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The Verge: Five years on, Breath of the Wild’s open world is still unmatched

Abriael_GN

RSI Employee of the Year
Not really. It's just comparing the most overrated open world design in recent years that actually brought nothing relevant to the table for anyone who plays on more than just Nintendo platforms (Zelda) to those that came after it.

Fixed it for you.
 

kevm3

Member
I've been playing Nintendo games for decades, dating back to the NES. My opinion doesn't change at all, I think it's the potency of their fanbase that labels the next Mario, Zelda, or Smash the best game ever, rather than any intrinsic qualities of the games in question.

I saw exactly the same claims about Ocarina of Time. Best game ever, revolutionary, etc. Nice game, fun, an 8/10 or so after playing it to completion and getting all the hearts, it's the Nintendo IP that pushes it further.

Pretty much. I started out with the NES at 3 years old and am approaching 40. Rode with Nintendo during the Sega wars. I find that Nintendo games almost always get a huge bump because it's from Nintendo. Make the very same game with different characters from a different company and the game will get deducted a point at minimum. For example, BOTW and Mario Odyssey are two of the most overrated games I've played. Mario Odyssey is ultra easy unless you just want to collect the 500 random stars. BOTW has a mish mash of systems taken from other games but never gets called out for being 'inspired' by other games like Assassin's Creed, or the countless other games that had crafting before it. I actually prefer earlier entries of Mario and Zelda to those iterations. Mario Galaxy 1 and 2 are probably the best platformers of all time with 3d Land coming in close behind. the 2d zeldas I found more enjoyable than a lot of the 3d zeldas due to the fact that the item upgrades actually made you feel more powerful.
 

Represent.

Represent(ative) of bad opinions
fans of BOTW and ER act like a map not telling you where to go is some kind of amazing revolutionary thing :messenger_poop::messenger_tears_of_joy::messenger_tears_of_joy:

That has to do with game design, not the actual living breathing open world. For that, Horizon Forbidden West is unmatched.

Also... literally every single open world game gives you freedom of choice. Thats the whole point of the genre. You can turn off the icons on the map in shit like Horizon, Ass Creed, etc. Who cares.

I'm putting one in the chamber for HFW. There has never been an Open World game as dense and beautifully crafted, with so much love and actual TALENT put into it at every single inch. It has better combat than both, incredible machine designs, by far the best weather system in an open world game, is the best looking video game ever released, has the best side quests in gaming, has the best presentation in an open world game, raises the bar for NPCs and side quests. Has a shit ton of weapons, excellent enemy variety. The world looks different as you progress through the story and if you visit the same places they look different over time. The locations are fucking beautiful and have plenty of variety. Has the GOAT art design-to- pretty graphics ratio. Sense of exploration is fantastic.

Something as simple as seeing a giant machine in the distance, and deciding to get closer to it as the sun sets with nice music playing is majestic because of how much better this game does sunsets than everyone else. My own video, no corporate shit.



Something as basic and simple as walking through some bushes, which then turn into a desert environment so seamlessly - all with a randomly generated sandstorm. atmosphere baby B) You can do this in BOTW, but it looks like a PS2 game. So who cares.



Gliding off a mountain into the misty forest with flying machines in the distance.

51916962631_3d86a3eb64_k.jpg


climbing said mountains only to find a hidden section with 2 giant as fuck machines way below you that you thought were only part of the main story missons

51917058418_4e98b49be6_k.jpg


all the combat is legit. And have actual visual flair and spectacle. Brings the world to LIFE.

FMqpLerXMAIXOTk

FMS_HrRXEAoCthv


Im 70 hours in with just over half the map unveiled. Theres nothing else like it. Still finding new machines in every corner. Still finding hidden locations, still finding new weapons, new environments. shit is hella underrated. the best.
 

GymWolf

Member
Unmatched on how boring and unrewarding it is?! Can confirm.

If we talk open world games with minimal maps and shit, i only played 5 hours of ER and it is already a much better game than the 55 hours i played of botw that is not even funny.
 
