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lemonlurkrr · 3 years

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@aureateart ok. My favourite parts of twilight princess (and some other random thoughts about TP sprinkled in there) taken from my monster TP word vomit google doc :

Link lmao

Ok but for real, I like this incarnation of Link :)

I love Ordon (it just seems like such a chill and cozy village)

ALSO love how easy it is to interpret Link as being a sort of older brother figure to the Ordon kiddos. It’s just,, super cute? AND GHHH nice nice good thanks nintendo for giving me characters to care about/characters that I can imagine Link caring about

He didn’t sign up for any of this (tbh, none of the Links really signed up for this jshdjsd). But I mean like, dude was just going to take a trip to castle town, drop a gift off for the royal family, and come back. But haHA oopsies he did get to castle town eventually but definitely not the way he expected hsjdhsd

He’s just a little dude?

AND FUCK. HE REALLY HAD NEVER BEEN OUTSIDE OF ORDON UNTIL ALL OF THAT

everything is new for the player AND Link

Midna

She’s cool :)

she really just

*teleports into your jail cell* hello whore.

I am no master at writing but AYYYY she do got a character arc!!!

She was actually pretty helpful sometimes, I ALWAYS checked in with her before turning to a game guide

Other NPCs

NICE

Love all of the TP character designs (ASHEI’S ARMOUR??? AOWOAOAOOAO)

Saving Zelda and all of Hyrule was important yea but thinking back maybe it was more like, the Ordonians and the kids were what was pushing Link to keep on going

I like the Resistance members :) Very video gamey of them to have one NPC assigned to each dungeon but hey!!! Kinda cool getting to see a little glimpse of each of em

Idk, it’s just fun to imagine Link popping into Telma’s bar after each dungeon and taking a little rest :) (or to celebrate? maybe just chat, idk, give this man some downtime!!)

Honestly it was just kind of nice that Link wasn’t entirely alone. I mean, I know Midna was there the whole time, but I am always for giving Link a big group of friends (see my love for hyrule warriors, age of calamity, and LU LMAO)

Hero’s shade, very very cool, kinda sad he died with regrets but HEY. He got to pass on his knowledge eventually

AND the connection to OoT?? AND assumed to be related by blood too????? GOOD SHIT

Ilia, I REALLY really wanted to like her (er, it’s not like I dislike her, she’s just,,, kinda there for me).

It definitely seems like Nintendo was pushing to make her the romantic interest, but GHHHHH they really threw that out of the window for me by having her lose her memories

I saw a text post a while ago that said it would have been interesting if Ilia was Link’s sister instead and YES!! That would have been cool too :0

Wish we got to know Zelda a little more

I feel like we barely know anything about her

Idk man, like I said earlier, I never really had any sort of drive to save Zelda during my playthroughs

She obviously knows Midna, so maybe if they gave us just a little bit more of that relationship I’d be more interested in her?

TP WORLD BUILDINGGGG

Botw has good world building too, but each race felt kinda,,, isolated? I absolutely love the different architecture and vibe each town has (and all the the weapons too) but ghhh yea everyone felt so separated. As far as I can remember, we don’t see tooo much of the races interacting with each other? Now that I’m typing that out maybe that’s to be expected because of the calamity but KLSJDKJFD ANYWAYS THIS IS ABOUT TP

The world feels nice and alive, love how populated everything is

Castle town I like castle town a lot, it feels dense and busy and I really like how you can’t talk to every NPC you see

Very cool very fun that we got to see the Gorons hanging out in multiple spots

kinda wish we got to see the Zoras a little more (I guess they are a bit limited since they need water but GHHHH the tp zoras are so prebby,,)

BUT HEY, I do remember seeing a zora or two hanging out in the hot springs around death mountain after beating the lakebed temple (I think, might have been a different dungeon)

but aaaa would have been nice to see them in at least a couple of other places. I think it would have really added to the “congrats Link!! You’re restoring peace to Hyrule” feeling you get from seeing the Gorons hanging out in Kakariko and Castle Town

ORDON

Love how chill it is and how it’s kind of separate from Hyrule proper

They really do seem to be doing their own thing apart from the rest of Hyrule

Just kinda adds onto the “he’s just a regular dude minding his own business” kind of vibes I get from TP Link

Also I like Ordona :)

THE LIGHT SPIRITS,,

Love their design

And love how they’re not exactly like a pure white?

Different spirit representing each aspect of the triforce my beloved

But yes hi I think Ordona is very cool

Who are you, how did you get here, which goddess do you represent? Do you even represent one of the three golden goddesses? Do the Ordonians know about you? Have any of them ever SEEN you??? Do they worship you? Does anybody even know about the existence of the light spirits?? FUCK so many questions but ghhh I like how they broke the status quo a bit by throwing in a fourth spirit :)

I feel like this one is kinda weird but I like that voice sample they used in the light spirit music. It’s spooky and pretty at the same time :)

cutscenes mmmmm

Ok ok, the spooky lanayru cutscene is very good

BUT THE “Link, Chosen Hero! Lend us the last of your power!” CUTSCENE MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM LOVE IT SO MUCH

IT just

Idk man

It just hit different

I like the music

And seeing the light spirits swimming around in the light juice water whatever it is

Summoning the light arrows?

AND HHHHH “Lend us the last of your power!” THIS IS IT. This is the final battle.

Seeing Zelda bow down, and then Link putting his hand out 👌👌👌

Link: ok bud, let’s do this together :)

Connection to OoT (did I already mention this? Maybe., Whatever)

Very cool nintendo :)

I love seeing connections between all the diff zelda games.

Because like, on one hand, they’re all separate from each other because of yknow, individual hero stuff. BUT ALSO, they’re all connected because of the reincarnation stuff

Grrrr walking through the sacred grove and going “The Hero of Time walked around here a long time ago” FUCK THATS SO COOL

Is the Hero’s Shade watching me? What does he think of me? DIsappointed? Proud? The Hero of Time went through HELL so this timeline didn’t have to deal with any of the shit Ganon was gonna pull with the triforce, better not fuck this UP Link!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Midlink is cute

Kinda hurts that she smashed the mirror but that was probably so Nintendo didn’t have to worry about people going “but what about the twili??????” for any of the other games LMAO

BUT ALSO LIKE SKJDKLJFJ There are some pretty massive plot holes in TP anyway so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ whatever it’s fine we’ll just use this for angst because GOD do y’all like angst

So is Shadlink

Honestly don’t know where this ship came from but it’s cute so whatever

THE MUSIC??

Love Midna’s theme and how they referenced the dark world theme from ALttP (I remember trying to learn the dark world theme on the piano and doing the Leonardo DiCaprio point meme at the little jingle I recognized from Midna’s theme)

Hyrule field theme SLAPS.

Apparently references a couple of the other over-world themes from the previous zelda games (I got this from 8-bit Music theory’s video on the over-world zelda themes, he talks about TP at around 11:40 but def recommend watching the whole video if you’re into music analysis stuff)

So there’s this bit of the Hyrule Field theme, I don’t know the official name for it but I remember seeing somewhere it being called the “at an advantage theme” since yeah, you hear it during the boss music whenever you expose their weak points. FUCKINGGG LOVE THAT. Didn’t notice it during my first playthrough, but hearing it during my second was like a little easter egg for my ears every time :)

Midna’s lament is very pretty (and fun to play on the piano)

COURAGE THEME.

I didn’t care for it too much when I started playing the game but hearing it in ZREO’s arrangement of the Hyrule Field theme literally makes me turn into a puddle of emotions. Also hearing it around and of the Ordon kids (I think it plays after Link saves Colin) AAAAAAAAAAAAA

Orchestra piece #1 and #2 HOLY SHIT????????????????

Literally, the first time I listened to those I just,,,, plugged in my headphones, volume 100, layed on the floor/against my desk and silently vibed. I don’t know what the hell it is, but those two just fit so well with TP?? I still avoid listening to them nowadays cause if I DO I definitely will get overwhelmed with the “god I love this game so FUCKING MUCH” kind of feels.

Wolf link sucks at singing

the first time I heard him howling Zelda’s Lullaby I lost my shit because LKSJLDKSGLKJFSKG god that was.,, Bad. Anyways, hearing him howl some of the songs from OoT was cute :)

TP STAFF ROLL???

VERY GOOD. IT’s like 10 minutes long and GOD do I love every single second of it. It doesn’t have the same energy as the skyward sword staff roll or the orchestra pieces but GOD does it hit good??

Nice and calm after that big exciting adventure. Maybe it would have been more fun or emotional to have a higher energy piece but it was really nice getting to sit back and watch the camera fly around Hyrule. Seeing like, the Gorons and the Zoras having a good time, the kids returning to Ordon? GOOD SHIT.

and AAAAA that end, when you hear the main Zelda theme and see Link riding off out of Faron woods on Epona… good shit. It gets you thinking, where the hell is he going? What is he doing? Off ot do more adventuring? Going to help out the resistance or something? Going to help Zelda? Or maybe he’s trying to figure out a way to restore the mirror of twilight? Whoooo knows.

hhHHHHhhh it’s just that final reminder that YES!!! YOU JUST PLAYED A ZELDA GAME. JUST ANOTHER STORY APART OF THE WHOLE EPIC OF THE ZELDA SERIES AS A WHOLE

I also want to acknowledge the instrument/samples they used for all the twili stuff.

They’re all just so unique and contrast SO well with the rest of the TP OST. LIKE FUCK!! Anytime I hear the screech from the Twilit Kargarok? Sends a shiver down my spine. I associate those sounds SO strongly with the twili realm. (Like, the same way you associate the BSHEWW VVWWMMM sounds with light sabers)

I love it so god damn much

literally any time there’s a certain sound or motif associated with something I lose my shit

Sacred grove sacred grove sacred gro-

lovely lovely lovely so much fun playing that on the piano. AND again, I did the Leonardo DiCaprio pointing meme when I heard the theme from the lost woods come in GHHHHHHHH

shoutout to TP Faron Woods for helping me study and get through all of my schoolwork

BLEGUUHHH can you tell that I really love music?

and also yea I guess TP is kinda cool too :\

IF YOU READ ALL OF THAT THANKS I GUESS

#lemonspeakrr #LEMON SPEAKS 2K WORDS ABOUT TWILIGHT PRINCESS BECAUSE THEY ARE INSANE.

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kindleln · 4 years

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Ok so I’ve been playing through the Bundle for Racial Equality and Justice on Itch.io and here are my thoughts so far!

Oxenfree

I played this one prior and oh my gosh I love this game. It’s one of my all time favorites and made me fear-cry. It’s a story based game that follows a girl named Alex, as she endeavors to keep her brand new step brother Jonas, her stoner friend Ren, Rin’s crush Nona and a girl named Clarissa who was Alex’s late older brother’s girlfriend, alive until morning on an abandoned island haunted very literally by the ghosts of the past.

Night in the Woods

My sister’s favorite game of all time and for me it is definitely up there. Focuses around a girl named Mae who recently dropped out of college and returned to her home town to try to reconnect with her friends and family and deal with her mental health, but there is something lurking in the woods... also all the characters are anthropomorphic animals and it’s adorable.

Celeste

Harrrrddddd. It’s hard. So hard. But I did it! Celeste is a platformer following a girl named Madeline as she tried to climb Mt. Celeste chased and hindered by her fears and anxieties as she attempts to cope. It’s a very good game but can be very frustrating.

A Short Hike

A short game relatively speaking about a bird girl named Claire who is on an island state park with her aunt and is attempting to get to the peak of the mountain to find cell service for a very important phone call. She can walk, climb and fly in this little open world game and it is very charming. I never got around to catching all the fish cause I have other things to do but maybe one day...

Minit

A very stressful game where you die every minute which is definitely not enough time to do everything but luckily all your progress stays each death, you just end up at your little house over and over. Reminds me of top down zelda games and is completely in black and white. I was tense the entire time but beating the game was such a rush of relief.

Wheels of Aurelia

Aaa so many endings! I got 3 so far to be honest. It’s a visual novel driving game following a woman named Lella and a lady she picked up at a dance named Olga as they travel the Aurelia road in Italy on their way to France for their own reasons. I wish you could slow down the car as well as speed up cause I hit so many people when trying to be careful lol.

Gnog

This game made my computer overheat and shut down! Aaa. Anyway it’s about opening boxes through puzzles and is very neat for what I played before my computer decided to throw a tantrum!

WitchWay

Adorable platform puzzle game playing as a little witch who fell into a ruin and has to find her pet bunnies, get her stuff back and get to the surface. In like every room there’s a eye on the wall that opens when you pass it and it took forevvvveeer to find them all and I’m not even sure what their point was but it was a fun game.

Beglitched

A bejeweled like puzzle game where you find a laptop owned by an apparently infamous user Glitch_Witch who apparently decided to take a break from her internet kingdom and dump it on some rando: you, and left you notes on how to get rid of “hackers” hiding in the puzzle boards. Very fun but the cat levels killed me. So. So hard. It’s a cute game worth a look

Ephemera of Evalynn Cott

I didn’t really “get” this game? It was a little hard to understand but interesting to say the least. I think I finished it and it didn’t take long. It’s about a girl trying to find her missing assignments I think. It’s like Atari graphics which is neat but it was hard for me to tell what was happening, you know, being younger than the Atari and all.

#hasicontent

A pixel game where you take photos of bunnies in a garden in a top down fashion. There’s no real point or anything for this game but it’s cute.

