The Zelda-Verse
Mike marvels at The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and its expansive portrayal of the land of Hyrule, comparing it to his expectations during the 1998 release of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
Good evening, this is Mike George here, live from Montreal. As promised, I wanted to jump on and share a bit of my playthrough of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. As a lifelong Zelda fan, I consider this game a true masterpiece, and I invite you all to join me for some 'podcast-style' commentary while I enjoy some wine and a smoke.
It’s been fascinating to see so many Zelda fans coming out of the woodwork lately, especially within the queer community. I even met someone in Portland once specifically because of a Royal Family crest tattoo on his shoulder—it drew me in like a moth to a flame\! But before I go down that rabbit hole, let’s get back to the game.
Zelda holds a very special place in my life because the franchise actually started in 1986, the same year I was born. Along with Mario, it’s really the gold standard for Nintendo. While I’ve always loved Ocarina of Time, I feel like Breath of the Wild is the realization of what I always wanted that game to be when I was a kid. Back in 1998, I had these grandiose expectations for a massive, open-world Hyrule, and this is the first time it has truly felt that way.
That brings me to a little philosophical formula I’ve been thinking about: Happiness = Reality - Expectations. To maximize happiness, you either have to improve your reality or lower your expectations. Of course, as an engineer, I know it’s actually more like a complex calculus function with shifting variables, but I like to keep things simple so they actually function.
Regarding the game itself, I was initially skeptical of Breath of the Wild only having four primary dungeons. Previous games like Ocarina had nine\! However, I’ve come to appreciate the decision to decentralize the dungeons into smaller shrines scattered across the map. It forces you to actually traverse and experience the vast, diverse landscapes of Hyrule. My only real critique is that I miss the distinct thematic variety of the old temples—like the Forest or Water temples. The 'Sheikah steampunk' aesthetic is cool, but a bit more visual diversity in the dungeons would have been nice.
Overall, it’s easily one of the greatest games ever made. I’ve been trying to 'dose' my playtime so I don’t completely disappear off the face of the earth, but it’s hard not to get sucked in\!
I’m going to wrap up the commentary now and just focus on playing for a bit. Enjoy your Friday nights, everyone. We made it through Valentine's Day—congratulations\! And if you're still single out there, feel free to shoot me a message. Talk to you later. Bye\!"
