Sorry to make you all wait so long for this, folks. Your continued interest in the fate of the review has been really encouraging though, and I only hope you end up enjoying it. And to answer the inevitable question, you won't have to wait too long for each additional part; if everything stays on schedule, the whole thing will be released within November.
Oliver Purazuma and it’s sad that so much of the game was shown before launch, it’s my fault for watching, but I felt I already had a good idea of the combat and concepts in Breath when I first picked it up, so things felt more like going through the motions instead of discovery and exploration
I agree. I had the same experience Arlo did with going in blind, and it is one of my favorite gaming memories. However, BotW's biggest strength is its biggest flaw, because I'll never have that experience again, and the replay value decreases for me. I've been thinking of trying out master mode, but I'm afraid all my save will get overwritten.
you talking about the dragons made me happy because the first time i saw one of them is one of my absolute favourite moments from any video game ever. i had 5-6 hearts back then and i was exploring faron and somehow, i made it all the way up to riola spring. i remember trying to move the rocks to free the treasure chests, when a thunderstorm broke out and i just stood still because back then the thunderstorms terrified me. so i just waited for it to end and when it did, it was already nighttime. i jumped back into the water to continue freeing the treasure chests when suddenly, this gust of wind blows up, the music changes and this huge DRAGON comes FLYING out of the water, mere inches from where i was swimming. i actually screamed and recoiled from the screen when i saw that, but then i immediately jumped out of the water and glided down to floria bridge to try and follow it. i'd just obtained the camera rune from hateno so i whipped it out to take a pic (which i still have to this day) and i read in the compendium that it's farosh, the guardian of the faron region. that was an indescribable moment. now i know that they're pretty common sight and appear every night, but back then, i thought i'd discovered a god or something. i will never forget that, and that's one of the many reasons why i love this game :'D
anthares96 the first dragon I encountered was also farosh, I was riding across the bridge of hylia and I saw this giant dragon guy and I kinda freaked out, I had just left the great plateau like a day or two before
You know what my favorite part of BOTW was? The lack of bugs and glitches the fact i had 150 hours in the game with not once did it freeze i had almost started to believe a big open world with tons of stuff to do meant it had to freeze a ton and be buggy but no not in this game thank you Nintendo!
I had the same experience with 150 hours too but when I replayed in master mode I noticed bugs including pathfinding issues and freezes nothing major or often at all though
I feel the same way strongly Arlo. Exploration in Breath of the Wild (in any game) is magical. Finding the Lost Temple, Eventide Island, the Lanayru Dragon atop the icy mountain, Zora's River engulfed in heavy rain, entering Hyrule Castle for the first time, Rito Village, finding the Fairy fountains or the three big skeletons, spotting a falling star, the Colosseum, many towns in ruins. My favorites have to be the ruins of Lon Lon Ranch (nostalgia), seeing the big Skyloft Goddess Statue or the random Larulin Village after 100 hours of playtime.
fernando98322 oh yes the dragon on that mountain I was playing botw with my friend and I just saw a glowing purple snake on the mountain and like alto said I said what on earth is that
Back when I first played Breath of the Wild (I'm now on playthrough #8 and have fully completed the game including all Korok Seeds on my main file), I was always stuck by how much variety there was in terms of new mechanics. The first time I experienced a Yiga Clan member was absolutely surreal. To get to Link's first memory, I figured the one near Mount Lanayru would be a good start. As I'm just exiting Kakariko Village, I find a random NPC who tells the story of Link's "awakening" (joke not intended) under the guise of a dream sequence. After experiencing immense confusion, he breaks into a fighting pose and attempts to kill me. What the actual fuck? That isn't the most surprising thing that happened even within that hour. Not even 10 minutes later I was running through the Lanayru Promenade when I noticed a definitive change in the music and atmosphere. Suddenly, things start visually spiraling out of control, I look at the sky, this bright-red moon is suddenly just THERE, and all I can think is: "I'm going to die, aren't I?" In a span of 10 minutes, this game took me for a complete loop, and I was almost shaking with this awkward excitement. Both of these encounters were so sporadic and unsettling that the entire game seemed to completely open up to me. The only experience I can compare it to was when I was wandering around Hyrule Field in Ocarina of Time, my first Zelda game. For a modern game to give me an almost childlike type of whimsical excitement was frankly unimaginable up to that point. It was at that point I knew Breath of the Wild was not an ordinary game.
I remember getting to Eventide Isle and fighting my way through everything. I just managed to kill that stupid Hinok and then BAM, Blood Moon activates. I ended up just staring at the screen in disbelief for like five minutes. I died, btw...
To this day, I'm still playing BoTW. I've already 100% finished it. And I Mean 100% as in Korok Seeds 100%. And I'm still playing. I just can't get enough of it.
It’s just pure love in the form of a game, rare are the games that are this magical, reminds me of how Ocarina felt like the absolute biggest game ever, a huge magical world to get lost in, for a kid....ocarina was divine. Botw does a great job doing something similar (but now for an adult)
"To me, a spoiler is anything I would have delighted in discovering for myself" This speaks to me on the deepest of levels, not only with respect to video games but to all artistic media, movies especially. I gave up watching trailers for movies quite a few years ago and my movie watching has only gotten more enjoyable.
I've been on hiatus from BOTW for a while--not because I stopped enjoying it, but because more games and all that came out and I got busy with school, and just. BOTW is such a huge type of game that I need a looooong period of free time, like summer or winter break, to cruise through it in one long playthrough, or I'll lose my "flow" and not be able to pick it back up, or I feel lost because I lost my flow and don't know what to do or where to go next. I am now 10 minutes in, and I already feel Arlo rekindling the fire in me to get back on it right now, pick up right where I left off, and keep exploring at it. I'm feeling the passion again. You're magical, Arlo. You've seriously got superpowers.
That's like me with the Witcher 3. I played BOTW too and it I hands down my favorite game. For me I really had to get over the (slight) learning curve after taking a huge break and i was hooked.
Definitely. I took so long to play BotW because I knew it'd be a real commitment. Glad I finally made the journey though. Although the story and main dungeons left me with a bitter taste, the world was such a treat. Beautiful game.
@@globin3477 caugh caugh, you were suposed to say: This reviews got style, so listen up dudes, it can shrink in size, to suit the mood quick and nimble when it needs to be it can float through the [airwaves?] and climb up [rankings?] HUH
Aaaaah, it's so exciting that this series is finally happening!! So happy to have been a part in putting it together too. Really hope you guys enjoy this :)
I've been playing this game ever since I got it for the holidays, and you totally hit the nail on the head for what makes BotW such a unique and impactful adventure. No other game has come close to this level of breathtaking moments and sheer sense of grandeur, but most important is all the NPCs and creatures that make it feel alive. You're right, this isn't Shadow of the Colossus where you're a lone hero roaming through an empty world: you're just a traveler exploring a vast land packed to the brim with things to do. Good first start to the review series, glad I get to finally watch it now that I've beaten it :)
I said when the Switch was announced that I would hold off until Smash was announced and get whichever special bundle came out with it. I did that, and it came in just over a week ago, and I traded in a bunch of games I've said I'd get back to one day but know I never will, and picked up this, alongside Mario Odyssey and Kirby. So thank you. Thank you for still wanting to do these videos and do this justice, alongside the time I'm playing through it for the first time myself. I look forward to sharing the adventure!
I love how much you still love the game! I’ve recently been hearing different youtubers that previously sang it’s praises saying “I was just hyped,” and that almost hurt hearing. But hearing you gush on and on about the exploration and discovery with a child-like delight echoed my experience so perfectly, and was a fantastic reminder why I still adore everything about this game! Keep it up, Arlo! 😁
I remember when the game told me to go to Impa I went the COMPLETE WRONG WAY and spent like 4 hours just walking around, climbing, fighting enemy's, doing shrines, and finding koroks to get there and then later after I had done like 3 of the Divine Beasts and got the Master sword I realized I could have gone a WAY shorter path and would have found Hestu much earlier on yes I spent most of the game not knowing you could upgrade your inventory and when I found out, with like 100 korok seeds in hand, I freaked knowing that these things i have been collecting can ACTUALLY be useful
I love that you're giving the free will to do that, but I actually listened to the late King and went to Kakariko Village. from there, I basically traversed the country in a counterclockwise fashion.
In hindsight though, I wouldn't have it another way. The experience of playing this game your own way, with almost no guidance or suggestion, is the way I'd recommend anyone play it. Truly a magical, fulfilling experience.
Watching the intro, I had a mini flashback to 2017. My birthday. I had got a Switch and Breath of the Wild. I was looking at the map and realised I had a zoom in/out function. I hit Zoom Out, and I finally saw the sheer size of the map. I was blown away. BOTW is hands down one of the best games of the 2010s. I am still ready to give it 7 Arlos out of 7. I really need to go back and beat the DLC.
BOTW is an exploration game 100%. The adventure & magic of the game is the exploration. 900 kook seeds & 120 shrines is a lot & I found more than half on my own. Though admittedly I used a map for a good portion as well. Holding a map in my hand looking at the X's for kooks & shrines then setting out in game to explore each area was a grand adventure. I really felt like a treasure hunter. A true adventurer. An Explorer!
Exploring the world was the best part of the game. And I loved collecting all Koroks. The reward was hilarious. I was excited for that glorious golden turd.