Pikuniku

2d puzzle platform styled game with a cute minimalist design where you play as a little red oval with legs and eyes called Piku who runs around a cute and quirky little island and kicks the crap out of robots. Rather short but very cute and charming, now only if someone would play co-op with me :/

Death and Taxes

I honestly don’t know how I feel about this game. You play as a grim reaper in an office and the main game play is stamping papers with short info blurbs on humans to decide if they live or die. It’s a weird game that suggests the world is better off if some people die and I don’t know how I feel about that. I really don’t.

Lenna’s Inception

A top down Zelda inspired game where the hero dies in the tutorial and school teacher Lenna must step up and conquer the dungeons to save her students from the glitch that made her school disappear. It apparently has three endings which definitely adds to replay-ability and you can switch between 32 and 64 bit styles. It was really fun and I highly recommend it if you like zelda games.

#itch.io #oxenfree #night in the woods #celeste #a short hike #minit #wheels of aurelia #gnog #witchway #beglitched #ephemera of evalynn cott #hasicontent #pikuniku #death and taxes #lenna's inception #my stuff

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deadlygronkle · 3 years

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Ancestor’s Legacy Part 3.5/4

Author’s note: While this is part 4 it is technically part 3.5, and is about basically what happened during part 3 in Twilight’s perspective.

Twilight was having a bad week, or at least a bad 3 or so days. First it was that Hylia damned helmet that appeared, looking brand new, which Twilight admits looks a bit weird not seeing it covered in vines and degraded beyond repair, and it sitting on the head of his still alive mentor.

Next it was that mask which apparently can turn Time into a stalfos, which sends a lot of questions running through his head. Like how time could very well have been alive when he trained Twilight just older, just like how Twilight was sent through time in his wolf form to aid Wild. Though if that was the case that would raise some questions on how Time met him in Twilight’s hyrule in wolf form, or how Time somehow sent blasts of magic at him through his sword.

Twilight, shaking out of his state of confusion, continued to wander around Warriors’ Zelda’s castle, dubbed Artemis when they first met. Artemis reminded Twilight of his own Zelda, who he hasn’t seen since this whole ordeal began, in the sense of how strict but also kind to everyone no matter where they came from and what problems they carry with them. Both of them are also very intelligent especially in war tactics.

Twilight sighed as he looked to the area he was in. Twilight was staring at a long hallway with paintings of the past kings and queens adorning each side of the hallway. The carpet was a deep royal blue that every hallway in the castle had along with golden highlights that looked to be of Hyrule's insignia every foot or so.

Twilight sigh, just his luck he would somehow get lost in the castle after trying to avoid Time and his questions. Twilight is no idiot and knows he has been acting weird ever since the helmet appeared in one of Legend’s countless dungeons. He can’t help it, everytime he looks at Time with the helmet on all he can see is the Hero’s Shade’s skeletal face grinning down at him.

Twilight was startled out of his thoughts again as he heard a voice that sounded like Warriors shout “There you are!”.

Twilight turned around to find Warriors standing there, looking a bit out of breath, “How did you get all the way over here?”

Twilight shrugged and said “I got lost in thought and didn’t realise where I was going.”.

Warriors gave him a suspicious glance and replied “You seem to be doing a lot of thinking recently, wanna tell me about what's been bothering you so much to cause you to zone out in a moment’s notice, farm boy?”

Twilight, once again shrugged and replied “Just thinking about my quest through my own Hyrule, specifically the people I met during the journey.”

Warriors hummed “It has something to do with the old man doesn’t it” Twilight couldn’t stop the surprised look that came on his face. “I mean every time you have zoned out these past few days you always end up staring at Time like he is on his deathbed.”

Twilight sighed mulling over his words carefully before saying “Lets just say that I have seen his helmet before on someone who helped me on my quest” Warriors face lit up in recognition as he realised the implications of what Twilight said, “but you can’t tell him that I told you this alright?”.

Warriors at a loss for words just nodded. Twilight visibly loosened up and then stated “So what did you need me for?”

“We are leaving the castle here in like 15 minutes and you need to come back so we can make sure your weapons and everything are covered by the cloak” Warriors stated quickly going back into captain mode.

Twilight nodded “lead the way.”

Once they both got back to the group nearly everyone besides Twilight and Warriors were donning their heavy cloaks, but they quickly started putting their own cloaks on. Once everyone had their cloaks on Warriors, having taken the lead since this is his hyrule told the links that they were moving out in 10, much to the relief of Twilight for not being forced to wear the fever inducing cloak for very long.

Wild then walked up to Twilight who had been rearranging his cloak so he didn’t die of heat stroke and said “Hey will you be alright? You have been out of it all week”.

Twilight getting annoyed by how everyone was asking if he was ok stated as blatantly as possible “I’ll be fine, cub” leaving no room for any discussion.

Wild then said, not convinced, “If you say so.”

After the 10 minutes of Twilight avoiding Time they were off, getting the occasional odd look, but hey when is that new?

Once they finally got out to the gates Twilight quickly pulled out his Hawkeye mask to find where the horde of monsters was located only to find them watching the road like vultures do to find scraps of meat.

“Looks like the information is correct, they are watching the road like a bunch of scavengers” Twilight said while handing the mask to Warriors so he can see the horde.

“Okay so we have orange moblins and red bokoblins, that are currently hitting each other with their clubs, three unarmed lizalfos and one completely armoured lizalfos carrying both a sword and shield” Warriors stated, Wild perked up when he heard about the moblins and bokoblins. “We know from experience that these are the easier types of monsters, but don’t let your guard down, these monsters are corrupted.” Wild deflated a bit at this comment.

After the group decided who was going to fight the armoured lizalfos. They headed down to where the monsters were located, quickly being spotted by the lizalfos who then alerted the rest of the monsters.

Twilight getting a bit nervous about the aspect of these monsters surrounding them whispered “now?” only for warriors to wait a few seconds and then shouted “NOW”.

Before any of the other links reacted twilight whipped out his sword and slashed the lizalfos unmarked by the monster forcing the lizalfos to fall on his butt, much to the satisfaction of Twilight, who then ripped off the sweltering cloak.

Soon after the battle started the links were either fighting on their own or separated from what Twilight could see from the spare glances he allowed himself as he fought at least 7 different enemies including the armoured and an unarmoured lizalfos.

After Twilight realised he wasn’t getting anywhere with brute force he decided to do the Mortal Draw. So he jumped away from the fight and put his sword away all while not unfocusing his gaze from the monsters in front of him. Just as the Lizaflos came within sword distance, pleased that it would get an easy kill, Twilight pulled out his sword and ended the creature's miserable life, not before taking a hit to the stomach from the other lizalfos.

In a haze Twilight reacting on pure reflex stabbed the lizalfos in the eye ending that one's existence as well. As Twilight stumbled barely able to raise his shield in defense from the moblins attack, much less being able to finish them off, he heard a beastly roar that sent a shiver down his spine. Much to Twilight relief as he collapsed to the ground in pain barely staying conscious.

As he blinked away the pain above him he saw Hyrule rush over and start forcing him to drink a red potion getting down half of it before starting to refuse the disgusting liquid. As he started to fall asleep his eyes opened to see a stalfos wearing the Hero's Shade’s helmet.

Twilight wondered if the Shade knocked him down in their spare, as he forced himself to get up and pick up his sword and shield, while wondering why he felt so weak. Maybe he took a hit to the head before he met up with the Golden wolf and he was feeling the concussion that he got? Twilight didn’t know but he would try to focus on the lesson being taught to him.

Twilight then heard a voice sounding far off as he felt something trying to bring him down to the ground again, but he held strong.

The Shade then put down his sword and stated, like he was trying to calm a spooked animal “Calm down pup, it’s me Time, you’re injured just… just lay back down and we can fix you up”. ‘Who was time’ Twilight thought as he squinted towards the skeleton ‘ I know the name, but why can’t I put a face to it?’

The Shade walked forward causing Twilight to panic and jump back knocking something out of his way as he did so. Then he made a point to thrust his sword into the position that usually started the spar. ‘What is he doing?” Twilight wondered. As the force trying to pull him down tripled, but he locked his knees and kept waiting.

More voices, closer this time but words still jumbled, reach his ears. Then the Shade did something unexpected and ripped off his helmet making Twilight lower his sword in wonder, the hero’s shade never took off his helmet. The Shade raised his hand to his face and took off a mask?! Twilight started in shock as he dropped his sword and shield, barely hearing the man say “Com’on pup just lay back down.”. As twilight consciousness started to slip he connected the name to the face and as he felt himself start to crumble he let out a terrified sounding “T-Time?” Before the world around him faded to black and he felt himself fall.

Author’s note: While this is part 4 it is technically part 3.5, and is about basically what happened during part 3 in Twilight’s perspective.

Twilight was startled out of his thoughts again as he heard a voice that sounded like Warriors shout “There you are!”.

Twilight turned around to find Warriors standing there, looking a bit out of breath, “How did you get all the way over here?”

Twilight shrugged and said “I got lost in thought and didn’t realise where I was going.”.

Twilight, once again shrugged and replied “Just thinking about my quest through my own Hyrule, specifically the people I met during the journey.”

Warriors at a loss for words just nodded. Twilight visibly loosened up and then stated “So what did you need me for?”

Twilight nodded “lead the way.”

Wild then walked up to Twilight who had been rearranging his cloak so he didn’t die of heat stroke and said “Hey will you be alright? You have been out of it all week”.

Twilight getting annoyed by how everyone was asking if he was ok stated as blantinly as possible “I’ll be fine, cub” leaving no room for any discussion.

Wild then said, not convinced, “If you say so.”

After the 10 minutes of Twilight avoiding Time they were off, getting the occasional odd look, but hey when is that new?

“Looks like the information is correct, they are watching the road like a bunch of scavengers” Twilight said while handing the mask to Warriors so he can see the horde.

Twilight getting a bit nervous about the aspect of these monsters surrounding them whispered “now?” only for warriors to wait a few seconds and then shouted “NOW”.

Twilight then heard a voice sounding far off as he felt something trying to bring him down to the ground again, but he held strong.

#linked universe #linkeduniverse #lu twilight #lu sky #lu legend #lu hyrule #lu time #lu wild #lu wind #lu warriors #ancestor's legacy

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gaming-grandma · 5 years

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Skyrim and Breath of the Wild: My Two Favorite Open World Games

While botw doesn’t really qualify as an RPG, it still has many elements similar to one that I feel like this comparison is fair. Even though a large gap of time, graphical style, aesthetics, music, and story splits the two in feel and theme, I still feel like both games plucked the same heartstrings for myself, albeit in different ways. This is a long, long essay type post with no pictures. I wrote this instead of doing a reading assignment, so enjoy.

Both of these games came to me at opportune times in my life. Skyrim came to me right in the middle of my ‘golden-days’ of highschool, where I had the absolute most amount of free time and no responsibilities. I delved into the game and devoured it whole, and when my brother would take it to uni with him I would spend hours into the night until 2, 3 AM pouring over the guidebook and analyzing tactics and build ideas and roleplay elements I could incorporate into it the second I got my hands on it again. I almost convinced my dad to buy me the game so I could play it while my brother was away, but for my own good and those of my grades I failed. I would play Skyrim until sunrise, and then until sunset again, and I would go on to make probably actually hundreds of characters, each with different back stories and approaches and methods of play and skills. They would all feel unique and I would treat each one like an experience and go new places, or even go to places I knew well on purpose to see if I could put new spins on it. The world was so open and ready to manipulate and bend to your will that I, the moldable teenager I was, was utterly bent on feeling every square inch of this game hundreds of times, like a baby given a new toy they have to shove in their mouth for hours. I’m not proud of the amount of time I spent on Skyrim, but I am glad I got to, and I’m proud of some of my accomplishments. I invented this method of infinite Magicka regeneration as long as you were in a circle of a certain spell by making myself a vampire Breton with 100% magicka absorb (which involved using a glitch allowing you to use the same constellation stone twice) and casting a banishment spell on myself with the perk that makes restoration affect vampires. I spent days perfecting this until the final product: I could walk into a dungeon and cast a circle of light on the floor, walk into it, and unleash untamed power and destruction and anything I wanted anywhere until the circle wore off, and I’d cast it again. When my brother walked in on my working on this his jaw kinda dropped.

Similarly, I would go on to invent all sorts of my own clever elements to the game as I mold it to my will, like one of those shake lights you have to break in a bunch of places to get it to light up. I would play the game dry over and over. Graduation came, and I slowed down. Other things came into my life and I had other games to play, new experiences to mull over. New worlds to bend. I would always go back to Skyrim for a few days, trying to pick it up again and feel the same awe and excitement and pure wonder I did when it first came upon me, but I would eventually realize “I’ve done this exact same thing too many times now” whether it be the character, route, skills, or style, I’d done it already. To this day, it’s the only game I’ll actually pull out and play sometimes when I’m truly lost or have nothing to do or feel depressed or broken. It’ll always remind me of my youth and make me have something to look forward to again. I’ve still already done it all, but that doesn’t really matter sometimes does it? Sometimes it’s just about remembering and being a totally different and older person sitting in front of the screen that gives you the same experience and joy no matter what you’ve been through.

