I thought about what to write about Breath Of The Wild for a long while because I wanted to make sure I'm certain of these statements. I take them seriously, and if anyone reads this, so should they. I tried reviewing the game, but I soon noticed it's a pointless struggle; the game is beyond reviews, saying things like, "this is good about it, that's bad", and so on would be like trying to explain black hole physics to a hamster. It's a completely inappropriate approach to something of this magnitude. Words fail me, there is nothing I can say about this game that would be on point. Sure, we could discuss the graphics, or the story chapter by chapter, or the boss fight mechanics... but what for?
I cannot be precise about Breath Of The Wild, and I suppose that is the perfect starting point for all theoretical thought on this game. It's not about precision of statements here, it's more about the general feeling, because that's what this product is to me: it's a feeling. I can't honestly say I experienced it as a video game, because how would that even compare to other things we call video games? Is this the same thing as some run of the mill shooter or car game? Is it even a game still?
I believe it was around fifteen, maybe twenty hours in that I realized I was experiencing this "new Zelda game" as something completely unrelated to anything from my previous twenty plus years of gaming. I was just running through the meadows, jumping off of cliffs, taking photographs of the wildlife, trying to get a new horse... and there was nothing, just calmness like when you visit the lake house, away from all your day-to-day problems, and just relax. Breathe in the nature, the silence, the beautiful solitude. It hit me then, that Breath Of The Wild is right, because you do get to breathe in the wilderness that world has to offer, and you can actually taste it on your lips.
I can't think of it as a video game, because it's just so beyond that. It subtly, non-invasively entered my consciousness and altered it, providing me with a joyful, almost meditative state of complete serenity. Even words like immersionor beingtransported are completely useless in this context. It feels like medicine. Yes, it might sound like new age nonsense to some, and I'm willing to take a hit for that, because I want everyone to understand that this is not just some piece of software, but a fantastic, almost unfathomable achievement. You can very well see in which points exactly thirty years of game-making experience went. You can witness not just the genius of the creators, but also a piece of their soul. This is actually more like a painting than a game. It's a symphony composed of love and peacefulness. It is - to paraphrase Dan Ryckert - the crown jewel of Nintendo's entire history as a video game company.
I'm willing to expose myself here and admit that Breath Of The Wild came at the very end of what was a truly hellish period in my personal and family life. I realize that I've become more sensitive to some triggers (and by the Great Old Ones - I despise the phrase), and perhaps this fact influences my perception of the game, but that is not necessarily a bad thing.
Think about what it would be like to discover some new medicine that can cure your mind and heart of everything that ails you. There's no side effects, no hangover, no bad trip. You'd really want to tell everyone, wouldn't you? At this point it's a bit hard to believe that this is still about a video game, ergo something that most people don't even consider serious. Again, I must repeat myself and refuse to see it as a video game. It's a portal to another dimension, probably the most perfect one yet. It's a mind altering device that fills you with confidence, that there is still good in the world, and that the troubles we are facing as a culture, and a civilization, can be fixed using the same old methods our species has known for thousands of years. Breath Of The Wild certainly is a statement like that. It glorifies some very Zen concepts, and does it with a Buddha smile on the face of a goro. The Japanese gift to the world of video game players, a portal and a vessel for a powerful message.
A powerful message that hits you gently like the blue droplet that hits the Sheikah Slate. SNAP.
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