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[RCU005]

I know you read the title of this thread and thought: WTF?! But let’s go over it:

You may be thinking: “But this is the first Zelda game that is truly open world and you can do whatever you want! You can even beat the game before doing anything else”

There lies the biggest problem of this game. It has a huge world where you can play, explore and experiment, but at the same time, the game doesn’t want you to do that freely.

1) It gives you a huge open world to explore, but…
- The game puts a stamina wheel that doesn’t last more than 30 seconds fully updated. In that time you can’t cover more than a few meters, but you have to cover thousands of miles.

- The same stamina wheel prevents you from swimming, which adds the restriction of weight making you swim even slower and the stamina last less time.

- That same stamina wheel prevents you from climbing more than few meters in a game that “allows” you to climb el anything and everywhere.

- The climbing is completely useless when it rains.

2) You get a horse!
- But it also has stamina, and it takes forever to fill, so you “Hay” a few times and have to wait until the horse slows down to a crawl to be able to run again. Making it worthless.

- Oh but with the DLC you get a motorbike!
But it has fuel! Yes, it last a little longer, but still the game puts another restriction on you.

3) Breakable weapons.
- This horse has been beaten to death many times. The weapons don’t last any worthwhile time. Just a few hits and it’s gone. Sometimes can’t even defeat ONE enemy with a weapon or bow or shield.

- Inventory slots are very few.
Another restriction: while no one expects a bottomless bag, there are very few slots for a game with a system that has disposable weapons/shields/bows. The process to increase them is very tiresome and takes way too long (collecting korok seeds) but even with full slots they are very few.

- To this day In don’t know what the numbers of the weapons/bows/shields mean. I still don’t know if it’s just higher is better, or number of hits or what. The restriction here is the information so that you can easily know which weapon is better.

3) Can’t roll! WHY??! Why is this not in the game!!!

So I feel like the game is more about the illusion of freedom and exploring. In a game this big, there shouldn’t be any stamina for running at all. Or at least make it like final fantasy where if you time a button press correctly it auto fills. Or at least for running should’ve last like 10 minutes, not 10 seconds!! It was “fine” in Skyward sword because the game was much smaller.

Maybe the stamina for climbing and other stuff is fine, but again, it should’ve been better implemented. Not being able to climb while raining is idiotic.

The weapon system is very controversial, but we can all agree that weapons break so easily. Whether you like it or not is another thing. At least the Master Sword should have been unbreakable (it doesn’t break but has the same stupid system). Or at least the bows or shields should last much, much longer. So if a weapon breaks in a fight you at least have something to defend yourself. In a tough fight everything breaks and you empty your inventory and still can’t defeat all enemies in that fight!!

Haven’t played ToTK but I can already tell that making you fuse weapons won’t fix the issue. It could make the game more fun, but definitely will still have to use every weapon you have to defeat one tough enemy!

 

[Pimpollo818]

Twilight Princess was the only one that made me rage quit with how on-rails it felt.

 

[DeltaPolarBear]

Most restrictive? You haven't played Zelda II then.

 

[Danjin44]

I disagree, exploring in both BotW and TotK is fun and its challenge in how go about traveling thorough lands that can be harsh and somewhat tricky.

If you can just travel everywhere without any effort then it just sucks all the fun and kind of breaks the progression. To me most open world are boring to go through because they takes zero effort with boring traversal option and just becomes mundane and dull.

 

[GigaBowser]

Its the most limitless Zelda ever you cans do anything in the world but it forces you to survival you have to PROGRESS your character abilities

A grand adventure start small over hundreds hours until you becomes warrior gods who controls the skies land annnnd depths

 

[semiconscious]

in other zelda games, you can't even begin to dream of doing most of the stuff you can do in breath of the wild. can you do absolutely anything? no, but what you can do runs circles around what you could previously...

you seem to be upset about the fact that you can't do absolutely everything you want to, without any restrictions...

 

[Viz108]

Honestly if a game doesn't allow you to noclip through all surfaces freely I don't think it's fair to call it "open world". Surely if I can't go into the world the world is by definition a closed world?

 

[TexMex]

Hughhhhhhhfhghfhdhhdh

 

[GigaBowser]

in other zelda games, you can't even begin to dream of doing most of the stuff you can do in breath of the wild. can you do absolutely anything? no, but what you can do runs circles around what you could previously...

you seem to be upset about the fact that you can't do absolutely everything you want to, without any restrictions...