I don’t trust Bethesda with TES6 anymore. I don’t think it’ll work for me, and I don’t think it’ll be a great game. I’m excited for it, as I’m naturally inclined to be and I won’t shut myself up over it, but it won’t be the next Skyrim for me. It won’t make me a wide-eyed 14 year old again, nothing can do that. That doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy it, I’m sure I will. But I don’t trust Bethesda’s methods as a company, and I don’t know if they’ll ever achieve what they did in my eyes when I was a kid. I’ll sit and listen to the music sometimes, and it’ll hit me in waves; the world, the awe, the excitement. The memories of coming home from big life events like finals or job interviews or trips and being able to relax and play it again. It almost sounds like an addiction at this point, and my brother would joke that I was, but it didn’t harm my social/professional life in any way, so I don’t think it was a true addiction.

Then I realize they don’t even have the same guy on music for TES6 as they did for morrowind/skyrim again and I remind myself it won’t be the one.

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have a gullible hope that TES6 will do all those things to me again, though. But when it comes down to it, Skyrim was the biggest and most influential game on my life as a teenager. It was just a great game. I loved it, everything about it. That’s all there is to it. It’s one of those games I wish I could erase my memory of and do all over again.

And you’re wondering why the hell this essay is titled with BOTW, and here’s the connection; the only other game I truly would like to erase my memory for and experience again is Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. But this is for a totally different reason.

BOTW came into my life at a similarly critical point of my life in young adulthood; I was at the end of my community college career, having only 2 classes for the entire semester. I had a job, but I hated it and was depressed over it. I felt like I was going nowhere fast, and BOTW came out with the switch and I decided to buy into the hype and see what it was like. BOTW is an untamed love letter to everything that made Skyrim amazing to me, and yet it was totally new and unseen and alien. It was huge in scope, the awe and wonder it hit me with was the same as when I first realized how huge the province of Skyrim truly was; this was even bigger. The immersion and aesthetics were beautiful and appealed to me in ways skyrim never did, but I still fell in love with it and played this game up and down and inside out. I just checked and it’s still my #1 most played game on the switch nearly 2 years later at 120 hours. That’s not even 1/10th of how long I played Skyrim, and yet it managed to have that insane appeal to it that drove my young eyes wide in pure thrilling excitement. The minimalist music accompanied by beautiful sounds of nature reminded me of the frozen tundra of the mountain sides watching sunrises in the Throat of the World, or exploring the sun glazed Rift. None of this was actively in my mind as I played it, but I knew that the same heartstrings that Skyrim tugged on were being tangled with by this amazing game. As a Zelda game it blew me out of the water, and if I devoured Skyrim whole, then Breath of the Wild ate ME whole, because I was not in control of this world; I was merely a spectator trying to survive and watch it for as long as I could.

My biggest gripe once I finished the game to pieces that fall was that there was “nothing to do”. “There’s nothing to do!” I whine as I sit on my 120 shrine, 600 korok seed save file that had a full inventory of every best weapon and nearly every side quest completed save file. The DLC would then come out but I never felt compelled to play it or finish it. I’m tempted to today and that’s why I’m writing this. I did everything the game had to offer, or at least I thought, as I would late learn of lots of different activities I never got to finish, but I enjoyed it and I wouldn’t trade that time for any skyrim experience.

BOTW struggles to stand up to Skyrim’s depth, but its scope is ambitious and accomplishes its own voice without relying on anything ever created besides the actual Zelda franchise characters and lore. Skyrim, on the other hand, is an achievement of a long struggle as a gaming studio, the ultimate pinnacle of what Bethesda has learned in creating open world games. BOTW is most certainly an easily accessible game, and is not nearly as dated as the launch graphics of Skyrim, but I still have to give Skyrim the title of my favorite open world game, not purely because of the nostalgia, but because of the depth and variety you could get out of multiple playthroughs. BOTW only has 1 link, and link only has so many skills. You can use them to screw with the environment and do some crazy cool stuff, but nothing will top the pure blank canvas that was a new Skyrim file in my eyes. BOTW doubtlessly takes a hard 2nd place.

#skyrim #breath of the wild #legend of zelda #my opinion #essay?#video game #open world games #open shirt #Elder Scrolls #Zelda

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zachsgamejournal · 3 years

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COMPLETED: Mega Man Legends

Move over Sahelanthropus, I got all the walking mechs I need right here.

This game is great!

I BEAT IT!

I think it took about 8 hours (not counting a few reload/restarts here an there). While a few of the games I’ve played recently also took around the same amount of time, I kept feeling...frustrated about my progress. Mega Man Legends, on the other-hand, was a constant joy to play! I’m so blown away by how great this 1997 game is. I could gush over it all day, but Imma try to be focused...

The Story

This is where the game started off light and unimpressive, but ultimately turned out quite well. The story felt very basic: “The world needs crystal energy (refracters), and I play a ‘Digger’ that looks for them be exploring ancient ruins. But while I’m a well-meaning digger, there are ill-meaning pirates to worry about.” While the story wasn’t much, it did present the story very cinematically. The cutscenes told the story the gameplay couldn’t, but they didn’t overwhelm the player like Metal Gear Solid.

The player eventually crash-lands on an island with a city and lots of people. The player may speak with these people, even performing sidequests and developing relationships. The characters aren’t super deep, but they all have some personality and story. It helps build the charm of this world. I really appreciated it.

The antagonists are a family of pirate siblings. Tron Bonne is interesting in that she’s a bit of a brat, but has affections for Mega Man. She’s also moved by his heroism and genuineness. She finds herself emotionally conflicted between her older brother who insists on being “bad” and her feelings for Mega Man that shows there’s a better way to live. Though this is mostly used for comedic effect, it also makes her the most interesting and well-rounded character. At one point, Mega Man thinks he may have killed the pirates (including Tron) in a major battle. The heroes treat this as an unintended tragedy, and do not rejoice in their victory (I love it!), then later, Mega Man finds Tron alive is over-the-moon. She’s put off by it, but conflicted. After Mega Man defeats the trio again, the eldest brother, Tiesel, offers his honorable recognition of Mega Man’s superiority and offers to leave in peace. Tron is surprised and touched, but then it turns out to be a ploy.

It’s all pretty silly but still engaging character development.

The game’s story contains quite a bit of mystery. Why are Reaverbots activating? What’s hidden beneath the island? What’s the connection? It’s revealed that these ancient ruins (which are from a more advanced civilization) actually contain a weapon. This weapon feels that humans are over-populating and that it should purge the island as a population control effort. Mega Man finds this cruel and stops it. In the process, it’s revealed that Mega Man has a deep connection to system that wanted to purge the island. It’s hinted that he may serve some deeper purpose: maybe to act as the moral compass of unfeeling, ant-human protocol? The message I got was that humans destroyed the earth, causing a great flood and societal/technological collapse. So then machines were created to limit human influence, but their purpose is so old and outdated, it’s become an artifact itself.

There’s a fun twist here where Mega Man is captured. But the pirates realize that it’s more important to save the island than defeat Mega Man, so they release him and support his victory against the boss.

It’s still not super deep, but much deeper than I realized. And with all the various characters and personalities, it’s one of the best story experiences I’ve had in a game (though a bit goofy).

The Graphics

Are great! There’s a few issues. I think PS1 games pre-1998 had a different look and feel than post 1998 (and then again, post 2000). It feels like early game artists were still trying to figure out 3D modeling with limited hardware. So a lot of the best known tricks hadn’t been discovered yet. So MML definitely has a few Pre-1997 qualities, but it also has plenty of areas where it really looks great.

The savior is the cartoon-styled graphics. Most characters have solid-color clothes and accessories with few details. Because the art is consistent throughout, it just feels right. And then the facial animations are great. Games like Tomb Raider, Resident Evil, and Metal Gear Solid had in-game cutscenes, but the characters’ faces were unanimated. Sometimes they’d bob their heads to imply speaking--but it was all kinda goofy. MML, on the other hand, included moving mouths and changing face expressions during cutscenes. It really sold the cinematic vibe and is quite impressive for PS1 game.

So even though technical limitations really prevent this game from looking great, the art-direction and advanced facial animations keep this game looking great!

The Gameplay

1. Controls

Unfortunately, the controls kind of suck. Mega Man controls somewhat like a tank. A tank that can move side ways. While games like Mario 64 had free 3D movement with a camera that tried to keep up--MML has a camera that stays firmly facing forward that only rotates when the player rotates MM.

It’s a little off-putting. If I push “down”, MM runs toward the screen: completely facing the opposite direction of the camera. In most 3D platformers, the camera would try to rotate behind the character. Not MM. It keeps facing the same direction. When I stop moving, MM turns back to face the same direction as the camera.

I think they were trying to make shooting and combat easier. And I think their head was in the right place. But it makes the game hard to learn. Still, once you get used to it, it works ok. This is the worst part of the game, but the difficulty is well balanced that I don’t feel punished by the controls.

2. Combat

The combat isn’t super deep, but that also means it’s not overbearing. The combat feels more like Crash Bandicoot, with each enemy having an attack pattern that must be learned and subverted. But mostly, you just got to know when to shoot it. So it keeps the combat accessible while also interesting and mentally challenging. This is better than a lot of American Shooters that just have you fight a variety of projectile based enemies--run, dodge, shoot...

Adding depth to the combat is a cool customizable Buster (gun). You can collect a variety of parts that boost Attack, Range, Attack Speed, and “Reload”. Some parts affect more than 1 stat, allowing the player to try a variety of combinations to boost their effectiveness and compliment their play-style. You may also change configurations based on the boss or enemy type. It’s a simple, and fun system that adds plenty of depth to what could have been a straightforward action title.

What’s also neat about these parts: they’re often rewards for side-quests. Such quests might be rebuilding a clubhouse, participating in game shows, or finding a lost loved-one. It’s great because it provides a lot of bonus quests for the player that meaningful and rewarding both as an experience and on a material level.

The boss fights are also pretty interesting, assuming you’re properly equipped. They can be a bit challenging or confusing, but they’re quite diverse. Maybe you’re defending the town from bull-dozer bots, or engaged in air-to-air battles, there’s plenty of unique experiences. I was especially impressed with the walking-mech battle. I think there’s another boss just as tall, but this involved a very destructible city block. It reminded me of the Sahelanthropus battle of Metal Gear Solid V...or does that battle remind me of this? Either way--it was just more icing on top of a great experience.

3. Adventure/Pacing

I like to differentiate between action and action-adventure. Action, to me, is very linearity and to the point. Action adventure often asks the player to do more than fight their way to the exit, but to discover the path to the exit. Even better, they allow the player to discover much of the game--allowing for maximized freedom in progress.

Zelda Games are often the best examples of letting the player set their own pace and find their own way. Ocarina of Time is a true stand-out here. The game doesn’t tell you want to do, but pushes you in the right directions. Still, you’re not often limited to one set order of events to proceed and can do some quests in any order. Mega Man Legends does this as well.

Once you get past the first hour or so, the game really opens up. There’s people to talk to, secrets to find, and there’s rarely a rush to complete the next objective. You’re free to grind for resources and buy that gun upgrade, or just push through--relying purely on your skill to overcome challenges. But what really makes the game like this work is the “down time”.

Dark Forces 2, Mysteries of the Sith, and Jedi Outcast are fun action games--but there’s only one thing to do: fight your way to the end. Even if there’s sub-objectives to the over-all level, there’s no freedom. While several Mega Man battles take place in the town, the city is usually a place of no combat. But there’s plenty to do, secrets to find, and characters to interact with. And once a dungeon has been defeated, it’s nice to go back and look for secrets or grind. It makes the game way more diverse and I feel more in control as a player.

This is really important. Because the Star Wars games (and even Thief) are sooo straightforward and 1-dimensional, I get fatigued very quickly. And seeing as I like to beat a game before moving on, I get frustrated. I feel like these games are in the way of me finding happiness. Not a good reason to play games. But MML made me happy to play it. Even if I didn’t feel like taking on the next dungeon, I could do side quests or grind on an easier dungeon and not feel like I’ve wasted time. It all helps me succeed in the future. And that gives me joy.

Mega Man Legends is joy!

I started this game way back in 1997 or 1998, and I restarted it many times since. This was the first time I beat it, and I love it--absolutely. Likely a top 10 game for me. I hope to add this to my rotation of games to replay till the end of my days--but then again, I’m curious if Mega Man Legends 2 will outshine it??

#Zach's Game Journal #COMPLETED #Mega Man Legends #PlayStation #PS1 #PS1 games #Video Games #Gaming #DuckStation #Emulation

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botwriter · 7 years

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Masked - Chapter 3, The Chosen Hero

Read this on FF.net ☛

Hyrule field looked much different at night. During a sunny day, it looked like paradise - full of wildflowers in bloom, breezy and quiet. Now, as Zelda found her ways through the tall grass, she was just grateful that it was a clear night. Without the moon, she wouldn’t be able to see a thing - and despite all of her previous courage, the further she got from Robin, the more and more it faded away. He was likely still fast asleep. If anything happened, there would be no one around her to help.

No - it’s no use thinking like that, she reminded herself, I have to be more self-reliant.

It didn’t help that she had no combat training, nor no weapon to defend herself with. Was it any use being ‘self-reliant’ with no resources? She could run, but she had never even been a particularly fast runner. As she passed Lake Kolomo and spotted a camp of sleeping Yiga nearby, she let out a sigh. What if she’d made a grave mistake? At least, seeing Hyrule Castle looming in the distance was reassuring. She wasn’t that far.

She distracted herself by thinking about Robin as she walked. He had saved her once - no, twice already, from the Yiga forces. Had he been following her? He was born into the royal guard, but… from what he’d said, was no longer part of it… Zelda shook her head. What was becoming of Hyrule if someone that talented found it necessary to leave the royal guard, to leave knight training? But he was supposedly loyal if he was looking after her so well… then again, not being able to see his face was worrying. What if he really was yiga?