I actually cried a bit at the end of this. Breath of the Wild was such an important game for me at a time when I couldn't easily see the world in all its beautiful colors, but the game allowed me to feel immersed in a world incredibly more beautiful and sacred than the real world (and to a certain extent, I still feel this way). You put my wonder into words more than I ever could have. Thank you for waiting to release a review straight from your heart, and thank you for making me feel so much renewed emotion for this masterpiece. ❤️
I think if this game had a bit after you defeat Ganon, where you see Hyrule being restored. If we had that (or if they added it as DLC) this would most likely be the greatest video game of all time.
I would’ve loved more to play for a bit before Link conks out for a century. Play as him with all his strength and agility as he runs forth to attack a Guardian and get utterly destroyed. Fire Emblem: Awakening style.
God, 1000% yes, after completing the game I had the sense that I really wanted more. Not because I hadn't gotten enough, but because I had had so much that I didn't want it to end. I wanted to see Zelda rebuild her kingdom with Link's help after so much hardship, I wanted to see the denizens of Hyrule happy and at peace after terror, with new sidequests and things to do to help Hyrule and its people regain their full glory.
This is the one game if I had the chance to, I would go in having it unplayed again. This is my game of my life. And this is from some 35 year old who has problems to enjoy games like I did as a kid. I think I have to revisit this game... again
When this game first came out, the hype was unreal. It seemed like everyone was in agreement that this was one of the best games ever made. Then about 6 months later, hordes of naysayers came out of the woodwork to decry how "objectively flawed!" it was, and how everyone was wrong. It seems we've finally gotten to the point where the haters have died down, and they accept that its all subjective, and a lot of people really really love this game.
TheAlibabatree honestly this happens for most everything. If it’s popular and loved, people will see the joy and be jealous they aren’t feeling it, so they will try to tear it down as if you’re wrong about the game being good, or they’ll have their expectations way too high and when they aren’t met, they will shout their opinion on the internet to let everyone know they are *right* and you are *wrong*, it goes from an expectation thing, to an ego thing....and the ego has a terrible time admitting that it can be “wrong” or even that there are more points of view than just theirs Also a huge amount of people these days are just jaded, overly negative and have a hard time enjoying anything....they play a game like a machine and are analyzing it the whole time. *A lot of the time the actual quality of the media matters very little...it is the person who has their mind already made up, who despite there being incredible amounts of greatness to enjoy....cannot feel or appreciate that*
@@MasonOfLife Very well said. Both about people's ego, and they way they "play a game like a machine." I wish i had more like minded people to talk video games with lol.
@jesus barrera I dont understand. Are you calling me a fanboy? I have no problem with anyone disliking any work of art. Its all subjective. Express yourself however you wish.
@jesus barrera I think you may have me confused with someone else. I was only pointing out that there is no such thing as objectivity in art. And that i have come across many people who claim otherwise. I have no control over how other people feel about a given artwork or game. Im not going to get mad at people for loving or hating a game, i only get annoyed when people claim objectivity.
"This game" moment; I'm making my way to the lab in the Northeast for the first time. I glance to my left and I notice a huge-ass mechanical lizard thing crawling across the volcano. I go silent as it makes its' way out of view. I said, aloud; "Excuse me?" as I turned to my friend who was sitting next to me at the time. we both exclaimed, in unison; "WHAT!?" This game, man.
When I picked it up, I didn't know anything about that game I had bought a Switch just because I wanted to, it was on discount and I liked the concept So I thought I should pick up a game and had it back in my mind breath of the wild was claimed to be good, but nothing else The only Zelda games I had played up to then were Spirit Tracks and phantom hourglass, and though they were the most fun I ever had with video games, I was quite indifferent Well, now I spent over 400 hours in Hyrule and if a fairy came to me and granted me a wish, it would be to live in that beautiful, beautiful Kingdom I can't believe how awesome this game is. I've never felt that much love for anything This game gives me so much freedom, I feel like I'm in there In other games I always feel the mechanics behind it, it's an odd feeling that's tingling when I think I have a solution to a problem, but it turns out, nope, can't do that Breath of the Wild is different I've never felt anything. It's complete immersion. This world makes sense Cut down a tree, you can walk over the casm. You don't want to do that? Fine, find another way I love it. I never feel like the game is taking my hand and guides me, I'm free That game is the love I never thought I could feel I've never really played any video games, I was completely indifferent to video games Sure, I had a DS, but that was just something that I played for half an hour and then I got bored I picked up Breath of the Wild and now I'm a Gamer
"I never feel like the game is taking my hand" and that's the true brilliance because with side-quests that seem like filler content they secretly teach you how to explore. Instead of saying 'just climb everything and hope to find something' they give you a quest to collect 55! rushrooms. Collecting them makes you scale walls and usually find some good stuff.
I genuinely almost cry because it’s amazing how much I feel you. BOTW it’s exactly the kind of game I’ve always dreamed of. Exploration it’s the most important thing to me in a video game and they made it feel awesome
I felt so many emotions watching this video, finally, someone could put into words exactly what made me fall in love with this game, what made it such a special experience for me. There's nothing else for me to say, you said it all, it was the Magic of Exploration. Thank you for making this!
Coming back to this review a few years later, I feel like you capture exactly what makes BoTW a special game. Yeah --- after all this time, the novelty has definitely worn off, and I'm not compelled to sit and play for hours at a time like I was when I first bought it. But there is something TRULY magical about playing this game for the first time. The joy of exploring new places and finding all the secrets in every nook and cranny in Hyrule is a powerful experience that can't be recaptured. If there was any game in the world I would want to erase my memory of and play again for the first time, it would be BoTW.
This game took my breath away so many times with its gorgeous scenery, but there were two instances that really stuck with me and gave me a feeling of pure wonder. The first was finding the leviathan in a cave in the Hebra mountains, with glittering blue ice surrounding this giant skeleton, a shrine cradled under its massive bones. The second was seeing my first dragon, Farosh, at almost exactly the same spot that Arlo was standing at 14:55. I heard some random beautiful music begin playing as I ran up that hill, and I actually gasped when I reached the crest and saw what awaited me. A glowing dragon flying gracefully over the lake, twisting around a mossy stone bridge. This made such an impact on me because dragons are sorta like a spirit animal (even though they're mythical) to me, and I had no prior knowledge that there were dragons in the game, much less ones that glow against the black of night. Often dragons are portrayed as villainous, but when I ran over to get a closer look, I realized they were there to give a sense of calm and, after discovering the other two, to represent the goddesses of Hyrule/values of the triforce. Breath of the Wild might have become my favorite video game ever, thanks to all the small details that tell stories (either about the plot/history or about individual characters) and gorgeous scenery that it holds, along with the setting (you get a sense of a world that's dying, yet full of life) and ancient technology. Thank you, Arlo, for making a series about this game, it deserves every second of analysis, and I look forward to your next video
I’m just getting around to completing the game here in 2024, with ToTK already purchased and ready to go. All I have left is to explore the rest of central Hyrule, Hyrule castle, and I will be set on having all 120 shrines, 900 korok seeds, and 76 side quests, along with a completed compendium and restored memories. I am watching this video as a celebration of the game. I had to start over when I first bought it; because I didn’t get it. Now I do, and I LOVE this game.
i am so envious of you getting to experience this game for the first time! i would give anything to do that. also idk if you have started ToTK yet, but it is just as amazing if not more, so get ready.
Arlo, this video is a prime example of all the reasons why I love your videos all in one video: the way you elaborate, your excitement, your humor, the way you unabashedly say that you were filled with childish glee. I look forward to the rest of this series. You've brought me back into the wonder of this masterpiece of a game. You perfectly described the way I felt whenever I found a particularly fun korok, the awe of seeing the dragons or a Divine Beast for the first time, or the thrill of the first fight with a Lynel.
Watch Out For Those Beans, They're Spicy! Clearly I was right about the phrase being a hint too his BotW review. As the first letter of each word makes an anagram that contains BotW in it. Just never understood what the other letters meant in that anagram.
I love this game because of how relaxing it makes me feel. The sound of the water, the breeze, the animals, the peaceful over world music. It feels like I’m in the game.
I went into botw completely blind, and nothing will beat the feeling of when over 60 hours into the game, I saw the giant freaking dragon and freaked out
I'm excited for this series! One memorable moment for me was when I saw a green/blue beam in the sky - so I marked it from afar and began my journey. I can tell you this...when I arrived I was amazed that something so magical and beautiful was living peacefully in the mountains. I took a screenshot to show my sister what I found in the game. I was really happy about it. :)
When I first got the game I was excited to play it, but once I started I just couldn't stop. I ended up playing the game for almost 24 hours straight, completely immersed in the game. I had gotten to Kakariko Village and I looked out of my window and the sun was up and I just thought to myself "Wow...". And when I just accidentally stumbled across the Zora quest just looking for towers I just felt so giddy inside like it was MY adventure. This game will forever hold a special place in my heart because it is the first open world game to EVER give me that sense of magic and wonder of exploring a living and breathing world. Arlo I'm so thankful that you're doing an entire series like this, you really are the best.
I’ve only watched two of your Breath of the Wild review videos and wow...you sir are one of the best commentators I’ve every heard. Honestly man, the videos you gave are great but your in-depth views, utter passion, various humor, and overall good-feeling for the game and everything makes these videos worth rewatching. Well done mate!
