Raspberryfield - IT, video games and comics

It was Easter school holiday in my early teenage years. My two younger brothers and I got three Easter eggs: first one with a movie inside (I can’t remember which one), second one was filled with candies, and the last one contained a game, Banjo-Tooie for Nintendo 64. We had so much fun with the game! In the evenings we played together, and it was as much fun watching someone else playing as playing by yourself. I thought the game was the best I ever played and for many years it was on top of my “best-games-ever-list”. I just loved the game from first sight, and still do. I thought it was so big and there was so much to discover. The game was full of funny and cute characters and it had a rich variation in the game play. And on top of that – a very beautiful art style. It was very hard to not love the game. This was the highest point so far of my experience what the world of games can offer.

But the years past by… Video games didn’t become so important in my life. I played from time to time but started to spend more time on other things, like soccer. And this gaming behaviour in general stays to this day. I play a couple of hours every week, but I am never swept away by game’s magic as how I was that Easter holiday many years ago while playing Banjo-Tooie. Sure, I have played many better games than Banjo-Tooie but I think our brain is playing with us just like we are playing with games. What I mean by this: when we are at a certain age it is easier to be carried away by video games. I think the child’s brain is not fully developed yet and it has a hard time to distinguish between the real world and the fiction one. Because of that it really feels like exploring a new world while playing games when you are a child. However, when you grow up you will automatically understand more complex things and sadly you will understand the patterns that build up games. It is like the first time when you understand that the magician at the circus don’t magically makes rabbits appear, they are already there from the start. As an adult this takes away the magic children experience. And according to me the same thing is happening to video games – the illusion will be broken down by age.

While I am playing The Legend of Zelda – Breath of the Wild I am feeling something… A feeling… A feeling that games haven’t been able to give me in many years. Yes, the last time I had this feeling was during that Easter holiday in my early teenage years. As an adult to once again experience the feeling that a game takes you away on a magic journey and makes you forget about time and the real world around you is breath taking. The Legend of Zelda – Breath of the Wild stands for it’s title and makes me want to explore more. What is out there? And what is beyond that mountain? These are the questions I’m keeping asking myself while I’m riding towards the horizon.

If I should compare the game with another Zelda game, it would be the first one: The Legend of Zelda for the NES. In The Legend of Zelda – Breath of the Wild the spirit of exploring and mastering the huge unknow world is always present. It is the same spirit and feeling that once made the Zelda games so beloved. This is combined with unbelievable well handcrafted environments (the desert and the tundra, wow!) and a great gameplay (I just love to climb the mountains in this game and paraglide to the next unreachable area, can’t stop doing that).

The only thing I lack in this game, which goes for all the Zelda games, is the ability to relate to non-playable characters. There are other role-playing games that does this much better! And I feel sad that the latest Zelda game hasn’t provided us with another round of unforgettable soundtracks. But let’s go back to the title, this game’s focus is clearly on the wilderness. Forget about the dull towns people and let the wind through the trees and the clink from your armour replace the action soundtracks and embrace the wild world out there! It is breath-taking!

If you decided to play an open world game – make sure it will be The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild!