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Discussion Will Breath of the Wild ever be rehabilitated? (ie recover from "obsolete tech demo" status)

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Not since Satan has something experienced such a fall. The chorus of "Best game ever!" has now been replaced by "Most obsolete game ever".

Tears of the Kingdom is undoubtedly the worst thing that could have happened to Breath of the Wild. It seems to make it worse from any angle. Those who love TOTK now see BOTW as redundant while those who don't like TOTK feel that way because it has made them sick of BOTW style games.

There are a few who claim they like BOTW better, but a pattern is apparent that is encapsulated in this NintendoLife video.

Felix's argument for BOTW is not really an argument for BOTW as a game. It's an argument for it as a moment in time. I always find this unsatisfying since it isn't saying BOTW is good and worth playing, even when TOTK exists, but it was more merely more impactful.

Is Breath of the Wild doomed to be that game people talk about but never play?

I think it deserves better. BOTW is its own game with its own unique story, tone, challenges and pacing that deserve to appreciated. But I'm in a tiny minority on that one. These things are generally heavily maligned, to the point that I struggle to understand why BOTW was ever so beloved in the first place.

Maybe we're just in the afterglow of TOTK as a new game and after a few years, when TOTK becomes old too, the idea of just playing TOTK and TOTK alone won't be as appealing.

On a related note, it is funny how shortly before TOTK's release, we had a thread posing the question of whether it would make BOTW and everyone said the idea was absurd and then TOTK releases and without batting an eye, people say exactly that. Talk about discussions that aged poorly.
 
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for me, BOTW -> TOTK was kind of that Uncharted 1 -> Uncharted 2 moment: the first game established an incredibly solid foundation but at the same time showed clear ways of improving. Then the sequel took these points of improvement and executed on them to create a game that surpassed the first iteration of the idea in most aspects.

Personally, I feel it could definitely end up being the case that BOTW will be remembered as the revolution in game design that was subsequently improved significantly with TOTK. I don't really see the problem with that, though: it should be expected that a sequel improves on its predecessor in game design. Every game is a moment in time - for example, FFVII would not be considered a top tier game (still a good one of course) if it had only released in 2024, but as a 90's game it was mindblowing and managed to impact gaming history, and got a big fanbase as a result that remembers it fondly, in part because of what it represented. This seems to me like the normal progression for any great game.
 
I don’t know about that, I’ve seen a lot of people disliking tears of the kingdom, and as far as popularity goes they usually pair up as number 1 and 2.
I prefer botw to totk but I probably need a second playthrough of TotK before nailing down my opinions on it compared to botw (which I’ve beaten 3 times).
If I had to bet I think the opposite will happen, botw will continue to be considered a generational game and best in the series while tears of the kingdom will just be the sequel to it.
 
BOTW doesn't need rehabilitation or whatever, the same way ocarina of time still wins the polls like the best game of all time thing we just had threads on despite the various sequels being it but better, BOTW will always be the most successful and remembered long term because its the game that redefined the way an open world could be, and as impressive as the numerous physics systems are in TOTK, BOTW did the vast majority of the work to get there to begin with.
 
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I don't know what you're on about, even if TotK is seen as the better game, BotW is still considered very high quality as well. Plus it's the Zelda that precipitated the explosive ascent for the series and coincided with the Switch launch, plus has sold more, so it's still the more prolific game overall.
 
BOTW doesn't need a rehabilitation. I think this sentiment is heavily overstated and I've seen tons of people that prefer the beauty and simplicity of BOTW.

Personally, it's silly to me to see TOTK as an "upgrade".
 
I'm not super sure if "good game is now useless because another good game exists" tracks as a mentality people really have. By this logic a lot of games that have sequels that just did it again but better would've gotten holed too, but we know they didn't.
 
Totk doesn't replace Botw. They are similar but not identical experiences.
Some people believe that Totk is a superior experience, others love Botw more due to its simplicity.

Also kind of off topic but unfortunately when it comes to the internet apparently you either love something and hate the other. The idea that you can love both things simultaneously is apparently crazy.
So some Botw fans would call Totk a bad game and vice versa in order to emphasize their preference. You can love both games equally people!
 
