grim. I quite liked that it actually feels like a love story for once as well. Can’t believe Fi was acknowledged either, although I guess Skyward Sword was the previous main series game sort of.

@nessisonett I really, really need to play Skyward Sword lol.

Speaking of, wasn't that game pretty explicitly a love story?

@Ralizah Yeah, the characterisation was a lot stronger than previous games for Zelda but Link still came across like a massive dork because of the silent protagonist thing. With BotW, it implies Link talks offscreen a lot but it does still kinda take away from the narrative.

@nessisonett The funny thing is that if you look at Zelda's diary in Hyrule Castle, an in-universe explanation for why he's so quiet is offered.

@Ralizah I did find that when I went to get the memory near there! It’s a nice thought that there’s an attempt to explain him being so quiet because the dialogue when you talk to NPCs is amazing. Especially Link being a total kleptomaniac and saying things like ‘gimme those boots’ to the simp guy with the nice boots.

I tell you what, my initial impression of the depths was a bit negative but I’m really enjoying exploring them and activating light roots. The music is very nice too - the general ambience, the sorrowful/downbeat variant of the short tune you get when finding a new location, etc. I keep wrecking my decent bows sending out brightbloom though, need to stock up on a few crappy ones for my next exploration session. Still haven’t found that optional rune!

Great tune too!

@kyleforrester87 meaningful landmarks in the depths are just a tad bit too sparse and repetitive for my complete liking, and I feel like I would be even more critical of it if I had played botw with the dlc/amiibos since a lot of the cool stuff you find there is just that extra content that was in botw. That said, the atmosphere is great. Some truly fun and scary encounters coupled with the gloom dmg, make for a tense time down there. And it is definitely satisfying going from root to root, picking up whatever you find along the way. I kinda look forward to my trips underground a lot more than I do going up to the sky

Also you should probably just throw bright blooms. It's not worth wasting your bows even if it feels a lot better to shoot them around plus it also takes up arrows

@Judal27 I like shooting them though, pow-pow-pow! I hear you, maybe I should throw a few more. But Bokoblin bows are easy to come by, and I seem to be able to maintain a steady 250 arrows so it's not that bad. Plus stocking up on this stuff feeds into the loop and enhances the experience a bit, even if it takes a bit of time.

I went from not being a fan of the depths to absolutely loving them. I spent two hours down there today and it just flew by. Making vehicles to easily traverse it is really fun, and whilst there aren't many landmarks and treasure chests, the ones you do find are always really exciting. Just navigating it is a challenge, so whenever you come out of a long stretch of gloom with tricky enemies, following obscure statues, and get to somewhere notable, it feels like a real success.

Pastel Joy-Cons and a sequel to 1-2 Switch wow, happy pride month I guess. (Claiming 1-2 Switch for being sheer camp through it just not working and being a sad joke). Now we just need Stick Shift on the Switch. And to see more of this absolute hunk.

@nessisonett In fairness, them finally releasing a Fire Emblem game where the male avatar can S-rank the entire adult male cast is more than enough for me. I was here when my only gay option in Conquest was some nutter who gets off to inflicting suffering on people.

@Ralizah I can’t really bring myself to go near Engage. One of the most offputting artstyles for characters I’ve seen in a while.

Playing that Sonic Origins has made me come to the realisation that Sonic 1 is rubbish. I always get confused between it and 2 in my memories but yeah, the first Sonic peaks in the opening 5 minutes and then becomes one of the worst platformers to ever exist. Every level after Green Hill is filled with ways to slow you down, stupid traps, annoying enemy placement and punishing drops after knockback. It’s incredible how well Super Mario Bros still plays today, it’s precise and simple. Sonic 1 on the other hand is a clunky, imprecise nightmare. Green Hill Zone still rules though.

@nessisonett I actually played sonic 2 for the first time a few months ago, and really wasn't a fan. I found the levels kept wanting me to gather speed, but then as soon as I did, I was punished for it, hitting walls and enemies. I understand the appeal is to replay the levels, learn the layout, and maximise your time at top speed, but after one playthrough I really couldn't be bothered. The game wasn't fun enough on first playthrough to incentivise me to replay it to improve, and I swiftly moved on. I had exactly the same issues with it as you state with sonic 1, and I'm sure the problems in sonic 1 are far more widespread!

IMO Classic Sonic never hit a proper balance between speed and platforming. It's why I've never been hugely nostalgic for the older games, despite owning a Genesis over an SNES back in the day and playing Sonic 2 quite a lot.