Its story is one think: okay and functional.
The focus was on freedom and exploration, that kinda limited what they could do, but they still did not go full out with what was possible.
First: it was way to formulaic, same with the gameplay. The structure how all 4 beasts where done was geting stale by the time you get to the third.
See beast cutscene, find new champion, see scene of old champion, prepare for attack on beast, attack the beast with help of new champion, free beast, talk to old champion, get thanks and a champions weapon at new city king or something.
Recently someone mentioned that the people that are more character focused and those that are more plot focused often dissagree if a media has a good story.
I would argue the plot is pretty basic, the lore has some potential, the character interactions, while fine, where nothing to special since most of them where just to trope driven. Yeah, buhu, darunia is a big good heartet heavy, but he is afraid of dogs. In other media its mice or stuff like that.
The most interesting aspects where the story around link and zelda, and that was hampered by 0 talking. I get the "silent type" thing, but no words at all kinda meke it goofy.
Then there is the "read all descriptions/diaries" argument.... well, no? its additional material. I know, technically everything is optional, but that feels like watching a movie and then somebody says "you cant talk about the story if you did not read the acompanying prequell novel!".
There are good and great elements, it was fine for what it wanted and needed to do, but it really was nothing special, and could have been better.
I AM worried, that BotW2 being a direct sequell, they will be kinda limited with what they can do because of all the structure they get from BotW1.
If somebody would ask me, what zelda game to play for story... honestly, i feel like every 3D mainline game has a more interesting overall story, while BotWs setting and lore had the biggest pottential for one.
You have a 100 year gap, and a calamity that ruined the world. You only ever see that with zora that remember link, but even there it never fellt like real grief. They live der life, and are somewhat anoyed by you, more like you lost them a competition.
I know they did not want to make it to dark. Bit this game screamed for some on screen "grief and trauma coping", and to show aspects in which the life changed for those people. how did the people manage to fight the monsters and especially the guardians, did they do something about malice, did they try to use it to their defense, did it backfire, etc. Heck, you have the main point be link finding all his memories to end on the question "do you remember me"... and the post credit scene you get for remembering does not really have anything to do with that.
Its FINE. Its not great, it could have been way better, but its FINE. No defense needed, because the hate is about right, some people that dont like tropes or want more story are not happy, people that are happy with simpler naratives are happy.
There was a thread on Resetera a while back about the bleakness and violence present in post-apocalyptic video game worlds, and that reminded me of how Breath of the Wild is post-apocalyptic, but the world doesn't feel hopeless. Of course, that is because a century has passed since the 'apocalypse', but still. It works for the context of the gameplay, where they can design a world with a lot of white space, and not be concerned with creating large dense cities. The world feels wistful, yet welcoming.
Perhaps the one thing I would want is having the memories be playable sequences. They sort of did this in Champion's Ballad, with the Ganon rematches being 'memories' of the boss fights where Link is only equipped with Goron/Zora/Rito/Gerudo weapons. Of course this would mean reworking the content of some memories since Link has the Master Sword in a few of them, but it could work as a mini Eventide Island sequence. I would even use them as opportunities for Link to 'relearn' sword combat abilities, like the Twilight Princess hidden skills.
It's a truer apocalypse. Life is resilient and humans try to make the best of their circumstances no matter how bleak things can get.
Wind Waker explored similar themes more explicitly.
This game in no way should be as bleak as those games, but the problem i see, you barely see the resilience, you just see places where they life as if there never was something, and a handfull of people fighting a bokobling on their way.
There is a severe lack of "were proud hyrulians and fight for our life here, and wont give up!". Like you never see them interacting with a guardian. Say zora have the water around, and Ruto are on that island. But what do they do against Flying ones?
And why dont Kakariko, Hateno and the third one have some sort of baricade, towers for observing if there are monsters/guardeians aproaching, etc. Have a small "Guardinan Defence Force" that goes around and fights against them and delivers parts to the labs, have members of them be in towns, maybe have some missions with them or given from them... so many options, without getting bleak.
Im all fine with happy go dandy in a post apocalypse if the problem is banned. But here, malice/monsters/guardians are everywhere.