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Ezquimacore

Banned
Unmatched on how boring and unrewarding it is?! Can confirm.

If we talk open world games with minimal maps and shit, i only played 5 hours of ER and it is already a much better game than the 55 hours i played of botw that is not even funny.
You definitely never played breath of the wild and you're just a hater, Elden Ring is exactly breath of the wild but with the Dark souls touch. And hilarious that you have a horizon picture when that game is not even better than assassin's Creed Valhalla/Odyssey.
 

Ezquimacore

Banned
Ok that got a LOL out of me, 8/10 Troll.
Yeah, the traversal is worse (can't even swim) but the combat is better. Troll? Look at my profile picture I think you're the troll. The exact same map format and the exact same "look at the landmarks to guide you" Miyazaki definitely played botw and not horizon or assassin's Creed, thank God for that otherwise we would have an open world for babies telling you everything you need to do. Play the game first and you would not be so ignorant just because you're reading the name "Nintendo"
 
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Ezquimacore

Banned
*looks at profile picture*

OK, wow, I guess I was wrong, my mistake buddy. You really cleared that up.

*backs slowly away*
I'm not biased and looking for a reason to hate a Nintendo game just because I love other game, unlike the majority of people here I can accept when a game is amazing and it doesn't hurt my pride. Only fanboys need validation.
 

GymWolf

Member
I agree. I deeply love Elden Ring but it still stands far far behind BotW in terms of player freedom, discovery and sense of wonder.
Yep, elden ring omongous number of weapons, armours, skills, invocations, enemies, bosses etc. Can't really beat the 6 types of enemies reskinned with different colors, breakable weapons, samey hogobling camps, samey shrines, worse main dungeons in the entire saga, armour sets that give you the same effects of food etc.

How can any game beat that sense of discovering the same old shi...new things at every turn?
 
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Ezquimacore

Banned
Yep, elden ring omongous number of weapons, armours, skills, invocations, enemies, bosses etc. Can't really beat the 6 types of enemies reskinned with different colors, breakable weapons, samey hogobling camps, samey shrines, worse main dungeons in the entire saga, armour sets that give you the same effects of food.

How can any game beat that sense of discovering the same old shi...new things at every turn?
Even with all that, the game is better than horizon. Just let that sink in, if botw is shit, horizon must be diarrhea
 

GymWolf

Member
Even with all that, the game is better than horizon. Just let that sink in, if botw is shit, horizon must be diarrhea
Dude we get it, you are salty because many people in the topic think that botw is an overrated boring piece of software and not the second coming of sliced fleshlight, and you are having a small meltdown, no need to be childish about it.

horizon is not gonna hurt you, i promise:lollipop_blowing_kiss:
 
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Ezquimacore

Banned
Dude we get it, you are salty because many people in the topic think that botw is an overrated boring piece of software and not the second coming of sliced fleshlight, and you are having a small meltdown, no need to be childish about it.

horizon is not gonna hurt you, i promise:lollipop_blowing_kiss:
How am I the salty one when the game is popular, has the sales and reviews, just like Elden Ring the best open world next to botw... Unlike horizon and the sequel.
 

GymWolf

Member
How am I the salty one when the game is popular, has the sales and reviews, just like Elden Ring the best open world next to botw... Unlike horizon and the sequel.
You are the one bringing horizon in 2 different posts (now 3 different posts) and talking about diarrhea during a comparison between elden ring and botw, and only because i have a temporary avatar of that game, so yeah, childish and salty.

I guess that when you have no arguments or defense forcthe gigantic flaws in botw, attacking other people favourite games is the next desperate move, good job i guess.

Unlike botw fanboys, i know very well that horizon is a flawed franchise, i can let you read one of my private messages where i score the first game (my past gotg) a 7,5, 8 at best, but it would probably be useless.
 