Genius posts

Restrictions make feelings of danger and make you plan grand adventures you cant just climbs the mountain you must get your gear and make meals for stamina and get clothings for the the cold, good horses, stuff to make fires and plan weapons for battles

A grand adventures

 

[Northeastmonk]

Thinking back to the transition from SNES Zelda to N64 Zelda. There was so much magic to it all and things like “Link can’t jump” or “there’s so much empty space in Hyrule” didn’t exist. Now we have a completely detailed Hyrule with each destination having more than just its core camp, we still aren’t happy. SMH

In TotK I’m climbing rocks, resting on ledges, and then finishing the climb. I do this in Elder Scroll games. I basically climb or fall off a mountain - look for some sorta flat surface and proceed from there. It negates fall damage or falling off the mountain entirely. I’ve transverse both BotW and TotK this way. Do other people just one shot it? I’m constantly gaining altitude to glide across the map. It’s even better in TotK. I haven’t used a horse and I’m at like 80% of the main quest. I think at face value Link has a lot of weight because you’re thinking how straightforward this freedom of play is. You’ll just run out of bar or end up somewhere else on the map. You have to find a style that works. Why travel in bad weather? Why use a horse? I’ll find a shrine and glide my way to the objective.

 

[hyperbertha]

Genius posts

Restrictions make feelings of danger and make you plan grand adventures you cant just climbs the mountain you must get your gear and make meals for stamina and get clothings for the the cold, good horses, stuff to make fires and plan weapons for battles

A grand adventures

Yep. I don't get posts like op's. It seems most gamers these days just want a crackdown/saints row/just cause esque power trips where you go wherever you want and just blow everything in your path away.

 

[Smokken]

Almost all of those points can be upgraded easily. Which is also a part of the point with all the exploration, to upgrade health/stamina/inventory/armor. Shrines and Korok seeds are literally everywhere. With upgraded climbing gear and stamina, you can pretty much climb ANY mountain with ease.
This might be a controversial opinion, but I prefer breakable weapons. The game would be extremely easy without it, it's already a breeze in it's current form.

 

[Lucifers Beard]

Restrictive? Stop it. You can still explore wherever you want it’s just that there is more risk attached to that. It’s not restrictive at all.

 

[Marvel14]

I know you read the title of this thread and thought: WTF?! But let’s go over it:

You may be thinking: “But this is the first Zelda game that is truly open world and you can do whatever you want! You can even beat the game before doing anything else”

There lies the biggest problem of this game. It has a huge world where you can play, explore and experiment, but at the same time, the game doesn’t want you to do that freely.

1) It gives you a huge open world to explore, but…
- The game puts a stamina wheel that doesn’t last more than 30 seconds fully updated. In that time you can’t cover more than a few meters, but you have to cover thousands of miles.

- The same stamina wheel prevents you from swimming, which adds the restriction of weight making you swim even slower and the stamina last less time.

- That same stamina wheel prevents you from climbing more than few meters in a game that “allows” you to climb el anything and everywhere.

- The climbing is completely useless when it rains.

2) You get a horse!
- But it also has stamina, and it takes forever to fill, so you “Hay” a few times and have to wait until the horse slows down to a crawl to be able to run again. Making it worthless.

- Oh but with the DLC you get a motorbike!
But it has fuel! Yes, it last a little longer, but still the game puts another restriction on you.

3) Breakable weapons.
- This horse has been beaten to death many times. The weapons don’t last any worthwhile time. Just a few hits and it’s gone. Sometimes can’t even defeat ONE enemy with a weapon or bow or shield.

- Inventory slots are very few.
Another restriction: while no one expects a bottomless bag, there are very few slots for a game with a system that has disposable weapons/shields/bows. The process to increase them is very tiresome and takes way too long (collecting korok seeds) but even with full slots they are very few.

- To this day In don’t know what the numbers of the weapons/bows/shields mean. I still don’t know if it’s just higher is better, or number of hits or what. The restriction here is the information so that you can easily know which weapon is better.

3) Can’t roll! WHY??! Why is this not in the game!!!

So I feel like the game is more about the illusion of freedom and exploring. In a game this big, there shouldn’t be any stamina for running at all. Or at least make it like final fantasy where if you time a button press correctly it auto fills. Or at least for running should’ve last like 10 minutes, not 10 seconds!! It was “fine” in Skyward sword because the game was much smaller.

Maybe the stamina for climbing and other stuff is fine, but again, it should’ve been better implemented. Not being able to climb while raining is idiotic.

The weapon system is very controversial, but we can all agree that weapons break so easily. Whether you like it or not is another thing. At least the Master Sword should have been unbreakable (it doesn’t break but has the same stupid system). Or at least the bows or shields should last much, much longer. So if a weapon breaks in a fight you at least have something to defend yourself. In a tough fight everything breaks and you empty your inventory and still can’t defeat all enemies in that fight!!

