The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild – Armor Sets

Who doesn’t love Ninjas?

With such an expansive world as the one found in Breath of the Wild, there is bound to be treasures located around the world and one of the type of treasures that can be found or bought through vendors are the clothing and armor pieces that serve to enhance Link’s abilities and defense. Breath of the Wild is the first Legend of Zelda game to offer set bonuses on the armor sets equipped which means that when a full set of gear is worn, additional attributes are granted to Link’s abilities. What this allows for is a greater application of customization in how a player can approach a region or certain enemies. Depending on the different conditions present in a situation, the player has a choice through the armor they equip in how they wish to approach the scenario thereby adding to the player autonomy found in Breath of the Wild where the player feels they are the one pathing their own adventure.

The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild – The Trial Of The Master Sword

How majestic and ethereal

Upon retrieving the Master Sword and journeying into the world, a voice will express itself within Link’s mind revealing to Link that the Master Sword is incomplete and that in order to imbue the sword with its true splendor, a trial has been imposed upon Link which he will need to overcome. The Trial of the Sword can be accessed where the Master Sword once rested. The challenge constitutes of a series of floors which Link will need to progress through by defeating all the enemies that reside within that floor. Each time all the enemies are cleared from the floor, Link is able to move on to the next floor. If Link dies during the Trial, the player has to redo the Trial right from the first floor and start over.

The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild – The Journey To Find The Master Sword

And so the hero of time awakens from their sleep to retrieve the Sword that Seals the Darkness

The Master Sword in the Legend of Zelda is just as iconic as Link, Zelda and Ganon. Rather than a mere weapon, it is tied intrinsically to the conflict between the calamity and the forces that oppose it. The Master Sword represents the existence that combats Ganon and the darkness he embodies. Along with the Princess with the blood of the Goddess and her chosen Hero, the Master Sword is the existence required to seal away the darkness which is why in Breath of the Wild the Master Sword is called the “Sword that Seals the Darkness”. Throughout the many reincarnations and conflicts that have taken place over time, the one constant that remains is the ‘Master Sword’ or what it is referred to in that time being used to restore balance.

The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild – Overworld Bosses

The overworld bosses; imposing, challenging, overwhelming and all the same, satisfyingly rewarding

One of the most exhilarating experiences in Breath of the Wild beyond the exploration of the world (and by extension your curiosity) is encountering overworld bosses. More often than not the overworld bosses you meet tend to be more challenging than the dungeon bosses that you battle. This is likely due to the optional nature of their existence. Unlike the dungeon bosses which need to be defeated in order to progress with the story, the overworld bosses can be skipped and are untethered to the plots progression which is why their difficulty can be set more extreme than the dungeon bosses. Developers don’t have to worry about encumbering all players with the difficulty of overworld bosses when their very presence in the players adventure is one of choice. If a player decides to engage with such an opponent, they have a choice to learn the mechanics of the fight or to avoid these enemies altogether. And this is where the satisfaction of accomplishment comes in. By taking the time to learn from ones failures and utilising those lessons as stepping stones to success, players get to experience the core feeling of what gaming is about – that rewarding feeling of playing the game. And that is one fantastic feeling.

The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild – Unrestrained Adventure

Breath of the Wild truly is breathtaking

The Legend of Zelda has always been a game about experiencing an adventure. Whether it is through its story of going on a quest to overcome an evil threatening the world or through the elementary characters you get to meet through the course of your quest or through the puzzles and platform experience represented in the dungeons and bosses, the Legend of Zelda games always create an experience fondly remembered when it comes to gaming. Breath of the Wild is no different. Actually, that is an understatement, Breath of the Wild is expertly crafted and merges those “zelda” elements within an open world setting in such a phenomenal and ridiculously fun way. It is astonishing really, unbelievable in fact how brilliantly constructed Breath of the Wild is. The game is less about consolidating your objectives to serve as the path to the final boss and more about exploring the world to construct your own adventure that you experience on the journey towards the final boss.

Pokémon X [3DS] (Part 4) – Pokémon Amie

Bonding with your Pokémon through the use of the Pokémon Amie feature

Along with progressing through the story of Pokémon X through collecting my gym badges and thwarting Team Flare’s attempts to gather valuable resources in their possession, I have been playing the Pokémon Amie and Super Training features. Effectively Pokémon Amie lets players interact with their Pokémon using the 3DS’ touchscreen and camera, playing with them and giving them treats to strengthen their bonds, ultimately affecting the way the Pokémon acts during battle. I was curious how Pokémon would act during battles, so when I noticed one of my Pokémon with two Pokémon Amie hearts getting excited before a Pokémon battle began, I became even more curious about the Pokémon Amie feature.

Pokémon X [3DS] (Part 2) – Mega Evolution

The Wizard Fox, Delphox – by KeiNhanGia

I am seriously engrossed in Pokémon X now, I find myself looking forward to continuing my journey across Kalos and capturing as many Pokémon as I can whenever I am not playing Pokémon X. There is just something completely enchanting about progress and seeing your Pokémon grow, evolve and gain new abilities through the challenges you face within your journey. It’s enjoyable, compelling and even after hours of play, the game remains shockingly fresh and full of life. Even though I have only just gotten my third gym badge (the Rumble Badge) from the gym leader Korrina, I have accumulated so many hours of game play and I feel like I can spend a lot more time in my journey in Pokémon X.

Fanart Dimension – Samus Aran

The galaxy’s greatest bounty hunter and one of gaming’s sexiest heroines, Samus Aran

This piece was requested by one of my guildmates (here), he wanted Samus Aran (Metroid) in her zero suit with her special gun in a sexy pose, not sure how I nailed the sexy down but regardless, Samus Aran is by default amazingly sexy and this drawing was really fun to create.

Xenoblade Chronicles – A Truly Astonishing Game

Fate and Destiny forged anew, the path to the future lies in today

Xenoblade came to a shock to me because before I knew it, I was completely engrossed in the game and found it extremely hard to not want to play the game. There is so much packed into the game that it actually becomes hard to find yourself becoming bored. From the collectable blue orbs, to the quests, to the story, to the characters, to the achievements, to the world, to exploring the massive world that exist in Xenoblade, to the amazingly handled combat system, every one of those things made the experience of playing Xenoblade so much fun. And without a doubt it is the most fun RPG I have played in the past year.

The Legend Of Zelda: Skyward Sword

The Legend of Zelda - Skyward Sword

Quite possibly the greatest Zelda game ever created. The only thing that separates it from that title is personal preference. Skyward Sword pushes the Zelda formula and mechanics further than any other Zelda game and brings forward an extremely fun and innovative way to play Zelda. I can see just why Skyward Sword is being hailed as the greatest Zelda game created by a lot of people because it opens up such a fun and interactive way to play the game.