She pushed the thought away. No… he had what must have been the sword that seals the darkness… but what if it made a mistake? There were too many questions. And there’d be no answering them, not yet. She had to get home first.

By the time she saw the Yiga patrolling the sacred grounds, it was already too late. Their patrols had caught wind of her earlier, and even as she ducked into the grass and stayed perfectly still, it was no use. Their footsteps surrounded her, and Zelda panicked, trying to run - but ropes caught both of her wrists and dragged her backwards.

“No! Help!” she yelled as loud as she possibly could, hoping maybe, just maybe, a nearby knight patrol could hear her. Three yiga wrestled her to the ground, pinning her as her wrists and ankles until they were tied together, and finally she was flipped, laying on her back on the grass. Before she could yell again, one of them held a sickle to her throat, cold steel pressing softly against her neck.

“Ssssh,” he cooed, “don’t wanna wake up all of Castle Town, now. You’re gonna answer some questions.”

Of all the challenges she’d had as Princess, this was the toughest so far. Zelda felt like she was having an out of body experience. She couldn’t process that she was being threatened - her life was being threatened - if she didn’t answer. All she could do was grit her teeth, fight the tears escaping from her eyelashes, and think about home. Mom, why is this happening?

“What do you want?” she snapped, her voice shaking despite her efforts to sound angry. She was terrified, but what the yiga said next surprised her so much, she nearly snapped out of it.

“Tell us where the Chosen Hero is.”

The… chosen… hero?

“We know he was traveling with you!” “We saw his sword.” “He’s Ganon’s only threat.”

She almost fought back then - what do you mean, Ganon’s only threat? - but her thoughts were preoccupied. The Chosen Hero. She had seen Robin’s sword, too. The way it glowed was just like in the texts she’d studied. And if Calamity Ganon was returning, as all these yiga made it seem… not to mention the influx of monsters lately… that would be the next natural step. But… Robin - an ex knight trainee, a man of the royal guard who was… well, probably her age, having the sword? And not telling anyone? Could he be the hero - is that why he left?

“I don’t know what I am now.”

His words echoed in her mind, but the feeling of sharp silver pressing against her collarbone brought her back to the present.

“Well!?”

“I don’t know,” she finally admitted, absently struggling against the rope tied tightly around her wrists, “I left him a few hours ago. He’s probably long gone by now.”

The yiga’s nostrils flared.

“Well, where was he?”

“South,” she answered a little too quickly, “that’s all I know. I don’t know outside of the castle very well.”

“Useless,” one of the older yiga hissed, “let’s just kill her before she slips out of our grasp again.”

The yiga holding a sickle to her next hummed - he was clearly thinking about it. Zelda’s eyes widened.

“Master Kohga wouldn’t be happy, but better you’re dead than escaping… although you do make a good trap for the Chosen Hero.”

“He’d just beat you again,” Zelda protested, and the yiga laughed.

“Don’t you remember you two running away last time? But then again, I’m impatient. I say we end it.”

There was a muttered chorus of agreement from behind him. Zelda struggled against the ropes, and the yiga pressed his sickle further into her skin - she let out a muffled “mm-” as a hand covered her mouth and she felt several drops of blood trickle down her neck.

“Can’t have you screaming if I can’t kill you in one hit,” the yiga said with a malicious tone, tilting his head at her, “with a weapon like this, it might take a few before it’s over.”

Zelda was sure she would have cried if fear hadn’t taken over every part of her body. No, no, no, no- this can’t be how it ends - this is all my fault, I never should have left him, and he’s the Chosen Hero- a vision of Robin fighting Ganon alone with the sword flashed into her mind. That couldn’t be it. No. She was supposed to seal away the calamity. She had yet to even awaken her power, and now she was going to die as a broken Princess… broken. Not to mention, it wouldn’t even be a fast death - the princess of Hyrule, brutally stabbed to death, a mere hours trip from Hyrule Castle…

The yiga wound up, his arm lifting and the sickle glinting in the light of dawn. Zelda shut her eyes tight, but the pain never came. Metal clashed with metal, and when her eyes shot open, she finally saw it - glowing bright blue in the morning light, the sword that sealed the darkness was wielded ahead of her, by - unmistakably - Robin. He flipped it deftly in his hand, deflecting two more attacks and sending the offenders running. When he turned to her, she still couldn’t make out his face, just a pair of bright eyes under his hood and messy blonde hair. He used a fallen sickle to cut her ropes, then helped her stand, and - for just a brief moment - held her close enough that she could smell his hair. It was nice.

“Reckless,” he muttered in her ear, and then turned quite quickly again to face off with the yiga. The rest of the camp had come by now, surrounding them - though there were only maybe 10 or 12 of them, it was still far too many for him to take down on his own.

“I hope you have a plan,” she said quietly, standing back to back with him.

“You’re one to talk.”

Despite his sarcastic remark, it seemed Robin did have a plan, as Zelda heard neighing from nearby. A platoon of castle knights had approached and were surrounding the yiga, who panicked immediately. Some used smoke bombs to disappear, others tried to run, and several were captured or straight-up killed by the knights.

“Princess!”

The knights ran to her. She smiled, but when she looked back at Robin, she saw them drawing their swords on him - and he was ready to fight back? Why?

“Stop- stop!” she protested, as they clashed; his bright blue sword had been knocked away, and one of the knights kicked him to the ground.

“Stop!”

Unfortunate as it was, Zelda knew her knights. Whether or not she ordered them to do something, it would always be a moment too late; too many of them were corrupt, happy with a position of power over others. She was fed up.

As the knight readied another kick, Zelda jumped in between them; hard metal hit her back, and she fell forwards into Robin, who caught her hurriedly but fell all the same. They toppled into the grass, and Zelda grimaced at the pain searing through her back from the armored boot.

“Princess!”

She could feel Robin’s hands holding tight to her, even as she was dragged back upwards by the knights. She reached back for a second, and caught only a glimpse of worried bright blue eyes before Robin, too, was lifted up by the knights, his hair falling back down and covering his face.

“Princess - why-”

“He saved- my life-” she stammered, still winded somewhat from the kick to her back. “By my orders, no harm will come to him,” she finally said, quite breathlessly.

“What do you have to say for yourself?” the knights asked Robin, shaking him as they held him up by his arms. He didn’t look up, even as Zelda watched, desperately wanted to go to him - anything but these knights.

“I’ll see you at the masquerade,” was all he said. They left in two separate parties then. Zelda needed medical attention, and there would be no use fighting the guards on it. Robin, meanwhile, would surely end up in the dungeons… but she could visit him later and talk to her father about the sword, and him being the Chosen Hero… yeah... it’ll be fine...

Zelda woke in the evening that day, tucked neatly into her bed with a warm compress still on her forehead. Fresh flowers had been placed on her nightstand, and as she sat up, a shuffling nearby told her she wasn’t alone in her room.

“Father,” she breathed with a smile, seeing the King come around the corner from her four poster bed.

“Zelda. I’m glad to see you finally awake,” he sighed in relief, sitting down on the edge of her bed and taking one of her hands into his. “Now… what is this nonsense about Robin Hood?”

Zelda’s expression dropped. Of course, the knights would have told him all sorts of lies before she was able to tell her side of the story… they must have thought she’d been taken.

“He saved me - twice - and helped me get back to Hyrule Castle,” she explained hurriedly. “I left him because I wanted to get home faster, and that’s why I was captured. He must have alerted the knights.”

King Rhoam nodded solemnly.

“And… he wields the sword that seals the darkness…”

“That’s the other thing,” Zelda said excitedly, “we need to talk to him. He’s definitely-”

“A petty thief,” the King interrupted, and Zelda gasped in return.

“No, that’s not it-”

“I’ve heard stories of this Robin Hood before,” the King continued, shaking his head as he stood up from the bed and paced in Zelda’s room. “While it seems he has good intentions, how does one have the funds for all this medicine? The time to help so many? He’s clearly a no-gooder, stealing and disguising it as good deeds.”

“That can’t be true,” she protested, “he saved me, he’s the only reason I-”

“You were captured by yiga! He must have had a deal with them. I’m sure they’re getting everything out of him right now.”

“Father!”

“Get ready for the Masquerade tonight, Zelda. I know it’s been a rough few days for you, but that’s no reason to not be in attendance… not when there is so much uncertainty about.”

So it really was no use. Zelda was left in her room alone, but she wasn’t interested in crying into her sheets. Robin had saved her - now it was her turn. But cleverness would be her only way of possibly getting to him. The usual route to the dungeons wouldn’t work… but she knew another way.

When she stood, she braced herself on her nightstand table; that knight’s kick had done a deal on her, but she was glad at least that it hadn’t hit Robin instead. It would, however, be a pain to dance with… and she had only a few hours before the masquerade started. If she wasn’t there, her father would no doubt suspect something and come looking for her… so she had to be quick.

She got ready first. Hair washed and brushed, dress on, face cleaned up. She donned a silk scarf around her neck to hide the cut the sickle had given her… wouldn’t be any good for anyone else to see that.

Zelda knew she’d have to go straight from the dungeons to the masquerade. For a moment, she looked at herself in the mirror before leaving; it was disappointing, being in a blue dress when she’d desperately wanted to dye one white. She met her own gaze in the mirror, thinking briefly of the comfortable smell of Robin's hair, the way he had held her close, and reached for her... a heat rose in her chest. Really, what was with all of that, and more importantly, why did it make her feel like this? She felt responsible for him, but it was more than that, now - his voice, that glimpse of blue eyes... The girl sighed, fiddled with her filigree bracelets for a moment, and then hurried out the door, heading towards the outside of the castle. All that climbing she’d done with Robin was going to come in handy, and quickly.

The outside of the castle was surprisingly free of the usual security, which she attributed to the masquerade. As she clambered downwards, dress flowing in the wind, she remembered what Robin’s parting words had been: see you at the masquerade. So he was absolutely nobility. Otherwise, how would he have even known of it? But how was he planning on getting there? He’d been arrested.

When she finally found the trapdoor entrance to the dungeons outside, Zelda was careful to keep her dress lifted from the floor as she crept through. It had taken at least an hour for her to get down to the cells, and once she did, she was shocked to find the knight guards slumped against the cages… alive, but clearly defeated in some sort of battle. She bent down to the first one she found, lifted his helmet, and gently shook him until he came to. Brown eyes blinked open, surprised to see her staring down at him.

“P-princess - that knight-”

“Robin Hood?” she asked with a small smile, tilting her head.

“No,” he shook his head, and Zelda looked at him quizzically.

“He used to be a knight. He was one of - no, probably was the best knight trainee we’ve ever had… he took us out one by one once we got in here. Said he had a-” the knight coughed- “dance to attend to. He’s going to the masquerade.”

“I’ll find him, and send some help down for you,” Zelda said with an assured nod, but before she could stand to leave, the knight’s hand shot up and held her wrist.

“Princess - his name is Link.”

#zelink #zelink fic #zelink fanfiction #botw #breath of the wild #botw fic #breath of the wild fanfiction #masked

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crystalnet · 7 years

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My Top 10 Video Gamesss

I'm really bored so I'm just gonna do this, fuck it. Top 10 from a guy whose genre of choice is the action-(J)RPG, of which makes up about half this list. I'm gonna try to keep it pretty short and sweet, cuz like who cares, like why am I even doing this who cares. (Digibro says text-blogging is dead, like I need to make videos but like who would want to watch the video of some rando listing things either? Idk, like I don't really get any motivation for anything anymore. But I do like games/JRPGS soooo.... without further ado...). Also I'm doing a 1-game-per-franchise rule 'cuz otherwise it'd be largely Zelda and Final Fantasy because I have good taste, am sheepish and bland, and overly-content with the same 2 franchises. But yeah, I'm digging a little deeper here.

1. Zelda Breath of the Wild-

This may seem risky, audacious and possibly even sacrilege to put a game that is only like 5 months old on this list, but really this is the only game that I could really confidently put on my top spot. I think this game is just about perfect, and even though its not technically my genre of choice, it comes pretty close to a JRPG, and yet feels more pure than that, and somehow even deeper in a way. I'm just astounded by everything from the mechanics, to the presentation to the flow of this game and more. But especially those things probably. The "flow" of this game for example feels so fucking organic and open-ended that it essentially feels like no other game I've ever encountered. You can wander for hours semi-aimlessly and still have an amazing time and work towards progress.

The climbing/paragliding thing is just about the coolest mechanic I've ever seen or played in a game and works as a really amazing foundation for one of the underlying aspects of this game, which is sheer unadulterated exploration. And I was saying it somehow reminds of a JRPG even tho it's Zelda and that has everything to do with the deep item-management and collecting, the deep cooking/crafting system, and the huge array of weapons which all transform the combat from being vanilla-as-fuck as it was in previous console Zeldas (barring Skyward I suppose) to really cool, challenging and pretty dang deep, for a Zelda game at least. And that, along with so much of this, including the incredible different experimental non-linearity of it, make this unlike any other than Zelda save the first, revolutionary entry. A lot of the depth also has to do with the crazy deep physics. Did I mention the physics?? And though there's only like 5 dungeons (I easily count Hyrule castle, and this is not including 120 shrines and the various fortresses/mazes), they're really ace and easily rival my favorite Zelda dungeons in the way in which the structure of the dungeons must themselves be manipulated in order to solve their puzzles (my next top 5 is gonna be Top Zelda Dungeons btw..).

