05-007
Breath of the Wild
It is time to continue our adventure
in epic fantasy. In the next few posts, I will move slightly away from traditional
screen adaptations, i.e. movies or TV dramas, to fantasy role-playing video
games. And the first I would like to talk about is the well acclaimed action
RPG published on Nintendo switch, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
Chinese version of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Being published in 2017, Breath of the Wild is already 6 years old by now. However, at the time of writing, it is still the latest work in the series. People have already written enormous number of articles talking about this game. So instead of going straight into the game and writing another similar article, I would like to take you through my journey into 3D epic fantasy gaming.
From Travelholic to TV fanatic
Let us rewind back to 2019. I
have did a lot of travel in that year.
First, I had a family trip to
Bangkok to spend the summer. Shortly afterwards, I got a business trip to Munich,
and another short stay in Bangkok during my return trip. It was great to visit
this vibrant city twice in a single month. In Autumn, I got another business
trip, to Singapore that time. And near the year end, I had visited my brother
in Melbourne and then made a short trip to Hobart just before Christmas to
conclude the year.
For most Hongkongers, 2019 was not an easy year. Just that no one could imagine 2020 would be even more difficult. I remembered when walking along the coast of Hobart, I told myself that I have been travelled too much and should stay more at home. God listened to my “prayer” and bounded me in this city for the next 1000 days.
I was sitting inside Mure's Seafood Restaurant
at Hobart waterfront on the 13th of Dec, 2019.
Who can imagine what would happen in just one month's time?
Time flies. 2020 was still okay
to me. I was packed with different projects from my job. I spent my limited
leisure time to travel around this small city and it was still fulfilling. But the
pandemic lasted way longer than I expected.
In 2021, I started filling nervous. I missed travelling. I need travel, desperately. I need to find a way out. So, I started watching different travel documentaries, visiting different restaurants, trying every international cuisines, just to imagine that I was travelling around the world. I also tried to walk inside a football field, lay on the grasses with my eyes closed, trying to hypnotize myself to believe that I was riding a horse in Kyrgyzstan. But I just could not fool myself with all those. Fortunately, I was given a way out. Thanks to my wife.
My way out, sort of
Ever since my marriage, we used
to have oversea family trips at least once a year. Being locked in this small
city, we did save a lot in travelling. One day, my wife suggested to use the
money to buy a Nintendo Switch.
I have not been playing console
games for years. And I still believe kids should stay away from game consoles
until, at least, 10 years old maybe. That is the reason why I introduce so many
card and dice games to my kids. I do have 2 consoles at home, a Wii and an Xbox
360. They are still working but have been mothballed for ages.
“The console is almost $2500 and
a game is another $500? That’s expensive.” But my wife insisted. So, I grabbed the
switch and Mario 3D. But just about to pay, I saw this distinguishing
game, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
Opening scene of Breath of the Wild is just breath-taking
Image Source: Nintendo
“It is a good game. It has been sold out for months. We just got some copies back earlier this week.” The salesman told me. I have heard about the game before. But buying this would mean another $500. “What the heck!”, I said to myself. “$500 is just a JR Shinkansen ticket.” So, I dumped $3500 on the cashier desk and left the shop with the console and 2 games. I tell you what. There is no regret of buying this game. Breath of the Wild is just gorgeous!
My date with Zelda
I used to be a diehard Zelda
fan. I played the original The Legend of Zelda and The Adventure of
Link when young. I still remembered the many sleepless nights playing A
Link to the Past during my college time. I also enjoyed the black and white
Link’s Awakening on Gameboy a lot. But since then, I started working. There
is little work-life balance in this busy city. I have given up playing console
games completely. So, don’t ask me about those Zelda games after that. Ocarina
of Time? Majora's Mask? Never heard.
Everything is now in 3D, no more top down view
Image Source: Nintendo
Playing a new Zelda game after all those years is like meeting an old friend. And the old friend has a new look now. It is in 3D. The game received critical acclaim in almost everywhere, from almost everyone. Graphics are beautiful. Gameplay is nice. Map is large. And the storyline is attractive. Everything is just awesome. Furthermore, it is an open world game set in the epic fantasy genre.
The chill of modern day gaming
I always treat The Lord of the Rings trilogy as the dividing range between classic and modern day movies. Movies produced after that time always give audience a more recent feeling. Movies before that are more in old-school style. There are exceptions. Alien is ahead of its time. However, Predator is more old-school. Alien vs. Predator? Well, it was produced after The Lord of the Rings so it is modern. If you have watched all those movies, you would agree on what I said.
The transition on TV dramas was
5 to 10 years later than that. The turning point is digital switchover. TV
channels started filming in HD from around 2007. And the success in streaming services
kicked TV shows to a further level. I would say, any TV show produced after
2007 belongs to the modern era.
But for games, the transition happens
even later. Breath of the Wild is not the first 3D game I have ever
played. I played Doom. But the first 3D game that made me dived myself
into is Gabriel Knight 3. I also played GTA IV on my old Xbox
360. It is the one of the two games I ever bought for that console. Both games
are good. But Gabriel Knight 3 is 1999 and the graphics are chunky. GTA
IV is more advanced but still with lot of imperfections. I think ever since
2011, we started having some decent 3D games. But their picture quality is
still not comparable to movies. I would say, playing a modern 3D game with good
graphics is more comparable to watching an anime.
Image Source: Nintendo
But also, you can find snowy peaks to climb
and wooden cottage on mountain top.
Image Source: Nintendo
Breath of the Wild is one of these. After 6 years, it is hard to say that the graphics are flawless. Nintendo switch is not very strong in terms of hardware. Plenty of 3D games nowadays have better graphics. But Breath of the Wild is all enough for me. I can ride a horse on the endless grasslands, climb up snowy peaks, dive into the hot springs, travel between different villages, and talk to different people around. In its open world environment, I can go almost anywhere I like. Sometimes, I just load up the game, grab my horse from the stable, walk around randomly, doing nothing at all. I just love enjoying the atmosphere that the game gives me. It is my game. The pace is up to me. There is no hurry of doing anything.
The best part of the game is definitely the horse-riding part
Image Source: Nintendo
Many people have been writing reviews
on this game and I am not going to repeat. If you want to know how good it is,
or if you want to know its plot, who is Zelda, what is the master sword, or if
you are stuck in somewhere and seeking for help, please google. Below, I put a
video showing the complete gameplay, with no commentary. Even though you do not
have this game, I hope you can also enjoy Breath of the Wild.
Go back to the Lobby ...
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