I soo understand you Arlo. I finish BotW in april 2018. One year after release. It took me over 175h to beat it and you know what? I wanted to start all over just after credits ended... I didn't want to end playing BotW. I was like: ohh man, I don't want to fight Ganon, I want to explore and do stuff. Of course I could do that AFTER the finale, but after beating the game you feel different. So review 1,5 year after release is something I can see. Especially with game like Breat of the Wild. Probably the best and most fresh game I have ever played.
Relatable, and I am sure they were aware that people would first finish everything else before entering the castle so they put in these side quests that let you raid the castle. I wish I did when I only had like 6 heart containers because that is a really cool stealth section with great rewards.
When I did my Master Mode playthrough, I vowed two things: No Towers, and No Warps. BEST DECISION OF MY GAMING LIFE. It completely immersed me in the game, letting me rely on landmarks to know where I'm going, making me plan ahead my visits to each town and area to make sure I spent my time wisely. Since I'd played through normal mode once, that actually made it even MORE immersive, since I felt just like Link would if he had only his muddled memories of Hyrule past to draw from when navigating this world in the present. The travel history on the map was perfect for this -- it made me feel like I'd been drawing the whole map myself. I can't recommend towerless/warpless mode enough.
I'm only 4:47 into the video and I'm already crying tears of joy. You are the only TH-camr that I have found that wants to do these analysis type videos in the same way that you do: Not worrying about the video being too long, or the audience possibly losing interest due to whatever reason. Because of your obvious patience towards what is going to be a very complex and intricate analysis of a video game, you my friend have earned yourself a subscriber😎
This is, without a doubt, THE BEST video I've seen on the exploration and world of BotW. It gave me joy, made me smile and laugh on multiple occasions, and reminded me of discovering new odds and ends of this game. Those memories are now bittersweet since I can't experience this game for the first time twice. I now know almost every aspect of this game (speedrun and glitch strats included) and I constantly find myself holding back in combat just so it can be challenging and fun again. I've gotten 100% in normal mode (koroks included) and started master mode as soon as I finished my three-heart/all divine beasts/master sword run (praise the Demon Statue) in my autosave slots. I finished the Trial of the Sword and got the DLC equipment before considering normal mode done again I'm still working on 100% for master mode. I even went back to normal mode for the Champions Ballad. I've been farming to max out my equipment upgrades and plan to finish CB again before heading to the Sanctum. I plan to commit to another three-heart/straight to Ganon/no armor run once I'm finished again. Perhaps the key to maintaining the fun in combat is to focus on style points. Anyway, I'm itching to play again after watching this and I'm trembling with excitement to hear your carefully crafted wordstrings about whatever aspect of this game you'll be releasing a video about next. Also, buy a rope (preferably edible) for your burrito so you don't drop it.
I just want you to know how much I love what you do Arlo. I love how much you honestly love what you talk about. You just don’t see that from other TH-camrs. Thank you so much for all you do. Can’t wait to see the next installment!
I’m really excited for this series, I’m such a huge fan of long winded in depth discussions about games I like. I need more of this to listen to while I’m drawing
Sweet Amy red dead probably has more replay ability which would make it more appealing to some people. All of the magic of Breath of the Wild is in the first playthrough, but fucking god damn no game can even touch the absolutely incredible feeling of that first playthrough so it not being very replayable may not be such a bad thing lol
I'd have to disagree. I loved breath of the wild, but its mostly empty world and lazy dungeon design, among other issues, makes it not the best for me. It's definitely in my top 10, but doesn't beat out a game like red dead or gta 5.
Arcadeperfect Reviews Comparing RDR2 and BotW is silly imo because they obviously would appeal to different people for different reasons. While both games have absolutely stunning visuals, one is heavily animated-looking, while the other has a more realistic approach. Both games were criticized for having not-so-innovative combat. RDR2 had an incredible, deep, 50+ hour story, but also stripped players of the ability to pick their own approach to missions in order to make you experience the script they crafted. On the other hand, BotW allowed you to approach almost everything whenever and however you choose, but lacked any deep narrative or NPCs as the tradeoff. To borrow Nakey Jakey’s analogy, BotW is like a box of misc. legos, while RDR2 is more like a lego set. BotW appeals to creative people, RDR2 appeals to people who appreciate a narrative and story.
Well I absolutely adored breath of the wild but so much of the word was just empty and it had as much of a story as a children’s book. Rdr2 also has flaws like annoying mechanics and clunky gameplay but an incredible world, story, and character development (fuck guarma) every game has ups and downs. Also botw and rdr2 are nothing alike
I love how positively you take things others just criticises, I've started this serie (playlist) by part 4, 5 and 6, then came back to this one, and made myself subscriber, because you're offering your oppinion about the game so sincerely, it's enjoyable to see how much you've enjoyed the game. Most of people hated the shrines looking the same, it wasn't a big deal for me, they could have changed the colors or something, but they chose to use the blue lights and orange guardians as a motiv, and I think it was wise choice, your oppinion on that felt so real and positive, people complained too much on lacking dungeons-like experiences, but as you said, we were offered 120 hahaha and 4 div. beasts.
Soo much goodness. So glad you took your time to release this review. I experienced all the same magic. Now to experience it all over again, time to start a new game file.
I hunted them all down myself. I played the game normally exploring the word and fully expanded my inventory & hunted down all the shrines. Then after beating the game and doing all the quests and getting very piece of armor upgraded I went to find the rest of the Kooks. Yes I used the map for the last 400 or so Koroks. But it was really exciting looking at my map in hand then setting out in game and exploring that location. I felt like a real treasure hunter.
If using the Korok Mask counts as "on my own" then I found all of them, about 750 before the Korok Mask even existed and I don't remember the number I used it for.
This right here is why I feel this game will continue to be divisive going forward. Because of the true open world exploration nature everybody's experience with the game is going to be different. For example Arlo says he explored the three labyrinths, my experience was finding the quickest route which involved reaching the highest point, gliding over and then skipping over to the center of the maze. I was shocked when one dropped me into a pit of busted Guardians though. But because the game is so open everybody will experience something different in a random order which sometimes removes the wonder of some encounters. I still enjoyed the game, it's one of my favorites from last year, but in terms of Zelda games it's somewhere lower on the list. It's not as satisfying to me as WW, or MM. Once you reach middle game or even stock up on clothing and Orbs certain levels of challenges are removed while other Zeldas have a proper climb of challenge. Nothing compounds itself through previous puzzles, everything is isolated because technically any single shrine outside of the Plateau could be a first shrine.
+Nicholas Spezio How did going to the center of the maze help? If memory serves, the top is still closed off, and you have to find the right passage in the actual labyrinth and it takes you to a ladder which finally gives you access.
Same. I would add that the amount of damage enemies deal to offset the ridiculous number of hearts you can get actually hurts the difficulty curve. It's REALLY hard when you first play, and gets easier and easier the more shrines you complete, fairies you find, armor you upgrade and so on. Also considering it was supposed to be heavily focused on combat, I feel Link has a significantly nerfed moveset over previous titles. Twilight Princess' hidden techniques in particular would have been a nice addition. Same for enemy variety. Where are my likelikes, redeads, iron knuckles and so on... For as much time they must have spent on the world size, it sure felt incredibly small in gameplay variety.
I’ve been watching your videos for a good month now but this one made me subscribe. I really appreciate the beginnings of this deep dive into a game that is incredibly important to me. Also love that shout out to your editor, I never see that on bigger channels like this.
I think there are a few differences between BotW and Skyrim. 1. The perspective and view. BotW benefits from the third-person perspective and the more open landscape. Skyrim feels a lot more claustrophobic and contained; you can see much else other than the specific area you are in. In BotW, I could spot landmarks to determine where I am without looking at a map and therefore make a plan to navigate the world 2. Ability to explore. In BotW you can go ANYWHERE; every inch of the map. As you mentioned, the Koroks encourage this practice. Skyrim, by comparison, does not do this, and has a more limited area even though the map is huge. The ability to take shortcuts through any part of the world also allows the player to go into late game areas whenever you want. It challenges the player to go around obstacles and find creative paths/strategies if they want to travel to the desert or Hyrule Castle before they are powerful enough. In fact, my very first tower was the Gerudo Tower where I immediately encountered a Talos on my way there. I learned quickly to dash through the area before the Talos wrecked me. In Skyrim it is a lot more difficult to explore late game areas before the player has leveled up enough. 3. Manageability of tasks. You touched upon this with the shrines and koroks, but I think their usefulness can be expanded a bit. Having these tasks that are inherent to the game is invaluable. In Skyrim, each task is a different side quest that needs to be read and understood and executed. For BotW, the first hour of the game introduces both Koroks and Shrines, so you know what to look for and do in the world. BotW still has sidequest, but they are not the main focus. Skyrim, on the other hand, requires the player to seek out sidequests then refer back to them in a sub menu if they need review, making the process less seamless and general exploration less rewarding. It also helps that BotW's formula is MUCH more suited for portability. Its so much easier to jump in for 30 min and do a couple shrines or climb a tower, than it is to jump into Skryim, only to barely remember what you primary objective was before having to put the game back down. 4. Death Punishment. Maybe not as drastic, but I thought that the death punishment for BotW was significantly less than in Skyrim. When I would die in BotW I would only lose like 1 to 5 minutes of progress. But for Skyrim, the lost progress was more like 5 to 10. This made deaths much more discouraging and deterred me from traveling from the story progression path, especially early on.