Glom said:
On a related note, it is funny how shortly before TOTK's release, we had a thread posing the question of whether it would make BOTW and everyone said the idea was absurd and then TOTK releases and without batting an eye, people say exactly that. Talk about discussions that aged poorly.
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Is it the exact same people saying that though? Or is it just that finding two conflicting opinions on the biggest Switch games just isn’t that hard on a Nintendo-based discussion forum?

I don’t think TotK makes BotW obsolete. I wouldn’t want to play them both one after the other at 90 hours each on similar maps. But if you like one, why not try the other later on for something similar but different enough. I like BotW’s survival tone early on. But then, I also really like TotK’s heroic tone of the Hylians exploring and rebuilding too. Both are great vibes. Both games have flaws. Those vibes and flaws are very different.
 
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I've been replaying both BotW and TotK this month, I think now I have a different opinion about them. I didn't enjoy my first TotK playthrough as much as I did with BotW when it launched (for several reasons, not just the game itself), and always had the feeling of being playing an expansion of a game I already played 300h, just like going from WoW WotLK to Cataclysm.

Then, I started replaying BotW last month, but after a few hours, I went to TotK again, and my second playthrough began. Suddenly, I was enjoying TotK a lot more than my first time. Having finished the main story last year helps a lot, because now I am free to explore slowly, doing quests, shrines, koroks, etc. And exploring the sky made feel somthing very similar to what I felt with my first BotW playthrough. Now I'm able to enjoy TotK as much as it deserves.

Having said that, I still prefer BotW in general. It's simply more well-rounded, and the both the world and the story make more sense. TotK is a gift to BotW fans from Nintendo, more content and different mechanics, but I think it's a mistake to play TotK without having played BotW first, the world will make less sense and will end up being a much less immersive experience. Now a few thoughts:

  • TotK story, while very emotional, is a huge disappointment. I'm sure we all wanted to have Zelda as a character, just like the first minutes of the game. Having conversations, being part of an story with her, seeing Link and Zelda together building a new world, adventures, or even playing as Zelda herself. But nope, cinematics and drama again.
  • Reusing Hyrule again is not great after having played 300h of BotW, and making disappear every single piece of Sheikah tech of the entire world is not very immersive.
  • The crafting system is defintely the best part of the game, it's fun, creative and it will make people play this game hundred of hours. But it's not necessarilly better than the simplicity of BotW exploration.


TL;DR TotK is a gift for BotW fans from Nintendo, but not the better game in general.
 
I'm not making up the "obsolete tech demo" discourse. It is a thing and the counterarguments are mostly arguing for BOTW as a moment in time rather than a game that can be enjoyed alongside TOTK now.

I wonder if we'll ever see someone who played TOTK first, say they think it is BOTW holds up to its former reputation.

PixelKnight said:
Is it the exact same people saying that though?
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Checking that thread again, yes. Either way, it's still aged poorly.

unkindlynice said:
OP I feel your overly thinking this. I know a lot of people who prefer BotW.
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But is their preference a variation of the "more impactful at the time" argument?

Some have said that they rate BOTW higher, but wouldn't go back to it (cf Zelda Cast).
 
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BOTW could absolutely be "rehabilitated" by dropping it into the TOTK engine. It is hard to go back to BOTW without the numerous QOL improvements in TOTK. In that sense, I wouldn't mind getting a remaster on Switch 2.

(I'm not saying BOTW is obsolete or anything, but it certainly would be easier to go back to a remaster than how it is right now.)
 
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I couldn't disagree more with the "BotW -> tech demo // TotK -> finshed game" thing. It's literally the opposite, BotW is the perfect well-rounded game and TotK takes it and adds an incredibly complex tech with its crafting system that is impressive even for devs working on much modern hardware.
TotK is literally the tech demo.
 
I think BOTW‘s simplicity will be a huge advantage for its longevity. To compare another unrelated duology that happened on the same console, you won’t find many people touting Banjo-Tooie over Banjo-Kazooie. Tooie’s complexity makes for less pleasant revisits! Also, it’s bad.