So yeah, this game is just freakin' incredible and this iteration of Hyrule is probably my favorite game world of all time. Every inch of it is beautifully lit, realized, and filled to the brim with little puzzles, shrines, formidable foes and questing galore. Also the horses. The horses are sick. And yeah, climbing to the tops of mountains and paragliding down (or later using Revali's Gale to ascend rapidly) is the most free I've felt in a game since the weirdly amazing web-slinging in Spider-Man 2 (PS2). Also the difference between how weak and basic you feel at first to how you feel toward the end when you have the Master Sword, a crazy good arsenal of weapons that you've curated, all the spells and Shiekah slate magic and all the amiibo-dropped gear attained from an illegal/frowned-upon amiibo deck is freakin awesome and even cooler than the dynamic progression of something like Dark Souls. And the whole first 10-20 hours or so of a new file are especially “special” to me. Not that it gets less fun-- in many ways it gets more fun as you get more capable and experienced-- but the Plateau segment is a master class in tutorial segment design, and the way you learn to live off the land is kind of incredible... There’s this whole Buddhist-esque anti-attachment thing the game forces you to accept regarding early weapons breaking all the time that help make you depend so heavily on scavenging and exploring and always looking for more loot just so that you can survive. You really learn to live off the land, and well that’s beautiful. And everything about all the various mechanics and the world feel so holistic and cohesive and unified in a way that I just haven’t really seen before. Anyway, yeah I could go on but I think that mostly sums it up. This is the only game where it feels like your actually exploring an amazing natural environment, but without like sore feet and bugs and being sweaty and stuff. It's just all the good stuff involved in taking in a crazy beautiful environ. I already said that but yeah. This game feels restorative, peaceful, meditative. And I never get sick of those lonely little piano chords. It's good. Perfect even. Really a masterwork for me. And the DLC is sweet to boot and still incoming, so yeah. Me likey. 2. Final Fantasy XV-

Where I feel really good picking BotW as my #1, and can do it without hesitation, and it's not even a tough call to make as my favorite entry of its respective franchise, this one is a bit more complex. And like a lot of FF fans would probably rightfully scoff and write me off right away, whereas Zelda fans would probably be more accepting of BotW as the top pick. Because it involves a shit ton of caveats. For one thing, deep deep down, FFXI will actually always be my favorite video game experience of all time. Always. Forever. Sorry not sorry BotW. But I'm not putting that one, because I feel like there's something weird about listing an MMO that I only played for 3 years as a child and can't really revisit in a real capacity. Its sealed in time and perhaps that's what makes it special. Sure I could get on one of the couple of PC servers still going but it wouldn't be the same. Another caveat is FFVII, IX, and XII (Zodiac Age!!) are all, to me, way classier and probably on a technical level "better" than XV. And yet, I'm kind of have this disease where 64-bit games have aged worse for me than any other gen, and while XII is fucking awesome (Zodiac!! ^.^;;), I don't have quite as much fun playing that as XV (though its pretty close...). Somehow, despite all its short-comings, FFXV almost perfectly captures the charm and joy of this series, and all my memories of it, while containing them within a fucking gorgeous-- immaculately so at that-- package that is super freakin' playable compared to older turn-based titles. Like, ATB/turn-based FF will always be more "legit" in a sense, but I can't deny I am an action-JRPG addict and this game hits the sweet-spot for me.

Did I mention how beautiful it is? While some might see the new fixation on open-worlds as kind of redundant-- and BotW has now kind of revealed the flaws in the old triple-A formula for them--, I think this is just a reeeeally good rendition of the "open-world" concept, which is something I always wanted in FF. And while you can't join in with other players like in XI and carve your own path in the world (multiplayer is coming though...), there is a certain feeling of freedom felt in this game that makes so many other FF titles seem so limited (lookin at you XIII). Also, pretty. It's pretttttty. And if BotW's Hyrule is my favorite game-map, Eos is my favorite world in terms of like lore, look, and design. It's freakin cool. It looks real and there are cars and there are modern-looking people like us but there's also crazy monsters, magic, teleportation, robots and evil empires (well those are real). And the monsters seem like something out of an otherworldly Nat. Geo. the way everything is so wonderfully detailed. Its freakin cool Dinotopia shit in this bitch. So yeah, while there are flaws-- notably of which are the lack of customization in character-progression that I love in games like XII Zodiac Age and with the kind of unrealized story which is spread mercilessly across an anime mini-series and OVA-- this game feels like a perfect monument to my favorite series of all time. And like you can play all Nobuo songs while exploring this amazing world. Like seriously that tiny little feature is what puts this over-the-top. Otherwise I might have honestly chosen IX or XII Zodiac Age 'cause they're classy AF and the RPG mechanics are deeper. But fuck it, when I play this, it's basically the best visualizer for an endless Nobuo Uematsu soundtrack I could imagine. And like Shimumura's new stuff is great on top of that. This point falls apart 'cuz I could just play an FF actually composed by Nobuo, but like this way it's like an endless loop of my personal favorite Nobuo. Nobuo...

But anyway... Yeah I like the look, combat, magic, world, characters, chocobos, and the look again. Also the potential... I think multiplayer could be really, really cool honestly. So while it bears some of the issues all post-Enix-merger FF games have (like weirdly dropping parts of the plot which is like...why???, or the fact that they're having to patch it all year, and are adding stuff (can you say DLC $$$$)), it's still a minor masterpiece for me. And while not as deep, or even as charming as old PS1 FF or 16-bit FF, its just so damn playable. I'm not a good retro-gamer like other people-- I like my games new and bright/shiny, and this game is shiny AF. So yeah. I clearly have to defend the hell out of this, but fuck it, it's great. Like seriously the design of everything? Just walk around and like look at it. LOOK AT IT. Character models!!! Lighting!!! Facial animation and movement!!! Omg. Okay, yeah I'll leave it at that. Don't hate me. 3. Super Smash Bros Wii-

I feel like I don't even have to explain this one. This is quite simply the perfect multiplayer game. And as with BotW and FFXV, I like these latest iterations a lot, which may seem sheepish and like plebian-core but fuck it. Melee was reeeeally fun back in like 2008, but I'm not trying to play that rn. Robin all day. And Cloud?? So yeah, there's just something kind of endlessly sweet about a game where the likes of Mario, Pac-Man, Sonic, Megaman, Cloud, Ryu and... Bayonetta (??) all collide in a game with amazing physics, awesome platform-y freedom-of-movement and a deep competitive scene which almost make this seem like some kind of weird master-game. Like the Master Sword of games. An Einherjar/Valhalla of all videogame character of fame and fortune. So yeah, its great. I can't speak about it to it to the length I did with FF and BotW because I feel like it speaks for itself. Its just pure, unadulterated Nintendo/pan-franchise world-colliding fun. 4. Nier Automata-

Nier/Drakengard lore is fucking crazy, deep as hell, and multi-faceted AF and Yoko Taro is freeeeakin cool and the best game director this side of Hideo Kojima. And where the first Nier is an amazing, lovably imperfect game-- clunky combat, and weird genre-hopping and all-- this one is like freakin' awesome to play front-to-back. Unless you like don't like abruptly inserted bullet-hell segments. But the main combat is irrefutably sick, which is crazy. Platinum games took a reeeeally weird game-world and made it feel super slick despite all the amazing quirks that are inherent to Yoko Taro's games. Also this is one of my like top 5 maybe 3 game soundtracks of all time. It's amazing and reminds me of my favorite Yuki Kajiura soundtrack for .Hack//Sign. Is there a term for awesome vaguely medieval-ish female-vocal heavy mystic-sounding music? 'Cause this game has it in spades and it's freakin sweeeet. Alongside some like soulful adult-contemporary R'n'B ballads? Buy yeah, amazing-feeling combat, a plethora of combos and weapons, a solid amount of depth to character progression, and really fun bullet-hell segments make this game sooooo playable and maybe my favorite action-RPG of all time (FFXV doesn't quite feel like a true action-RPG?)

But then, on top of that it has an amazingly evocative story, with wonderfully dynamic characters who are lovingly revealed over the course of multiple play-through, in a an epic struggle that revels in the philosophy of Sartre, Kierkegaard, and Marx among others. That in itself is freakin' crazy. Games/anime/movies with AI characters or like androids can be so cliche in their exploration of existentialism, and this game can seem like its gonna be like that at first, but it ends up making good on its promises, and functions as just a really cool exploration of a rich philosophical tapestry. And it's all beautifully told, in these really nice semi-muted colors and with these super lovely character models. Plus the open-world is surprisingly great to run around. I love the over-grown human city thing, and the super atmospheric music come together with the aesthetic to make this game so emotional. Like honestly, along with other aspects of the story, this game is sooooo feels-heavy for me. It can be really sad, and there's this amazing dichotomy/friction between how fun it is to play, and how like strait-up bad it can make you feel sometimes. To like even play it. Getting into that would be spoiler-y and stuff, but yeah I'll kind of leave it to there. The story is awesome. 2B and 9S are amazing. The concepts and way this game actually effect you are super unique, and all the presentation-aspects bring it together so beautifully. It's just like... wow. Like play this game. then play it 5 times to get all the endings. 5. Metal Gear Solid V-

I almost have to make the same caveats I did for FFXV for this game as well. Yes, I know, it's not perfect. It partly represents like the downfall of this whole series, and the darker side of video-games in general. There's a pachinko-level pay-wall type thing inserted right into this and there's some behind-the-scene drama involved that strait-up led to Kojima's departure from Konami? (firing??) Idk, idc, I don't have the energy for that, honestly. So maybe I'm a horrible MGS fan, but I'll be damned if I don't love this game unabashedly. I first played it during a time when I had basically spent 5 years not playing any video games besides Smash, and it was an amazing reintroduction into the world of triple-A titles. Emergent gameplay. Openness. The most handsome character model of all time (Big Boss is my daddy). And that Asia song "Only Time Will Tell". Seriously-- something about the way that song synchs up with the feel of sneaking into an Afghani military outpost in the early 1980's any damn way you please is like the story of this game for me, and part of why it's on this list. That song is everything. Like in the context of this game that is. But also outside of it too? But yeah the sheer openness is just incredible. Not open in the same way like Skyrim or BotW is, but in terms of how you complete each and every mission. It feels like your writing the script to your own big action movie every time you set out. Like the game doesn't force anything on you. Did I mention Big Boss is fucking hot.

And yeah, great music, gameplay and overall presentation, and the cool base-management stuff adds this really cool RTS-ish depth that fleshes out the game wonderfully. Add some solid online PVP, a sweet mech and the gatdamn coolest most open-ended stealth gameplay I'm aware of, and you have yrself a winner. Sorry old, classic MGS, I gotta go with the new model. It's just so damn playable. Like yeah, I know, Konami is like really bad, and fucked up, and like if I really respected Kojima maybe I wouldn't chose this one? But like man I can't help it. I love it soooo much, contemporary triple-AAA-developer-dysfunction and all. Oh and Asia. And the Pere Ubu "Man Who Saved the World". And "Take On Me". Honestly without the tape-collecting/playing this might not be included. But yeah, its clearly great.

6. Dark Souls- Idk, I'm not even a huge Souls guy but this game is kind of breathtaking. I got it for cheap and went in a skeptic, and remained that way for a decent chunk of it, but around the time I was getting to Sen's Fortress things started to click like crazy. This game is undeniable and I'll leave it to the plethora of well-made YouTube analyzers to really get into why. But for me, as far as action-RPGs go, this feels like it has some of the most legit customization and progression of any RPG I've played. It's got an amazing world, with the vertical-nature of the map and way that inter-locking various paths slowly reveal themselves is an amazing thing to behold as the game unfolds. I also just really love the online aspects of this game. I played this game when Dark Souls III was just about to come out and it gave it this kind of spooky feeling. Like I still got invaded a good bit and had help when I wanted it from others, but I could tell it wasn't as busy as it might have been during its initial hey-day. Like playing a weird culty Dreamcast game online in like 2005 (Phantasy Star Online anyone?). This spooky feeling of people being there but not at the same time fits the lore and the world itself really well and that aspect is probably even more exaggerated now (plus the fact that I fuck co-op proves im a n00b). But the fact people were still playing it at all, and still do to this day, speak to how singular and amazing it is. For me, this is just the end-all be-all as far as archetypal high fantasy worlds go-- at least as far as the darker side of things go. Its a bit heavy metal and dreary for me as far as fantasy goes (I like my shit kinda twee and anime-core), but if I want dark and bleak, with an underlying sense of old-world scenic beauty, this game is unbeatable. Like literally, I can't beat it. That's my one complaint: too hard! I'm a noob, maybe one day I'll git gud and stop getting wrecked-- one can hope... 7. Persona 5

This is weird to put after Dark Souls 'cuz if I'm honest I feel like this game has so much more charm and character and like personality than Dark Souls? Idk, I guess I can make that claim. Like Dark Souls has tons of personality, but like Persona 5? I guess it has to do with my slight preference for action-RPG over turn-based, but this game almost seems like one long ass 100 hour+ trek through sheer charm and personality. Hm, PERSONA-lity? Wow genius. But really, this game is just dripping with unique style and charisma. And I'll be honest, I wen't in expecting a lot and for a solid like 20 hours initially I wasn't all that into it. I'm still kinda an SMT noob so I think I'm just impatient for how long this game takes to reveal itself. It's just freakin big and deep that it literally takes that long and then some to truly get going. But once it does... oh boy does it. I think it might be the coolest turn-based game I've ever played in terms of just the sheer combat itself (sorry all pre FFXI Final Fantasy games???). Equal parts FF at its deepest and classiest and Pokemon at its um. Well idk, it's not as Pokemon as Ni No Kuni, but the Persona-collecting system is freakin great. And the level of challenge the combat/dungeons have seem almost pitch-perfect in a way RPGs rarely do. And then add in all the social links/dating sim components, and the open world, and the weird Sly Cooper-inspired stealthy dungeon-crawling and you have like one of the craziest, coolest most legit JRPGs of all time.

