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Hello! So, what random videogame have I been playing this week? What game could possibly have me slacking on my regular recordings? What could it be?

Well, it's Tears of the Kingdom.

This game is special. This game is Breath of the Wild 2. If you know anything about BotW, you know this game. You know that there are 4 dungeons which are okay. You know you'll get backstory by going to specific places on the map. You know you'll get it out of order, and feel like you've spoiled yourself. You'll know how the story ended in the past, to some extent, and all you can do is undo the damage through violence. You know that Ganon is once again threatening Hyrule.

Breath of the Wild is a perfect game. It's meandering and breezy. It has satisfying combat that asks a lot of skilled players. It has a story that you can skip entirely, or see every piece of. It has 120 mini dungeons which contain puzzles and other challenges. The DLCs add even more.

Tears of the Kingdom is a perfect game. Especially without Breath of the Wild. The comparisons and paralells are numerous, however, it is, of course, the differences that make the game. The addition of Ultrahand elevates the experience by inviting (often hilarious) player creativity. The Depths are my personal favorite part. I love them so much, I got all the lightroots both in my first playthrough, and in a second playthrough where I went into the Depths before almost anything else and only came out as necessary (In order to get to otherwise unreachable lightroots, like at Rito Village). The game loop of the Depths is addictive, to me. Find lightroots, get zonaite to get more battery power for easier traversal in the Depths, to get more zonaite to find more lightroots and secrets. Not to mention the new enemies and overall vibes. The music is so quietly menacing, like all throughout you're being watched. It has excellent, if repetitive, work put into it. It feels mostly like a welcome reprieve from responsibilities that come with the main story, a pure sandbox, a test of endurance and curiousity. To me, the open gameplay shines here the best (though I can easily admit that it's not for everyone).

All that aside, though the story structure remains almost unchanged from BotW, TotK is a fantastic time. Games ought to be fun to play, first and foremost, at least when you aren't trying to be needlessly avant garde. Game design at its finest.

Will I play it and Breath of the Wild on my channel? Maybe someday. It would absolutely be a pair of 100% playthroughs we're talking about here, and that's no simple undertaking. So, if you really do want to see that sooner than later, let me know and I'll put it on my schedule proper.

Thank you for reading my thoughts! I could say much more (mostly about the story and my misgivings, which are not unique), though I'm happy to leave it here. ...And continue my current playthrough. Wherein I endeavor to upgrade all of the clothing fully. For fun. Have a good one! Love ya!