When it comes to having a cheeky gaming session, the Wii U might not be your first choice in terms of chosen platform. However, just because it’s an older?? platform, that doesn’t m??ean there aren’t a huge number of absolutely incredible games to play on it. 

I have fond memories of my Wii U, although sadly, it died a child’s drink spillage-related death a few years ago. It’s been? a while since I picked one up, but I can still vividly remember playing on it for hours. Most of those hours were pumped into a select few games, so with that knowle??dge, here are my 10 favorite titles on the Wii U, in no particular order. 

Bayonetta 2

Nintendo is often considered to be the most family-friendly of all gaming platforms, so the fact that Bayonetta 2 (and the first game) exists on the platfo??rm is still something that I can’t quite wrap my head around. It’s filled with expletives right from the very beginning, is filled to the brim with fan service animations that do nothing to progress the story, and is as far from family-friendly as you can possibly get. 

However, it doe??s exist, and it’s incredibly fun to play. The hack-and-slash gameplay is weirdly addictive, and if you look past the astonishing amount of jiggle physics, you might even enjoy the story. Or, you know, if you’re into that kind of thing, then you might not even need to pay attention to the story. To each their own. 

ZombiU

Look, I know, zombies and games involving them have been done to death (no pun intended, but I’ll take all the puns I can get). However, ZombiU has stood the test of t?ime in terms of anxiety induction, and there’s something it has that can’t be said about many other human-eating-walking-cor??pse titles â€?permadeath. 

Waking up in a London filled with flesh-chomping undead creepers is ba?d enough, but progressing through the story only to die and wake up as someone entirely different is definitely a frustration. Not to mention the fact that if you want to get your stuff back from your former self, you’ll probably have to kill them, which isn’t ideal if you become attached to who you once were. 

Yoshi’s Woolly World

There has always been something undeniably cute and com?forting about Yoshi. He’s a dinosaur with huge eyes and a bright, happy smile. Now take that cuteness and convert ?it into crochet, and everyone’s favorite dino becomes infinitely more adorable. 

Everything in Yoshi’s Woolly World has a touch of arts and crafts to it, with springy tree trunks, knitted backdrops, and, of course, Yoshi in all his crocheted glory. The aim of the game is to retrieve the stolen yarn pieces from Kamek, who rather handily has dropped a bunch of pieces while making his escape, in order to knit your friends back tog??ether.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

I think it would be almost criminal to write up a list of the best Wii U games and not include a Zelda game, and Breath of the Wild is definitely the stand-out title that was released for the platform. Some of you might not even know that it wasn’t a Switch exclus??ive release? because I’d forgotten until looking into what to include here. 

Breath of the Wild is often heralded as the best Zelda game to date, and for good reason. It was the first fully open-world title and is filled with beautiful areas to explore, collectibles to discover, and quests to complete. If you’re looking for a Zelda game to play on the Wii U, then this w?ould definitely be my first recommendation. 

Xenoblade Chronicles X

If you’re struggling to wait for the release of Xenoblade Chronicles X on Nintendo Switch next year, then you can fork out for a Wii U (unless you already have your old one; how very forward-thinking of you) and play Xenoblade Chronicles X on it. 

Xenoblade Chronicles X allows you to explore the expansive open world of Mira, consisting of five wildly different continents that are unlocked as you progress and complete quests alongside a party of fellow ??BLADE members. And, if exploration and quest completion weren’t enough to make you want to play, there’s also a number of Skell mechs that can be purchased and upgraded in the latter half of a playthrough. 

Mario Kart 8

Mario Kart 8 is either a fond memory or a frustrating experience that you never want to repeat again, depending on your skill level and whether or not you chose to play with the people who claim to love you yet throw every power-up possible in your direction. As you can tell, I fall i??nto the “frustrating experience�camp on this one. 

With that said, there’s no denying that Mario Kart 8 is incredibly fun to play solo or with friends who might go a little easier on you than mine did. You can choose your difficulty, pick your driver and vehicle, and then try to come first. It’s not limited to characters from just the Mario universe, either. You can race as characters from other franchises like The Legend of Zelda or Splatoon or even go in as your own Mii. 

Assassin’s Creed III

Assassin’s Creed III was released on multiple platforms back in 2012, including the Wii U. It centered around Ratonhnaké ton (or Connor, if you want to make things easier on yourself), an assassin in Colonial America at around the time of the American Revolution. As a bit of a history nerd, this is the kind of Assassin’s Creed that sparks a huge amount of joy in me. 

Of course, Assassin’s Creed III was filled with freerunning and parkour adventures, but it also introduced something new �naval gameplay. Connor becomes the captain of the Aquila, and it can be upgraded and improved with new weapons, armor, and crew. Admittedly, the ship part of Assassin’s Creed III was my least f??avorite part of the game, but I’ve com?e to learn that I might be in the minority on that front. 

Pikmin 3

As with all Pikmin games, the third in the series is fille??d with fights, puzzles, and an endless grind of resource gathering. The cuteness of the Pikmin is ever-present, and there’s something incredibly addictive about this one, which would explain why I’ve replayed it about five times in the last decade. 

Along with the well-loved Red, Yellow, and Blue Pikmins, Pikmin 3 introduces a couple of new colors with their own skills - Grey Pikmin, which can destroy barriers and are immune to crush damage, and pink Winged Pikmin, which can attack from the skies and also soar through them over obstacles that would otherwise ?be impassable. 

Super Smash Bros. 

There are two types of people when it comes to playing Super Smash Bros. - those who memorize the combinations and inevitably win every battle, and those who button mash as if their life depends on it and while they may lose the battle, they enjoy the therapeutic proce?ss of trying to stay on the platfor??ms. 

One of the best things about Super Smash Bros. is the number of characters from different franchises. There are playable characters from Pokémon, Animal Crossing, Xenoblade Chronicles, Duck Hunt, and even Wii Fit of all things. And these are just in the base game, never mind downloadable characters like Cloud Strife and Sega from Bayonetta. There’s endless fun to be had with Super Smash Bros., and possibly some arguments, so try not to tak???e it too seriously. 

Rayman Legends

Rayman Legends is another title that has been released on various platforms, incl??uding the Wii U. It’s a local co-op platformer that is capable of inciting a huge amount of frustration. However, regardless of how frustrated it might make you, you forgive it because it’s addictive, and getting through each level leaves you feeling accomplished. 

Events in Rayman Legends take place a whole century after those of Rayman Origins, and you’ll need to travel across worlds and defeat world bosses in order to complete the story. Collecting Teensies unlocks new worlds, and there are new playable characters to unlock along the ??way, such as Barbara the Barbarian Princess and her various family members.

The post 10 Best Wii U Games appeared first on Destructoid.

Do you struggle to wake up in the morning? Do you dread the sound of the alarm clock ?going off to drag you out of bed to face another day? If you’d rather wake up immersed in sounds and music from your favorite Nintendo games, then Alarmo might just be the answer.

Alarmo is now available on the Nintendo Store for $99.99 USD, and requires Nintendo Switch Online in order to function as intended.

Alarmo, the weirdly innovative alarm clock from Nintendo, allows you to pick a scene from your favorite game. When it’s time for you to wake up and take on the day, sounds and music from ??that scene?? will play. Even before the alarm goes off, a character from that scene will appear on the clock face, waiting for you to open your eyes. 

Rather than the jarring beep-beep of a regular alarm, Alarmo will start introducing subtle sounds, which will gradually begin to get louder the longer you leave it to go off. You don’t even have to touch the clock to turn it? off, as waving your arm at it or moving around in bed will be enough to quieten the noise briefly. Th??ere is also a button mode too, if you want to keep things old school. 

According to the Nintendo Store website, if you stay in bed too long and your original visitor isn’t enough to get you out of bed, a more “persuasive�visitor will come along acc?omp?anied by much more intense sounds. When you eventually get out of bed, the clock will even celebrate this small victory with fanfare! Honestly, we could all do with someone congratulating us the second we start the day. 

Alarmo is apparently not just for waking up, either. It can track? your sleep patterns, including how much you move around in the night, and keeps a record of how long it takes you to get out of bed in the morning. It also plays “Sleepy Soundsâ€? which is presumably white noise or ambient music from your chosen scene. 

It’s worth noting that Alarmo will only? work for you if you have a twin to king-sized bed, so anything out of this range will cause t?he motion sensor capability to suffer. However, you can just switch to button mode and still enjoy the ambient waking experience. 

So far, there are fiv?e games from? which to choose scenes:

• Super Mario Odyssey
• The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
• Splatoon 3
• Pikmin 4
• Ring Fit Adventure

On top of these five choices for wake-up buddies, if you link your Nintendo Account to your Alarmo, you’ll be able to get Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Animal Crossing: New Horizons wake-up calls wh?en they’re relea?sed in future via free updates. 

I’m not sure about anyone else, but I’m incredibly tempted to get one and see how it helps me wake up in the morning. Although having said that, the hour that I spend scrolling on my phone after waking up might make this more annoying than anything else. But still, I?’m tempted.

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I've always found no death runs in video games too intimidating to attempt, but I feel like this self-imposed Legend of Zelda challenge is so extreme, e?ven the most masochistic of players would think twice about trying it.

Reddit user YaBoiNick87 (as spotted by GamesRadar) shared an intense challenge they intend to attempt that spans both Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. And if they should die in the latter, they have to restart from the beginning of Breath of the Wild.

That rule alone is already maddening considering how massive both games are, but it'd probably be a bit more manageable if YaBoiNick87 didn't also task themselves with doing almost everything Breath of the Wild has to offer. Not only must they gather all the memories, complete every shrine and side quest, and get all the monster medals, they also need to complete the Master Sword Trials and Champions' Ballad DLC. Imagine doing all that, then having to do it all over again because you died during Tears of the Kingdom.

YaBoiNick87 shared the ruleset for feedback, asking if fellow fans had any other rule ideas. Unsurprisingly, several have suggested they remove the stipulation that dying sends you to the start of Breath of the Wild, believing it would simply make the whole experience not fun to play. Thankfully, this is something YaBoiNick87 is considering, saying, "We'll see how I feel after I get through BOTW."

Others have gone in the opposite direction and offered additional rules to up the difficulty even more. One suggested getting through all this without taking any damage (an idea even YaBoiNick87 thinks is too brutal), while another suggested no permanent health upgrades (meaning getting through both games with just three hearts) and no armour upgrades. The truly evil individuals??, though, have suggested getting all the Koro??k seeds.

YaBoiNick87 has mentioned possibly recording or streaming their attempt and, as horrific as the challenge sounds, I sincerely hope they do, if only so they'll have tangible proof that they managed to complete it. If so, they'll absolutely deserve an acknowledgment in the Gu??inness World Records or something. I just hope they ?don't come out the other side hating both games.