But yeah the saving grace for me is the actual turn-based system/combat itself. For a turn-based, its bizarre how kinetic and speedy it can feel. You have all the time you need to strategize if you so chose, but once you know what your doing it can be like lightning, right up until the point where your arguing with a demon to either fork over some loot or join your party, or else your moving fluidly back into great dungeon-crawling action. And then yeah all the crazy super-Japanese high-school student simulation stuff rounds things out delightfully. Like, I admit I like my RPGs to either be high fantasy or else cyber-punky and this is neither of those. Like I'm not even sure what aesthetic so much of this is... smooth jazz and sassy r'n'b moodiness, and like Japanese high-school-attending outcasts who moonlight as stylish treasure-hunting demon-slaying thieves and fight against the inner-world manifestations of corrupt adults-- like what is that vibe? I really don’t know, but I suppose its something all true otakus understand on some inherent level, even if it does remain mysterious and ever allusive in its charms to me.

But the story is cool and huge (Seriously, 100+ hours! What?!!?) and plumbs psychological depths and doesn’t pull punches when it comes to getting a little dark, if maybe in a somewhat simplistic way. But yeah, this game oozes charm, like in the way Mona is so undeniable as a side-kick. I mean they’re almost annoying too but then like, no, Mona’s pretty great though. There are things I can almost imagine it doing that would make me like it even more (like the whole day-cycle thing never quite feels as open as I want it to? But like if it was it'd be like 300 hours. Just that thing where you speed through yr day and almost skip right to one scene in-class and then BAM its after-school), but yeah like this nitpick doesn't even fully make sense. It's just that this game is open-ended af and yet it can also sometimes feel kind of like your spending a lot of time clicking through text without a ton of control. But really that's just the like first 20-30 hours. And again the combat is just undeniably solid. So yeah, it's lite-novel-y and when yr not in dungeons it can seem like yr clicking through an anime almost, but I mean that's kind of also what makes it amazing.

And I'll just touch lightly on presentation stuff like the amazing soundtrack and the f a b u l o u s style of all the menu's and just over-all visual flair of this game, 'cause literally everyone notices that instantly. The dungeons also seem kinda weirdly PS2-looking to me, but like it doesn't matter. This game has a crazy amount of depth and charm that make more immaculate looking triple-A's seem soulless. Plus, yeah like all the menu stuff and like visual segues make it seem so much more stylish than them too even though its clearly not on the same level technically. So yeah, this game’s a lot of win. I was skeptical of the hype honestly, and aspects of Persona 4's world are a little cooler to me still, but man this game is just like... yeah it's good. It's soo long and so written and chock full of a very distinct kind of charm that it seems comparable to having some kind of weird virtual pal inside my ps4 (Does that sound sad ^.^;;). Like it's just cool to know I can always pop it in and hang out with my old pals Ryuji, Ann and Morgana. And Makoto. For like 100 more hours now. How long is this? Where am I, I've been playing it for 3 days, help!? 8. Odin Sphere Leifthrasir-

I'll have less to say to this 'cuz I'm pretty new to the hype-train and thank god 'cuz I wrote way too much about P5? But yeah, this game is the addictively-awesome side-scrolling action-RPG/Beat-'em-up I didn't know I needed in my life. At first I thought the over-all look was kind of not really my thing, but I've done a full 180, and while its not the like more traditional anime/FF-esque style I'm used to, I've come to see just how beautiful and fresh its style is. And then the combat itself is sweeeeeeet. Endlessly playable and as deep as you'd want a still kinda light-feeling action-RPG to be. Plus there's a deep cooking system which just always takes good action-RPGs or any game over-the-top for me. Most of the game is done exploring these really fun combat-filled levels but some respite is found in the mini-farming and cooking mechanics. And the crafting adds an extra dimension as well. Soooo deep. I also love that it scores you on how stylishly your playing by tracking yr combos. This is one of the more fluid and engagings JRPGs I’ve played, and the hand-drawn look is to die for. So yeah, I'll keep it short and sweet, but the action is great, the characters' various play-styles are wonderfully varied, and the overall presentation is just so unique and cool. Oh and the story ends up being like really legit? Caught me by surprise. It's mostly just good old fashioned sprite-based fun, with a really sick Norse-inspired fantasy aesthetic. A video game's video game (what does that mean?? (you get it)).

9. Dark Cloud-

The true OG "Dark" action-RPG of my dreams and heart-- sorry Dark Souls, you were a decade late. This game encapsulate the joy of PS2-era action-RPGs, a high-point for the genre. The kind of vaguely bland-but-still-unique fantasy look of it (a successful "Ocarina-killer" for my money, on a visual level at least), the procedurally-generated dungeon crawling, and the freakin’ awesome city-building and NPC-interacting make this game pure win. Like yeah, its a bit clunky with its combat, but charmingly so for me. Its mostly just got this really nice sustained vibe of like sheer pleasantness all throughout, and I just can't get enough of its over-all vibe after all these years. Harder to put this one into words... but yeah the city-building and little tiny touches with all the NPC-helping and questing is what make it special for me. Especially the city-building (you get to restore these little towns that have been ravaged and you have to make everyone happy with the way you set things up. So Japanese and so fun..) Like what a cool, weird feature that ends up being great. Idk, its great. I like the vaguely arabian-ish vibe too. It's just... really good. It's just sheer PS2-style win. So yeah this one is mostly a lot on inarticulate nostalgia but fuck it. 10. .Hack//Infection-

Speaking of inarticulate nostalgia...Now I can't quite say this game is like truly a "good" game? All the way through at least. In some ways its part of a big cash-grab for Bandai-Namco. I'll go with the first one in the series, but its really just a piece of a whole along with 3 other games, that may have been a bit padded and intentionally designed to leach a whopping 200 US from a true dreamer back in the day, who just couldn't help themselves. BUT it's also kind of amazing. Like the combat and dungeon-crawling is a bit cut-and-dry (is it just me or are procedurally generated PS2 dungeons kind of sick?) but its enough. You have tons of party members to choose from, a plethora of magic scrolls to use if you so choose, and your 2 trusty little twin blades with which you can press X to slash with until the cows come home. A game like Kingdom Hearts as an action-RPG seems so much more fluid and kinetic and yet? Well KH is ridic, and if I'm gonna die on some hill for a goofy anime-core action-RPG it'll be this one any day. It combines my favorite aesthetics (mysterious celtic-y high fantasy AND cyber-punk) by way of being a game-within-a-game, and by being about a fictional MMO while not actually being an MMO it's kind of meta AF also. Also, the stuff with the emailing the other party members you meet and the system that has you increasing your bond through these simulated conversations with other players just reeeally gets to me, and seems cooler than Persona confidant-developing honestly. I'm a huge sucker for the original anime, and you got these really sick OVA anime discs with each entry which were set in the real world that the game existed in and even though that shouldn't factor in really, I admit it does. It all comes together as this kind of cool, weird, slightly-trashy anime wet-dream from my childhood at the end of the day. Also, some sick music, sick AF character designs, and an overall concept (that I'll actually defend to the death despite some of the superficial anime plotting/characters) round things out very nicely. Just the fact that this is a game about an MMO... like what a concept (and a decade before that SAO garbage fire shit). Plus Grunty raising. And the G.U. Last Recode remaster is right around the corner, OMG!!!!!!

also rans/runner ups: 11. SSX 3

12. Resident Evil 4

13. Katamari Damacy

14. Super Mario Galaxy

15. No More Heroes

16. Spider-Man 2

17. Catherine

18. Bomberman '93

19. Tekken 4

20. Marvel Vs. Capcom 2

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fabulanova-ffxv · 7 years

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7 and 8 :)

7. Name a game that taught you something that you still remember.

The Sims taught be that in order to pin a man down, you gotta flirt with them 50 times, propose, get married and them pop out a baby all in the time span of 10 minutes.

Okay that was a joke. Time to be serious XD

Zelda has taught to me a lot of puzzle solving skills. Those dungeons are no joke. The water dungeon? SATANS POOL PARTY! Like with every dungeon doesn’t just have me thinking, but they also remind me to make use of my surroundings. Like have you seen BOTW YOUR SURROUNDINGS IS LIKE 90% OF THE GAME!

8. Name an older game that would you most like to see redone on today’s technology.

The Last Story for the Wii is a game that I would love to see it on the Switch. It’s not a very well known jrpg, but god is it one of my favourites. The story is amazing, the gameplay is very enjoyable, the characters are just so lovable, and the music OMG THE MUSIC IS AHGUARHGAIURGH. Honestly, for a game thats on the wii, it really is so perfect. If it ever does come out for the switch you bet I’m gonna throw all my money cause I NEED IT NOW!

#video game ask #non ffxv #fabulanova-asks #xkadajx

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fireemblemmobile · 7 years

Text

First thoughts on Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia

Keep in mind this is a first impressions “review”-- I’ve currently played through Act 1 and will be mostly discussing mechanics and how it looks. Keep in mind I have also never played Gaiden and went into this game with as little spoilers as possible. When I talk about plot, I’ll keep it as vague as possible-- still, keep in mind, there are possible spoilers under the read more! If you wish to only read about the mechanics of the game, skip the first two paragraphs where I talk about plot and characters.

First thing I’ll get out of the way is the plot so far. Personally I really like it-- so far, it’s honestly reminded me of the older GBA games I played, where the opening cutscene describes information about the world and the beginning is full of characters talking (it took me ~10 minutes to get to actual combat!). Although the information about the world isn’t as in depth as other games-- it doesn’t open like Sacred Stones, with descriptions of the countries and who rules them-- but it makes sense in the context of the game, which I heavily appreciate! Alm has never been outside the village he lives in, so of course he doesn’t know everything about the outside world; the opening cutscene tells you about the lore of the world, such as the Gods, that Alm would know of since he has been told stories as a child. There’s even times where Alm’s lack of knowledge of the outside world comes into play; there are multiple times where other characters have to tell Alm about famous people and places. It feels almost like I’m learning with Alm rather than I know everything about the world and Alm doesn’t. Another plus that the plot gets is that I’m actually intrigued about what happens next while not feeling lost. I know what’s happening-- but there are still things I don’t know of. For example, what is the mark on Alm’s hand? What is Mycan’s true intentions? Why did Zofia get invaded in the first place? Where is Mila? None of these I have answers for, but it’s not frustrating in a “why won’t this game tell me anything” sort of way. It’s been hinting at the answers to these questions without making it obvious, and it really makes me want to continue playing the story just to find out.

Next up: The Characters. I’ll start out with saying that I love all of the characters in this game so far. They all have interesting personalities that aren’t bland; they all have palpable flaws as well. Alm may be talented with a sword, but he’s still naive. Lukas may be more experienced than everyone else, but he seems like he trusts a little bit too easily. It makes everyone way more believable that way-- even in the first impressions of the characters, you could grasp what their flaws. Plus, the character interactions are really really good. There’s genuinely funny moments, and a lot of the conversations do feel like two teenagers talking back and forth. The interactions don’t feel forced at all. However, I do have my criticisms. All of the praising I’ve said falls flat when talking about two characters: Faye and Clair. Unfortunately, their personalities (mostly Faye’s) have been reduced to “has a crush on Alm”. Faye is constantly talking about him, her battle quotes are stuff like “For Alm!”/”Alm, did you see that?”, and in support conversations between Faye and Silque, Faye brushes Silque off because she “wants to talk to Alm”. This is less apparent with Clair (as she does have some personality when talking to other characters), but even then she hits on Alm often, and again, she said in a support conversation “At least seeing Alm would brighten my day”. Hell, in one of /Alm’s/ support conversations, Tobin brings it up that Clair is hitting on him. It’s all very off putting and awful in my opinion. It’s really tiring to see them trying to shoehorn in a possible love triangle when it really makes no sense that everyone but one character who is female on his team is into him (and I wouldn’t be surprised if Celica is into him as well). It’s tiring but not really a deal breaker at the moment.