If I’m going to be honest, I think 3 and 4 are ups for Skyrim. Not having the side quests in a drop down menu encourages you to talk to every person and learn all of their stories. You always know there has to be something left to look for. As for 4, I think the death punishment being greater influences the player not to die more and try harder. Deaths not having an impact makes the game feel easy and that you might as well be invincible. That’s just how I feel, though.
@@connora770 I could see the upside to 3 with regards to talking to NPCs. Higher death penalty definitely makes you play more strategically and cautiously. I'm playing through Dark Souls rn and every move I make is preplanned and analyzed, which fits the game well. Skyrim doesn't have to be easier, I have just died in Skyrim and been warped back 10 minutes and been like "Man I have to do ALL that again". Different strokes for different folks in that regard
Also, watching your review reminded me that the music was incredible. Probably the most I’ve enjoyed a video games music. It helped immerse me because it was always the perfect song
Amazing intro review for an amazing game! Very much so looking forward to the rest of this. Fantastic job on giving this magical game justice with your take on review/analysis. I can't wait for the rest! :D
I love this game, but the side quests are a little repetitive. I mean every time you talk to a quest giver its always go find this many of X, or go to Y. I don't remember most of them. What i liked about the game was exploring, seeing everything, and completing the main quest, which really shined as it encouraged it you go off the beaten path and progress with no guidance or structure. Progression was really the most satisfying thing about this game.
I feel like the side quests in BotW are mostly just filler that's supposed to teach you one thing or another about the gameplay. I mean, you have some good bits of lore and development (Tarrey Town, the three Leviathans, the one where you help a Zora girl meet her human boyfriend...), and also some mechanical benefits (unlocking Robbie's Lab, Kilton, the Thunder Helm quests...), but the real meat is in the main and shrine quests.
+andromedasgarden AG I found most of them boring but I do remember one that stuck out you didn’t list the one in sheika village ( the village really bummed me out as before this I viewed the Sheika race as the shadow people who were only seen if they wanted to be seen as in oot one person describes them as being the shadow of every hylian and now they’re just Chinese) but anyway it was where you followed that ex yiga guy and learned about his past and how they killed his family I wish there were more side quests like that
Love your videos. Your honest passion is so refreshing. I just finished playing this game for the first time so seeing this review made me super happy!
You sir have more insights than most reviewers on youtube. An important aspect almost every reviewer is lacking. Most reviewers will talk about gameplay, graphics, storylines and other things. Everything that should be covered. You, however, talk beyond that. Asking philosophical and personal questions. Things that I would never think about. Bravo to you sir
Funnily enough I actually hadn’t made up my mind about whether I wanted this game before I watched this review series. I’d played it for a few minutes once and couldn’t really get into it, so I wasn’t sure. But then I had some mindless tasks to do and I decided to listen to your review while I was doing it, and after I finished (except the story one) I bought the game and holy crap I love it so much. I just wanted to say thanks for helping me discover this amazing game! You’re the best, Arlo
I'm still waiting for the right time/economic comfort to buy a Switch, but I love Zelda and I will definitely play this masterpiece of an installment someday. Until then, I will leave my like in every video of this series and come back later, after I experience the game for myself. Cheers from a fan that loves your passion but doesn't want to get spoiled! ^^
Man, I was just thinking about this. I was just starting to lose hope, and then here it is! You perfectly captured the whimsical and breathtaking (no pun intended) nature of the game through your retelling of your experiences. I can't wait for the following parts of the series.
Great review, Arlo! I beat this on Wii U when it came out, then re-bought it for Switch. Now I'm casually taking my time discovering every shrine and getting everything BEFORE tackling the story. Loving it (again).
Excellent video, and I feel 100% the same way. I went into the game relatively blind, and I tried to keep it that way as I played, not looking at anything online. I kept a little notepad with me throughout the game, writing down when and where I saw things that I needed to check out later, or something in the distance where I was like "what is that??" It was a great experience, and the fact that you were almost always rewarded for being curious is something that a lot of developers could take notes on. I can't tell you how many times I'd start on a very specific path to a very specific spot, and then 30 minutes later I'd have been distracted by something and well off my original goal, exploring something new.
iammaxhailme Like when you're walking down that trail in the forest, and then some guy falls to his death right in front of you. Then you search his body, and he has a scroll increasing acobatics by like a billion. And then you use it and jump, and fly over a third of the entire world map before also falling to your death. Yuh.
Sorry to make you all wait so long for this, folks. Your continued interest in the fate of the review has been really encouraging though, and I only hope you end up enjoying it. And to answer the inevitable question, you won't have to wait too long for each additional part; if everything stays on schedule, the whole thing will be released within November.
Arlo what Nintendo IP would you trust Insomniac Games with?
Here's that Breath of the Wild Review
It's releasing appropriately for Zelda month, so good timing. :)
Your stories are so relatable!!
Haha 69 likes!
Honestly... it's kinda sad, that you only can play this Game blind once.
Oliver Purazuma and it’s sad that so much of the game was shown before launch, it’s my fault for watching, but I felt I already had a good idea of the combat and concepts in Breath when I first picked it up, so things felt more like going through the motions instead of discovery and exploration
I agree. I had the same experience Arlo did with going in blind, and it is one of my favorite gaming memories. However, BotW's biggest strength is its biggest flaw, because I'll never have that experience again, and the replay value decreases for me. I've been thinking of trying out master mode, but I'm afraid all my save will get overwritten.
Not if you lose your memory
Until Nintendo makes botw 2 how bout Nintendo just makes botw and odyssey sequels forever
I’ve finished it 3 times now. I couldn’t agree more
you talking about the dragons made me happy because the first time i saw one of them is one of my absolute favourite moments from any video game ever.
i had 5-6 hearts back then and i was exploring faron and somehow, i made it all the way up to riola spring. i remember trying to move the rocks to free the treasure chests, when a thunderstorm broke out and i just stood still because back then the thunderstorms terrified me. so i just waited for it to end and when it did, it was already nighttime. i jumped back into the water to continue freeing the treasure chests when suddenly, this gust of wind blows up, the music changes and this huge DRAGON comes FLYING out of the water, mere inches from where i was swimming. i actually screamed and recoiled from the screen when i saw that, but then i immediately jumped out of the water and glided down to floria bridge to try and follow it. i'd just obtained the camera rune from hateno so i whipped it out to take a pic (which i still have to this day) and i read in the compendium that it's farosh, the guardian of the faron region. that was an indescribable moment. now i know that they're pretty common sight and appear every night, but back then, i thought i'd discovered a god or something. i will never forget that, and that's one of the many reasons why i love this game :'D
I love your picture also good comment
anthares96 the first dragon I encountered was also farosh, I was riding across the bridge of hylia and I saw this giant dragon guy and I kinda freaked out, I had just left the great plateau like a day or two before
Love your description!
This is the power of BOTW, the power to create your own stories (of which I have many myself!)!
I can't believe this game came out over a year and a half ago. Almost 2 years in a few months. Where did the time go?
I spent about 600 hours in this game 😲
That time was spent gathering all those freaking korok 'seeds'!
Has it really been that long? 😨
The time went to BOTW :')
Blame the ocarina.
You know what my favorite part of BOTW was? The lack of bugs and glitches the fact i had 150 hours in the game with not once did it freeze i had almost started to believe a big open world with tons of stuff to do meant it had to freeze a ton and be buggy but no not in this game thank you Nintendo!
Ryan Clemons1 it did for me
I had a single crash. Just one
I had the same experience with 150 hours too but when I replayed in master mode I noticed bugs including pathfinding issues and freezes nothing major or often at all though
@@xander5190 yeah that's interesting, I also find small bugs more often in master mode than normal mode, including buggy npc, midday blood moon, etc
i started playing it a few weeks ago and until now i've encountered ONE single bug and it was just someone sitting sideways instead of normally
Arlo...
Arlo!...
Wake up Arlo...
You have been asleep for 100 years since the release of Breath of the Wild...
It’s time to do a review
"..." - Link, 2018
GOD BLESS
@@shahpurkhan4725 Flying Spaghetti Monster bestows his pasta-iest love and ironies upon you...
