Maybe I'm just lucky but besides one or two issues, I haven't seen any of these frame rate problems that others are reporting.

I haven't posted much because I have spent almost all my time playing this game. Close to 30 hours in and I have yet to do a dungeon. I have beaten like 20 shrines and only seen the bottom east side of the map. This is the most massive game in terms of meaningful stuff to do I have ever seen.

But it comes at a price, this is not the zelda I know and love. They made a game for the modern era and in doing so, so far, seemed to have lost what made this series so special. I miss the smaller areas filled with things to do. I miss having every location have meaningful design, not just a mountain and hills to have mountain and hills. I miss seeing objects I can't get to yet because I need a new item that adds a new gameplay element. I miss bombing places and finding a hole in the ground with who knows what in it. I miss having mini games all over. I miss finding heart pieces.

And above all I miss dungeons. 30 hours in any other zelda game and I am half way done with the game and done like 3 incredible dungeons that are better designed than anything any other game can offer.

That doesn't mean this game isn't incredible, it is, it's just not the incredible I expect from a zelda game. Instead we get a massive gameplay systems filled playground with so much mystery and discovery it puts most every open world to shame. This is the antithesis to witcher 3s giant but totally static open world. Zeldas open world is alive in every way, every thing that happens can be used by the player, from a normal gust of wind, to a lightning storm, to the water, everything is interactable. Every situation can be approached a myriad of different ways and just chatting with Dez this weekend I have seen multiple strategies to the same situations.

This is the MGSV of zelda, a bold new gameplay playground that plays better than any before but guts the core of what defined the franchise. Now there is still hope for zelda cause I have seen so little that it's possible it scratches that itch, just very spaced out.

What I have seen though is brilliant and can lead to so many stories, the players stories. Like the time I decided to see the ruins of a ranch but instead ended up in a cat and mouse chase through broken down houses with a guardian who then chased me through the plains while I was on bourse backs. I dashed into a forest where I finally lost track of it only to find myself right in front of a sleeping giant.

The best thing I have experience so far is this island way at the edge of the world which you have to use a raft to get too. A land on there and what happens next is so genius, for over an hour I was in heaven. This game has a way of constantly making you use everything at your disposal to survive. Because it's finally challenging, it's dangerous, it's a world of unexpected dangers.

Of course there are the shrines which I have done 20 and they have been incredibly varied and all interesting. They don't feel like zelda puzzles much, more like physics puzzles which I guess is fine as most of us are so used to zelda puzzles. There is something that occurs with zelda puzzles where I would always over think the solution, but that solution would never work. Well the finally made a game where that overthinking solution does work; I have come up with such insane impractical ways to solve these puzzles. It's only after I solve them I look back and realize, oh , I just had to use the magnet on that... oh. But it doesn't matter cause I solved it my way and that's the beauty of these puzzles.

I've already wrote so much,I'll cover more later. I love the weapon breaking system, I find it to be a key part of survival and leads to constant weapon variety and the joy of finding something new. I love having to be aware to solve mini puzzles for korok seeds all over. I love that upgrades of any time feels meaningful as the difficulty requires new stuff. I love the few towns I have visited so far. I love taking pictures of shit for the log. I love the way directions are handled with people hinting at places rather than just telling you. I love that I saw a fucking dragon just flying around in the distance and I have no clue if I should just go there now or not.

I am lost in so many ways with this game. I am lost as to I don't know what I should do or where I should go. I am lost in that I want the old zelda back but with this new gameplay. I'm confused but I'm hooked.

travo said:

Maybe I'm just lucky but besides one or two issues, I haven't seen any of these frame rate problems that others are reporting.

Same here although I'm not all that sensitive to small frame rate drops so unless it really stutters chances are I may not notice it.

I came in this thread expecting a Dvader quote right off the bat talking shit about Witcher, and that's what I got.

The Witcher; for some reason the worst franchise of all time.

gamingeek said:

Okay I'm stumped. I got the camera, headed to impa. She says go find these locations. I go to lanru can't explore too cold even with the warm doublet. Went west instead. Couldn't get back up to the great plateua with my horse. Went north and west, the towers are impossible to climb with guardians or like flying magicians over a lake who insta-death you. Wtf should I be doing. Guys?

For me I found it good to just explore early on in the game. The towers in the lower eastern part of the world seemed like pretty good ones to get first. Do some shrines to raise your health and stamina. I think I've done about 18 or 20. Plus they are good to have for convenient fast travel. Find the Great Fairy because she can upgrade your armours. Like Travo said Zora's Domain would be a good first place to go as that dungeon seems to be an easier first one to do. Be wary of the lightning attacks that enemies do there which is what that wizard did who one hit killed you. Lightning resist potions will help you there and you'll get one for free by going there.

So any good stories you have to share. The beauty of this game is that you carve out your own path, no ones adventure will be the same. I went east found the major towns, got some great upgrades and made it to the beach at the edge of the world. From there I took a raft to an island far off in the distance cause I wonder what delights an island like that could hold. What I got when I landed blew me away, it's pure gameplay genius which takes everything you learned so far and tests you in a fun way.

I don't want to spoil this if you haven't been so don't read further, but I have to share the crazy stuff I did to stay alive.

ISLAND SPOILERS

So they steal all your gear and you have to find three orbs guarded by enemies, one a giant. So the first time I was killed by this octorok that hid as a treasure chest, very dark souls. Next time I was prepared and gathered resources one by one. I wanted to stay back and avoid confrontation so I got octorok balloons, attached them to a bomb, used my leaf to blow the floating bomb toward the enemy camp and detonate it killing a few. I was able to grab a weapon and finish the rest.

Next I climbed the mountain where a bunch of enemies were in ruins and I was able to sneak into a chest and get a good bow. Now there is a blue moblin who is too strong and could kill me in a hit, lucky for me a thunderstorm started and I had metal swords. So I dropped it, used the magnet to float it next to enemies and have lightning fry then. I dropped the sword near the moblin who picked it up and countintued to get struck while I killed him with arrows. Now I have much better weapons and a place to cook.

I made some buff potions, got my hearts buffed to 9. Got defense up and went to take on the giant. I was doing great till one hit took all my extra hearts away and I was back to four which would be an instant kill if I get hit. So I changed tactics and ran into the jungle, it grabbed a tree, in out of arrows, but I have some red chi jelly which explodes into fire if struck. So I drop some jelly and a bomb, run away and when the giant walked over it I blew up the bomb, the fire engulfed the tree which stunned the giant and I was able to run under it and attack and kill him.

Later I found there was another hill with loads of dynamite and boulders I could have simply launched at the giant. The amount of ways to solve any situation is so breathtaking.

So that's my story of the island, I'm sure you will have a totally different one.

Archangel3371 said:

Lol! Oops