‘Breath of the Wild’ is the king of open-world gaming

Reasons why you should play the latest installation in Nintendo’s “Legend of Zelda”

BY MAYA KORNYEYEVA mkornyeyeva@ucdavis.edu

Imagine a game where you’re able to glide over valleys, climb any mountain, swim up waterfalls and surf on your shield, exploring virtually anywhere. You can interact with the non-player characters (NPCs), whether it’s to learn more about your main objective or about their personal stories and adventures. You can throw a mix of random ingredients in a cooking pot and create dozens of recipes for meals and elixirs. You can stop time, find magnetic chests, freeze water and fight mobs by throwing your metal weapon at them during a lightning storm.

Imagine all of this, and you’ve got “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild,” released on March 3, 2017, a revolutionary open-world game. Created and directed by Eiji Aonuma, the game was published by Nintendo for the Switch and Wii U gaming consoles, with the goal of allowing players to explore the interconnected world of Hyrule with minimal instruction and an unprecedented degree of freedom.

Unlike games such as “The Witcher 3” and “Red Dead Redemption 2,” “Breath of the Wild” offers a less linear storyline. The protagonist, Link, journeys on a quest of self-discovery to reawaken the four Divine Beasts and defeat Calamity Ganon, an evil force attempting to take over Hyrule.

I began playing “Zelda” in March 2020 as a way to fill the empty days spent stuck at home during quarantine.

I was immediately taken aback by the charming and immersive features of the game and thrived off of the satisfaction of beating a Yiga Blademaster or completing a particularly difficult shrine. And I’m still playing: even with the main campaign complete, I don’t think I will ever be able to fulfill every side quest in the villages or chase every dragon — “Breath of the Wild” is just that expansive.

I believe what makes this Zelda game so unique is the map design, which offers multiple intricate terrains with unrestricted paths that the players can choose to follow. While fast travel

Series

is an option in the game, I find it unnecessary because there’s just so much to discover along the way. From magical plants to lost memories to Korok seeds, the game offers items and side quests at practically every step.

Beyond the top-tier features of the map, I enjoy the fact that, unlike many video games, “Breath of the Wild” doesn’t hinge on an XP or a level system.

At the very beginning of the game, the players are given all the tools they need to beat the antagonists. If you wanted to, you could go fight the final boss at the very start of the game and have a chance of winning. This is possible because there’s almost no point-to-point traversing.

Link, the protagonist of the game, can follow the centralized storyline if he chooses, but he can also traipse off into the wilderness. The game excels at allowing every person to play at their own pace, with a heavy reliance on problem-solving and context clues rather than tutorials.

Another key feature of the game that I adore is the inventive design work for the shrines, ancient tech and the Sheikah Slate. According to Takuhiro Dohta, the technical director of “Breath of the Wild,” these designs were all inspired by the Jōmon period in Japanese history. The Jōmon period is the earliest era of ancient Japanese civilization and the least well-known, beginning around 14,500 BCE and characterized predominantly by its

”cord-marked” or ”patterned” pottery style.

Of course, this is not to say that “Breath of the Wild” is perfect. There’s definitely some frame lag, and the shrines can be frustrating at first and progressively feel repetitive or even dull to an experienced player. Nothing great is without its faults.

However, “Breath of the Wild” still occupies an unparalleled position in the gaming world. Due to its initial popularity and Link’s lovable personality, the developers are coming out with the highly anticipated sequel “Breath of the Wild: Tears of the Kingdom” on May 12, 2023. It would be an understatement to say that I am excited about its arrival; with better graphics and a brand new adventure in reach, this continuation is sure to be a massive hit.

I highly recommend “Breath of the Wild” for anyone looking to test their deduction skills or just to have some fun and explore — you can gain more than 50 hours of phenomenal gameplay.

“Breath of the Wild” is one of the best Nintendo games out there (which is quite a feat because of Nintendo’s astounding reputation and massive catalog) and an absolute must-play.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by individual columnists belong to the columnists alone and do not necessarily indicate the views and opinions held by The California Aggie.

Recently, I told my uncle I loved his Christmas gift as I calculated what I could get when I returned it. Sometimes, though, these lies backfire — my grandfather got stuck receiving unwanted owl figurines for 40 years.