😂😂
You comment in every arlo video
I feel the same way strongly Arlo. Exploration in Breath of the Wild (in any game) is magical. Finding the Lost Temple, Eventide Island, the Lanayru Dragon atop the icy mountain, Zora's River engulfed in heavy rain, entering Hyrule Castle for the first time, Rito Village, finding the Fairy fountains or the three big skeletons, spotting a falling star, the Colosseum, many towns in ruins. My favorites have to be the ruins of Lon Lon Ranch (nostalgia), seeing the big Skyloft Goddess Statue or the random Larulin Village after 100 hours of playtime.
fernando98322 oh yes the dragon on that mountain I was playing botw with my friend and I just saw a glowing purple snake on the mountain and like alto said I said what on earth is that
This game is beautiful
Back when I first played Breath of the Wild (I'm now on playthrough #8 and have fully completed the game including all Korok Seeds on my main file), I was always stuck by how much variety there was in terms of new mechanics. The first time I experienced a Yiga Clan member was absolutely surreal. To get to Link's first memory, I figured the one near Mount Lanayru would be a good start. As I'm just exiting Kakariko Village, I find a random NPC who tells the story of Link's "awakening" (joke not intended) under the guise of a dream sequence. After experiencing immense confusion, he breaks into a fighting pose and attempts to kill me. What the actual fuck? That isn't the most surprising thing that happened even within that hour. Not even 10 minutes later I was running through the Lanayru Promenade when I noticed a definitive change in the music and atmosphere. Suddenly, things start visually spiraling out of control, I look at the sky, this bright-red moon is suddenly just THERE, and all I can think is: "I'm going to die, aren't I?" In a span of 10 minutes, this game took me for a complete loop, and I was almost shaking with this awkward excitement. Both of these encounters were so sporadic and unsettling that the entire game seemed to completely open up to me. The only experience I can compare it to was when I was wandering around Hyrule Field in Ocarina of Time, my first Zelda game. For a modern game to give me an almost childlike type of whimsical excitement was frankly unimaginable up to that point. It was at that point I knew Breath of the Wild was not an ordinary game.
My first blood moon happened right after I found a korok and I actually thought I had found a random evil one that had cursed me XD
I remember getting to Eventide Isle and fighting my way through everything. I just managed to kill that stupid Hinok and then BAM, Blood Moon activates. I ended up just staring at the screen in disbelief for like five minutes.
I died, btw...
To this day, I'm still playing BoTW.
I've already 100% finished it. And I Mean 100% as in Korok Seeds 100%. And I'm still playing. I just can't get enough of it.
Is really good, the sense of exploration is awesome
Same. I 100% it twice (normal mode and master mode). It's such a relaxing game.
Gaddamn!
Props y’all.
I love it, but not that much.. and it’s my favorite game
I’m in the process of getting 100% in master mode and it’s my third play through of the game. BEST. GAME.
It’s just pure love in the form of a game, rare are the games that are this magical, reminds me of how Ocarina felt like the absolute biggest game ever, a huge magical world to get lost in, for a kid....ocarina was divine.
Botw does a great job doing something similar (but now for an adult)
"To me, a spoiler is anything I would have delighted in discovering for myself"
This speaks to me on the deepest of levels, not only with respect to video games but to all artistic media, movies especially. I gave up watching trailers for movies quite a few years ago and my movie watching has only gotten more enjoyable.
I've been on hiatus from BOTW for a while--not because I stopped enjoying it, but because more games and all that came out and I got busy with school, and just. BOTW is such a huge type of game that I need a looooong period of free time, like summer or winter break, to cruise through it in one long playthrough, or I'll lose my "flow" and not be able to pick it back up, or I feel lost because I lost my flow and don't know what to do or where to go next.
I am now 10 minutes in, and I already feel Arlo rekindling the fire in me to get back on it right now, pick up right where I left off, and keep exploring at it. I'm feeling the passion again. You're magical, Arlo. You've seriously got superpowers.
I feel exactly the same
Same. Just booted it up....
That's like me with the Witcher 3. I played BOTW too and it I hands down my favorite game. For me I really had to get over the (slight) learning curve after taking a huge break and i was hooked.
You hit it man! I’ll be playing BOTW tonight
Definitely. I took so long to play BotW because I knew it'd be a real commitment. Glad I finally made the journey though. Although the story and main dungeons left me with a bitter taste, the world was such a treat. Beautiful game.
I pulled an all nighter when I first got it.
John Remmers I played all day then until 4am lol such an awesome game!
My man.
Bro I still haven’t slept
i pulled two consecutively and beat the game at 6am
Same
Oh, a BoTW review, nice! ... wait...Series? Introduction!? Well damn.
Arlo getting into serious stuff
Aaaaayyyyy
Discovering corrupted Naydra on the mountaintop is my favorite moment in gaming. What an amazing surprise.
HE'S FINALLY HERE
performing for you
he's the first member of the Arlo Review
*HUH*
*AR LO*
*ARLO REVIEW!*
ARLO
ARLO REVIEW
...wait...
The original comment is dated two hours ago, but the first reply is dated to 3 hours ago.
...what on earth?
@@globin3477 It says 3 hours on my screen :/
@@globin3477 caugh caugh, you were suposed to say:
This reviews got style, so listen up dudes, it can shrink in size, to suit the mood
quick and nimble when it needs to be
it can float through the [airwaves?]
and climb up [rankings?]
HUH
Aaaaah, it's so exciting that this series is finally happening!! So happy to have been a part in putting it together too. Really hope you guys enjoy this :)
Great job!. Thanks.
Nice editing man. Really
Like your channel
Arlo, you know what this is gonna make me have to do? Go play Breath of the Wild again, you sneaky one you!
I've been playing this game ever since I got it for the holidays, and you totally hit the nail on the head for what makes BotW such a unique and impactful adventure. No other game has come close to this level of breathtaking moments and sheer sense of grandeur, but most important is all the NPCs and creatures that make it feel alive. You're right, this isn't Shadow of the Colossus where you're a lone hero roaming through an empty world: you're just a traveler exploring a vast land packed to the brim with things to do.
Good first start to the review series, glad I get to finally watch it now that I've beaten it :)
*I V E W A I T E D A L I F E T I M E*
th-cam.com/video/sxbX-z5-QHs/w-d-xo.html
No.
Waiting for the right time
I said when the Switch was announced that I would hold off until Smash was announced and get whichever special bundle came out with it. I did that, and it came in just over a week ago, and I traded in a bunch of games I've said I'd get back to one day but know I never will, and picked up this, alongside Mario Odyssey and Kirby.
So thank you. Thank you for still wanting to do these videos and do this justice, alongside the time I'm playing through it for the first time myself. I look forward to sharing the adventure!
I love how much you still love the game! I’ve recently been hearing different youtubers that previously sang it’s praises saying “I was just hyped,” and that almost hurt hearing. But hearing you gush on and on about the exploration and discovery with a child-like delight echoed my experience so perfectly, and was a fantastic reminder why I still adore everything about this game! Keep it up, Arlo! 😁
I remember when the game told me to go to Impa I went the COMPLETE WRONG WAY and spent like 4 hours just walking around, climbing, fighting enemy's, doing shrines, and finding koroks to get there and then later after I had done like 3 of the Divine Beasts and got the Master sword I realized I could have gone a WAY shorter path and would have found Hestu much earlier on yes I spent most of the game not knowing you could upgrade your inventory and when I found out, with like 100 korok seeds in hand, I freaked knowing that these things i have been collecting can ACTUALLY be useful
That's ... pretty rad :').
I love that you're giving the free will to do that, but I actually listened to the late King and went to Kakariko Village. from there, I basically traversed the country in a counterclockwise fashion.
This is what happened to me - except even worse! I only met Hestu after defeating Ganon, by which time I'd collected 96 seeds 😆
In hindsight though, I wouldn't have it another way. The experience of playing this game your own way, with almost no guidance or suggestion, is the way I'd recommend anyone play it. Truly a magical, fulfilling experience.
I thought I wouldn't be alive when this review launched
Watching the intro, I had a mini flashback to 2017. My birthday. I had got a Switch and Breath of the Wild. I was looking at the map and realised I had a zoom in/out function. I hit Zoom Out, and I finally saw the sheer size of the map.
I was blown away.
BOTW is hands down one of the best games of the 2010s. I am still ready to give it 7 Arlos out of 7. I really need to go back and beat the DLC.
If exploration is magic, BotW is Dumbledore on Steroids x15
Correct
Breath Of The Wild is the game that got this once hardcore gamer who became a casual gamer back into a being hardcore gamer. It’s a masterpiece.
BOTW is an exploration game 100%. The adventure & magic of the game is the exploration. 900 kook seeds & 120 shrines is a lot & I found more than half on my own. Though admittedly I used a map for a good portion as well. Holding a map in my hand looking at the X's for kooks & shrines then setting out in game to explore each area was a grand adventure. I really felt like a treasure hunter. A true adventurer. An Explorer!
Exploring the world was the best part of the game. And I loved collecting all Koroks. The reward was hilarious. I was excited for that glorious golden turd.
My exact thoughts, I agree
Yeah because all of the worlds greatest explorers had guides to show them exactly where to go...
@@Ponaru It's a video game. Relax.
@@Drewsefer89 Wow, not only are you an explorer, adventurer, treasure hunter you're also a genius and/or wizard.
I actually cried a bit at the end of this.
Breath of the Wild was such an important game for me at a time when I couldn't easily see the world in all its beautiful colors, but the game allowed me to feel immersed in a world incredibly more beautiful and sacred than the real world (and to a certain extent, I still feel this way).
You put my wonder into words more than I ever could have.
Thank you for waiting to release a review straight from your heart, and thank you for making me feel so much renewed emotion for this masterpiece.
❤️
It only took us 20 months, but it’s finally here! So glad that its here
I think if this game had a bit after you defeat Ganon, where you see Hyrule being restored. If we had that (or if they added it as DLC) this would most likely be the greatest video game of all time.
I would’ve loved more to play for a bit before Link conks out for a century. Play as him with all his strength and agility as he runs forth to attack a Guardian and get utterly destroyed. Fire Emblem: Awakening style.