Now mechanics. This is probably what most people are interested in knowing; that being said, I’ll both describe mechanics and give some tips that I wish I knew starting right off the bat. First off, the way you get from place to place is very different. You get to pick where to go in a location where you’d like to go inside an area (obviously to some extent) and outside a set location it’s similar to the Sacred Stones where you move the character to a specific spot on the map. For example, in the beginning area, you can choose to go to your grandfather’s house, the town square, or by the town gate. There is also a “Free roaming” aspect in dungeons-- it feels a LOT like Legend of Zelda in my opinion. You control Alm and can cut grass, destroy crates, and destroy pots for money and items. Keep in mind though, when in these dungeons there will be enemies. Running into these enemies will cause a short battle-- it will become turn by turn, so don’t worry. If they catch you off guard (i.e. attack you when your back is turned), the enemy gets to move first. If you run straight into them, you move first. If you run into them from behind, you are set closer to them and get first turn; finally, if you slash at them with your sword, they will start missing HP. Also keep in mind in these dungeons, there are items to find, so definitely explore! Watch out for very powerful enemies, though. Sometimes they will surprise you-- I sure as hell got caught off guard when I ran into an enemy much too powerful for me. When you choose a location, there will be a few options: Examine, talk, and move. Moving obviously takes you to a different location, and talking is to talk to NPCs or playable characters who are there. Talking is very important-- don’t forget to do it! Not only does the NPC’s word’s worldbuild, but you can miss recruiting characters if you don’t end of talking to them. And things will be different after time, so don’t forget to retread and talk to people again! What’s really cool about this game is that pretty much every line of dialogue is voice acted. I’ve run into one NPC who didn’t have a voice, and I believe it was because he didn’t have anything important to say. The only things that aren’t voice acted so far are examining text and the text on items (obviously) and at Mila’s shrine. The voice acting is also VERY GOOD. I was genuinely surprised at it, especially since even the NPCs have good voice acting!! Examining is also very very important though, definitely definitely definitely don’t forget to look around. Not only can you get food items this way-- that will heal Fatigue (which I’ll talk about later), regain HP, and can be used as offerings to Mila-- but you can also gain weapons! And weapons are very very important-- you want to get the best you can, since there’s no weapon durability you don’t need to worry about losing them. Not to mention new weapons unlock new skills.

On that note, combat is generally the same as normal Fire Emblem games (turn by turn), but there are a few new things to keep in mind. There is no weapon triangle in this game; don’t forget that (I do it all the time). Probably most importantly, magic takes HP. It’s usually not a lot-- the beginning spells “Fire” and “Recover” cost 1 HP-- but as you get better spells, they cost more. “Thunder” costs 2 HP. By far the most damage that’s been done to a magic character is my Cleric Silque; once she unlocked her “Warp” ability, it took a bit of health to use it. However Clerics automatically come with a spell that, when it hits, they regain HP, so this balances out. Keep in mind that magic is now in two separate categories: black magic and white magic. White magic is anything that heals or is used to “support” (such as warp), while black magic is anything that damages. What’s also a bit of a change is that archers can hit you from close distances-- similar to Takumi’s close counter in Fire Emblem Heroes. However, the archer’s accuracy is lowered in one on one combat, so keep that in mind. Archers can also hit you from 3-5 squares away, so keep that in mind too! As I mentioned before, there are unlockable abilities. As a character progresses and fights more often, they can unlock “acts” that will give them the edge in combat. “Warp” is just one of them, but there are things like “Swap”, “Wrathful Strike”, “Hit and Run”... keep in mind though, these skills also take HP. Again, it’s usually not too much, but it is something to keep in mind while fighting very powerful enemies. These abilities can change-- some are class based, some are weapon based, some are item based, so keep that in mind when distributing items. Another thing about combat is “Mila’s Turnwheel”. This is basically a mechanic where you can turn back time if you’ve made a mistake-- it can only turn back a certain number of turns, and can only be used a certain amount of times in battle. It’s for if you accidentally moved a character somewhere bad, or maybe a character got killed, you can reset the turn and not have to restart the entire level. I find it useful, and it definitely isn’t making anything too easy, so I wouldn’t worry too much about this. If anything, I’ve been using it mostly for “oops I healed the wrong character”/”Oops I attacked the wrong character”. Also! Just a tip, but when it comes to promoting characters, I would wait for them to be about level 8-10. You can change a villager’s class at level 3, but I would definitely recommend waiting for a bit to get the stat increases. Anything past level 10 I wouldn’t bother; in this game there isn’t really an incentive to go up to level 20 (since it takes a LOT-- once you hit higher levels, the EXP gains are much lower), so I wouldn’t plan to do so. Of course, you can promote as soon as possible without too much problem, I just prefer having the higher stats. So, I mentioned Fatigue earlier. Basically what Fatigue is is a mechanic where characters get tired turning combat, and their stats suffer from it. It’s not too big of a deal, but if you’re constantly using one character, they will start to suffer. Your whole parties fatigue can be fixed by offering food at a Mila’s Shrine (also where you go to promote your units) and fatigue on a character basis can be fixed by eating food in combat, so it hasn’t negatively effected me yet. Offering food to Mila’s shrine will also usually give you a small tip for the next battle-- such as “you will need archers and mages in the next battle”, and such similar. It sort of reminds me of how in Fire Emblem 7 you can use a psychic to vaguely tell you who to bring into battle and what the battle will be like. These little tips aren’t too important, but keep in mind: support conversations happen in battle like in older titles (the game will tell you when you can have one), and you can grind for EXP in the dungeons with free roaming. I would definitely recommend grinding for EXP. Better to be overleveled than underleveled!

Now! To one of my favourite parts of this game so far-- the way it looks! Not only is the character design very nice (save for... the boob plate armour, @IntSys cut that out), but the environments, sprites, combat animations and cut scenes all look AMAZING. The cut scenes straight up look like they’re from an anime; the style and animation is smooth and visually appealing. How nice it looked genuinely took me by complete surprise. I wasn’t expecting such work to be put into the cut scenes. The sprites and environments honestly are what I wanted Awakening/Fates to look like. I’ve mentioned to friends before that I thought the in combat sprites looked a bit unpolished in both those games as they had a lot of pixelation around them, but Echoes fixes that minor issue I had. The out of combat sprites are very very cute-- they remind me of the gameboy titles again, with the way they’re designed. And of course, the style in which all the characters are drawn is very nice and fits well within the game. I could gush about the art for a long while, but I’ll keep it to that so I don’t end up rambling too much. What probably makes me the most happy is the in combat animations. I love seeing a character I just moved 3 spaces to attack open their attack by rushing at the enemy, and I love seeing how the characters use their weapons. It isn’t the same every time-- sometimes Alm will slash, sometimes he will jab, etc.-- so it gives me a lot of incentive to not skip the battle animations. Even though the combat is turn by turn, it still flows naturally. Plus the way they use their weapons isn’t unnatural or inaccurate looking. Even the bowmen seem to have some difficulty pulling back their bow-- which makes sense, as it takes a lot of strength to do so! Plus, dodging (Depending on the character) looks great and flows really really well. For example, Grey will dodge an attack by jumping, and his next attack will be him slashing the sword downwards while in the air. I was really surprised to see how much work went into that! (But I’m also a huge nerd when it comes to battles). That’s all I can think of to mention right now, but if you have questions feel free to ask them! I will answer them to the best of my ability!

#mod ephraim #fire emblem echoes #fire emblem 15 #fire emblem 15 spoilers #fire emblem echoes spoilers #fire emblem shadows of valentia #fire emblem shadows of valentia spoilers #this is basically just my thoughts on it so its a lil opinionated #this is also coming from someone who prefers the older games if thats a big deal?

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entergamingxp · 4 years

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DualShockers’ Favorite Games of 2019 — Allisa’s Top 10

December 29, 2019 2:00 PM EST

My top 10 for 2019 include some obvious choices, such as Fire Emblem: Three Houses and the Ace Attorney trilogy, and a few surprises.

As 2019 comes to a close, DualShockers and our staff are reflecting on this year’s batch of games and what were their personal highlights within the last year. Unlike the official Game of the Year 2019 awards for DualShockers, there are little-to-no-rules on our individual Top 10 posts. For instance, any game — not just 2019 releases — can be considered.

2019 for me is a year filled with surprises. Although the majority of games on this list were ones that I expected to love, a few of these titles truly threw me for a loop with how much I enjoyed playing them. And for me, that’s the most rewarding part about gaming — finding those hidden gems that reignite your passion for your hobby while challenging your notion of what makes a good game in the first place.

So with that said, here are my top 10 games for 2019.

10. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy

Ace Attorney is one of my favorite franchises of all time, and this collection of the first three in the series–particularly the Switch version–is by far the best way to play it. Not to mention that so many years later the characters, writing, and gameplay still holds up incredibly well.

The writing really is the standout in this series with plenty of heartwarming and hilarious moments conveyed through near flawless story presentation and pacing. With the remastered sprite art, updated translations, and remastered music of the trilogy this already fantastic series has been elevated even more.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for Ace Attorney Trilogy.

9. Fire Emblem: Three Houses

After being so badly burned on the lackluster Fire Emblem Fates, all I could hope for the next entry in the main series was something decent. Instead I got my favorite Fire Emblem game in the franchise. The characters are well-written, fleshed out, and with fully realized character arcs.

The gameplay not only polishes the classic tactical formula we all know and love, but also added in bold new mechanics such as the School system. Instead of worrying about future babies, we get by far the most class depth and customization in any FE title. It’s an absolutely solid tactical RPG that continued to blow me away until the very end.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for Fire Emblem: Three Houses.

8. Final Fantasy VIII Remastered

Being able to play Final Fantasy VIII, my favorite entry in the franchise, on my Switch was an experience filled not only with nostalgia but with reminders as to why I loved this entry so much in the first place. Though it seriously misstepped with its romance plot (I’m in favor of removing it all together), this is a game of innovation and risk.

It discarded the hugely popular Materia system from FFVII and instead created one that emphasized on character customization without the need for strict class systems. It introduced summons that have an actual impact on both gameplay and story outside of “doing tons of damage.” And the narrative itself was incredibly subtle and thought-provoking, letting players interpret key plot points without spoonfeeding them story beats. It’s an incredible game that still holds up today, and most importantly, the updated graphics finally let Squall be the most handsome guy in the room.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for Final Fantasy VIII Remastered.

7. Pokemon Sword and Shield

I love Pokemon. So, I knew that I would enjoy Sword and Shield regardless of fan controversies, especially with the quality of life changes, brand new Dynamaxing mechanic, fine-tuned battle system, a truly, uniquely designed region, the introduction of the huge Wild Area, and the best 3D graphics this series has seen to date. But what I didn’t expect was to fall in love with the characters so much. The Gym Leaders alone have so much flare and personality, but then we have Champion Leon who’s kind, human, charismatic, and extensively involved in his region.

And of course Hop, the best developed rival character in Pokemon history. His character arc is not only incredibly relatable (living under the shadow of his successful and older sibling) but the way that development is conveyed in the story and gameplay. His animations change to match Leon’s because Hop thinks imitating him is right way of things. He swaps out his first and most treasured Pokemon at one point because a crushing defeat and harsh words damaged his self esteem, and his eventual career choice in the end that’s wholly himself. Hop takes an already fun game and adds tons of heart and that’s what really cemented this game in my heart as one of my favorites of 2019.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for Pokemon Sword and Shield.

6. Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age

My second favorite entry in the Final Fantasy mainline franchise, its inclusive was also a no brainer. I really, really love Final Fantasy XII. It has a richly detailed and extensive world that’s breathtaking to explore, the characters are interesting and well-acted, and its politically-focused plot is a welcome breath of fresh air that never fails to deliver on its intrigue.

The gameplay is also absolutely phenomenal, as it takes the character customization systems of Final Fantasy VIII and X and combines them together while polishing them to a near-perfect sheen. And most importantly, Vaan’s abs have finally been fixed. If I ever had to recommend a single title in the franchise, this one would be right up there with Tactics.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age.

5. Layton’s Mystery Journey: Katrielle and the Millionaire’s Conspiracy – Deluxe Edition

The Professor Layton series is one that I’ve always enjoyed because of its excellent soundtracks, fun and satisfying puzzles, the charming characters and graphics. The latest entry in the series, Mystery Journey, is no slouch, as it still manages to deliver on all these points even as it changes direction with a brand new protagonist and different style of story progression through solving cases.

It also managed to accomplish something I didn’t realize I craved: returning the Layton series back to its more focused and simpler roots of the first game, Professor Layton and the Curious Village.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for Layton’s Mystery Journey: Katrielle and the Millionaire’s Conspiracy – Deluxe Edition.

4. Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux

I played this game last year and then replayed it again in 2019. Strange Journey was always one of my favorite entries in the Shin Megami Tensei franchise even, on the DS. It hits my love for sci-fi, so that’s an automatic point in its favor and the endlessly intriguing and dark story starring nothing but adults doing adult things just speaks to me on every level. Not to mention how refreshing it is to play a game that researches and implements its mythological inspirations with a razor sharp accuracy that’s unparalleled in JRPGs.

Redux takes this game and revamps it with some of the best quality of life updates I’ve ever seen in a remake or port. Even then, it also adds on a brand new dungeon, new characters, a new final boss, and three new endings. I can’t sing enough praises for Redux.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux.

3. Octopath Traveler

When I first tried the demo for Octopath Traveler, I knew I was onto something truly special. Not only was the turn-based gameplay fast and strategic, but the story itself has no qualms about submerging its proverbial hands in the grime and muck of its plot, without losing sight of its characters’ motivations and humanity.

Then when the full game released, I fell in love all over again. The plotlines of the eight protagonists are all so varied yet equally compelling, the graphics beyond breathtaking, the battle system even more polished and rewarding while maintaining its strategic depth, and the character customization is rich. This is easily one of the best JRPGs I’ve ever played and it absolutely had to be on my top list for 2019.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for Octopath Traveler.

2. Cadence of Hyrule

Despite how awful I am at rhythm games, I find myself addicted to polishing my skills and learning the ins and outs of this game’s battle mechanics. Based off the original Crypt of the NecroDancer, Cadence is set in The Legend of Zelda‘s Hyrule as you dance your way through hordes of foes to save the land either as Link or Zelda.

The 16-bit graphics are richly detailed and colorful while the combat system, although based in rhythm game mechanics, never feels tacked on or out of place. It’s amazing how much I feel like I’m playing a traditional Zelda title.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for Cadence of Hyrule.

1. VA-11 HALL-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action

Imagine a world where corporations reign supreme, all human life is infected with nanomachines designed to oppress them, and the terrifying White Knights ensure that everyone obeys the laws. This sounds like the setup for an epic tale of rebellion against an oppressive capitalistic society right? But that’s not it. You play as a bartender who serves her customers whatever drinks they desire while listening to them pour their hearts out. It’s a simple premise that’s executed perfectly.

Between the graphics straight out of a PC-98 Japanese adventure visual novel, killer retro soundtrack, endlessly intriguing and raunchy dialogue, and incredibly unique gameplay centered around making good drinks, VA-11 HALL-A is a real standout title.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for VA-11 HALL-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action.

Check out the rest of the DualShockers staff Top 10 lists and our official Game of the Year Awards:

December 23: DualShockers Game of the Year Awards 2019 December 25: Lou Contaldi, Editor-in-Chief // Logan Moore, Managing Editor December 26: Tomas Franzese, News Editor // Ryan Meitzler, Features Editor December 27: Mike Long, Community Manager // Scott White, Staff Writer December 28: Chris Compendio, Contributor // Mario Rivera, Video Manager // Kris Cornelisse, Staff Writer December 29: Scott Meaney, Community Director // Allisa James, Senior Staff Writer // Ben Bayliss, Senior Staff Writer December 30: Cameron Hawkins, Staff Writer // David Gill, Senior Staff Writer // Portia Lightfoot, Contributor December 31: Iyane Agossah, Senior Staff Writer // Michael Ruiz, Senior Staff Writer // Rachael Fiddis, Contributor January 1: Ricky Frech, Senior Staff Writer // Tanner Pierce, Staff Writer

December 29, 2019 2:00 PM EST

from EnterGamingXP https://entergamingxp.com/2019/12/dualshockers-favorite-games-of-2019-allisas-top-10/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=dualshockers-favorite-games-of-2019-allisas-top-10

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anotherlifefic · 5 years

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Chapter 26: The Fortress

Princess Zelda and I didn‘t talk much as we made our way across Hyrule Field, towards Lake Hylia. The fight at LonLon Ranch had made us both tense, and we kept a close eye on our sorroundings, fearing to be attacked at any moment. However, nothing happened. And thus, with only one break to let our horses eat and drink, we spent the entire way to the lake in silence. However, as we reached it and followed the road around the edge, leading to the mountain pass that Hyrule‘s army had crossed not too long ago. My thoughts were going wild as I looked ahead. I would find Link, and I would make Ganondorf pay for whatever he had done to him. I spurred Glory on, making her fall into a fast canter. I could hear Zelda shout my name somewhere behind me, but I did not stop. I was way too fixated on getting to the fortress… to Link. After a while, she finally caught up to me, riding ahead and blocking the way. „Rebecca! What do you think you‘re doing?!“ „I‘m doing everything I can to make sure we get to Link as fast as possible“, I retorted perhaps a bit more aggressively than intended. „We have to preserve our strength. And the strength of our horses, too.“ I felt the familiar heat of anger in my veins. „Link could be tortured or killed at this moment! Why are you stalling?! Don‘t you care that-“ „Rebecca.“ The tone of her voice reminded me who I was talking to. Just a weeks ago I would have flinched at the mere thought of even disagreeing with her, and now I was so openly questioning her dedication. „I love Link just as much as you do. Never forget that.“ She turned her horse and rode ahead again, at a normal speed. My heart sank as the reality of the things I had just said caught up to me. Oh by the Goddesses…

After a few hours of uncomfortable silence, it was getting dark and Zelda decided that we should take shelter in a nearby cave to sleep. I had gathered some twigs and branches from the sturdy trees around the cave, so we could light a fire. Once that was done however, I retreated to the farthest corner of the cave, away from the light and warmth of the campfire, only occasionally looking over to Zelda, who was staring into the flames. Whatever feeble kind of friendship had connected us up until now was surely lost; destroyed by my stupidity. I quietly cursed myself and wrapped my coat tightly around me, trying to keep away the cold of the night without having to go closer to the fire and risk a confrontation with Zelda… no, Princess Zelda. I had lost the right to just call her by her first name. I stared at the dancing shadows on the wall, wallowing in self-pity, when I heard soft steps approach me. I turned my head to see Princess Zelda sit down next to me. She looked me over. „Why don‘t you come to the fire? It‘s cold tonight.“ I averted my gaze. „I wanted to give you some space.“ I wanted to apologize. To beg on my knees for her forgiveness. But all I managed to say was a soft, choked „I‘m sorry.“. She sighed, wrapping her coat around me. „Come. Sit at the fire with me. Then we can talk about this.“ We got up and she led me over to the fire, propping me up like I was sick or injured, and sat down again. My joints had already gone stiff from the cold, and I stretched out my hands to warm them. While I did so, I sighed. „I‘m sorry for saying these horrible things about you. I had no right to do that. I know that you are worried about Link, and that you love him, and…“ I broke off before I could say anymore. There was no way I would start the whole „He would be better off with you“ conversation again. „I understand“, she replied, wrapping one arm around my shoulder. „And I forgive you.“ I let out a sigh of relief. I did not know how I deserved a friend like her, but I thanked the Goddesses for her.

The next morning, we mounted our horses as soon as we woke up, having a quick breakfast consisting of dried meat and bread while riding. While I was still embarrassed about my outburst the previous day, Zelda seemed to have all but forgotten about it. She chatted with me as if nothing had happened, her chipper tone indicating that she was trying to lift the mood. „...and once all of this is over, I want to properly meet your little son.“ She smiled and leaned forward. „What do you think he will look like when he's older? Like you or like Link? Or maybe a bit of both?“ „That's how it usually is with children“, I replied, getting sucked in by her enthusiasm. She was so easy to get along with...

After a while, we saw the silhouette of a large building in the distance. Zelda turned to me. „That must be it. From here on out, we have to be prepared for anything.“ „Got it.“ I stared at the fortress with determination. Maybe my husband was somewhere in there... and by the Goddesses, I would find him. We were expecting to be assaulted any moment as we approached the fortress' blackened walls, and I felt my heart sink as we came across a field filled with freshly dug graves, a sword marking each one. This must have been where the battle took place. How many of the dead resting in these graves did I know? I felt a chill run down my spine. Best not think about that quite yet; Ganondorf would get what was coming for him soon enough. It was eerily quiet. The wind was whistleing in between the walls and rooms of this place, and that was all we heard. „We should probably leave our horses here and continue on foot“, Zelda told me as she dismounted. „That would probably be for the best“, I agreed and did the same, giving Glory a calming pat on the neck before following the Princess.

The gate was wide open and the courtyard was empty, still we stayed close to the walls and kept ourselves in the shadows as much as we could. We entered a door on the right side of the main building, which turned out to lead us to a kitchen not unlike the one back at Hyrule Castle. Like the courtyard, this kitchen was empty. I dared to relax a little. But if this place was completely abandoned, then there was little hope of actually finding Link... or any information about his whereabouts here. Zelda looked around, tense with suspicion. „I don't trust this.“ „Do you think we should leave?“, I asked. „No.“ She strode forward. „But stay on guard.“

As we exited the kitchen, a stairway deep down into the bowels of the fortress caught my eye. I tugged at Zelda's sleeve and pointed to it. „This looks like it would lead to a dungeon.“ She eyed the stairway, then nodded. „Looks like it. Maybe we'll find something there.“

It did indeed lead us to a dungeon. It was cold and humid, and the sickly-sweet stench of decay thickened the air to the point where it was hard to breathe. The silence was occasionally interrupted by the quiet rattle of chains. „Do you hear that?“, I asked. There was someone down there, and chained up from the way it sounded! „Don't get ahead of yourself, Rebecca“, Zelda hissed, grabbing my arm so I couldn't rush down the rest of the stairs. „This might be a trap.“ I looked over to her, only able to guess her features in the dark. „Shouldn't we light a torch or something?“, I asked. „We can barely see anything here.“ „Too risky“, she told me. „Probing about in absolute darkness isn't the safest thing, either“, I replied dryly. „And don't monsters have a heightened sense of smell? Or better nightvision than Hylians?“ Zelda remained quiet for a moment, then sighed. „I suppose you're right. Just a moment...“ The unmistakable sound of flints hitting each other rung through the thick air, and a second later, a torch that had been hanging in the wall lit up with fire. Zelda took it from its holder and nodded at me. „Let's go.“

We descended the rest of the stairs in silence. At the bottom was a long corridor lined with prison cells. We walked on, looking into each one, only to find them empty, save for a few cells containing bones. They were too old to be Link's, thank the Goddesses. At the end of the corridor was a heavy wooden door. The chain-rattle seemed to come from the other side of that door. Zelda and I looked at each other, grim determination in our faces... and pushed it open.

The room we found ourselves in seemed to be meant for solitary confinement. The first thing that met my eye was a bottle on a table, emanating a soft, blue glow. „Navi!“, I called out and ran over to the table, pulling the cork out of the bottle and letting the fairy out. She was so weakened she could barely fly, so I caught her in my hands. „Princess Zelda! Rebecca! Oh I'm so glad to see you! Link and I have been kept prisoner here for weeks now.“ „How did you survive that? The fortress is abandoned!“, I asked, frantically looking around until I saw him. He looked emaciated and dirty, but he was alive. I dropped the bottle, causing it to break on the ground, and ran over to Link. He was chained to the wall in a sitting position, his hands lifted above his head and legs stretched out. His eyes wandered from Zelda to me and back again. „Reb... Rebecca.“ „I'm here, love“, I said in a choked voice. „We came here to save you.“ „And come you did. Like moths to a flame“, said Link's voice, but it did not come from the Link sitting in front of me. I turned around, facing the disguised Ganondorf. „You“, I said, venom in my voice. He did not even acknowledge me. Instead, he turned to Zelda, still keeping up his disguise. „You disappoint me. I would expect a foolish peasant like her...“ He nodded in my general direction. „...to fall for such an obvious trap, but you? You should know better. Ah, but who am I to complain? Here I am, having both the Triforce of Courage and the Triforce of Wisdom at my mercy.“ Now he turned to me, his blue eyes turning the same sickening yellow they had been during our first meeting at the marketplace. „You have been a very useful puppet. It was almost too easy. I knew that if I just fed you the right information at the right time, you would go running to your darling little princess and lead her right into my arms.“ „No!“, I cried out. „What?“, he asked with a patronising smile. „Did you really believe that you exposed me? Foolish little thing. You only saw what I wanted you to see. But now, you have outlived your usefulness. Fare thee well... puppet.“ The last thing I saw was a flash of bright light, then everything went black.

When I regained my vision, I was laying in that tiny cell in the not-so-abandoned fortress. But Link, Zelda and Ganondorf were gone. The only one who was still here was Navi, who I was still clutching to my chest. My stomach lurched, and I felt like vomiting. With all energy I could muster at the moment, I turned to the side. „Navi?“, I asked weakly. „What happened? Where are Link and Zelda?“ „I... I don't know.“ The small fairy sounded faint. „Just that Ganondorf did... something to us.“ I bit my lip. „We have to get out of here. If they're not here anymore, Ganondorf probably took them to Hyrule City.“ It was easier said than done, though. My muscles were stiff and barely obeyed me, and my whole body was sore, like after a particularly long and hard day at work. Only that there was no satisfaction about a job well done, just the terrible knowledge that my actions probably doomed all of Hyrule. I let go of Navi, who crawled into the satchel on the belt of my armor, and pushed myself into a sitting position. It was so dark that I could barely see anything, though that also could have been from the bright light of the spell. Crawling along the walls of the room, I tried to feel for the door. Finding it seemed to take forever, but finally, my fingers hit the rough wood.

This time, the fortress was really abandoned. It seemed decrepit, as if it had aged by several years without maintenance while I had been unconcious. Once I found my way up the stairs, a process which was made much easier by Navi's light, I took a good look around, hoping to find Glory and Zelda's horse. But they were gone. I hissed a curse under my breath, hoping that Glory was alright. But there was no way for me to find her, so I would have to go on without her... and hope that she had found her way home.

The way back to Hyrule was long and tedious. Good thing that I had put some of our provisions into the satchel on my armor, so at least I didn't have to go hungry for too long. But that was about all luck fate could muster for me. When stepping foot onto Hylian soil again, I gasped in terror. Lake Hylia was gone, leaving only a massive, dried out hole in the landscape. The once so fertile land around the lake was also devoid of any life now; the grass was brown and crackled underneath my feet. The sky was covered in thick, dark clouds, shrouding the entire lake in gray. But despite the clouds, it looked like there had been no rain for months. Even the air was so dry that it made me cough. An unfamiliar sound made me grab my weapon, just in time to slice through the monster that had approached me. A tektite. A red one, like one would normally find on the path to Death Mountain. I cursed under my breath. How could all of this have happened in the few days I had been gone? Had it just been a few days? How long had I been unconcious? Either way, I had to go on. Had to get to Hyrule City, and save Link and Zelda... somehow. I knew that in my current state, there was little I could do. But there seemed to be no alternatives. No way to free them without a fight. My grip around the naginata tightened. Just as I approached Hyrule Field, someone grabbed my arm. „Wait.“ I turned around, startled, only to find a familiar Zora-woman. Her fins wrapped around her slender body, almost like a dress, and her deep-purple eyes looked at me in a way I could not quite describe. My eyes grew big. „Princess Ruto?“

#The Legend of Zelda #Another Life #fanfiction #OC

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