Also, Uncharted isn’t a great comparison because the biggest reason nobody talks about the first game is that they probably didn’t play it. The first game came out when the PS3 was not in a great place commercially whereas the second game helped usher in better times for the platform.
 
Yeah I'm not sure TOTK would be the one of the two I would choose for a revisit of that world tbh... I think BOTW is doing just fine, if anything I see more overblown criticism of TOTK (despite me not liking it as much as BOTW) than I see BOTW needing an image rehab
 
Yeah, OP is overthinking imo. Some people will say TOTK is better, some say BOTW is better. The fear that a groundbreaking AAA Nintendo game will be forgotten is kinda irrational if you ask me
 
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BOTW kept me hooked from beginning to end. I dropped TOTK before the end and while I do want to go back and beat it, don't feel it's a pressing concern.

I think both games are great, mind you, and I like how both do stuff in their different ways. I do feel playing BOTW first kinda diminishes some of the appeal of TOTK in the being surprised by the world itself area.
 
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I don't know where this "obsolete tech demo" discourse is taking place, but if it doesn't have multiple people making the argument that Breath of the Wild is the purer vision executed with greater elegance to achieve an enduring piece of design the discourse is crap.
 
It doesn't need it at all. People forget that industry impact and timing is what helps ensure a game's lasting impression. Just look at Ocarina of Time, where almost every game after it has more/better mechanics, more elaborate level design, but Ocarina of Time, to many, won't be beaten because it literally got almost everything right on its first try and games STILL rip it off to this day.

Breath of the Wild is the same way. It doesn't matter that Tears of the Kingdom flosses on it, it also would not exist without Breath of the Wild. If anything, more people is trying to bash Tears of the Kingdom, but that's just the hype backlash hitting again when Breath of the Wild was already getting that months after launch.
 
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Jeez.

It's a game that sold over 30 million copies and is the blueprint for its franchise going forward, in what world does it need to be 'rehabilitated' ?
Personally speaking i know i won't ever replay the game but it doesn't matter, it doesn't negate how important the game was.

Internet gamers like their pointless discourses way too much, there is really no need to overthink any of it.
 
Enthusiasts need to pull themselves out of the mindset that if no one is actively talking about the thing they like on social media that it needs to be re-evaluated or some other hogshit nonsense like that.

I play Back 4 Blood relatively often. It's admittedly a smaller community compared to the game it takes its inspirations from - -but the player base around it is extremely dedicated and I never find issue finding a set of players. Communicating within enthusiast circles however would tell you that the game is 'dead' or whatever the hell that entails when it's quite clearly the opposite.

Opt out of social media discourse generated by engagement farmers -- they are a disingenuous part of this hobby that will constantly trick you due to how loud and obnoxious their voice and influence can stretch within your circles. It is never based in reality.
 
BassForever said:
My favorite games people talk about but never play based upon my social media bubble are Minecraft, Roblox, and GTAV online

🙉🙊🙈
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Me too and my social media bubble is Fami :D

Having said that, if you went by noise on Fami you’d be convinced various JRPGs are the most important thing to release that month/year, that Persona is bigger than Monster Hunter, and that a character being in Smash defines their place in videogame pop culture. And I say that as someone that mostly talks about rpgs on here.
 
famiboards.com

Breath of the Wild or Tears of the Kingdom

Breath of the Wild wowed the world when it came out in 2017, with many calling it one of the best games ever made. In light of this, there was a lot of skepticism as to how its successor could possibly live up to this legacy. When Tears of the Kingdom finally arrived, it managed to shoulder the...
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Famiboards literally had a poll on this where Breath of the Wild managed a respectable ~42%, so yes, the worry it won't be recommended in the future seems a bit much. Yeah, a lot of the arguments bring it up as "a moment in time", but also, how playable it is. Really the most awkward thing I imagine for retrospective gamers is binging these massive games back-to-back would be a bad experience (unlike say Ocarina and Majora)
 
Nobody ever claimed that BotW is a perfect game -- its shortcomings were obvious even in 2017 (dungeons et al). But even with those shortcomings, the game was and still is incredible. Sure, TotK is better on several fronts, but there is a trade-off between the pure "fun" factor and the cohesiveness of game and world design (ideally they should have created a new world and lore but that would have taken forever).

