played this for like forty-five minutes a year ago and didn’t “get” it despite being extremely hyped; saw it was leaving Game Pass next week and gave it another whirl, and ended up cruising through to the ending on my day off.

listen—it’s got flaws. despite some updates since launch (which have improved performance thankfully), it still slows down sometimes. and the hover bike…it sucks. it’s so slow. there’s no thrill, no dynamism, no anything. just an awful way to get around.

but! the ruins? the story? the atmosphere? the puzzles? yeah, it’s good. and my god, the soundtrack is incredible and one of Japanese Breakfast’s best.

so, a mixed bag, but arcing upward. I don’t think I’ll track it down after it leaves Game Pass, but I dug it on my rainy day off. it’s cool to see indies picking up some of the lessons of BOTW.