The post This evil Zel?da: Tears of the Kingdom fan challenge has you restart from Breath of the Wild if you die appeared first on Destructoid.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom might be the perfect sequel in every definition of the word, but even Nintendo s?eems to agree? that it has exhausted all possibilities for this particular iteration of Link’s journey.

You’ll know by now that Tears, originally conceived as a DLC for Breath of the Wild, morphed into a proper installment when the producers realized the sheer scope of the ideas being thrown around at the studio. The entire game is pretty much modeled after what you already experienced in the acclaimed 2017 title, and yet we couldn’t begin to list all the fun elements they built upon to turn Tears of the Kingdom into another sensational hit.

Sure, it may have ultimately lost the GOTY to Baldur’s Gate 3, but it’s not every day that we get a sequel to one of the greatest gam?es in history and somehow end up enjoying ?it more.

And the best part? It looks like Nintendo knows when to leave well enough alone, because it's not planning to develop a threequel to the Breath of the Wild offshoot.

Why Nintendo won't develop a sequel to Tears of the Kingdom according to its producer

Eiji Aonuma, who's served as a producer on The Legend of Zelda franchise for well over three decades, recently explained in an interview with Game Informer that they aren't planning a threequel, mainly because Tears is already the "apotheosis" of this p??articular subseries.

"[...] As I've mentioned previously, with Tears of the Kingdom, we were seeking to build on top of the world we created with Breath of the Wild and really exhaust the possibilities of what we could put into that world," Aonuma explained. "I think it is �to use a bit of a term �an apotheosis, or the final form of that version of The Legend of Zelda. In that regard, I don't think tha?t we'll be making a direct sequel to a world such as that that w?e've created."

I can't say I won't miss this incarnation of Hyrule, but in an era where franchises are so hell-bent on overstaying their welcome, this might just be the best creative decision Nintendo could've made for The Legend of Zelda at this particular junction.

The post Zelda producer confirms Tears of the Kingdom won’t get a direct sequel appeared first on Destructoid.

Tears of the Kingdom has been receiving attention again thanks to the several The Game Awards nominations it has scored. Game director Hidemaro Fujibayashi recently discussed The Legend of Zelda with Nintendo Dream (translated by Nintendo Everything).

He focuses on Princess Zelda's growth throughout the franchise, especially in Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. As he explains, Breath of the Wild was "about struggling with feeling worthless? due to not being able to meet the expectations others had for her, but finally finding her path and maturing in the end."

In Tears of the Kingdom, there are layers to the narrative divided between Link and Zelda. The princess has grown since the last game, and ??no?w that she's overcome her own troubles, she's "started to wonder what she can do for the people who currently live in the land of Hyrule."

New game, new look

Reaction to Zelda in Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom was mixed, though the increased focus on the latter in the game does ?give the princess more chances for her personality to be fleshed out. Her short hair left quite an impression on fans for good and bad reasons.

Fujibayashi reveals that this was an intentional choice, as it was meant to show that the princess "has been a?ctively participating in restoring people’s li?velihoods and other forms of humanitarian aid," which has made her pick something that'll allow her to move around easier.

Over the years, we've seen Hyrule's guardian in different forms, b??ut Fujibayashi argues that the current Zelda "might be one of the more powerful Princess Zeldas in history." As evidence, he points to how she is?? able to take on Ganondorf without losing control of her powers.

This focus on character depth is not limit??ed to Zelda, as fans would have noticed. Speak to NPCs at different points in the game, and you'll notice changes in their dialog that illustrate that they have been having their own life experiences while you were out adventuring.

Tears of the Kingdom still holds many secrets which will ensure the game remains popular for a long time. If you're waiting for DLC, don't hold your breath, as there are currently no plans for any expansions.

The post Tears of the Kingdom director discusses Princess Zelda’s personal growth appeared first on Destructoid.

There's always something new to find in Hyrule

It has been, at this point, six years since the 2017 release of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The Switch launch title, and Nintendo's swan song on ??the Wii U, made an indelible mark on the industry with its approach to the open-world space.

Tomorrow, on May 12, its sequel The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom will be released. In fact, our review of it should already be live right here, right now. It's a revamped version of the Hyrule we saw in Breath of the Wild, only now with floating sky islands and a hot new villain in town.

This doesn't erase Breath of the Wild from the history books, though. I, myself, haven't played Tears of the Kingdom at the time of this writing, so who knows if I end up loving it more. But Breath of the Wild was a pretty big sea change for the industry, and I don't think it will be forgotten. In fact, for one last day before we all skydive into a new Hyrule, I wanted to host a little celebration of Breath of the Wild here on Destructoid.

So I've asked the Destructoid staff to come up with their favorite moments, big or small, from their time playing The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Please share yours in the comments down below t??oo, and let's give it o??ne big hurrah.

[caption id="attachment_378722" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Eric - Seeing a dragon

There are plenty of breathtaking moments in Breath of the Wild that made me appreciate the scale of what Nint??endo had created. Even just leaping from the Great Plateau and gliding down into Hyrule proper for the first time was amazing. But the dragons were the moment I felt like I was seeing something truly amazing.

The first one I saw seemed miles away, drifting in the wind. I thought to myself, "huh, that's a neat background effect." Then, while playing later on, I was making my way up a snowy mountain and discovered, through the fog, a massive ice dragon right in front of me. It was genuinely startling. Naydra, as I would learn, was corrupted, and needed help to be let loose, to roam the skies of Hyrule like the other dragons. And the more I played, the more I realized these dragons, as much as everything else in Breath of the Wild, a??re part of the world. Everything is interactable, and all of it is one living, virtual ecosystem of interacting rules and ide?as.

Even when I was getting a screenshot of Naydra now?, years later, for this piece, I had to appreciate the feeling of gliding alongside and seeing all the ice blasts ripple outwards. These aren't some sort of secret boss, and they aren't scenery??. They're a part of Hyrule, a world that Link and I adventure through, but which live and breathe apart from Link too.

[caption id="attachment_378720" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Zoey - Discovering Hyrule Castle Town

Much of Breath of the Wild's world consists of open wilderness and long-forgotten ruins. It often feels that the entire world has simply moved on and is well o?n its way of just healing over the scars where Hyrule once sat. However, when you finally build up the courage to move closer to the castle that dominates the landscape, you find something that hits a little closer to home.

Hyrule Castle Town is the absolute gutted remains of the biggest settlement on the map. Anything left standing is burnt beyond recognition. Yet despite this, you can still see the little details that harken back to Ocarina of Time, especia??lly the ruined versi??on of Castle Town that is depicted in the second act of that game.

It's a dangerous place to tarry, as guardians still crawl over the ruins. However, it's one of the few places that Breath of the Wild tries t??o drive home the destruction that was ca?used back when everything went wrong.

[caption id="attachment_378723" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Holmes - Partying with Prince Sidon

Games either work harder to be playgrounds or obstacle courses. Roblox and Fortnite are playgrounds. Final Fantasy IX and Advance Wars are a series of obstacle courses, with a little talking and opportunities to exercise free will sprinkled on top. Of course, a lot of games try to mix and match, and the original Zelda was one of the first to put one inside the other. Specifically, it's like a series of one-screen obstacle courses on a playground. Sometimes you have to defeat enemies, solve puzzles, or use specific items to get through a course. Those are the more close-ended parts. Other courses are open to you from the start, to wander in and out as you see fit. This tension between opposites, loose and strict, open and closed, untethered and entrapped, made Zelda a genre-defining hit? from the sta??rt, and most of its sequels have followed suit.

Breath of the Wild made the playground much, much bigger than it had ever been before, and the obstacle courses did not, for the most part, scale up in kind. You can play Breath of the Wild for hours without ever hitting an obstacle that you can't just climb over, walk around, or otherwise circumvent. It still has really fun, focused challenges like the shrines, and the bit where you have to invade the home base of the banana-obsessed Yiga Clan. But for the most part, the thing that made Breath of the Wild stand out is how much you didn't have to do in it. Those who felt that prior Zeldas had become overly handholding and tutoria??lized were thrilled with how this one ju??st threw you outside and said "you figure it out."

As an old man who constantly has to "figure it out" in life, this was a massive turn off. If you get lucky enough to save some money in the bank and get somewhere in your chosen pursuits, life becomes less about whether you have the freedom to do what you want, and more about the series of choices you have to make in order to do things as well as you can. It's up to you to remember to pay the bills, make sure the kid gets to school on time, to explore the best deals on groceries, consider refinancing your mortgage when interest rates chan?ge, convince your sick-but-in-denial elderly parents to go to the doctors, the list goes on. Once you're old enough to be the one who's supposed to take care of themselves and guide others, instead of being guided yourself, it can be exhausting to play a video game where you ?have to navigate a giant, open map on your own.

That's why my favorite part of Breath of the Wild is when it suddenly turns into a linear, high-stress obstacle course where you never have to question where you're supposed to go, and instead have to focus on some Resident Evil 4-style survival-action combat. After Prince Sidon, the shark man, goads you into following him to his Zora domain, it starts to rain. As any Breath of the Wild player knows, wet ground mean??s no climbing, so there's no way to get off the path before you. It's slippery, and crawling with monsters, so slashing, shooting, and sneaking up on foes is pretty much a must. Strategic use of a limited-time electro-elixir is also close to mandatory.

If you want the freedom to ??go wherever you want and do ?whatever you want all the time, I'm sure this part was a chore for you. But for me, a guy saddled with loads of real-life choices (and responsibilities), this gallery of finely curated, exquisitely designed challenges feels like just the right mix of handcuffs and fisticuffs; a little oasis of mandatory trouble in an otherwise unstructured adventure.

[caption id="attachment_378377" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Timothy - The in-between moments

Many games are fun to play, but fewer are fun to watch. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that Breath of the Wild fa??lls firmly into the latter category. Even after spending 100+ hours in Hyrule, watching the ways people explore or break the physics engine never gets boring. There’s a reason why online content never ceased for this six-year-old game with ??no live service elements.

Yet for me, it’s not the wild and wacky exploits that makes exploration fun. It’s the ordinary, unremarkable stories that stick with you because they’re so uniquely yours. For example, when I revisited Breath of the Wild this last holiday season, I was on my way to the excellent Eventide Island shrine. Yet during my boat ride, I happened to notice a chest floating around in the water. Driven by pure completionist instincts, I turned my vessel around so I could grab my treasure. What ensued was a comedy of errors where I just couldn’t navigate to the chest for the life of me. It was the same mild inconvenience you might feel when you’re trying to find your keys in the morning despite just having them in your hand.