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Ezquimacore

Banned
You are the one bringing horizon in 2 different posts (now 3 different posts) and talking about diarrhea during a comparison between elden ring and botw, and only because i have a temporary avatar of that game, so yeah, childish and salty.

I guess that when you have no arguments attacking other people favourite games is the next move, good job i guess.
When you put it like that, I guess I'm evil damn
 

Keihart

Member
While i love BoTW, calling it unmatched now that Elden Ring is out it's so weird.
Elden Ring takes a lot from BoTW but adds things that BoTW was never able to deliver on.

You gotta clickbait people to read your articles i guess.

(people calling BoTW empty clearly have a hard time finding things, shit is really packed in, but anyway, Elden Ring is even more packed in with things to find, and yes, the keyword is finding, very little waypoints and stupid shit like that)
 
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JackMcGunns

Member
I'll tell ya what open world is really unmatched.

It's massively bigger, it's actually truly "open" (you can go 'round), looks infinitely better, and has exponentially more potential for exploration. Match this if ya can.

Z5x9ri0.jpg


zTeRd56.jpg


idMdtvP.jpg


Cannot be matched, it's leterally "The World" lol.
 

Ezquimacore

Banned
as someone who absolutely loved BoTW, Elden Rings is vastly superior in every possible respect. it's not even close. Elden Ring is on a whole different level.
I love Elden ring but I will help you with thatb

Botw is better in:
Mobility- you can climb, surf shield, paraglide and swim.
Physics engine- better than any open world game so far
Quest system- it gives you the quest but not the answer, you need to find it yourself, in Elden ring I keep forgetting npcs and side quests.

Elden ring has better combat, dungeons, enemy variation and better reward system. As it should because we are talking about a souls game. But it has a lot to learn too.

we are also comparing a game from 5 years ago to a recent game, let's wait and compare Elden Ring with botw 2, that's gonna be interesting.
 
I love Elden ring but I will help you with thatb

Botw is better in:
Mobility- you can climb, surf shield, paraglide and swim.
Physics engine- better than any open world game so far
Quest system- it gives you the quest but not the answer, you need to find it yourself, in Elden ring I keep forgetting npcs and side quests.

Elden ring has better combat, dungeons, enemy variation and better reward system. As it should because we are talking about a souls game. But it has a lot to learn too.

we are also comparing a game from 5 years ago to a recent game, let's wait and compare Elden Ring with botw 2, that's gonna be interesting.
finally a post that makes sense. Tho i would almost give combat to BOTW.....because there are a million ways to kill someone in BOTW. Because of the nature of the game. Yes the actual normal sword fighting or whatever might be better for some ppl (not me because souls games feel sluggish). I mean in BOTW you can plant a metal weapon on the ground during a thunderstorm and have your enemy pick it up and get electrocuted. Theres just no comparison combat wise
 
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Ezquimacore

Banned
finally a post that makes sense. Tho i would almost give combat to BOTW.....because there are a million ways to kill someone in BOTW. Because of the nature of the game. Yes the actual normal sword fighting or whatever might be better for some ppl (not me because souls games feel sluggish). I mean in BOTW you can plant a metal weapon on the ground during a thunderstorm and have your enemy pick it up and get electrocuted. Theres just no comparison combat wise
I would put that in freedom, definitely more freedom when it comes to use your creativity in combat and everything else. But with weapons Elden ring is definitely better, although I think botw has better parry and archery.
 

Ogbert

Member
It’s pointless comparing BoTW with Elden Ring.

The magic of BoTW is that you can go *anywhere*. Nintendo were quite open about the fact that Minecraft was an inspiration. They then built a physics engine on top of it. It’s a playground.

In contrast, Elden Ring is the finest traditional Open World ever devised. But it’s constrained. There are walls.

Both are wonderful.
 

Ogbert

Member
Also, the absolute greatest thing about BoTW was the sound design and approach to music. From have taken exactly the same approach with Elden Ring.

Both games are quiet and contemplative.
 
I'll tell ya what open world is really unmatched.

