Honestly I agree. I explored for about 2.5 hours before I got the thing. I happened upon several shrines you can’t complete without it, and getting places took far longer - and was more tedious - than if I’d had it. I also couldn’t figure out what to do with certain landmarks. So I looked that up, and discovered that I did indeed need to go do the first quest to unlock this stuff. I really wish the game gave the player a hint of what they’d get for the first quest, since that stuff is almost mandatory.
Without spoiling anything, most puzzles are built primarily to take advantage of the new abilities. Some focus more on certain abilities, some on a combination. Some of them combine the abilities with physics puzzles - those ones I usually find frustrating/fiddly. I find most of the shrine puzzles to be well-made, much better than the BotW ones, and I’ve loved most of the 24 or so shrines I’ve done. I enjoy the “aha!” moments, especially when I have a “wait, does this do that? Ohmygod it does!” breakthrough. There are a few that I had to look up though because I just don’t find the “play with this thing for 15 minutes and stumble upon the solution” gameplay loop to be particularly fun, and I’m nowhere near as inventive or curious as the designers want me to be - some solutions are extremely obscure. But this is something I struggle with in other Zelda games too. I’m just bad at puzzles.
I’m actually ok with not being able to do something and then taking a different course of action.
For me, when I landed in Hyrule I did a few shrines also and then bee-lined for a more southern tower, where the enemies were way above my level.
However I’d chatted to some folks and they had been nudging me to go in a different direction so I corrected course with that.
I will say it’s important to talk to folks - repeatedly, - there’s another item I missed because I didn’t chat to a dude and it was only after seeing that in a vid online that backtracked and sorted that out.
I love the no hand holding, and love not being super told what to do and not being able to figure things out, that’s classic Zelda. The game is teaching to listen and learn and try by doing. The shrines often work in that way - as a place to teach you how to do something - but it leaves it to you to find the answer and doesn’t outright tell you.
But yes, I was listening to a podcast talking about yeah, sure, once you land in Hyrule you could take off in any direction… but you’ll do it without the Paraglider lol. The game is open but there are subtle gestures on which way to go. Personally I was surprised at the way in which you got the paraglider, it felt like I’d just been given it out of the blue like a few rupees or a meal, rather than the context and build up of the old man in BOTW. But I think it’s the game showing you the whole, talk to people and ye shall receive.
I’ve started to beat more enemies and I’m fusing some killer monster parts, I’ve started to make some of my favourite weapons which are so cool and deadly. Was so bummed last night was on a sky island and I accidentally pressed the throw button and threw my fave weapon just right off the island and into nowhere down below
Haven’t had the time to play a lot yet because my kids play all the time.
It’s a strange way to experience a new zelda game and getting all these little spoilers when i walk into the room to hang up the washing. Sometimes i sit next to them for a while and we try to find solutions for tasks. It’s cool but now i know a lot of stuff before i even get there myself.
But well, it’s nice to see them enjoy it. More or less. My son is already annoyed by a task he has to replay 2 times before succeding. But he finished botw and i didn’t.
Honestly sometimes I swear there’s 4 levels to this game, not 3. There’s the deep but there’s also just ‘caves’. I just had the craziest detour. I’ll just go visit a goddess statue he said, just go grab a heart container he said. What’s the hole in the wall? Hmmm. 2 hours later. Damn. Wasn’t even a side quest, mission or anything, but damn did I find some loot
My hyperfocus is main-story minded only; only doing absolutely necessary exploration. Can’t wait to wrap up and go running after any little distraction. I think I’m more than halfway. I pray to god I am.
Like how many times do I have to clean up this apocalyptic mess after 30 years?? Get your shit together people this dude needs help keeping a sign upright.
I haven’t binged a game this hard in years - probably since I played BotW (though to be fair, I probably would have binged Ghost of Tsushima if I had been physically able at the time I played it). They really perfected that “let’s just look over there before I turn this off” loop. The exploration is just so, so satisfying - there’s something around almost every corner. You can look at the map and say “that’s a suspicious shaped outcrop/ interestingly-placed hill” and then there’s something on/ under /around it, or it allows you to see something else interesting. Characters have a lot to say, and I’ve stumbled upon a few fun, simple sidequests. I’m even interacting with the stables this time, something I basically ignored in BotW.
Yesterday I explored the secret royal passage. I got a certain sidequest that naturally leads into it. I really appreciated that they gave enough rusty swords/ rocks to make hammers to break all the rock walls and explore naturally. It kept momentum up and kept my interest. I managed to get all three armor pieces before bailing out. I’m a bit disappointed there isn’t a fast-travel point there (that I’ve unlocked), but it was a great experience.
The Not-the-Sky Place, Great Plateau, Robbie's Quests, Ability, Side Quest spoilers
After that, I stumbled on a sidequest in the Great Plateau (the Bargainer Statue quest) that seems interesting, but also so tedious I don’t know if I’ll bother with it after looking up the reward. I’m not big on fetch quests. I took one of the Eyes to the mines anyway, and got almost there when I was interrupted by another sidequest, the one where you get Auto-Build. The cutscene where you build the vehicles and the event immediately after caused the Eye to despawn. That was, to put it mildly, extremely annoying.
That was so much fun. Honestly, it feels like pushing open a gravestone in LttP. I love that stuff like this is in the game There was a pretty tasty shield down there but you had to ascend to it from the last chamber. One of the things I love about ascend is you can just use it to peek your head above, but just cancel out of if it’s not what you want. Anyway, I could have sworn we were about to head to a second encounter with the ‘Dorf through that passage with all the gloom getting about. Great fun
Quite a few hours in now on the Switch…done about a dozen shrines and two of the region mapping towers.
Glad I came here to read everyones thoughts…I didn’t follow the main quest when I dropped into Hyrule and struggled on without the paraglider for ages. Then when I did come back to get on the main story path I did the first two main locations in the wrong order and had to do them all again…hours of walking.
Purah’s a minx… #justsaying
Ill have more to say when the frequent posters here wrap up, but I’m trying to think back on all the great gaming experiences I’ve had and, while it may be endgame endorphins flowing, I can’t think of one that matches the one I’ve just had. I have some qualms, but overall it was utterly magnificent.
second temple done here and now just mucking about in necluda. kinda stretching it out and not ready for the 3rd just yet… Honestly Death Mountain took me all weekend haha. I think that’s my thing, weekday exploring, weekend dungeon.
My switch took an age to charge after years of no use but seems to be working. So heading up the toon to pick up a copy. Time to see what the hype is about.
Not convinced it’ll stop a day one Diablo purchase though
There was a pretty tasty shield down there but you had to ascend to it from the last chamber. One of the things I love about ascend is you can just use it to peek your head above, but just cancel out of if it’s not what you want. Anyway, I could have sworn we were about to head to a second encounter with the ‘Dorf through that passage with all the gloom getting about. Great fun
Switch and game are on their way 