Once I finally arrived at my prize, I boldly proclaimed to my audience of one “after all that, this better not be five arrows.�This was technically correct. It was ten arrows.

But you know what? Those are my ten arrows now. The fact that I vividly remember this six months later shows how easily Breath of the Wild creates lasting memories.

[caption id="attachment_378721" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

CJ - Out of the shadows

I've struggled with this prompt all week because, while I adore Breath of the Wild, I don't kno?w if I have a single favorite moment from it. Because there are so many riveting moments in that game, from when you first exit the cave or when you first see a dragon or when you absentmindedly wander over to Eventide Island, completely unprepared for what you're about to face. The game is an outstanding collection of out?standing moments. So instead of trying to figure out my favorite, I want to talk about the one that's seared into my memory.

So I've been playing Breath of the Wild for about 40 hours at this point. I've seen so much of this world, but there are still parts of the map that haven't been filled in yet. And there's one spot in?? particular that is calling out to me: Thyphlo Ruins. I go there thinking that's how you reach the Master Sword. What I find is a Shrine Quest shrouded in darkness. I'm confused and a bit scared as I pick up the nearby torch and start lighting the torch stands. I don't know if that's what I'm supposed to do. I don't know where I'm supposed to go. I just keep moving forward until I hit a dead end.

I don't usually have a sense of dread playing a Legend of Zelda game, but the Thyphlo Ruins tap into my deepest childhood fear of the dark. I am absolutely on pins and needles going through this place. After a few minutes, I find the pedestal. As I start to get frustrated thinking I'm going to have to run through these ruins again looking for an orb, I turn Link around, and out of the shadows co??mes a Hinox barreling toward me.

I don't remember screaming at this point, but I probably screamed. I probably thrashed the controller about as well as I'm wont to do when a jump scare lands that well. The Legend of Zelda series has leaned into the dark and macabre before, but no??thing in this series has scared me more than that giant fricki??n' Hinox popping out of the darkness like it's Slenderman.

Again, that's not my ?favorite moment in the game, but hot damn it's the one that remains? the most vivid in my mind today.

The post Zelda: Breath of the Wild is?? a game that holds incredible memories appeared first on Destructoid.

Where to go before a new Hyrule drops

It is the week of a new Zelda game, and you might be getting ready by revisiting its predecessor. I'm not surprised to see that a few people I know have been booting Breath of the Wild back up, just in time for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.

In fact, I've been doing the same. I was looking for a refresher, as well as an excuse to finally try the Champion's Ballad DLC. Sure, I'd dipped back in to do a few shrines here and there. But the bulk of my own Breath of the Wild pla??ytime was around launch, back in 2017. Going back to re-explore ?Hyrule and uncover any last surprises I missed felt like seeing it anew all over again.

So maybe you need some direction on where to go and what to do, or just want a suggestion on something neat to see. Or, perhaps, you're only burning time until Tears of the Kingdom. Either way, there's a decent chunk of content waiting off the beaten path of Link's quest to bonk Calamity Ganon on the head. Here are some Breath of the Wild quests worth seeing before The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom hits.

[caption id="attachment_377796" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

The Champion's Ballad

We can start with the easy one, as it's the main reason I came back to Breath of the Wild. I imagine the same holds true for others too. This DLC arrived in December 2017, as part of Breath of the Wild's post-launch roll-out. While I enjoy?? the Master Trials, what I loved about the Champion's Ballad was how it tied in more story around the four champions and the tragedy that befell them when Calamity Ganon returned.

Through retracing their steps and undertaking the accomplishments they did 100 years ago??, you get to relive moments of thei??r lives. And those little snippets are wonderful, eventually culminating in a new dungeon and one heck of a new boss fight. While I wasn't as keen on some of the second rounds with old bosses, the Ballad is worth completing, and will play well into another entry on this list too. Plus, you get a motorcycle for it!

[caption id="attachment_377804" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Tarrey Town

While Link might be able to buy and build his own house, esta??blishing a new village is even more compelling. Tarrey Town is built through a series of side quests for Hudson, a member of the Bolson crew that's helping with your house. Keep following his side quests, and you'll gradua?lly establish a new village.

It can take a bit of time, but is ultimately worth it. The vendors you unlock are quite valuable, and putting a new town on the map is its own reward. Plus, it culminates in a heartwarming love story. If you'd rather stay away from open-world danger and get some cozy town vibes instead, Tarrey Town is a Zelda side quest worth looking into.

[caption id="attachment_377806" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Zelda's Memories

I debated even putting this on the lis?t, because to me, getting all of Zelda's memor?ies using the Sheikah Slate pictures seems like a must-do. However, I've gradually heard more and more folks who didn't do this, or just looked them up online. Wild!

Though you could just go watch them in a video somewhere, I'd argue that actually visiting these places is a big part of what makes these memories work. Some you'll find as part of the main quest. Others you'll need to explore for, letting you see more of the world; it's basically a guided tour of Hyrule, courtesy of Zelda. And I do think there's a powerful feeling of going somewhere and ?seeing the current state of Hyrule, leaping backwards into the past to see a memory, and then returning to its current state. If you haven't seen them all, go find them!

[caption id="attachment_377797" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Eventide Island

One of the more infamous shrines in Breath of the Wild, Eventide Island feels made for those who have gained some mastery of the game's systems. Even getting there means either understanding its tools well enough to voyage out to the island, or having enoug??h stamina to ?glide there.

Once on Eventide Island, you get to undertake a trial that will ask whether you've truly learned how ?this game works. If you're a returning player, it's a fun challenge to get back into the swing of things with. I found myself gaining a new appreciation for all the ways in which I could use tools like Magnesis, Stasis, and my Remote Bombs. It's a bit of an undertaking, but a fun one?? worth doing before this Friday.

[caption id="attachment_377802" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Recital at Warbler's Nest

While small in the scheme of things, this particular quest captures an often overlooked side of Breath of the Wild. The Recital at Warbler's Nest is a Shrine Quest, which?? you can start at the Rito Village in northwest Hyrule.

It's pretty straightforward. Some young Rito are trying to hold a recital, but you'll need to convince them to meet and actually practice. Breath of the Wild has plenty of these little quests in its towns, which can point you towards different areas and activities to undertake. This particular quest draws on cooking and environmental interactions in enjoyable ways, and overall put a smile on my face. Many remember the open world and Divine Beasts, but Breath of the Wild has plenty of small town stories to explore, too.

[caption id="attachment_377805" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Thyphlo Ruins

I had completely forgotten about this particu??lar section until I was doing some venturing and found myself back here, in the deep, deep darkness. Thyphlo Ruins is an area you can hear about by talking to locals at the nearby stable, but it's worth just going in and checking out.

It is, ultimately, a shrine area. But it's a cool use of light and interactions that might not naturally occur to folks. Eric's P??ro Tip: Remote Bombs glow! Venturing through this area is pretty neat, and worth taking the t??rip north of Korok Forest to see.

[caption id="attachment_377798" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

The Forgotten Temple

Sp?eaking of forgotten areas, you ??might notice The Forgotten Temple on your map as you fill it out. Which is a bit strange, to be honest. If the temple is forgotten, it probably shouldn't be on a map.

Either way, this area is a fun one to explore with a neat surprise I won't spoil. Aside from that, this also touches on Nintendo's ability to craft big, fascinating secrets within the world. Finding what lies at the end of this temple gave me a little moment of pause, and reminded me that discovering things in Breath of the Wild is still fun after all these years.

[caption id="attachment_377799" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

The Eighth Heroine

If you like environmental clues and puzzle solving, then The Eighth Heroine is the Zelda side quest for you. You're pointed in its direction by someone running laps around Gerudo Town, as they inform you about an old legend involvi??ng the massive statues out in the desert.

And they are quite massive. You'll have to scale them to find clues about how to solve the puzzle and summon the missing heroine. Discovering all the different visual clues is enjoyable in its own right, along with the physics-driven puzzle-solving that makes Breath of the Wild so enjoyable to go back to.

[caption id="attachment_377800" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Kass' Quests

I'm in the process of finishing this one right now, but? it might be one of my favorite quest lines. Kass is the travelling bard who chronicles stories of Hyrule, even playing a starring role in the Champion's Ballad DLC.

But he also has a number of other quests to complete around Hyrule, all with special requirements and conditions. It's a cool way to revisit Hyrule, as a returning player, and even links back to old Zelda tunes in an interesting way. This feels like one of the better ways to see Hyrule again before Tears of the Kingdom drops.

[caption id="attachment_377801" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

The Leviathan Remains

Finally, if you still need more excuses to visit the fringes of Hyrule, t??ry hunting down the Leviathan remains. You start the venture by talking to the three researchers at the stable in northwest Hyrule, the same place you learn about the Thyp?hlo Ruins.

These three are looking for the remains of ancient beasts, and have some hints about where to find them, too. I actually found one before I found these brothers, just through exploring corne??rs of the map I hadn't yet. And there's something about finding those giant, ancient bones that's really something else.

Those are my picks for side quests to undertake if you're looking for some before Tears of the Kingdom drops. Considering how big Breath of the Wild is, there are probably at least a few I left off, so let me know down below if there's a personal favorite of yours I ski?pp?ed over.

Meanwhile, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom arrives on Friday, May 12. Keep up with all our Zelda Week coverage this week, too.

The post Before Zelda: Tears of the K??ingdom ar??rives, here are some Breath of the Wild side quests worth seeing appeared first on Destructoid.

Relive the story ahead of the sequel

We are, as of this writing, a week away from The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. That's a pretty short amount of time, especially compared to the six years it's been since Breath of the Wild. S??o if you need a refresher before the ??sequel arrives, there's a quick recap video just for you.

Nintendo published a new video, titled "Relive the Story of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild" today, recapping the story of 2017's The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. At 6 minutes and 38 seconds, it's a short and sweet recap of just what happened leading up to, and during??, Link's adventure to save ??Hyrule from Calamity Ganon.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebOFIvAGG3Y

It does address some aspects head-on, like Zelda's struggles to learn her sealing magic and Link's quest to regain both power and his memories after 100 years in the b???lue goo. At just under 7 minutes, it hits the broad strokes.

Still, though, it would've been nice to at least nam?e-check the Champions. They did die defending Hyrule, after all! Jokes aside, this is probably solid enough for anyone who played the first game but needs a quick refresh ahead of next week, and maybe doesn't want to watch an hour-long r?ecap somewhere else.

The kingdom draws near

The release of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is seven short days away, which is wild to think about. The sequel to Breath of the Wild has been publicly in development for years, yet Nintendo's kept a careful lid and managed to not show a ton ahead of launch. Well, outside of those Nuts & Bolts-like hand powers. (That said, there are leaks out there, so be careful if you're looking to stay ??unspoiled.)