Haven’t played ToTK but I can already tell that making you fuse weapons won’t fix the issue. It could make the game more fun, but definitely will still have to use every weapon you have to defeat one tough enemy!

 

[hemo memo]

I can’t believe anyone who’ve played ANY OTHER ZELDA GAME would describe BotW as restrictive. Have you played TP?

 

[Robb]

I can’t believe anyone who’ve played ANY OTHER ZELDA GAME would describe BotW as restrictive. Have you played TP?

That was pretty much my thought as well.

 

[John Bilbo]

Restrictions make you free. Without restrictions there is nothing for you to aim towards. You lose the ground you rest your feet on and you descend to chaos without restrictions.

 

[darrylgorn]

Uhh.. You have the same restrictions in TOTK.

 

[swarley64]

OP, have you played Skyward Sword?

 

[BlackTron]

This is almost as funny as the Switch sales prediction thread, especially the part where he says he hasn't played yet played TOTK, but is judging the differences anyway. And I mean, stuff like this:

To this day In don’t know what the numbers of the weapons/bows/shields mean. I still don’t know if it’s just higher is better, or number of hits or what. The restriction here is the information so that you can easily know which weapon is better.

Was this REALLY a serious post? Because all I see is comic relief, this is either a troll post or someone salty that they are too dumb for the game.

 

[Jinzo Prime]

OP, have you played Skyward Sword?

RCU005 , you should play Skyward Sword to see what actual restrictive design looks like. That game is more 2 dimensional than most 2d Zelda games.

 

[K' Dash]

Why don’t we make Link I’m invincible too?

Stamina is there so you can use your two remaining neurons and try to solve problems using the tools the game gives you.

Is there a high place with a chest at the top? Maybe burn the grass and create an up draft, then climb the rest of the way? Or you could find some stamella shrooms around Zoras domain and cook a couple meals that refill your stamina bar?

Those are just two ways to tackle the problem, go watch YouTube videos with people solving shit in one move.

It seems to me that the only thing restricted here is your brain, you got some serious problem solving issues.

 

[Spaceman292]

Haha what a tragic take what were you even thinking

 

[brian0057]

Those restrictions exist because Nintendo trusts that the player is not a connoisseur of the finest wood glue to drink.
They're presenting you with a problem. It's up to you to find a solution.

 

[Tams]

 

[Crayon]

At least you are biodegradable.

 

[Filben]

Finally a game where I don't dodge roll ridiculously.

Also finally an open world game where you can't draw a line on the map and follow it straight, climbing every hill with ease or swim across vast rivers.

BotW and TotK for that matter does this deliberately so you use different methods of traversal, so traversal doesn't become meaning less and tedious but instead connected with challenging and diverse systems.

Inventory is the sweet spot between overly restrictive games like TES or Fallout where picking up a flower too much causes you to stop dead on the spot. In Zelda you can collect materials infinitely which feels great. It still requires some inventory management when it comes to weapons and shields, whose bags can be upgraded and therefore offers rewards for challenges so it doesn't become a meaningless collectaton.

After playing Skyward Sword as the latest old formula Zelda... man, this "there's only one solution" gets tedious pretty fast. And it's... whoops, very restrictive. Because there's no way around it. In BotW there is.

 

[Vandole]

Sounds like you want more invincible mode Minecraft.

 

[lachesis]

Well, you don't really start at Level 99. Building up the better stats for stamina and health is part of the game being an action RPG.

Inventory slots. I thought it's way too big for regular items - (like carrying 999 of apples or wood), actually. Also weapons - even in early games, I thought there are enough slots that I could hold realistically for most battles, even considering the weapon durability.

Not being able to climb/wet surface - well.. you just wait for a bit to sky to clean up, or find some other way to get there, no?
It is the whole point of the game, IMO... is to finding out a way to get to point A to B. It's even more apparent in TOTK it seems.

And rolls? Hmm... I never really understood the whole roll invincibility in some games - or to traverse. (Unless it's an Metroid).
You do get the cool side/back jump or bullet time. I don't really see why a Hylian swordsman would need to roll, (unless you are a Goron...) and rolling in most battle situations as a swordsman would be asking to be kicked/and golfed around in most battle situations wearing heavy clunky armors and all.

A lot of limitation you mentioned seem to be just the part of "structure" - and I really thought that "structure" of the game itself is so carefully and intentionally put in there than just creating big ol' world, that it felt very amazing to explore.

