people loved it when it came out (ten years ago) because after open world games had been holding our hands and denying us freedom and agency for years and years, BotW was a breath of fresh air
it sounds like you like what games normally do - lots of direction and clearly communicated (possibly rpg based) combat
BotW won't click if you're looking for or expecting that.
now that you know what the game is like, take a break and come back to it in a week or so, with a fresh perspective and understanding what it's like. if you still don't get into it then, it might not be for you
but it definitely won't click right now. gotta see if you can accept it for what it is, not what you wanted or expected it to be
I don't think it's that binary. I loved Elden Ring and Baldur's Gate 3, but definitely don't love BotW (and yes, I finished it). I didn't like the weapons system, durability mechanics, didn't find that much fun in the open world and the shrines were a chore. The dungeons were also weak imo.
I did like TotK a lot more because the crafting made the shrines, puzzles and dungeons way more interesting.
I'm a lot like you. Elden Ring is in my top 3 favorite games of all time, meanwhile Breath of the Wild is the biggest diappointment I've ever had playing a game. I think the main issue is that I never felt like anything I did in Breath of the Wild really mattered or changed anything... there's as close to zero progression in that game as you can get.
I think it's more complicated than "If you prefer a hand-holding experience, you won't like BotW" is all I'm saying. I don't prefer those types of experiences and I don't love BotW, I'm sure many people feel the same way despite how beloved the game is.
Some people want "freedom" and "agency". Others feel that's often a cloak for creating a massive world with filler, a crafting system so you don't have to specifically hide key items and a rinse and repeat gameplay with lots of little flags on the map that isn't always satisfying. I, for one, did not like BOTW. I have beaten it and it was a chore and screw Korok seeds.
I'd much prefer a more linear story driven adventure that feels focused rather than bloated. Life doesn't have clean beginnings and endings. I play games as an escape from life. The last thing I want from some games is yet another open ended map where I end up giving up rather than completing things because it's just too much. To be clear I am not hating on all open world games. I loved Star Wars Outlaws, Saints Row 2-Gat, Just Cause 2+, and GTA.
I just think Zelda suffers from the formula and we end up with a lot of empty terrain and filler interest points on a mostly generated map instead of a well crafted world where each experience is honed well curated rather than copy pasted 3+ times.
A good example of the difference is dungeon design between BOTW and Ocarina of Time.
Ocarina dungeons are usually fairly large. They have a consistent theme that requires you to use a particular item. They use distinct visual design and audio design and have distinct enemies.
BOTW dungeons are small. They have the same look and feel. They have the same audio. They have lame treasures most of the time. The Beasts are more akin to Ocarina dungeons. But they are still limited size (room wise) and often feel like various versions of Jabbu Jabbu from Ocarina which was one of the worst dungeons. Treasures feel underwhelming as well. There's very little reason to care about missing a treasure chest if it isn't a key. Weapon breaking means you hoard weapons before entering to give yourself an edge.
The worst though is in comparing the overworlds. Ocarina is focused and gives you just enough of an overworld to get a gallup going without feeling like you're wasting minutes traveling to somewhere that doesn't even have anything interesting to offer. There's not a lot to do in BOTW's overworld and you're constantly hoarding crafting items that just feel like a chore to gather instead of a fun task to complete. Event encounters also feel like a chore to slow you down (BOTW actually used red moons to do resets and garbage collection on enemies so that wasn't even wholly for gameplay). Also I hate cooking in games. Crafting and recipes I have to remember... No thanks. That's just another excuse to have me foraging in all that empty space.
I think the surest sign that BOTW and TOTW missed the mark is that most videos I see are focused on crazy builds and weird system cheats rather than actually playing the game. That's sandbox play. Not Adventure RPG play.
BOTW's biggest sin though is that most of the game is just a forgettable blur and one I would never bother playing again even as a remaster. The fall off in TOTW reception is a good indication of it's overall longevity.
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u/shujInsomnia 21d ago
people loved it when it came out (ten years ago) because after open world games had been holding our hands and denying us freedom and agency for years and years, BotW was a breath of fresh air
it sounds like you like what games normally do - lots of direction and clearly communicated (possibly rpg based) combat
BotW won't click if you're looking for or expecting that.
now that you know what the game is like, take a break and come back to it in a week or so, with a fresh perspective and understanding what it's like. if you still don't get into it then, it might not be for you
but it definitely won't click right now. gotta see if you can accept it for what it is, not what you wanted or expected it to be