With not much longer to go, I'm curious to see what Nintendo does with this direct sequel, and how these versions of Link and Zelda will evolve to meet their new challenges. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom arrives on Nintendo Switch on May 12.

The post N?intendo has a ??Breath of the Wild recap, leading up to Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom appeared first on Destructoid.

Best The Legend of Zelda music ever

The Legend of Zelda series has magnificent songs across its history. From the adventurous "Hyrule Field" theme to the beautiful "Zelda's Lullaby," composer Koji Kondo is behind some of the best video game music. While there are many, many tracks to choose from, these 10 songs establish why The Legend of Zelda series is a fantastic source of music. Yes, I know "Gerudo Valley" isn't in it, but there's only so much you can put in a Top 10 list! Here is the best The Legend of Zelda music. 

10. Spirit Tracks - "Full Steam Ahead"

//youtu.be/grsQM2rtjvk

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks is one of the black sheep of the series on the DS. However, it has some of the best The Legend of Zelda music ever in its overworld theme. "Full Steam Ahead" plays while Link is driving a train. The song gives a rush of excitement. The tempo and percussion of the track remind me of a moving train's engine and pumping steam. The tambourine simulates the steam while the drums sound like the engine. There's also a neat reference to the main theme of The Legend of Zelda within the track. Aaron Grubb published a neat Western version of the song that you'd expect to hear from a game like Red Dead Redemption. 

9. Breath of the Wild - The Blight Ganon themes

//youtu.be/IjxEGwFiMR8

To me, the weakest part of The Legend of Zelda's soundtracks is the boss themes. They're great for the series' intense combat moments, but they don't stick in your head as much as the battle themes of franchises like Final Fantasy or Kingdom Hearts. The Blight Ganon music from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is different, ?however. Scattered across Hyrule are different Blight Ganons that represent alternate elements. The Waterblight is more energetic, while the Windblight is more personality-filled with the accordion from Kass' Theme mixed into it. The core battle theme across all four versions is also epic with menacing piano tones and a powerful choir. Vetrom, in the above video, does a great job of encompassing all of the elements from each Blight Ganon track into one solid remix.

8. Skyward Sword - "Skyloft"

//youtu.be/oE8cU2HnGgI

The "Skyloft" theme in The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is like a warm hug. It has a pleasant melody underscored by the fast strumming of a charming mandolin and the playing of a pretty horn instrument. The percussion is also lighter with a welcoming drum beat. This theme defines Skyloft as a place of sanctuary and somewhere players can cool down after the tough dungeons that lie on the surface of Hyrule. P??atti Rud??isill does a wonderful performance of Skyloft with a fitting Violin and Viola cover of the track.

7. A Link To The Past - "Dark World" / A Link Between Worlds - "Lorule"

//youtu.be/XHfcPf1q2zs

The "Dark World" theme is another piece that helps establish that sense of adventure within you. The drumbeat compels you to keep going, while there's a thrilling melody in the forefront. The newer take on the song from A Link Between Worlds is stellar. The percussion is on point with a more charismatic, metallic drumbeat, while the m??ain melody from the violin plays so well with the original 16-bit theme. The String Player Gamer has performed a brilliant symphonic metal violin cover of the track with a tasty solo towards the end of the son?g.

6. Twilight Princess - "Midna's Lament"

//youtu.be/xyqL2Hsp-Vo

"Midna's Lament" is a striking piece from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. The piano piece is melancholy as Link tries to save his companion Midna from a horrible fate. The notes chosen for the song give off a mysterious vibe, and there's a reverberation effect that truly works for the strange atmosphere the piece is establishing. That vibe is then reinforced by a striking strings section in the middle of the track, possibly showing Link's strive to help Midna. The emotional core of "Midna's Lament" makes it one of the best The Legend of Zelda music pieces. Aaron Grubb once again brings a gorgeous Zelda cover, s?lowing down "Midna's Lament" and adding an effective echo to the piece.

5. Breath of the Wild - "Rito Village" / The Wind Waker - "Dragon Roost Island"

//youtu.be/bCbDA9TR1p4

The core theme of The Wind Waker's "Dragon Roost Island" is present within Breath of the Wild's "Rito Village" and it works so well. There's a tranquil feel to the piece with the calm piano opening and then the piece rises with the strings until the chill mandolin takes over with the "Dragon Roost Island" theme.  Additionally, the woodwind instrument (I'm guessing the flute) stirs your heart as it blissfully plays the melody. This piece is composed so well and perfectly reflects Koji Kondo's creativity within his composing, making it some of the best The Legend of Zelda music. Nico Mendoza does a great job of interpreting the "Rito Village" theme for the acoustic and electric guitar. It also has a pristine violin pair??ing.

4. Zelda II: The Adventure of Link - "Temple/Palace Theme"

//youtu.be/qcac2Dh6Brg

Zelda II: The Adventure of Link isn't the most well-liked game in the series, but the "Temple Theme" is one of the highlights. In those early days of gaming, music was essential to establish the theme of the level, and this track nails it. The lower pitch of the 8-bit sound font establishes intrigue within the Temple as Link slashes his enemies and jumps to daring heights. The song then raises the stakes with a high-tempo section that keeps you on your toes while playing Zelda II. Many will know this track from Super Smash Bros. Melee's interpretation of the song, and it's fantastic. Lacey Johnson does a? superb job of bringing that 8-bit flair with her keytar and adds a rock elemen?t that works so well with the composition.

3. The Legend of Zelda - "Main Theme"

//youtu.be/txcCQOW0F4c

The Legend of Zelda's main theme across the series is still legendary. Remarkably scored in just one day by Koji Kondo (according to 1UP), this theme has a sense of grandeur. You're about to go on a big adventure, and the main title theme is momentous as the instruments build to a spe??ctacle. The core melody gives the player excitement, even at 8-bit, as the piece takes twists and turns within the composition. The addition of the choir in future renditions from Nintendo is absolutely glorious as well. The Middle Ages does an intriguing take on the ?song with a version that features medieval instruments.

2. Ocarina of Time - "Hyrule Field"

//youtu.be/ZtQsAScXDOU

Some of the best The Legend of Zelda music occurs when you have a theme that excites you. That is indeed the case with The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time's "Hyrule Field." Right out of the gate, this theme sweeps you off your feet as you venture into the grassy area with Epona. That march drum beat and brass inspire you to move forward as the melody is complemented with harp sounds and imaginative string sections. Mohmega delivers a powerful rock cover of the song that feels like it belongs in Hyrule Warriors. 

1. Skyward Sword/Ocarina of Time - "Zelda's Lullaby"

//youtu.be/zkNXYhSbDz8

You could argue that "Zelda's Lullaby" from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time or The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword could be the loveliest video game song ever. As the name implies, there's a soft melody that's played beautifully by the flutes, strings section, and harp. It truly places me at a sense of ease whenever I listen to it. Hopefully, we hear a new rendition of it in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Eliott Tordo does a unique, yet stu??nning cover of the song with the Erhu, also known as a Chi?nese violin.

The post Top 1??0 best songs from The Lege?nd of Zelda series, ranked appeared first on Destructoid.

I hope we get nearly as much mileage out of Tears of the Kingdom

Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is just a month away, and we're finally moving out of the era of Breath of the Wild dominating the Zelda conversation. Not to say that it'll never return! In fact, I suspect a lot of folks will be comparing and contrasting the two worlds with magnifying glasses, and Breath of the Wild will still live on for many?? years (decades even).

On that note, let's look at this awesome trick shot from Twitter user ambi. One-upping many of the "rising up in the sky" trick shots, ambi uses the Master Cycle Zero to flip up in the air, then blow up three (hurt) Guardians simultaneously. Of course, it even has the killer finishe??r with the cycle: which is just behind the all-time greatest anime style finisher of walking away from an explosion.

I'm a huge fan of Master Cycle Zero anything, and thankfully, folks can seemingly create their own vehicles on a whim in Tears of the Kingdom. It's weird to think of how Nintendo will follow up Tears of the Kingdom with DLC: and I hope it's slightly different than how Breath of the Wild was handled. Maybe we'll?? get a huge proper non-shrin??e/challenge room-centric expansion this time?

//twitter.com/aquatic_ambi/stat??us/1644069088677998592

The post Here’s another wild Zelda: Breath of the Wild trick shot for the road appeared first on Destructoid.

Check out this guide if you are

There are just over 50 days left until the arrival of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom for Nintendo Switch. This game has been a long-time coming (though not as long as we've been waiting for Metroid Prime 4), and I'm already making plans to dedicate a least a week of my life to exploring the skies above Hyrule. With just under two months until it arrives, and a somewhat sparse release calendar between now and then, I'm thinking now is as good a time as any to revisit The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. And what better way to revisit a game I love so much than with a guide that'll help me experience ever??ything t??his game has to offer?

For those looking to get back into the best-selling Zelda game of all time or experience it for the first time, Nintendo has uploaded the Breath of the Wild Explorer's Guide as a free PDF download over on the Zelda website. Originally released with the Explorer's Edition of the game, the guide gives players tips on what they need to survive their epic quest across Hyrule. Everything from the different runes to hunting tips is included. There's even a bit of history if this is your first time seeing what The Legend of Zelda is all about.

What's not included are several sections of the guide as, for whatever reason, more than a dozen pages from the back half of the guide are missing. It's a curious omission, but what's included is good enough to get you started on your adventure. I know in all my trips to save the princess, I didn't do too much hunting or cooking. With this guide, I?? just might make those a priority this time.

Hopefully, those missing pages are restored soon. Either way, I'll have this guide on my iPad when I finally jump back into Breath of the Wild. I'll just keep it in the folder alongside the Earthbound Player's Guide that was uploaded online last year.

The post Are you replaying Zelda: Breath of the Wild before? Tears of the Kingdom? appeared first on Destructoid.

It's coming this year, and a giveaway is live now

Zelda: Breath of the Wild may outlive?? us all, if the merch train has anything to say about it.

This time we're getting a First 4 Figures...figure, of everyone's favorite Goron Champion Daruk. Of course, it's gonna cost ya. This figure has an early-bird MSRP of $159.99, going up to $169.99 after 30 days from now (end of day on April 2, 2023). To that end, First 4 figures is running a len??gthy giveaway, which you can access?? here.