 

[PianistaMacabro]

Botw and totk are bases on positive feedback logic......nothing is actually happening but because everything is limited and always breaking, you have the feeling you are making discoveries or living some great adventure. But all you do is walking for hours to maintain the possibility of playing the game. Small but frequent doses of acompkisiemnt.....games are now titktok based.
My 80 hours in botw were actually maximum of 10h of content.....its just so far way from what you experience in OoT for example that I just can't understand how those games are so praised. They are perfect crafted but come on

 

[Astral Dog]

I get your point but progression is a fundamental part of videogames, in most games your starting character sucks,wears dirty clothes,and can barely walk and hold a stick, the player works through it to make it a badass, its the same in all previous Zelda games.

Some of the systems, like Weapon durability and the stamina wheel could be reworked , but they would still need to incentive the players to improve their character and upgrade abilities,otherwise you cut play time its about making repetitive tasks fun and rewarding

 

[Tams]

Botw and totk are bases on positive feedback logic......nothing is actually happening but because everything is limited and always breaking, you have the feeling you are making discoveries or living some great adventure. But all you do is walking for hours to maintain the possibility of playing the game. Small but frequent doses of acompkisiemnt.....games are now titktok based.
My 80 hours in botw were actually maximum of 10h of content.....its just so far way from what you experience in OoT for example that I just can't understand how those games are so praised. They are perfect crafted but come on

Considering speedrunners have completed both BotW and TotK in very short times, there's plenty of leeway for even the most casual of players to complete it quickly if that's what they are after.

 

[MagiusNecros]

BotW and TotK are pretty open in terms of speedruns and how to tackle objectives. Many other Zelda's were rather linear in design and followed a set path.

Unlike other Zelda's you can turn parts of the environment into items to use.

Plus once you progress and get abilities/items/stat increases your options open up much more then previous Zelda entries where what you could do was more limited.

If you really want to talk about restrictive Zelda games I only need to point you towards the CD-I games.

 

[Rat Rage]

Hey OP, thank you for proving - without a doubt - that you don't know absolutely anything about game design.

 

[Pejo]

You know what I'm sick of? Gravity.

 

[Spukc]

Your opinion is wrong and you should feel bad

 

[Danjin44]

You know what I'm sick of? Gravity.

 

[Deleted member 1159]

lmfao- OP is mad you don’t start the hero’s journey as SSJ3 god spirit whatever Goku

 

[Sgt.Asher]

Minecraft creative mode sounds more up your ally.

 

[cartman414]

Most restrictive? You haven't played Zelda II then.

Ice Bear says bad take is bad.

 

[Otre]

You want to be spoonfed and be devoid of any consecuence. Go play minecraft creative mode or mod the game with cheats.

 

[NeoIkaruGAF]

These games really broke some people.

 

[coffinbirth]

I've made no bones about how BotW and TotK aren't my cup(s) of tea for a variety of reasons, but this is an absurd take.

 

[Panajev2001a]

You want to be spoonfed and be devoid of any consecuence. Go play minecraft creative mode or mod the game with cheats.

No, but there are tweaks that would improve an already great game and such circling the wagons (this game is perfect as is in all of its parts until Aonuma himself says otherwise in a future game, then we will agree that those things were an issue, but only if he says so when he changes them in a sequel) kind of defences give no incentive to the dev to make. Limited weapons slots and easily breakable weapons does not do much to incentivise trying things out as designing in the game the need to do so (specific enemies or circumstances that require different strategies) for starters.

 

[GymWolf]

The no roll to avoid danger if you are not locked to an enemy has always been an utterly shitty choice in a modern game.

You are not locked to an enemy but you want to avoid any type of danger? Tough shit, you have that useless micro jump instead, lmao at people even trying to defend this shit.

 

[Three]

I know you read the title of this thread and thought: WTF?! But let’s go over it:

You may be thinking: “But this is the first Zelda game that is truly open world and you can do whatever you want! You can even beat the game before doing anything else”

What do people mean by truly open world? Weren't all zelda games open world where you could beat the game without doing everything? It had some inaccessible areas that required a key item or weapon you could explore the open world with to reach?

 

[zephiross]

The restrictions you mention are precisely what make the game great. They are the pillars of the sense of adventure you get from playing this game more than any other because traversal IS part of the game/challenge. You have to think about your path and try to find creative way to move around when you can't just bruteforce your way around.

I find games like Horizon and the likes infinitely boring precisely because traversal is a non issue, and you just run forward with any challenge other than fighting. Want to climb that mountain ? just jump on those convinently painted ledges and follow the path made for you without thinking twice about it.

As for fighting, If find that the weapons break a bit too easily, but I'd rather have that instead of infinite weapon durability and the possibility to replenish arrows on the fly (again take horizon as an example) because you have to adapt and think about if the confrontation is worthwhile or too risky. It creats a sense of risk that is refreshing.

There are only very few games that can captivate me for several hours in a row today, and this is one of them.