So no, I don't think BotW needs to be rehabilitated in the first place (that game is SS, which introduced many of BotW/TotK ideas but gave them a different emphasis!), even without playing the "on the moment" card.
 
you’re all fuckin’ heathens

BotW is still better than TotK and I stand by that

there’s plenty to enjoy in both

whoever’s saying shit like “BotW obsolete lol” is simply not operating on the same plane as the wider world of Game Enjoyers™

did ascension hurt? how’s the view? sure sounds lonely up there…

if there are people in this thread who don’t know me, this is a tongue-in-cheek exaggeration of my real opinion, and I am exercising jester’s privilege in throwing stones at clouds. please do not take genuine ire with my words, for they are the mere distant honks of a clown car…
 
for real though I still like BotW a lot more. I didn’t really see the “problems” as “problems” — just choices, ones that I liked.

Having so many choices like that “answered” in TotK really just reinforced how much I enjoyed the chosen limitations of BotW.

There’s some shit I appreciate — fuse is extremely cool, I love the (damn near singular) sky island, and more enemy styles is nice — especially bosswise…

but a ton of it feels to me like “ah, okay. so that’s what it’d be like to drop this element in there. hmm.”
 
When TOTK released, there was definitely a period where the general reaction seemed to be "wow, TOTK improves on the BOTW template so much that BOTW seems obsolete, like a glorified tech demo! I don't think I'll ever be able to play BOTW again when TOTK exists!"

That period lasted, like, three months

Both games have their diehards, both games have their haters, but I think it's reasonable to say that the general perception is that both games are excellent and offer different things. There's no need to "rehabilitate" BOTW
 
I'm of the opinion that critical reevaluation over time is going to end up favoring BOTW a bit more over TOTK. It's not just a "moment in time" kind of argument either; I straight up think BOTW is not only more well designed in some areas, but it's also just an easier game to appreciate.

Also people talking about OOT, I do legitimately think there are good arguments for it still being regarded as well as it is other than the timing. Yeah, later games did come around and do more and refine things further, but that doesn't really take away from what OOT does really well that keeps it being well loved today. If anything the simplicity of OOT is a major boon to the Zelda template that later games lost (and to an extent BOTW recaptured).
 
stodesign12 said:
  • TotK story, while very emotional, is a huge disappointment. I'm sure we all wanted to have Zelda as a character, just like the first minutes of the game. Having conversations, being part of an story with her, seeing Link and Zelda together building a new world, adventures, or even playing as Zelda herself. But nope, cinematics and drama again.
  • Reusing Hyrule again is not great after having played 300h of BotW, and making disappear every single piece of Sheikah tech of the entire world is not very immersive.
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Totally agree.

I loved the story and world of BOTW and TOTK was like another game recycled the world created for BOTW.

At the very least having Sheika tower ruins or something after they fell down?
 
I would really like a version of BOTW with:
Ability to drop weapons when opening a chest.
Ability to sort items in the quick menu.
The throwing system in TOTK.
The freefalling/diving system in TOTK.
More stable slots.
Rebalanced cooking and more recipes.
Faster flurry rushes.
Map on the loading screen (and faster loading in general).
Slip resistant armor (could be unlocked in Zora's domain)

That would make for a really great replay.
 
Gaming circles online don't really represent much. People always start complaining more about stuff after the honeymoon phase. People hate on everything online. And comparisons and double takes on popular things make for good content.

IMO.

Personally, I don't know how BoTW is any better than ToTK. The games are extremely similar, ToTK just has way more variety. If you don't like "Ultrahand" then sure, that would be a reason but otherwise..... like they tried to flesh out quests...they fleshed out puzzles... they fleshed out the equipment system.. improved dungeons and bosses... enemy variety.... locations and size...
Literally the only thing I can think of that makes sense is:
"I don't like ultrahand and making stuff" = "BoTWs more straightforward magnesis, cryonis, stasis were more fun"

It's fairly iterative with some more complex puzzle solving tools on top of it all.