Here's everything you get with the statue:

• "Exquisitely detailed" PVC statue of Daruk
• Pose inspired by official artwork
• Sheikah Eye symbol featured on the base
• Two (2) Light-up LED modes (Static and Animated) for the base
• Limited edition numbering on the bottom of the base and packaging
• Authentication Card
• Rechargeable battery with USB-C Cable
• Special Premium deluxe box packaging

Estimated to be out in Q4 of 2023, the figure does look fantastic, and I adore Daruk's goofy grin. But like most? things gaming-statue-related, I won't be picking this one up for multiple reasons (the price and the space!). Power to anyone who does, though.

Videos and images of the Zelda: Breath of the Wild Daruk PVC Statue

You can watch the quick two-minute-ish overview of close-ups of the statue here:

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=SE8uADJG3yU

Or go for the full decadence of the 45 minute livestream here:

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzPnHt_6cBU

The post This Zelda??: Breath of the Wild Daruk PVC Statue is lovely appeared first on Destructoid.

It's time to d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-duel

A list of the most challenging boss fights ever is necessarily flawed. I, of course, have not played every video game, and I have not encountered every boss fight in the video games that I have played. I am also only one person, and I can only speak for my own experiences. I have ?watched other players?? blitz through boss fights that took me hours and vice versa. By its very nature, this list is subjective and very personal.

Still, I've played an awful lot of video games, and I've bumped up against an awful lot of bosses. I may not be able to compile an obj?ective, definitive list, but I think I can offer a pretty good one. With that in mind, I'd like to take a trip down memory lane to revisit some of the most frustrating big bads I've ever had the displeasure of fighting.

10. 50/20 - Ultimate Custom Night

Ultimate Custom Night acts as something of a digestif for the Scott Cawthon-helmed era of Five Nights at Freddy's. The game features a grand total of 50 discreet enemies whose behavior can be tweaked by the player. Setting all 50 enemies to level 20, their maximum level of aggression, allows you to try out 50/20, the most demanding single night in Five Nights at Freddy's history. It's pretty tough.

FNaF, at its best, is a series about balancing spi??nning plates, and playing through 50/20 means balancing a truly incredible number of plates. All 50 foes require different reactions, and it's nearly impossible to keep up with each of them at their most aggressive. It's a nontraditional "boss fight," but a truly challenging one.

9. Thunderblight Ganon - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

I'm not a big fan of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild's combat. The game is a wonderful physics sandbox, but I've always found it a bit lacking as an action RPG. My distaste for the game's so-so fighting is at its peak in the ridiculously frustrating Thunderblight Ganon fight. ?The other three Divine Beast Ganon fights are reasonably forgettable, but this one is memorable for its controller-smashing difficulty.

Thunderblight Ganon is incredibly q?uick and incredibly strong. Getting shocked in its first phase is basically a death sentence, which means dodging and flurry-rushing is just about the only viable strategy. Later phases are even more irritating and gimmicky. This is one of those boss fights that's both very tough ??and very annoying.

8. Sephiroth - Kingdom Hearts

Speaking of tough and annoying...

Kingdom Hearts is another action RPG with combat that I just don't jive with. The movement is subpar and the camera is utterly miserable. It's generally not too tough to push past those issues in the main game, but the optional bosses are downright irritating. Sephiroth is easily the most difficult of these, demanding that the player learn every in??tricacy of a distressingly inelegant combat system.

7. Starscourge Radahn - Elden Ring

Yes, of course FromSoftware is on this list. Not to spoil too much, but FromSoftware is actually on this list a few times. The studio's most recent game, Elden Ring, is littered with obscenely difficult boss encounters. Many will no doubt wonder how I could leave off legendarily tough battles with characters like Malenia, Blade of Miquella or the El??den Beast.

Truth be told, I can't include those fights on this list because I never got to them. I got stuck on Starscourge Radahn, who likes to obliterate my beloved horse without a second thought. I'm sure there are tougher boss fights in Elden Ring, but I'm not sure when (or if) I'll e??ver encounter them. So Radahn gets the spot.

6. King Dice - Cuphead

There are plenty of ultra-tough boss fights in Cuphead, ?but the penultimate challenger, King Dice, has to be the hardest. That's because King Dice isn't just one deliri?ously challenging enemy - he's somewhere between four and ten.

The King Dice battle is actually a boss rush comprised of randomly selected mini-bosses. There's an outside chance that you might get lucky and only face easy enemies during this fight, but you're much more likely to get wiped out over and over again, forcing you to start over from the beginning. The final battle in Cuphead is pretty tough, but this second-to-last fight is the one that truly tes????ts you on the skills you've developed to this point.

5. Genocide Sans - Undertale

There are a few optional bosses on this list, enemies that you must seek out for yourself. Few bosses are quite as optional as Sans, though. In order to face Sans, you have to kill every single enemy in Undertale, undertaking the "Genocide Run," a route that is significantly more challenging (in terms of both gameplay and emotion) than anything else in Undertale.

The capstone to that incredibly difficult run is one last incredibly difficult fight. Genocide Sans is notoriously tough. If the philosophical weight of wiping out every charming character in Undertale isn't enough to deter you from a Genocide Run, Sans might be. Undertale's "combat" is mostly about dodging, and S??ans throws an incredible number of obstacles your way at a?n incredibly high speed.

4. Ornstein and Smough - Dark Souls

I told you FromSoftware would be back. "Dark Souls" is practically synonymous with "tough boss fights," and the double-header that is Ornstein and Smough might be the toughest boss fight in the entire series. In the first phase, you'll challen??ge two absurd powerhouses at once. After you bring d?own one of them, the fight gets even harder, since the surviving enemy becomes ultra-powerful in the second phase.

Ornstein and Smough is one of many choke points in Dark Souls. It's where tons of players bounce off simply because they can't progress (I'm happy to announce that, unlike Starscourge Radahn, I actually have beaten these two). Once you get past this point, though, you are truly ready for anything Dark Souls can throw at you.

3. Yozora - Kingdom Hearts 3

I promise the outsized presence of Kingdom Hearts on this list isn't just a consequence of my fondness for the series. Some of these boss fights really are astonishingly difficult. Yozora, the final boss of the Kingdom Hearts 3 Re:Mind DLC, is one such duel.

The original Kingdom Hearts 3 is laughably easy. The game's impressive combat system is held back by the fact that there are very few compelling fights in the campaign. Thankfully, the post-launch DLC offers up plenty of excellent opportunities to flex your Keyblade mastery. ?Yozora is lightning-fast and his crossbow attacks deal a ton of damage, making this one of the most challenging boss fights ever. Also, he's voiced by Dylan Sprouse in English. Kinda weird.

2. Gabriel, Judge of Hell - Ultrakill

Ultrakill, the super-fast, super-violent indie darling FPS, has plenty of memorable fights. The most memorable, though, has to be Gabriel, Judge of Hell?,? the final boss of Act II. Gabriel is yet another super-quick high damage dealer who demands that you make the most of your toolkit.

Thankfully, your toolkit in Ultrakill is immense. Bringing down Gabriel by making the most of the weapons at your disposal is extremely satisfying - but you really need to know what you're doing to get to that ??point.

1. Isshin, the Sword Saint - Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

Bring it in for FromSoftware's third and final appearance on this list! Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice might be FromSoft's most difficult game ever, and the final boss, Isshin, the Sword Saint, is the perfect culmination of the game. Sekiro really a?sks that you meet it on its terms, and Isshin exemplifies that philosophy expertly.

This fight demands a comprehensive understanding of Sekiro's combat, from parries to Mikiri Counters to lightning reversals. It is what all good final boss fights should be: a test to see w?hat the player has learned. Remember: hesitation is defeat.

The post 10 most challenging boss fights in ???modern video game history, ranked appeared first on Destructoid.

We're at roughly 2000 days since Zelda: Breath of the Wild

It certainly doesn't feel like it, because Zelda: Breath of the Wild is still relevant, but it's been the biggest gap between mainline Zelda games...ever.

Pointed out by Twitter user Geo, this is now the longest gap to date for the franchise, with Link's Awakening (SNES) into Ocarina of Time (N64) holding the previous record of five years, five months, and 15 days. They point out that mainline 3D entries generally take longer and longer with each release, with every game sequentially increasing development time through the new gap between Zelda games today.

As they point out, Zelda fans are generally willing to wait for quality, and I don't need to repeat the "delayed game" mantra once again as it's ingrained in this series. But the main observation stems from a lack of original "portable" games to aid the droughts. The last one we had was the Link's Awakening remake, which is decidedly not an original game. You can, however, make the case for Cadence of Hyrule, Skyward Sword HD, and Age of Calamity ensuring that the series has??n't remained dormant.

For a while, Zelda fans were eating well in terms of supplemental games backing major 3D releases. I mean Wind Waker into Minish Cap into Twilight Princess, then Phantom Hourglass/Spirit Tracks into Skyward Sword: that's a hell of a run. And Ocarina of Time 3D (a re-releas?e) was just kind of thrown in t?here too!

While Breath of the Wild 2 will likely be the next major Zelda entry at this point with a planned 2023 release, I hope we get a Minish Cap-style wildcard to assist with the next wait.

The post At this point, it’s been the longest gap between mainline Zelda games, ever appeared first on Destructoid.

Dana Carvey isn't the only Master of Disguise

After encountering hundreds of Yiga clan members in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, I never really thought twice about them. Well, justlookingfordragon did!

Amazingly, the entire exercise is framed as a self-imposed mission, as many Breath of the Wild activities often are. In this case, they opted to take photos of the Yiga clan imposters they find out on their travels, then track them down based on those photos. As they point out, "none of the Yiga impersonat?e 'important' characters: most are just wandering people with a couple lines of random dialogue." This actually kind of fits with the theme of just blinding in by taking an ordinary person's identity.

Zelda: Breath of the Wild Yiga clan mystery solved

It turns out justlookingfordragons also seemingly figured out better ways to spot the Yiga imposters. They actually only double as Hylians or Hylian-adjacent races (which might be something you already noticed, but is nice to get confirmation on after all this research), and neve?r take the identity of a child or an older resident (or any oth??er race).

They even provided a helpful map (above) for spotting stationary Breath of the Wild Yiga clan members �and you can save and load using a campfire to reset them. If you're remotely interested in how the Yiga clan operates, the breakdown is worth the full read. Hopefully they return in the sequel!

The post Someone cracked the code on the Zelda: Breath of the Wild Yiga imposters and it’s fascinating appeared first on Destructoid.

You can see the Breath of the Wild split-screen mod in action below

A Zelda: Breath of the Wild split-s??creen multiplayer mod is like a dream come true, especially if it can be done with extra process?ing power. Well, dream no more.