It's massively bigger, it's actually truly "open" (you can go 'round), looks infinitely better, and has exponentially more potential for exploration. Match this if ya can.

Z5x9ri0.jpg


zTeRd56.jpg


idMdtvP.jpg
I don't like BOTW much... but I'll have to disagree. Yes, you're right it does look better. Yes, you're right it's massively bigger... but in term of exploration? You're in a plane flying high above the world. What exactly are you exploring? We might have very different views of what exploration is. Flying over a city is cool and seeing all these cities from above is cool too, but it's very different from being on the ground and experiencing said city. The variety of things you could find and do in the BOTW trumps FlightSim.
 

Lethal01

Member
120 puzzle rooms, what the hell. Is this The Witness?

It's Zelda, Puzzles are literally the main draw next to combat. It's crazy to try to downplay content because you don't like a main component of Zelda games.
It's like if i try to say Elden ring is lacking due to how much boss and weapon variety it has.

"300 enemy types what is this Dark souls?"
 

Chukhopops

Member
BOTW and ER are amazing and top tier.. but I find it hilarious how Horizon fans are trying to push their way into the thread like "Hey we're great too! Look at all these pretty screenshots! Isn't that AMAZING!?"
It’s sad really and I say that having finished the game this week. It was fun but not exactly the best open world design (or story) I’ve experienced. But it’s very well made, definitely has a place in the best looking open world games or something.
 

brian0057

Banned
BOTW and ER are amazing and top tier.. but I find it hilarious how Horizon fans are trying to push their way into the thread like "Hey we're great too! Look at all these pretty screenshots! Isn't that AMAZING!?"
You almost feel sorry for Horizon fans.
Both titles had the misfortune of launching alongside behemoths and were quickly forgotten in a matter of weeks.
Can't wait to see what massive title will overshadow a theoretical Horizon 3.
 

Majukun

Member
How does Korok seeds brings me closer to the end? And sure, with shrines you can upgrade your stats, which is useful ( kinda lame reward still), but 120 of them?!

Put 15-20 bigger shrines and fill the rest of the map with interesting NPCs giving you some interesting quests, that reward you with better equip or at least with some cool story. Would make Hyrule feel more alive ("oh but the apocalypse happened", I know, but there are people out there)

120 puzzle rooms, what the hell. Is this The Witness?
Korok seeds expand your inventory,whuch for how botw is structured, might be even more important than stamina and hp.

As you said, shrines give you stamina and hearts, both useful for better exploring and to be able to actually survive the last fight.

Personally I would still keep the mini dungeons (I mean even elden ring has them), but I agree they should have added some mid-dungeons with some optional items.. Like they said they cut the grappling hook because it broke the experience... Put it as a reward in a really hard obscure dungeon stuck in the middle of nowhere and then let the player decide if it wanna use it.

as per the puzzle rooms, this is Zelda, puzzle rooms are part of the series DNA.
 

Ezquimacore

Banned
BOTW and ER are amazing and top tier.. but I find it hilarious how Horizon fans are trying to push their way into the thread like "Hey we're great too! Look at all these pretty screenshots! Isn't that AMAZING!?"
I'm a souls fan and I think souls fans are the most annoying, they enjoy when every game is compared to dark souls but wanna fight when you compare the obvious design choices from Elden Ring with breath of the wild. Plus this was a botw thread. Yes botw didn't invent open world, just like souls didn't invent combat or parry or hard games. But obviously both games influenced recent games.
 

dcll

Banned
Ah yes, The Verge. The pinnacle of videogame content, absolute authority on good taste.
 
fans of BOTW and ER act like a map not telling you where to go is some kind of amazing revolutionary thing :messenger_poop::messenger_tears_of_joy::messenger_tears_of_joy:

That has to do with game design, not the actual living breathing open world. For that, Horizon Forbidden West is unmatched.

Also... literally every single open world game gives you freedom of choice. Thats the whole point of the genre. You can turn off the icons on the map in shit like Horizon, Ass Creed, etc. Who cares.

