at a glance i used to think people who never shut up about this game and comparisons to Zelda were annoying clowns who needed to branch out more. it really wasn't off the mark, though. everything right down to it being a bloated ass mess tracks with 3D Zelda games for better or worse.

trying to place where i'm at with my feelings on this game in terms of a rating or even talking about it is proving to be difficult. my sessions with the game would swing wildly from being miserable to some of the most enjoyment i had with a game this year.

looking back on it i definitely think when separating the game into three acts as many do, 2 was vastly superior to 1 which again was vastly superior to 3. the wheels really came off in the last act due to a variety of factors. stuff like the snow/ice making navigation a chore, the rancid (more than anywhere else in the game even) side content, and the absolute tedium of the boss rush thrown in near the end as if the game hadn't already overstayed its welcome did a lot of damage.

not seeing this as the masterpiece that many do but i'm glad to have experienced it. the highs were high and the lows didn't make it feel like it wasn't worth suffering through (at least most of the time). i never want to play it again though.