Personally, I can't see myself wanting to play BoTW again at least for a long time. Open World games are different than regular games. You have to invest a ton of time... and simply put I'd rather invest my time in ToTK where the systems are more fleshed out.

It's not like Ocarina and Majora or 64 and Sunshine, that just feel like completely different games and they aren't over 100 hrs.

But that doesn't mean I think it's bad. I just think it's been improved upon.

I think I'd have been more likely to see them as 2 separate games if the world and characters were different at least, but they aren't.
 
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D.Lo said:
Totally agree.

I loved the story and world of BOTW and TOTK was like another game recycled the world created for BOTW.

At the very least having Sheika tower ruins or something after they fell down?
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Yep, how is posible that Sheikah towers, that have been there for 10.000 years, and guardians that were restored and working for 100 years, suddenly disappear??
I was really hoping to see non corrupted guardians helping people rebuild towns and the Hyrule castle... Even summoning one to help Link or having mini games like racing against them haha!

TotK has that Ganondorf hands/ghost, which kinda replace them, but honestly, it's not even close as a boss and doesn't allow much gameplay fun.
 
I once worried Super Mario Sunshine was bad for SM64, as Sunshine's smoother controls (especially for things like wall kicks) were hard to go back from, even if the rest of the game didn't match up. But nah, SM64 is still fun.
 
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As basically everyone else is saying in this thread, BotW doesn’t need to be rehabilitated. It has its own identity that quite a few people prefer.

I’m struggling to think of any situation like this where the first game needed “rehabilitation”. Usually that’s only reserved for games that are comparatively ancient to their sequels.
 
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Glom said:
Not since Satan has something experienced such a fall. The chorus of "Best game ever!" has now been replaced by "Most obsolete game ever".
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GTA IV. MGSV. Animal Crossing New Horizons.

If anything I feel like the fact that Breath of the Wild shows up more in those goofy IGN / Gameinformer polls etc etc for best game of all time shows that Breath of the Wild's future is pretty secure. Not to mention it took like, what, three months for a large portion of the internet to start acting like they hate Tears?
 
Glom said:
Not since Satan has something experienced such a fall. The chorus of "Best game ever!" has now been replaced by "Most obsolete game ever".

Tears of the Kingdom is undoubtedly the worst thing that could have happened to Breath of the Wild. It seems to make it worse from any angle. Those who love TOTK now see BOTW as redundant while those who don't like TOTK feel that way because it has made them sick of BOTW style games.

There are a few who claim they like BOTW better, but a pattern is apparent that is encapsulated in this NintendoLife video.

Felix's argument for BOTW is not really an argument for BOTW as a game. It's an argument for it as a moment in time. I always find this unsatisfying since it isn't saying BOTW is good and worth playing, even when TOTK exists, but it was more merely more impactful.

Is Breath of the Wild doomed to be that game people talk about but never play?

I think it deserves better. BOTW is its own game with its own unique story, tone, challenges and pacing that deserve to appreciated. But I'm in a tiny minority on that one. These things are generally heavily maligned, to the point that I struggle to understand why BOTW was ever so beloved in the first place.

Maybe we're just in the afterglow of TOTK as a new game and after a few years, when TOTK becomes old too, the idea of just playing TOTK and TOTK alone won't be as appealing.

On a related note, it is funny how shortly before TOTK's release, we had a thread posing the question of whether it would make BOTW and everyone said the idea was absurd and then TOTK releases and without batting an eye, people say exactly that. Talk about discussions that aged poorly.
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What? According to who? The general reception of TOTK was worse than BOTW and many people prefer BOTW to TOTK. BOTW has an actual identity for starters unlike TOTK which is often referred to as "DLC".
 
I knew the OP was familiar to me. Another banger thread, bestie.

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How deep is the rot?

EDIT: The post below is kinda dumb. I made it because I had perceived a negative shift in mood here at Famiboards as well as elsewhere and I wondered about what such a negative shift means to sustainability of the Nintendo brand. I realise now that my perception was wrong, which renders the...
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