I'm apparently in the minority with my rating here based on the recent reviews, but as someone who has seldom liked fast-paced arena/survival shooters like CS, Apex, Fortnite, Tarkov I've absolutely fallen in love with this game from its very first trailer. The Closed and Open Betas have only strengthened my love for it.

My most loved set of shooters has been the Battlefield franchise, and the level of destruction in the first trailer (and actually playing the game now) confirms the excellently crafted destruction physics. And, the destruction is something that even the naysayers can agree with being impressive. No surprises, some of the developer team are previously from DICE.

Agreeably the gameplay isn't terribly groundbreaking. The need for tactics to approach objectives reminds me of Seige. The verticality reminds me of Apex. And, the pacing reminds me of any other arena shooter.

But, man, the hype the game can dish out just doesn't compare, in my eyes. And, that is a huge part of why I keep coming back. It doesn't really do anything all that different, but it's just the feeling the game gives off. That doesn't necessarily equate to a good game, but I've had nothing but fun while playing.

The game is also surprisingly demanding, given the simpler assets and mostly open space. Performance can get pretty abysmal for anyone not running the latest, higher end hardware. Would be nice if this wasn't the case, but luckily the performance issues are not a problem for me.

And, the drama brought up a few weeks ago about the game using AI generated voices is really a non-issue, in my eyes. It's not illegal to do this and the developers are free to do so, whether it's to save development costs or try to achieve something more novel. Ultimately, I don't really care. Obviously, a shame for voice actors who could have been paid to offer their voices to the game, but if the world really detests this behavior, it will stifle it or welcome it and things will take their course. Regardless, the voices are well done, and add to the experience all the same.

Watching my SO play this game after getting it set up for her on her PC has been a full appreciation hours experience. I realized the many limits and sides of the game I never would've sincerely done on my own. When I played, I was a very objectives focused player at the time. Not exactly check all the boxes but I did mostly head towards Shrines, Divine Beasts, Memories. I did a little bit extra here and there, but generally it was just that.

She plays differently of course, far more observant explorer than I for example. She ended up finding a ton of korok seeds so far, simply because she loved just looking around the environments. It's become a common phrase just for me to hear by earshot "there's something suspicious around here" and then the familiar jingle. She also just talks to every single npc, something I'd certainly do now were I playing for the first time but experiencing all the first time dialogue with her together has been sincerely charming. There's a profuse amount of work to make all of the characters just dotting the little villages you find endearing and earnest. I never really touched the quests and she's filling them out as she finds them. It's genuinely astounding how nothing that I see here feels too trodden or familiar to me just watching her play, I'm just watching with her and feeling a heavy surge of joy. I honestly wish there was co-op!!!

Both our birthdays are coming up this week, and living this game again together crafts a warm blanket, a sincere coziness to the days ahead. Bless