Our parents told us lies when we were children that were intended to shield us from the evil of the world: our dog went to visit a sunny, peaceful farm for the rest of its life, a man named Santa Claus magically enters our home and brings us presents every year and babies are delivered by storks. Are we better off having believed these? Did this really shield us? Maybe these lies saved our childhood, or maybe they delayed our understanding of the world and created our first inklings of distrust.

It’s been four years since I first heard this proverb, and it doesn’t sound so beautiful anymore. I don’t know if it’s all the life I’ve experienced between the ages of 17 and 21, or my quest to become a better person, but my perspective has changed. Now, I believe the truth is always better, full stop.

But I do recognize that it’s not that simple. There are lies that appear to soothe, it’s true. But how much soothing do they really do? Sure, when you lie you don’t have to face an inconvenient truth. You are let off easier and it seems like no one gets hurt. The lie is enticing — it seduces us by offering us things the truth can’t. But just because someone can’t feel the pain you’re causing them doesn’t mean you’re not hurting them. It’s only a matter of time before the truth comes out. And it always does.

Truth, addressed and delivered

If you have ever been lied to, you are familiar with this feeling of disrespect, betrayal and insecurity. Your version of the truth is completely discredited. It feels like the person lying to you does not value or respect you enough to tell the truth. It’s cowardly to lie. Therefore, telling the truth is a kinder and more respectful choice. It is a very courageous act to confront the uncomfortable.

Lying to someone takes away their agency. It corrupts one of the most important qualities of being human: the ability to make free, rational choices. After all, it’s impossible to make informed decisions when you’ve been lied to. I am not claiming to be some perfect truth-teller, but I know I wouldn’t want my agency taken away. The golden rule applies here: “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.”

Don’t get me wrong, there are some things I wish I didn’t know. Things I believe I didn’t have to know. It feels like I would have been happier without the truth. Ignorance is bliss, isn’t it? But when I stop to think about it, the bliss that ignorance gives you isn’t all that blissful. No matter how uncomfortable, the truth sets you free. And when given the power to set someone free with the truth or keep them caged with a lie, I hope you will choose to tell the truth.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by individual columnists belong to the columnists alone and do not necessarily indicate the views and opinions held by The California Aggie.

STUDENTSOFCOLOR FROM THE COVER

“I feel like we were thoughtful about who [hosted] the workshops, and I really appreciated that,” Cantor Mendez said. Aridin noted that this sort of attention to detail within the conference tied into their overall goal of inclusion and community.

“It was mainly to bring together students from across the UCs who identify as students of color and to empower them and show them that across the UC system, there’s a coalition of students who look like you,” Aridin said.

POCMENTALHEALTH FROM PAGE 3

Providing students from marginalized communities with support to make sense of who they are can allow them to thrive against the obstacles they encounter in higher education, according to Reyes.

“I think that the commonality that we have on our campus is [that] everyone’s a student, but the way our identities develop are not in sync usually,” Reyes said. “Our identities kind of go on their own journey. Some identities are salient, while others are not. And so offering groups for students who are navigating these different identities that are salient to them, I think, is super, super helpful.”

Villagehomes

FROM PAGE 3

“It’s about creatively integrating green and gray,” Wheeler said. “The development industry in this country does not have that creativity. It instead follows a formula, and I understand it if there’s a lot of money at stake, but we need to be more creative in the ways we live and build in our communities in order to bring meaning back into our lives.”

Wheeler said that Village Homes is exemplary of human value over monetary value, where the latter is typically prioritized.

“It’s all about, ‘Let’s be modernist as fast as we can,’” Wheeler said. “But we need to look at the takeaway from things like the great resignation, with people leaving their corporate and service jobs that don’t have any element of humanity in them. So on all of these fronts, whether it be work or the physical environment, we need to get back to something that really expresses our humanness.”

Wheeler said that these aspects of “humanness” are now very sought after in living environments.

“The proof is in the economic value,” Wheeler said. “It was originally built for affordable housing, and it quickly became the most expensive housing per square foot in Davis. Architects were not paid to do these things historically, there was no incentive, but now there’s a growing desire for it.”

It’s this irreplicable quality in Village Homes that makes it so desirable to buyers and so enjoyable to residents.

“This is a unique community,” Colombano said. “It doesn’t fit everyone’s lifestyle. If you want privacy or don’t value this kind of community emphasis, it’s not the place for you. But if you do value […] orchards, vineyards and open space like we do, this is the perfect place to live and raise children. I still feel lucky to live here.”