Not Jeff Mangum yeah that would be cool. Also... I LOVE YOU JESUS CHRIIIIIIIIIISSSTTT great album
All they had to do was lock Tarrey Town behind beating Ganon and make it the entrance to the DLC content.
God, 1000% yes, after completing the game I had the sense that I really wanted more. Not because I hadn't gotten enough, but because I had had so much that I didn't want it to end. I wanted to see Zelda rebuild her kingdom with Link's help after so much hardship, I wanted to see the denizens of Hyrule happy and at peace after terror, with new sidequests and things to do to help Hyrule and its people regain their full glory.
@@Rainygirl3100 yeessss!!
This is the one game if I had the chance to, I would go in having it unplayed again.
This is my game of my life. And this is from some 35 year old who has problems to enjoy games like I did as a kid.
I think I have to revisit this game... again
Master mode this time
Have you played the DLC? If I revisited the game, it would definitely be to play the DLC that I didn't.
When this game first came out, the hype was unreal. It seemed like everyone was in agreement that this was one of the best games ever made. Then about 6 months later, hordes of naysayers came out of the woodwork to decry how "objectively flawed!" it was, and how everyone was wrong. It seems we've finally gotten to the point where the haters have died down, and they accept that its all subjective, and a lot of people really really love this game.
TheAlibabatree honestly this happens for most everything. If it’s popular and loved, people will see the joy and be jealous they aren’t feeling it, so they will try to tear it down as if you’re wrong about the game being good, or they’ll have their expectations way too high and when they aren’t met, they will shout their opinion on the internet to let everyone know they are *right* and you are *wrong*, it goes from an expectation thing, to an ego thing....and the ego has a terrible time admitting that it can be “wrong” or even that there are more points of view than just theirs
Also a huge amount of people these days are just jaded, overly negative and have a hard time enjoying anything....they play a game like a machine and are analyzing it the whole time. *A lot of the time the actual quality of the media matters very little...it is the person who has their mind already made up, who despite there being incredible amounts of greatness to enjoy....cannot feel or appreciate that*
@@MasonOfLife Very well said. Both about people's ego, and they way they "play a game like a machine." I wish i had more like minded people to talk video games with lol.
That's the Zelda cycle for you. Everyone's defending Skyward Sword and nitpicking Breath Of The Wild
@jesus barrera I dont understand. Are you calling me a fanboy? I have no problem with anyone disliking any work of art. Its all subjective. Express yourself however you wish.
@jesus barrera I think you may have me confused with someone else. I was only pointing out that there is no such thing as objectivity in art. And that i have come across many people who claim otherwise. I have no control over how other people feel about a given artwork or game. Im not going to get mad at people for loving or hating a game, i only get annoyed when people claim objectivity.
"This game" moment; I'm making my way to the lab in the Northeast for the first time. I glance to my left and I notice a huge-ass mechanical lizard thing crawling across the volcano. I go silent as it makes its' way out of view. I said, aloud; "Excuse me?" as I turned to my friend who was sitting next to me at the time. we both exclaimed, in unison; "WHAT!?" This game, man.
the way you described the koroks was perfect and just made me cry! Thank you for this review, I'm glad I waited to see it!
When I picked it up, I didn't know anything about that game
I had bought a Switch just because I wanted to, it was on discount and I liked the concept
So I thought I should pick up a game and had it back in my mind breath of the wild was claimed to be good, but nothing else
The only Zelda games I had played up to then were Spirit Tracks and phantom hourglass, and though they were the most fun I ever had with video games, I was quite indifferent
Well, now I spent over 400 hours in Hyrule and if a fairy came to me and granted me a wish, it would be to live in that beautiful, beautiful Kingdom
I can't believe how awesome this game is. I've never felt that much love for anything
This game gives me so much freedom, I feel like I'm in there
In other games I always feel the mechanics behind it, it's an odd feeling that's tingling when I think I have a solution to a problem, but it turns out, nope, can't do that
Breath of the Wild is different
I've never felt anything. It's complete immersion. This world makes sense
Cut down a tree, you can walk over the casm. You don't want to do that? Fine, find another way
I love it. I never feel like the game is taking my hand and guides me, I'm free
That game is the love I never thought I could feel
I've never really played any video games, I was completely indifferent to video games
Sure, I had a DS, but that was just something that I played for half an hour and then I got bored
I picked up Breath of the Wild and now I'm a Gamer
Well said.
@@TheAlibabatree Thanks
"I never feel like the game is taking my hand" and that's the true brilliance because with side-quests that seem like filler content they secretly teach you how to explore. Instead of saying 'just climb everything and hope to find something' they give you a quest to collect 55! rushrooms. Collecting them makes you scale walls and usually find some good stuff.
I genuinely almost cry because it’s amazing how much I feel you. BOTW it’s exactly the kind of game I’ve always dreamed of. Exploration it’s the most important thing to me in a video game and they made it feel awesome
I felt so many emotions watching this video, finally, someone could put into words exactly what made me fall in love with this game, what made it such a special experience for me.
There's nothing else for me to say, you said it all, it was the Magic of Exploration.
Thank you for making this!
Coming back to this review a few years later, I feel like you capture exactly what makes BoTW a special game. Yeah --- after all this time, the novelty has definitely worn off, and I'm not compelled to sit and play for hours at a time like I was when I first bought it. But there is something TRULY magical about playing this game for the first time. The joy of exploring new places and finding all the secrets in every nook and cranny in Hyrule is a powerful experience that can't be recaptured. If there was any game in the world I would want to erase my memory of and play again for the first time, it would be BoTW.
This game took my breath away so many times with its gorgeous scenery, but there were two instances that really stuck with me and gave me a feeling of pure wonder. The first was finding the leviathan in a cave in the Hebra mountains, with glittering blue ice surrounding this giant skeleton, a shrine cradled under its massive bones. The second was seeing my first dragon, Farosh, at almost exactly the same spot that Arlo was standing at 14:55. I heard some random beautiful music begin playing as I ran up that hill, and I actually gasped when I reached the crest and saw what awaited me. A glowing dragon flying gracefully over the lake, twisting around a mossy stone bridge. This made such an impact on me because dragons are sorta like a spirit animal (even though they're mythical) to me, and I had no prior knowledge that there were dragons in the game, much less ones that glow against the black of night. Often dragons are portrayed as villainous, but when I ran over to get a closer look, I realized they were there to give a sense of calm and, after discovering the other two, to represent the goddesses of Hyrule/values of the triforce. Breath of the Wild might have become my favorite video game ever, thanks to all the small details that tell stories (either about the plot/history or about individual characters) and gorgeous scenery that it holds, along with the setting (you get a sense of a world that's dying, yet full of life) and ancient technology. Thank you, Arlo, for making a series about this game, it deserves every second of analysis, and I look forward to your next video
It was pretty similar feelings for me! There’s something awe inspiring about seeing them for the first time
Wonderful review! Looking forward to the other parts.
Christmas has come early 2 arlo videos in a row!!!!
I’m just getting around to completing the game here in 2024, with ToTK already purchased and ready to go.
All I have left is to explore the rest of central Hyrule, Hyrule castle, and I will be set on having all 120 shrines, 900 korok seeds, and 76 side quests, along with a completed compendium and restored memories.
I am watching this video as a celebration of the game. I had to start over when I first bought it; because I didn’t get it. Now I do, and I LOVE this game.
i am so envious of you getting to experience this game for the first time! i would give anything to do that. also idk if you have started ToTK yet, but it is just as amazing if not more, so get ready.
I can imagine arlo playing it at 7:14
"Oh god it hit me! I'm almost dead! How did I live?!?"
Rolls 3 feet down a gentle slop and dies.
This is undoubtably my favorite game of all time. It is undeniably a masterpiece and despite its flaws it’s a tour de force of gaming.
YES! FINALLY!! IVE BEEN ASKING FOR THIS FOR OVER A YEAR
Arlo, this video is a prime example of all the reasons why I love your videos all in one video: the way you elaborate, your excitement, your humor, the way you unabashedly say that you were filled with childish glee. I look forward to the rest of this series. You've brought me back into the wonder of this masterpiece of a game. You perfectly described the way I felt whenever I found a particularly fun korok, the awe of seeing the dragons or a Divine Beast for the first time, or the thrill of the first fight with a Lynel.
Hey Arlo, when is the BotW review co.... Oh wait!
Watch Out For Those Beans, They're Spicy! Clearly I was right about the phrase being a hint too his BotW review. As the first letter of each word makes an anagram that contains BotW in it. Just never understood what the other letters meant in that anagram.
I love this game because of how relaxing it makes me feel.
The sound of the water, the breeze, the animals, the peaceful over world music. It feels like I’m in the game.
I went into botw completely blind, and nothing will beat the feeling of when over 60 hours into the game, I saw the giant freaking dragon and freaked out
Same it just flys by and I'm not sure about you but I was like is this the true boss
I'm excited for this series! One memorable moment for me was when I saw a green/blue beam in the sky - so I marked it from afar and began my journey. I can tell you this...when I arrived I was amazed that something so magical and beautiful was living peacefully in the mountains. I took a screenshot to show my sister what I found in the game. I was really happy about it. :)
"This game". so many moments like that. For me, BoTW is the best video game ever made, hands down.
When I first got the game I was excited to play it, but once I started I just couldn't stop. I ended up playing the game for almost 24 hours straight, completely immersed in the game. I had gotten to Kakariko Village and I looked out of my window and the sun was up and I just thought to myself "Wow...". And when I just accidentally stumbled across the Zora quest just looking for towers I just felt so giddy inside like it was MY adventure. This game will forever hold a special place in my heart because it is the first open world game to EVER give me that sense of magic and wonder of exploring a living and breathing world. Arlo I'm so thankful that you're doing an entire series like this, you really are the best.
great review! it really described most of my feelings about the game as well, especially first time I saw a huge dragon just flying in the sky.
I’ve only watched two of your Breath of the Wild review videos and wow...you sir are one of the best commentators I’ve every heard. Honestly man, the videos you gave are great but your in-depth views, utter passion, various humor, and overall good-feeling for the game and everything makes these videos worth rewatching. Well done mate!
I soo understand you Arlo. I finish BotW in april 2018. One year after release. It took me over 175h to beat it and you know what? I wanted to start all over just after credits ended... I didn't want to end playing BotW. I was like: ohh man, I don't want to fight Ganon, I want to explore and do stuff. Of course I could do that AFTER the finale, but after beating the game you feel different.
So review 1,5 year after release is something I can see. Especially with game like Breat of the Wild. Probably the best and most fresh game I have ever played.
Relatable, and I am sure they were aware that people would first finish everything else before entering the castle so they put in these side quests that let you raid the castle. I wish I did when I only had like 6 heart containers because that is a really cool stealth section with great rewards.
When I did my Master Mode playthrough, I vowed two things: No Towers, and No Warps. BEST DECISION OF MY GAMING LIFE. It completely immersed me in the game, letting me rely on landmarks to know where I'm going, making me plan ahead my visits to each town and area to make sure I spent my time wisely. Since I'd played through normal mode once, that actually made it even MORE immersive, since I felt just like Link would if he had only his muddled memories of Hyrule past to draw from when navigating this world in the present. The travel history on the map was perfect for this -- it made me feel like I'd been drawing the whole map myself. I can't recommend towerless/warpless mode enough.
I'm only 4:47 into the video and I'm already crying tears of joy. You are the only TH-camr that I have found that wants to do these analysis type videos in the same way that you do: Not worrying about the video being too long, or the audience possibly losing interest due to whatever reason. Because of your obvious patience towards what is going to be a very complex and intricate analysis of a video game, you my friend have earned yourself a subscriber😎
They said it wouldn't happen.
They said I was mad for still believing it would happen.
They were wrong.
(Thank you Arlo, keep it up)
This is, without a doubt, THE BEST video I've seen on the exploration and world of BotW. It gave me joy, made me smile and laugh on multiple occasions, and reminded me of discovering new odds and ends of this game. Those memories are now bittersweet since I can't experience this game for the first time twice. I now know almost every aspect of this game (speedrun and glitch strats included) and I constantly find myself holding back in combat just so it can be challenging and fun again.
I've gotten 100% in normal mode (koroks included) and started master mode as soon as I finished my three-heart/all divine beasts/master sword run (praise the Demon Statue) in my autosave slots. I finished the Trial of the Sword and got the DLC equipment before considering normal mode done again
I'm still working on 100% for master mode. I even went back to normal mode for the Champions Ballad. I've been farming to max out my equipment upgrades and plan to finish CB again before heading to the Sanctum. I plan to commit to another three-heart/straight to Ganon/no armor run once I'm finished again. Perhaps the key to maintaining the fun in combat is to focus on style points.
Anyway, I'm itching to play again after watching this and I'm trembling with excitement to hear your carefully crafted wordstrings about whatever aspect of this game you'll be releasing a video about next.
Also, buy a rope (preferably edible) for your burrito so you don't drop it.
12:36 One could say “a sense of pride and accomplishment”.
I just want you to know how much I love what you do Arlo. I love how much you honestly love what you talk about. You just don’t see that from other TH-camrs. Thank you so much for all you do. Can’t wait to see the next installment!
* screams a loud, violent yell of relief and joy *
I wonder how violent Joy looks...
Chris Toro it’s kind of like a victory scream after a battle
This is probably one of your best works to date. Awesome stuff, dude. I’m looking forward to the next one!
15:30 Don't blame you for screaming. I remember first finding one of those things, I was like, What the frick is that.
I’m really excited for this series, I’m such a huge fan of long winded in depth discussions about games I like. I need more of this to listen to while I’m drawing
People who say red dead is the game of the generation haven't played Zelda Breath of the wild yet.
Sweet Amy red dead probably has more replay ability which would make it more appealing to some people. All of the magic of Breath of the Wild is in the first playthrough, but fucking god damn no game can even touch the absolutely incredible feeling of that first playthrough so it not being very replayable may not be such a bad thing lol
especially because people who are young (4 year olds and crap) and people who don't like gore (such as myself) couldnt take that crap
I'd have to disagree. I loved breath of the wild, but its mostly empty world and lazy dungeon design, among other issues, makes it not the best for me. It's definitely in my top 10, but doesn't beat out a game like red dead or gta 5.
Arcadeperfect Reviews Comparing RDR2 and BotW is silly imo because they obviously would appeal to different people for different reasons. While both games have absolutely stunning visuals, one is heavily animated-looking, while the other has a more realistic approach. Both games were criticized for having not-so-innovative combat. RDR2 had an incredible, deep, 50+ hour story, but also stripped players of the ability to pick their own approach to missions in order to make you experience the script they crafted. On the other hand, BotW allowed you to approach almost everything whenever and however you choose, but lacked any deep narrative or NPCs as the tradeoff. To borrow Nakey Jakey’s analogy, BotW is like a box of misc. legos, while RDR2 is more like a lego set. BotW appeals to creative people, RDR2 appeals to people who appreciate a narrative and story.
Well I absolutely adored breath of the wild but so much of the word was just empty and it had as much of a story as a children’s book. Rdr2 also has flaws like annoying mechanics and clunky gameplay but an incredible world, story, and character development (fuck guarma) every game has ups and downs. Also botw and rdr2 are nothing alike
I love how positively you take things others just criticises,
I've started this serie (playlist) by part 4, 5 and 6, then came back to this one, and made myself subscriber, because you're offering your oppinion about the game so sincerely, it's enjoyable to see how much you've enjoyed the game.
Most of people hated the shrines looking the same, it wasn't a big deal for me, they could have changed the colors or something, but they chose to use the blue lights and orange guardians as a motiv, and I think it was wise choice, your oppinion on that felt so real and positive, people complained too much on lacking dungeons-like experiences, but as you said, we were offered 120 hahaha and 4 div. beasts.
Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyy just in time for Zelda month!!!!
Oh my, brilliant video, I can't wait for the rest of the series. You mirror my sentiments about the game almost exactly!
I’m shaking rn, I miss playing this game everyday
Soo much goodness. So glad you took your time to release this review. I experienced all the same magic. Now to experience it all over again, time to start a new game file.
found all 900 seeds, 800ish on my own
Mark Anderson not bad, I'm still stuck somewhere around 300 lol
You madman. May I ask how many hours it took?
I hunted them all down myself. I played the game normally exploring the word and fully expanded my inventory & hunted down all the shrines. Then after beating the game and doing all the quests and getting very piece of armor upgraded I went to find the rest of the Kooks. Yes I used the map for the last 400 or so Koroks. But it was really exciting looking at my map in hand then setting out in game and exploring that location. I felt like a real treasure hunter.
@@_traximundar_3165 500ish hours total game time, found 90% seeds during main game just searching every inch
If using the Korok Mask counts as "on my own" then I found all of them, about 750 before the Korok Mask even existed and I don't remember the number I used it for.
Congrats on 300k, you deserve millions.
This right here is why I feel this game will continue to be divisive going forward. Because of the true open world exploration nature everybody's experience with the game is going to be different. For example Arlo says he explored the three labyrinths, my experience was finding the quickest route which involved reaching the highest point, gliding over and then skipping over to the center of the maze. I was shocked when one dropped me into a pit of busted Guardians though. But because the game is so open everybody will experience something different in a random order which sometimes removes the wonder of some encounters.
I still enjoyed the game, it's one of my favorites from last year, but in terms of Zelda games it's somewhere lower on the list. It's not as satisfying to me as WW, or MM. Once you reach middle game or even stock up on clothing and Orbs certain levels of challenges are removed while other Zeldas have a proper climb of challenge. Nothing compounds itself through previous puzzles, everything is isolated because technically any single shrine outside of the Plateau could be a first shrine.
+Nicholas Spezio How did going to the center of the maze help? If memory serves, the top is still closed off, and you have to find the right passage in the actual labyrinth and it takes you to a ladder which finally gives you access.
I feel you man long live the legend of Zelda and put a fricken pointy hat on link Nintendo was that so hard sakurai
Same. I would add that the amount of damage enemies deal to offset the ridiculous number of hearts you can get actually hurts the difficulty curve. It's REALLY hard when you first play, and gets easier and easier the more shrines you complete, fairies you find, armor you upgrade and so on.
Also considering it was supposed to be heavily focused on combat, I feel Link has a significantly nerfed moveset over previous titles. Twilight Princess' hidden techniques in particular would have been a nice addition.