Created by modder Kirbymimi, the mod adds multiplayer to the popular action-adventure romp. As the modder notes, the project was spurred by the desire to create?? new emergent situations that are only possible through the power of multiplayer, like sneaking into a bokoblin camp with one player serving as a distraction, while the other does a pincer maneuver. Or, spur-of-the-moment events like a plain old-fashioned shield race down a cliff, or taking down a boss togeth?er.

The mod actually supports up to four players, but right now there are some technical limitations. As is, using the link above, everyone shares the same screen, so a button to teleport everyone to the lead player is needed. However, as the popular YouTube channel Waikuteru points out, split-screen is also possible thanks to a beta version of ??????????????????????????the mod that's coming out on July 29??.

Now there are still technical limitations. As Waikuteru notes, the game "starts to lag if people are too far away" from one another, so it's best for everyone to stay in the same area for the Breath of the Wild split-screen mod. Still, we can expect further refinements down the line, and the fact that this is even possible is ??amazing.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=0k8nEA-y7E4

The post Oh look, a ??Zelda: Breath of the Wil??d split-screen multiplayer mod appeared first on Destructoid.

Go west, young horse

This Zelda: Breath of the Wild horse video helped patch up what has ostensibly been a rough week for me, in true Breath of the Wild fashion.

Shared by u_guessed on Reddit, the clip takes a quick and hilarious turn after Link attempts?? to call back his horse on a riverbank. He whistles...and...nope! The horse immediately turns around, and starts swimming away. Cold as ice.

It's a fine line, this sort of stuff, but Zelda: Breath of the Wild generally makes things easy to come back from. In other open-world games, the "emergent" gameplay can often lead to game-breaking bugs or frustration. And Breath of the Wild has some of that, to be sure!

But I encountered my fair share of good quirks like this, enough to even help carry multiple playthroughs. If my horse did th??is in-game, I'd have to put the controller down to have a good laugh. It's just perfect: the speed and cadence in which it peaces out?.

I know five years on, folks are a little tired of Breath of the Wild still being in the zeitgeist, but I know a lot of people still get a kick out of it, or even still play it! I salute you all.

The post I don’t blame this Zelda: Breath of the Wild horse for peacing out appeared first on Destructoid.

Available to Nintendo Switch Online members

Nintendo Switch Online subscribers can spend their extra Platinum Points on player icons, and this week, Nintendo added new avatars based on The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Now we're talking! Since I last spoke about these wave-based profile pics, I've mostly tuned them out �but today is a big exception. Among other options, it's possible to set your Switch icon as the revolting (and amusingly censored) Dubious Food.

Link, Zelda, Urbosa, Revali, Tera, and a riled-up Bokoblin �the gang's all here. If you wan?t to be prim and proper, the choi??ce is yours. My eyes immediately darted elsewhere.

[caption id="attachment_332306" align="alignnone" width="1920"] _{Zelda: Breath of the Wild player icons are up for grabs until July 4 at 5:59 p.m. Pacific.}[/caption]

If you're feeling bold, you'll drop 10 points on the Dubious Food and swap it in as your (permanent?) new Nintendo ??Switch player icon. Well, at l??east until the joke wears thin.

You can find the current selection from your Switch home screen �click on the red Switch Online icon, then scroll down to M??issions & Rewards to see what's available.

This whole "weekly avatars" scheme is still pretty fresh, with tons of games and imagery to pull from, so I think it's amusing that Nintendo is willing to include some off-kilter imagery this early into the proceedings. If anything, the trick is just getting people to pay attention �I would've totally missed the Dubious Food if not for a Reddit shout-out.

After appearing in Breath of the Wild and Age of Calamity, I'll be bummed if this so-call?ed food doesn't return for the sequel. I hope it's eve?n more of a wildcard next time around.

The post Zelda: Breath of the Wild’s Dubious Food is now a Switch player icon appeared first on Destructoid.

Regal Replica

One of the contributing factors to the enduring appeal of Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild lies in its introduction of many mythical new characters to the Zelda universe. And for those of you besotted with the underwater kingdom of Zora, First 4 Figures might have a treat ??in store for you.

The merch-maker has offered a first look at a brand new figurine capturing the beautiful form of Zoran prince??ss and Champion of Hyrule, Mipha. The PVC figurine stands roughly nine inches in height and is delicately poised with? her formidable Lightscale Trident. Mipha's ethereal presence and compelling beauty belie her adept combat skills and overwhelmingly courageous nature, reflected in her subtle stance.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGeIxpNMoMo&t

Mipha stands atop a sturdy circular base, emblazoned with the symbol of the secretive "Shadow People," The Sheikah. The bas?e features LED lighting effects, which light up her royal highness with a delectable aqua blue glow. The Mipha figurine will look mighty fine standing on anyone's bookshelf, and will make an even better accompaniment to F4F's previous releases of Princess Zelda, Revali, and, of course, Link himself.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Mipha figurine is available to pre-order now from the official First 4 Figures website. Mipha will retail for around $150 USD on release, but those who pre-order now can bag an Early Bir?d price of $137.99, not including shipping or any potential customs charges. Mipha is expected to ship in the fourth quarter of 2022 and payment options are also available.

The post The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’s Mipha is getting her own figurine appeared first on Destructoid.

Steve Austin settles the Legend of Zelda debate

I don't know about you, but I have a hard time imagining professional wrestlers in any other context than, you know, wrestling. I'm not sure why the idea of these big, muscly men sitting down to play on a Nintendo Switch is so funny to me, but they're normal people who like video games, just like anyone else. We now know that Stone Cold Steve Austin and Cody Rhodes in particular are men of culture, because they both love The Legend of Zelda series.

We got a small glimpse into their lives as gamers after a tweet from the official WWE Network's Twitter (via VGC) let fans know about Steve Austin's show Broken Skull Sessions, the guest for which will be Cody Rhodes this week on May 6. The two played a game where Austin asked Rhodes to give answers after prompting him in different categories, and with Rhodes having only 30 seconds to respond to the questions. Simple enough, and Austin started with the most important category of all: Best Zelda game.

//twitter.com/WWENetwork/status/1521540838672801793?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwc??amp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1521540838672801793%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.videogameschronicle.com%2Fblog%2Fstone-cold-steve-austin-thinks-breath-of-the-wild?-is-better-than-ocarina-of-time%2F

Without missing a beat, Rhodes responded, "Ocarina of Time. Hands down." Austin wasn't having it, because he quickly responded with, "No dude, Breath of the Wild."

Rhodes claims this was a "bold choice," but I have to agree with Stone Cold Steve Austin on this one. Ocarina may have laid the groundwork for the modern Zelda era, but Breath of the Wild is a culmination of what the series could be. The other thing I love about this exchange is that they both so obviously care about their answers, and I imagine if they weren't under a time crunch, this would have spun out into a full-blown conversation. I know that I for one would love to see a fight where in between hits, the guys are yelling about which Zelda game is the best and why. Make it happen, WWE.

The post Stone Cold Steve Austin thinks Brea??th of the Wild is the best Zelda game appeared first on Destructoid.

You just need to blow yourself up a lot

Zelda: Breath of the Wild's outer space design is a sight ?to behold, even though no one is actually going to witness it through normal gameplay. Well, just about anyone.

While folks have been glitching out into space for some time, Redditor ThornyFox managed to do it legit (normally I'd embed the video, but since it has tons of flashing lights and tends to autoplay, you can check it out here). Well, without? mods at least, because bugs were involved! ThornyFox notes that t?hey used the core glitch in the video below to actually pull it off.

Here's the gist: "Bomb arrows will instantly detonate if you use them while on fire. So I used apparatus storage, a glitch that keeps elemental effects no matter where you go. Then I just jumped in lava, and the game thought I was constantly being lit on fire." It's actually several glitches in one, as they glitched to get that many arrows, too. It's called inventory corruption, and you can learn how to do it here. They als?o managed to stave off? death by being in the ragdoll state, which makes the user impervious to the explosions (and Link is also immune to the cold status). Phew!

After all that, apparently after actually reaching their destination, falling down from Breath of the Wild's outer space region takes roughly 10 minutes. The fact that this state even exists sho??ws why people ar??e still talking about this game.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBi7awXKDWw

The post If you haven’t seen Zelda: Breath of the Wild’s outer space, here’s a peek appeared first on Destructoid.

A somewhat unconventional Turkey Day spread

I don't think I'm alone in saying that as far as its origins go, Thanksgiving is by far the worst holiday of the latter part of the year. In light of this, I do my best to forget how the celebration got its start, and instead foc??us more on how much I love the food that I could eat year-round if I wanted, but only choose to eat on this holiday because it feels more special. Video games are known to ha??ve some of the most delectable-looking food that I'll sadly never get to eat, but I can at least compile a list of all the virtual Thanksgiving dishes I wish I could down this year on my food holiday.

7. Fried Chicken - I Love You, Colonel Sanders!

[caption id="attachment_297593" align="alignnone" width="1200"] [Image Source: Gamebyte][/caption]I learned recently that KFC is a big holiday tradition in Japan, so I'm gonna go ahead and say that's fair game for the sake of this patc??hwork list. Now ??as far as how good this chicken looks in the game, I don't think they could have made it look more tantalizing if they tried. It's also presented to us in the format of a dating sim, which somehow makes it look even more dreamy and amazing. Honestly, screw a turkey this year, this game that was created solely for the purpose of selling me chicken has done an excellent job of making me want said chicken. And those mashed potatoes? Say no more.

6. Pumpkin Pie - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

[caption id="attachment_297595" align="alignnone" width="1024"] [Image Source: Amino Apps][/caption]The desserts aren't something to make super often in this game, because they don't have a ton of utility and their ingredients are often valuable and hard to come by. Did I make them anyway simply because they look amazing and I have a sweet tooth? Absolutely, yes. It feels like a special little treat to give Link a cake after he narrowly escaped death after running through a field of Guardians. It feels only fair. All of the dess??erts in Breath of the Wild look amazing, but I'm gonna have to go with the pumpkin pie on this one for o??bvious reasons. Plus, it'll give me an armor buff for when ??those Thanksgiving tensions start rising, am I right?

5. Stupendous Stew - Super Mario Odyssey

[caption id="attachment_297598" align="alignnone" width="1280"] [Image Source: IGN][/caption]When I was playing the Cookatiel boss fight in the Luncheon Kingdom, I swear I could barely focus �all I could think about was how good that stew looked. I love a good cream-based soup, and those big chunks of potatoes, carrots, corn, and zucchini looked amazing to me. The only thing it's missing is a little bit of protein to give it that rich flavor, but I assume that's what the Cookatiel is for. This is one of those recipes that gets replicated online a lot, and for good reason. I might just have? to try and make my own St?upendous Stew for my own Thanksgiving celebration.

