probably one of the most iconic games of the 2010s in how it blends the most prevalent and compelling gameplay loops of its time ('climb tower, expand map, go to marker, hit bad guys!') into its mystical, ghibli-invoking mythos. you have your cake and eat it, you can play far cry 3 while sort of convincing yourself its high art because its got clouds and rolling hills and torii gates.

its great! there aren't many games that have grabbed me like breath of the wild did, for someone who hops around games and completes very few of them this one had me playing it nonstop for the 50 hours it took for me to complete it. first and foremost it feels great to play, combat is just the right level of difficulty, gliding and climbing is extremely satisfying, and the sense of exploration - that is encouraged very early on through the captured memories quest, and indeed the excellent great plateau area of the game - is one of the game's biggest joys. it understands that the journey you forge for yourself is the most meaningful and enduring aspect for the player, and it's world matches the scale that such a memorable journey needs.

the more i played breath of the wild the less convinced i became this was going to mean anything special to me, though. for all its ghibli aesthetic, the story and general tone lacks the pathos of those films or anything to latch onto emotionally, which great games with much less scale or budget or influence have managed. there's nothing here that i can feel in my core, that sits in my throat or simmers in my brain. the writing is uninspired, the voice acting is dull, and as breath of the wild continues on and the gameplay loop keeps... looping (all these shrines and beasts look awfully similar!) the less often and less strongly i feel those feelings of wonder and excitement that the early game does so well to nourish. i could talk more about my annoyances, like the constant pauses in-game as you pick up items, interact with npcs who talk to slowly etc., but i could forgive things like this 100 times over if it found ways to speak to me emotionally.

i want to demand more of it because idk, i'm entitled and greedy and maybe we should ask more from our art and our media. but ultimately its pretty great. good stuff. i had an awesome time playing assasin's creed: hyrule, most polished game in the series.