Westin Eric Bailey

I too was one of those people who got stuck on the tutorial boss and felt the steep rise of frustration building over time. I was determined to learn something from my failed attempts, and eventually, squeaked out a narrow victory. It's not about "git gud," but simply learning from failure and making some form of change in approach to the problem. I barely survived the boss fights I won. This game really did test my resolve, but with each victory came a sense of empowerment and confidence to face the next boss or difficult mission. I have gone through the game 3 times now for each possible ending and got my money's worth. I'm unashamed to say that some of the bosses had me stuck for multiple hours spread over a couple days, but with enough trial and error, a solution eventually emerged. In short: the game is an emotional rollercoaster with frustrating lows and blissful highs that cause you to jump out of your chair and shout "yes!" when you FINALLY get past that boss you've been stuck on.

It's really about that feeling you get from a game where you are thrust into a great unknown landscape and encouraged to discover its novelty for yourself. Truly, this reminded me of what it was like to play a new game as a kid. The 3-layers-deep open world presents a huge area to discover and merges that curiosity with the ability to craft the tools one needs to conquer the obstacles it presents. After a full weekend with TotK, I'm just barely getting started on the adventure.