Same for enemy variety. Where are my likelikes, redeads, iron knuckles and so on...
For as much time they must have spent on the world size, it sure felt incredibly small in gameplay variety.
I’ve been watching your videos for a good month now but this one made me subscribe. I really appreciate the beginnings of this deep dive into a game that is incredibly important to me. Also love that shout out to your editor, I never see that on bigger channels like this.
It took IGN one day for the review of a massive game to give it a 10/10 but Arlo took over one year to do a REAL review
I'm glad Arlo is super passionate for this review! Looking forward to the future parts!
I think there are a few differences between BotW and Skyrim.
1. The perspective and view. BotW benefits from the third-person perspective and the more open landscape. Skyrim feels a lot more claustrophobic and contained; you can see much else other than the specific area you are in. In BotW, I could spot landmarks to determine where I am without looking at a map and therefore make a plan to navigate the world
2. Ability to explore. In BotW you can go ANYWHERE; every inch of the map. As you mentioned, the Koroks encourage this practice. Skyrim, by comparison, does not do this, and has a more limited area even though the map is huge. The ability to take shortcuts through any part of the world also allows the player to go into late game areas whenever you want. It challenges the player to go around obstacles and find creative paths/strategies if they want to travel to the desert or Hyrule Castle before they are powerful enough. In fact, my very first tower was the Gerudo Tower where I immediately encountered a Talos on my way there. I learned quickly to dash through the area before the Talos wrecked me. In Skyrim it is a lot more difficult to explore late game areas before the player has leveled up enough.
3. Manageability of tasks. You touched upon this with the shrines and koroks, but I think their usefulness can be expanded a bit. Having these tasks that are inherent to the game is invaluable. In Skyrim, each task is a different side quest that needs to be read and understood and executed. For BotW, the first hour of the game introduces both Koroks and Shrines, so you know what to look for and do in the world. BotW still has sidequest, but they are not the main focus. Skyrim, on the other hand, requires the player to seek out sidequests then refer back to them in a sub menu if they need review, making the process less seamless and general exploration less rewarding. It also helps that BotW's formula is MUCH more suited for portability. Its so much easier to jump in for 30 min and do a couple shrines or climb a tower, than it is to jump into Skryim, only to barely remember what you primary objective was before having to put the game back down.
4. Death Punishment. Maybe not as drastic, but I thought that the death punishment for BotW was significantly less than in Skyrim. When I would die in BotW I would only lose like 1 to 5 minutes of progress. But for Skyrim, the lost progress was more like 5 to 10. This made deaths much more discouraging and deterred me from traveling from the story progression path, especially early on.
I'm convinced that you didn't play skyrim that much
If I’m going to be honest, I think 3 and 4 are ups for Skyrim. Not having the side quests in a drop down menu encourages you to talk to every person and learn all of their stories. You always know there has to be something left to look for. As for 4, I think the death punishment being greater influences the player not to die more and try harder. Deaths not having an impact makes the game feel easy and that you might as well be invincible. That’s just how I feel, though.
@@rend3419 My switch say "5 hours or more". The game just hasn't hooked me yet
@@connora770 I could see the upside to 3 with regards to talking to NPCs. Higher death penalty definitely makes you play more strategically and cautiously. I'm playing through Dark Souls rn and every move I make is preplanned and analyzed, which fits the game well. Skyrim doesn't have to be easier, I have just died in Skyrim and been warped back 10 minutes and been like "Man I have to do ALL that again". Different strokes for different folks in that regard
You can tell he hasn't played Skyrim because he doesn't know you can play it in 3rd person.
It really shows your commitment to your content to wait this long to put out a review. Thank you Arlo. Very cool!
I still have to play through this wonderful game.
Not have.. need
Please do. Then pick up odyssey
Also, watching your review reminded me that the music was incredible. Probably the most I’ve enjoyed a video games music. It helped immerse me because it was always the perfect song
HOLY MOLY!!!!!!!!!!!!
ARLO IS REVIEWING BREATH OF THE WILD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
STOP THE UNIVERSE!!!!!!!!!
*SOMEONE CALL ROSALINA!!!*
Amazing intro review for an amazing game! Very much so looking forward to the rest of this. Fantastic job on giving this magical game justice with your take on review/analysis. I can't wait for the rest! :D
I love this game, but the side quests are a little repetitive. I mean every time you talk to a quest giver its always go find this many of X, or go to Y. I don't remember most of them. What i liked about the game was exploring, seeing everything, and completing the main quest, which really shined as it encouraged it you go off the beaten path and progress with no guidance or structure. Progression was really the most satisfying thing about this game.
I feel like the side quests in BotW are mostly just filler that's supposed to teach you one thing or another about the gameplay. I mean, you have some good bits of lore and development (Tarrey Town, the three Leviathans, the one where you help a Zora girl meet her human boyfriend...), and also some mechanical benefits (unlocking Robbie's Lab, Kilton, the Thunder Helm quests...), but the real meat is in the main and shrine quests.
+andromedasgarden AG I found most of them boring but I do remember one that stuck out you didn’t list the one in sheika village ( the village really bummed me out as before this I viewed the Sheika race as the shadow people who were only seen if they wanted to be seen as in oot one person describes them as being the shadow of every hylian and now they’re just Chinese) but anyway it was where you followed that ex yiga guy and learned about his past and how they killed his family I wish there were more side quests like that
@@firenze6424 I'm pretty sure that's a shrine quest, though.
+andromedasgarden AG they were the same for me I still found side quests in any other Zelda way better
The sidequests are definitely the worst flaw in the game imo
Love your videos. Your honest passion is so refreshing. I just finished playing this game for the first time so seeing this review made me super happy!
Don't you do this. Don't you make me play BotW again.
*_I put 350 hours in last time. I've got a family, I'd never see them again!!_*
You sir have more insights than most reviewers on youtube. An important aspect almost every reviewer is lacking. Most reviewers will talk about gameplay, graphics, storylines and other things. Everything that should be covered. You, however, talk beyond that. Asking philosophical and personal questions. Things that I would never think about. Bravo to you sir
I'm still mad at Nintendo for killing off the Wii U gamepad feature for BotW!!! :-(
Me To. It sucks they did not utilize it but you can play the game just with the gampad screen if u dont have a tv around
Funnily enough I actually hadn’t made up my mind about whether I wanted this game before I watched this review series. I’d played it for a few minutes once and couldn’t really get into it, so I wasn’t sure. But then I had some mindless tasks to do and I decided to listen to your review while I was doing it, and after I finished (except the story one) I bought the game and holy crap I love it so much. I just wanted to say thanks for helping me discover this amazing game! You’re the best, Arlo
I'm still waiting for the right time/economic comfort to buy a Switch, but I love Zelda and I will definitely play this masterpiece of an installment someday. Until then, I will leave my like in every video of this series and come back later, after I experience the game for myself.
Cheers from a fan that loves your passion but doesn't want to get spoiled! ^^
You could get a wii u for a fraction for the cost of a switch and botw is just as good if you do not care about portability
You’re doing the right thing. Hold off on information as best you can. You only get one first experience.
Man, I was just thinking about this. I was just starting to lose hope, and then here it is! You perfectly captured the whimsical and breathtaking (no pun intended) nature of the game through your retelling of your experiences. I can't wait for the following parts of the series.
*ABOUT TIME*
HARUHI!
Great review, Arlo! I beat this on Wii U when it came out, then re-bought it for Switch. Now I'm casually taking my time discovering every shrine and getting everything BEFORE tackling the story. Loving it (again).
Lol, i was just thinking about BoTW, thanks Arlo!
Loved this so much. It brought back all the things I felt as well. I've forgotten what it was like. And you made it all flood back again. Thank you!
My favorite zelda game was wind wake because of exploring that ocean but breath of the wild is 1000 times that!
Alpaca Master me too!
I want another ocean/island/navigatin dungeon exploration Zelda again. That could be excellent . A fishing pole in BOTW also would be excellent
G wall I agree botw was better than ww but a botw style game with ocean type exploration for me is ideal
+G Wall yeah no fishing was a real bummer
Same here, Wind Waker was my favorite until BotW came along!!
Excellent video, and I feel 100% the same way. I went into the game relatively blind, and I tried to keep it that way as I played, not looking at anything online. I kept a little notepad with me throughout the game, writing down when and where I saw things that I needed to check out later, or something in the distance where I was like "what is that??" It was a great experience, and the fact that you were almost always rewarded for being curious is something that a lot of developers could take notes on. I can't tell you how many times I'd start on a very specific path to a very specific spot, and then 30 minutes later I'd have been distracted by something and well off my original goal, exploring something new.
If you loved Skyrim but felt it lacked that "special spark" then PLAY MORROWIND
iammaxhailme Like when you're walking down that trail in the forest, and then some guy falls to his death right in front of you. Then you search his body, and he has a scroll increasing acobatics by like a billion. And then you use it and jump, and fly over a third of the entire world map before also falling to your death.
Yuh.
_Have you heard of the High Elves?_
Ahh yes, back when we could fly, make our own spells, and there were giant bugs.
From what you've done so far of this, this style of in depth retrospective style review suits you. Hope you consider doing more like it in the future.
MY BODY IS READY!
^this, been waiting for a long time
That's what she said!
Thank you so much for the heartfelt review and taking your time