4. Butterscotch Cinnamon Pie - Undertale

[caption id="attachment_297586" align="aligncenter" width="488"] [Image Source: An Undertale Lover][/caption]Okay, I know the circumstances surrounding this pie are�questionable, but you cannot tell me that it isn't your dream to wake up from a nap and have the most incredible, warm, ooey-gooey butterscotch cinnamon pie just sitting out for you. It sounds cozy, and it's exactly what I would want if I found myself in some mysterious underworld that was full of monsters. To be honest, neither butterscotch or cinnamon are usually something?? I'll go out of my way to eat, but in this case, I just have to make an exception.

3. Stuffing - Stardew Valley

[caption id="attachment_297589" align="aligncenter" width="493"] [Image Source: Stardew Valley Wiki][/caption]Stuffing is a classic Thanksgiving staple, and one of my personal favorites, so I couldn't very well leave it out. It's simple, sure, and the low-res pixel art doesn't do it many favors, but when you take into account that it's going to be made with fresh ingredients right off of your farm, you know it's gonna be delicious. The recipe is simple �bread, cranberries, and hazelnut �and while that doesn't quite stand out as the most involved stuffing recipe I've ever received, the thought of it somehow still makes my mouth water. Plus, you get a +2 defense bonus. Wh?at is it with all these Thanksgiving foods giving me defense buffs?

2. Sweet Potatoes - Cooking Mama 2: Dinner With Friends

[caption id="attachment_297602" align="aligncenter" width="250"] [Image Source: Cooking Mama Wiki][/caption]Let's be honest, I could have included pretty much ?any dish from any of the Cooking Mama games, but I chose Dinner With Friends because it was the one I played growing up. Now these sweet potatoes are certainly one of the more simple dishes you can make, but that's part of what makes them look so tasty. You're really taking your time to make sure they're slow-roasted to perfection, and that you g?et that nice sweet glaze on top. This is a much different way to prepare sweet potatoes than I was used to growing up, but I honestly think I would prefer it. Mama knows best, which means these bad boys have got to be incredible.

1. Ambrosia - Hades

Alright, I'll adm?it that this one is a bit of a wildcard, but I mean, c?ome on. Never has a video game food or drink drawn me in with its siren song like the Ambrosia from Hades. In real life,? ambrosia is a horrifying monstrosity of a dessert that mixes fruit, marshma??llows, and sour cream. Who does that? No, no, no, I want whatever sweet, golden li??quid is in those fancy glass bottles. I once had this amazing drink made of fresh-squeezed orange and grapefruit juices, and it was probably the closest thing I'll ever get in this earthly realm, goddamn it was so good. The fact that there is no real-world equivalent to this truly breaks my heart.

So, what video game foods would yo??u want to add to your Thanksgiving plate? What real-life foods do you look forward to during the holiday? season?

The post 7 video game foods I want to gobble down this Than?ksgiving appeared first on Destructoid.

How one player charted a path through Hyrule, without ever hitting their 'tail'

Link is patiently standing still. He is waiting, steadfast in a single spot, as the rain continues to pour on top of him. Surely he could move, get out of the rain, and dry off. But returning to the main path, or some shelter, or even teleporting might break the path of his journey through The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. And that would break the rules of Snake.

Everest Pipkin is a drawing, games, and software artist who "produces small work with large data sets," and who also happens to like Breath of the Wild. And back when the Master Trials DLC launched and added the Hero's Path mode, allowing the player to see the route they took through the game as one long trail behind them, Pipkin had an idea: what if you played it like a game of Snake?

In an interview with Destructoid, Pipkin says they were inspired by other runs, what you might call non-standard methods, of playing through a video game with some meta-textual goals or c????onstraints in mind. They reference the San Andreas Deer Cam, and playthroughs of Minecraft where a player sought to find the edge of the procedurally generated world, seeing the landscape turn surreal and crum??ble around them as the??y went.

After wanting to do the run for years, Pi??pkin set out for adventure on November 11, 2020, with the goal to so?lve what? they called "The Traveling Swordsman Problem." They sought to journey across Hyrule, without ever crossing their own trail.

As it turns out, that's a bit of a challenge.

//twitter.com/everestpipkin/status/14155??01272908771329

"Once I started, I ran into some problems right away, because I think I was originally like, 'Oh, I'll just save scum,'" Pipkin told me. "And like, it'll all be about finding a path through the world that lets me do the Divine Beasts, and I can try over ??and over again until I get it right."

It quickly became apparent that it wasn't going to be so easy, however. Breath of the Wild is fairly open in how it lets the player glide, clamber, and journey across the open world of Hyrule, but that also means mo?re aspects to account for. That means planning for possib?le vertical overl?aps, for example. Knowing where certain scenes had to happen, and what was critical to progr??ession and how it triggered, was all important in laying out a 2D path through this 3D world.

There were also unforeseen obstacles. Breath of the Wild's save management system, as well as its cutscenes and other actions outside of Pipkin's control, could sometimes teleport Link to other areas, dropping him in a new spot, and inconveniently drawing a line from A to B, causing potential? unintended intersections.

Pipkin described a situation with Hestu, the cheerful Korok musician who can expand Link's inventory. His quest—to steal back his maracas—requires speaking to him twice. A normal task for any other player, but through Pipkin's ruleset, required some careful negotiation of cliffs and approach vectors. And, as it turns out, the dialogue can warp Link back over the path they took in. That, along with issues like resting, or loading from an autosave, can cause all kinds of straight-line paths that would directly conflict with Pipkin's goal. The Travelling Swordsman Problem wasn't just about navigating Hyrule, but also navigating Breath of the Wild's unwritten rules about what it does and doesn't?? write to the Hero's Path trail.

So when I asked Pipkin why they kept at it, and what kept them going, I chuckled a bit when their initial reply was to call it a "sunk-cost fal??lacy situation." Though really, it does take someone determined to pull this off; and even though it got tough at times, it never took a turn into being clearly impossible.

"It felt like I had made this bet that I could see it done," said Pipkin. "And if there was ever a point where there was a hard exit, right, where it was like, okay, you know, this cutscene is essential. And ther?e is no way to do it without drawing a loop in the map. Like, it's just impossible. Then maybe that would have been a failed state, maybe I would ??have been like, 'Okay, I guess this is impossible, goodbye.' But because I never hit that, it was really just a matter of doing it right next time."

//twitter.com/everestpipkin/sta??tus/141550998213356??3392

So Pipkin carried on. And?? what?'s more, they were chronicling their journey the whole way. Their whole playthrough is available on YouTube: every new step forward, every annoying restart, and plenty of time just hanging out, waiting for some NPC ??cycles to finish or rain ?to stop pouring.

This also means the process of slowly solving what can even be done using this type of run. Pipkin said they didn't want to just run to Hyrule Castle right after leaving the Great Plateau; if you're going to do this Snake-style run,?? then you "kind of have to move through the whole world."

Clearly, some areas were more doable than others. Shrines, thankfully, don't record movement inside them to the Hero's Path, and so Pipkin found some freedom inside those challenges. But segments like teaming up with Prince Sidon to board th??e Divine Beast, for example, involved both cutscenes (potential teleports) and a gameplay segment where the pair would be constantly moving in loops. 

So, clearly, Divine Beasts were off the table. At several points, Pipkin attempted to route in Eventide Island, the infamous challenge area. And though they never found a solution, Pipkin still highlights it as a great microcosm of what the Travelling Swordsman Problem is all about: analyzing, carefully traversing, and figuring out how to deal with the chaos of Breath of the Wild's many, many overlapping syste??ms. At any point, something you've never seen before could knock you off your intended route, so learning to mitigate disaster is a helpful skill.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIkzmYDRRjI&t=111??91s

Eventually, Pipkin decided their win condition was to get every tower in Breath of the Wild, then head f?or Hyrule Castle. It was an important distinction to make, that?? this wasn't just about a test of their ability to play the game, but to also understand the game.

"I felt like it was important to have something else that wasn't just?? like?, the pure capacity of my skill to not get hit by enemies," said Pipkin. "But rather, the capacity of infinite patience. To like, be in the world, and go on the worst walk ever."

That walk would require a fundamentally different approach than you might expect, too. It meant fighting in a different way, since doing the si??de-step dance with an enemy and flurry-rushing them would be too unpredictable, movement-wise. They described doing a lot of moving forward and hitting, or standing still and waiting for enemies to approach. And if anything died behind you, none of those resources could be obtained.

Surprisingly, resources weren't too much of an issue. Shrines could offer some bounties, and as it turns out, Breath of the Wild is fairly generous in providing the player with resources. "There were periods where it's like, I don't have any arrows, or I don't h??ave a single shield," Pipkin rec??ounts. "But for the most part, you know, I had enough to keep my very few weapon slots stocked."

Fairies were an especially precious resource, as they could act as a preventative against death, and deaths weren't just trouble for moving forward, but also for keeping the path going as Pipkin wanted it to go. So a planned excursion to a Fairy Fountain resulted in some patient waiting for fairies to flit by, ??eventually ?coming close enough for Link to grab some and stock up.

Rain, of course, was a big factor. Travelling off the beaten path means cliffs, mountains, and possibly unintended routes through different regions, and that means climbing. Traversing those slopes in the rain, as any Breath of the Wild play?er will tell you, is precarious at best. So then, it's a short bout of waiting on a cliffside for the rain to stop, hanging out in chat as the in-game hours pass by.

Chat, at least, was helpful. Pipkin started their run with pre-recorded videos, but soon flipped to live-streaming the run and uploading VODs later. Passing the time gets a lot easier when you have a small group of viewers to chat with about the weather, pets, or wha?tever else has been going on as Link stands patiently resolute, holding out for the clo?uds to break.

After eight months, and six restarts, Pipkin accompl?i??shed their goal. Culminating in a Hyrule Castle run that, due to it having its own map that logged to the main map, meant having to navigate the final dungeon from memory, they toppled Calamity G?anon and finished their goal. The Sna??ke run had been achieved.

//twitter.com/everestpipkin/status/14??10434846128803844

But as Pipkin had gone on such a journey through Hyrule, altering how they thought about the game and its landscape, it was all doable. Though they say they had a couple versions of a map that looked like a "conspiracy theorist-like pinboard," Pipkin used those tools less and less over time. They were becoming familiar with the world and its systems in the context of this Snake run, and anticipating how to deal with chaos had beco??me a littl??e second-nature by the run's end.

They tell me they enjoy speedruns, but their own approach is a little different; they like the process of seeing those runs come together. "I am always interested in watching people who play games that way, playing them freely," said Pipkin. "Where they're like, fuck?ing around in the world, trying to find a better route, trying to like perform some sort of weird save system [trick], trying to duplicate a wall clip that somebody else did, and getting it wrong 100 times before they get it exactly right."