I'm putting one in the chamber for HFW. There has never been an Open World game as dense and beautifully crafted, with so much love and actual TALENT put into it at every single inch. It has better combat than both, incredible machine designs, by far the best weather system in an open world game, is the best looking video game ever released, has the best side quests in gaming, has the best presentation in an open world game, raises the bar for NPCs and side quests. Has a shit ton of weapons, excellent enemy variety. The world looks different as you progress through the story and if you visit the same places they look different over time. The locations are fucking beautiful and have plenty of variety. Has the GOAT art design-to- pretty graphics ratio. Sense of exploration is fantastic.

Something as simple as seeing a giant machine in the distance, and deciding to get closer to it as the sun sets with nice music playing is majestic because of how much better this game does sunsets than everyone else. My own video, no corporate shit.



Something as basic and simple as walking through some bushes, which then turn into a desert environment so seamlessly - all with a randomly generated sandstorm. atmosphere baby B) You can do this in BOTW, but it looks like a PS2 game. So who cares.



Gliding off a mountain into the misty forest with flying machines in the distance.

51916962631_3d86a3eb64_k.jpg


climbing said mountains only to find a hidden section with 2 giant as fuck machines way below you that you thought were only part of the main story missons

51917058418_4e98b49be6_k.jpg


all the combat is legit. And have actual visual flair and spectacle. Brings the world to LIFE.

FMqpLerXMAIXOTk

FMS_HrRXEAoCthv


Im 70 hours in with just over half the map unveiled. Theres nothing else like it. Still finding new machines in every corner. Still finding hidden locations, still finding new weapons, new environments. shit is hella underrated. the best.


maybe you choose bad examples but it looks boring as fuck

there is a reason Elden Ring is universally higher rated
 
Disagree. BOTW world is emptier than Elden Rings.
even where it isn't empty, a single dungeon in Elden Ring contains more monster types than the entire BoTW game

and the few monsters in BoTW have incredibly similar, stupid move sets. Lynels are the only monsters with interesting move sets.
 

SlimySnake

Flashless at the Golden Globes
There have been a lot of GOAT games that I haven't fallen in love with. For example, I rushed through the first few hours of Witcher 3 and thought it was overrated trash that played poorly, but when i went back to it after a couple of years, and took my time to learn the mechanics and world design, and eventually fell in love with it. I thought Halo 1 was an average shooter at best, and I hated the flood sections, but Halo 3 was so fucking good, it turned me into a fan. I am still not a massive fan of RE4, but I can see why it is so revered.

BOTW on the other hand. All I see are flaws. I hate everything about the game. I hate the simple dungeons. I hate the copy paste combat shrines. I hate the rain. I hate the climbing. I hate how you cant call your fucking horse. I hate how the sword, even the master sword which I grinded 60 shrines for. I hate the tanky bosses that you stumble upon in the open world only to realize they are way higher level than you. I hate how people think the open world is amazing when it is literally a vapid, empty, barren fucking land with nothing to fucking do for vast stretches.

I was able to get past the shitty Witcher 3 graphics and weak combat by focusing on its strengths which were a great story, some great RPG mechanics and an open world that I had blast exploring because of its vast array of unlockables and weapon and armor upgrades. I even made the combat work by making OP builds thanks to the deep customization system of the game. I was able to make that game fun but I couldnt do that with such a shallow and basic experience like BOTW. I mean doing korok seeds gave you more inventory space. That's it. It's shocking.
 
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Represent.

Represent(ative) of bad opinions
maybe you choose bad examples but it looks boring as fuck

there is a reason Elden Ring is universally higher rated
The reason is because From is an industry darling that gets a pass on everything. Game is a solid 7. Would be rated accordingly if the art style was more average. Facts
 

Dthomp

Member
Comes in to see some BotW discussion, sees gaf has just turned this into yet ANOTHER Elden Ring thread, leaves disappointed.
 
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