Date played: March 5th
Platform: Switch
I explored a bit more of the world, though I didn't actually make much progress. Exploring is just so much fun in this game, and I think a big reason for that is because the map doesn't show much. It really is about getting to high ground, scouting the environment and trying to figure out a way to get to the interesting parts. There's just so much to find everywhere! Chests, food, special items, weapons and more. There's also some little forest spirits called Korok that hide all over the world. They are hidden in a ton of places, and they give Link a Korok seed when found. These can be exchanged for extra inventory space, a very valuable commodity.
The second area in the game has a lot of wide open, grassy fields, littered with ruins of the machines that attacked Hyrule 100 years ago. It's also the home of Dueling Peaks Stable. I met lots of people here, including some vendors and a couple of kids who taught me how to catch a wild horse. There's wild horses that roam the area, some with spots and some without. Those without spots are apparently higher quality horses with more stamina, but they are also harder to catch. In fact, I haven't been able to catch one of these yet, I've only caught a spotted horse.
Horse riding is pretty damn epic, as can be expected. There's a bit of a weird mechanic where I have to "soothe" the horse when it does well, which will make it obey better. A couple of dudes at the stable also told me about a hidden treasure, but only gave me vague hints. The hints led me to the top of a waterfall. I climbed to the top, carefully managing my stamina, and found a bunch of treasure, including a very powerful fire sword!
I completed a few shrines also, and so far, these have been my favorite part of the game. They are classic Zelda puzzles, something I've always enjoyed in the franchise. One of them even had me using motion controls to move platforms. That was unexpected, and a lot more fun that I thought it would be. I've now reached the entrance to Kakariko Village, but stopped playing before getting anything done in there.
Platform: Switch
I explored a bit more of the world, though I didn't actually make much progress. Exploring is just so much fun in this game, and I think a big reason for that is because the map doesn't show much. It really is about getting to high ground, scouting the environment and trying to figure out a way to get to the interesting parts. There's just so much to find everywhere! Chests, food, special items, weapons and more. There's also some little forest spirits called Korok that hide all over the world. They are hidden in a ton of places, and they give Link a Korok seed when found. These can be exchanged for extra inventory space, a very valuable commodity.
The second area in the game has a lot of wide open, grassy fields, littered with ruins of the machines that attacked Hyrule 100 years ago. It's also the home of Dueling Peaks Stable. I met lots of people here, including some vendors and a couple of kids who taught me how to catch a wild horse. There's wild horses that roam the area, some with spots and some without. Those without spots are apparently higher quality horses with more stamina, but they are also harder to catch. In fact, I haven't been able to catch one of these yet, I've only caught a spotted horse.
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| I've got a horse! |
I completed a few shrines also, and so far, these have been my favorite part of the game. They are classic Zelda puzzles, something I've always enjoyed in the franchise. One of them even had me using motion controls to move platforms. That was unexpected, and a lot more fun that I thought it would be. I've now reached the entrance to Kakariko Village, but stopped playing before getting anything done in there.