And after eight months, Pipkin did get it exa??ctly rig?ht. They have solved the Traveling Swordsman's Problem. To answer the most obvious follow-up: no, they have not done it again.

"I took it out," said Pipkin. "I took the game out of my Switch. I put it away. I'm tempted to play Skyward Sword but I don't even know if I want to do that."

While they still truly love Breath of the Wild, and how satisfying it is to mess around in its world with so many ways to play, they say they've seen enough of Hyrule for a while. Some mention of other games came up, like a shipless run of Outer Wilds, but it would need to ha??ve that same mix of interesting meta-textual, house-rules approach and existing attachment to the game. But while it may be a whil??e, Pipkin isn't done with Hyrule forever.

"By the time Breath of the Wild 2 comes out," jokes Pipkin. "I'll be there."

The post Beating Breath of the Wild like it’s Snake took careful planning and ‘infinite patience’ appeared first on Destructoid.

Oh.....

I can't tell you how many times I've attempted Zelda: Breath of the Wild puzzle, only to be thwarted by a slight physics nuance or some small detail I just never noticed. Awareness is a skill in this game, as the environment could shift on a whim and screw up your puzzle solution. Like this amazing video here from Reddit RainbowInThe??Dork.

Perfectly titled "What the-where is my Kor..oh," the creator is justifiably wondering where their korok seed reward is for solving this basket Zelda: Breath of the Wild puzzle. They put the apples in the right baskets....everything should be...oh. The damn hor?se!

Again, I finished Zelda: Breath of the Wild before launch and encountered a ton of these little silly personalized emergent events; but it wasn't until the game was released to the general public that I really saw its potential. "The flaming bear" was one of the first clips I ever witnessed, and I never really went back. I was hooked on Zelda videos.

Animal-based clips are super popular too, and even spawned into "All Dog Treasure" speedruns. Games have been leaning hard into "can you pet the" memes, and I fully expect Breath of the Wild 2 to embrace it even further.

The post This horse messing up a Zelda: Breath of t?he Wild puzz?le is a riot appeared first on Destructoid.

Long-hair Link is causing some speculation

We are now several hours removed from the E3 2021 Nintendo Direct, where we got some new gameplay and a new release window for the sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Suffice it to say, the fan theories are already crackling awa?y.

The cryptic nature of Breath of the Wild 2's reveals thus far, combined with the massive thirst for anything related to this new game, are coalescing in a lot of watching, analyzing, and theorizing over the new trailer. By the Nintendo YouTube's own count, it sits at 1 minute, 38 seconds long, and yet it has a lot of fodder for speculation over wh??????????????????????????at Link and Zelda's new journey in a post-post-Calamity Hyrule might entail.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pi-MRZBP91I

Of particular note is the appearance of Link, as he plummets down through the clouds a la Skyward Sword. He's got a new look: a new tunic, long and luscious locks, and a seemingly cursed arm that gives me serious Prince Ashitaka from Princess Mononoke vibes. As pointed out on Twitter too, it's also reminiscent of some concept art for the first Breath of the Wild.

It's a really good look! The long hair makes a lot of sense for a more airborne Link, as it's really fun to see it flutter in the wind as he plummets towards the ground, or the little hair flip he does when doing that weird portal-through-the-rock thing. And—hey wait, is that different hair in another scene?

That looks much more like Breath of the Wild's Link. And what's odd too is, I can't see any floati?ng islands or anything. And Link's garb is the old look too, not the off-the-sh??oulder look we see in the skies.

This is the crux of why some are theorizing that there may be some timeline or player-character shenanigans afoot. One suggestion is the use of a time portal, perhaps bringing the pair back to the time when people lived in the sky, the setting of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword.

A favorite of mine is that the flash at the beginning might be Link, or an ancestor somehow. It could reinforce the two-timeline theory. Keep in mind, Eiji Aonuma ??and Nintendo have been cagey in the past about where Breath of the Wild takes place in the Zelda timeline.

But nothing beats the return of playable Zelda speculation. Between the flowing hair and Link appearing fine in other shots, it's reignited hopes that despite Zelda plunging into an abyss at the start of the trailer, she might still be playable after all. Games like Metal Gear Solid 2 and The Last of Us Part II have managed to pull this kind of switch off in the past. This is some wild speculation though, because it would involve a pretty cohesive e?ffort to conceal the face ?of the character—though we don't really seem to get a good look at long-hair Link's face, do we?

Most importantly, keep in mind this is all some idle fun. 2022 is a ways off still, and fans are predictably hungry for whatever might be in store as a follow-up to such an impactful and memorable Zelda experience. Honestly, I just hope Link and Zelda can get some rest and relaxation after this one. Rebuilding Hyrule doesn't seem like it would be? easy!

Catch up on all the reveals from today's Nintendo Direct in our official recap here.

The post Breath of the Wild 2 theories are already springing up around Link’s new look appeared first on Destructoid.

Hateno Village, you can finally rest

Making open world games is hard. There's so many variables to account for, so many potential glitches to test: it's impossible to ship it and cover everything.

The most you can hope for, however, is that the game is playable, and Nintendo more than hit that mark with Zelda: Breath of the Wild. But players have still found esot?eric "hold this item and press these buttons to sink through the floor" bugs, and have been doing all sorts?? of wondrous things with them.

Enter the mysterious chests. For the past several years, players have been hunting down errant treasure chests that are stuck in certain objects. Redditor vohnandrew managed to snag one of the crazier ones in Hateno? Village.

Basically, they use a glitch to sink into the ground (prescient example), and then fly to a point where they can place a DLC item travel point. Then they create ice platforms to pull the ?chest out of the "stuck" spot in the g??litched zone. It's a wild series of bugs and it must have taken a lot of testing to get there. 

You ready for the reward?

The suspense is killing me.

The chest contains...a purple rupee! Yikes!

Here's how they did it!

At long last I've managed to open the glitched/mispla?ced/tricky treasure chest in Hateno Village using some weird glitches [Reddit]

The post Zelda: Breath of the Wild player glitches the elusive glitched Hateno treasure ??chest appeared first on Destructoid.

I want it to be real

Zelda: Breath of the Wild has some incredible ?art, both?? in and outside of the game.

The box itself was pretty much perfect, showing off our hero Link in his new digs, overlooking a vast world that invited you to explore it. Artist Dion42o decide?d to take that b??eautiful art a step further and animate it.

I tried to make it as clear as possible in the headline: but this is a video effect imposed on the box itself. You can find a full rundown of how Dion42o did i??t here in this time-lapsed video. They used&?nbsp;Adobe After Effects, as well as Photoshop.

The creator stated their original vision: "I really wanted a Guardian fight scene for the open case ??par??t, I was envisioning link parrying a beam and it shooting way outside of the case but I couldn't find anything like it."

Hey, this works! That Gold Lynel piece is one of my favorite all-time single selections of Zelda&nb??sp;art. It really sums up the imposing feeling o??f squaring off against one for the first time: and all of the memories that go along with conquering them.

The post This Zelda: Breath of the Wild ani??mated box art video effect is incredible appeared first on Destructoid.

Bilbo would be proud

This is legit folks, I missed it.

Just like I missed that you could see all four divine beasts from ?the top of Link's house in Zelda: Breath of the Wild. XprtGamer44 of Reddit (apt name) discovered something else a lot of folks had completely missed too: barrel riding. Ah a fellow barrel rider!

Succinctly put, after nearly 1000 hours with the game, they finally discovered this oddity and decided to share it. And like all 1000 other clips, it makes me want to immediately boot up the game and?? go do it myself.

In case you're curious, you can find one in the Great Plateau near "the Old Man's Hut!" Lanayru Wetla??nds or Eventide Island are also options. And the barrels do float!

Oh, and in what has become a tradition for a lot of Breath of the Wild clip sharers, XprtGamer44 notes that the outfit in the video is "the Hylian Hood, Climbing Gear, chest, and Royal Guard Boots, dyed whi??te."

/?/www.reddit.com/r/Breath_of_the_Wild/commen?ts/n19v84/975_hours_into_the_game_and_i_just_realized_this/

The post Barrel ridi?ng?? is yet another thing I missed in Zelda: Breath of the Wild appeared first on Destructoid.

That had to be intentional

"Did you know?"

The amount of Zelda: Breath of the Wild posts I could start with that phrase...and in some cases, I have! Four years on, and we're still discovering stuff together as a community. Oh no, not another Breath of the Wild post! I promise you, ?you probably didn'??t know about this one. A few of you probably did, and you're welcome to comment about it.

So ajsayshello shared this neat discovery on Reddit, and they pitched it with such a good title too: "Cool detail I just ran across." Isn't that how all of these Breath of the Wild revelations start? Well, it just so happens that you can perfectly view all four Divine Beasts on the highest point of Link's abode in Hateno Village (the?? same one that has an inte??resting and familiar past): the chimney.

It's a small detail, but a really cool thing I had never?? seen before, ??or noticed. And I've climbed to the top of the chimney! This has to be deliberate, as it was Link's destiny all along to help cure them and get Hyrule back in line.

It perfectly encapsulates why I'm still writing about Breath of the Wild all these years later. These community discover??ies legitimately blow my mind and enticing m??e back into its world.

You can see a??ll 4 divine beasts from the top o??f the chimney on Link’s house [Reddit]

Cool detail I just ran across. You can see all 4 divine beasts from the top of the chimney on Link’s house. from r/Breath_of_the_Wild

The post Did you know you could see all four Divine Beasts from the top of Link’s Zelda: Breath of the Wild house? I didn’t! appeared first on Destructoid.

Here's a short, but sweet compilation

Bokoblins, you love to hate 'em.

What could have been a generic open world enemy ended up becoming one of my most frequent sources of laughter while playing Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The Tex Ave?ry-antics thes?e things would get into were limited only by my imagination. They're so immensely fun to mess with, Bugs Bunny style.

This video from alterpoda encapsulates why in just under a minute. Bokoblins comically blowi??ng themselves up is something I'll never get tired of. And really, so much of that is enabled by the way the world and its physics work.

The bit at 0:27 where one Bokoblin blows up ano?ther because it picked up a TNT crate is a contender, but the top spot for me is taken up by the part at 0:35. It's happened to me! Sometimes I'll just randomly be wandering around, see an explosion, shrug, and walk away.

I'm a sucker for this sort of enemy infighting: Monster Hunter Rise nails it on a constant basis.

Bokoblins. That’s all. from r/Breath_of_the_Wild

The post Zelda: Breath of the Wild’s Bokoblins are some of the best bumbling enemies of all time appeared first on Destructoid.