Kojima has done it again.

He seems to be a master of turning obtuse concepts into grounded emotional journeys, where every thread of nonsensical plotting is woven into this massive, cathartic climax that leaves you stripped of any doubts or confusion and wholly fills you with wonder and astonishment. Every plot twist is built upon another plot twist, which is then capped off by an even bigger plot twist after the credits roll. Everything culminates in what can only be described as an ingenious narrative masterpiece.

The game is surprisingly less dense than the previous installments (which isn't really saying much), with its emotional underpinnings given far more weight than expected. It is written with the intent of completely engrossing the player in its world and philosophies. Snake/Jack/John (he gets a new name in the end just because) navigates his way through a Soviet jungle setting in this weird web of government secrets, conspiracies, every type of military intelligence, superhuman psychos, an illuminati-like faction of world leaders, all set during the cold war in 1964, and it is the most glorious thing you can ask for. I keep saying this every time I play an MGS title, but what the actual fuck Kojima? How high was this dude when he made this?

The gameplay itself is by far the most polished and streamlined aspect of this game. Every time I felt like the bosses got too difficult, I had the option of trying 20 different methods of approaching them, each more unhinged than the other. Every piece of equipment and each weapon can be utilised to craft a completely unique experience, to the point where I feel if I showed my gameplay to any hardcore fans, I'd get shunned because of how insanely odd I was with my tactics and logic (and I enjoyed every second of it, mind you).

The game oozes creativity with its utilisation of space and combat/enemy variety, sure, but it's the near limitless combinations and techniques provided to the player that make for a truly remarkable achievement and experience. The game is ground-breaking in general. The addition of crouching makes life so much easier. Hunting for food, a new camera angle, camouflage outfits, tighter focus on direction rather than exposition, and redefining the stealth genre while birthing an entirely new foundation for the survival genre. The story itself is worthy of an essay. It deftly explores a multitude of topics surrounding war and love. The unquestioned patriotism of a soldier, the love of a mother and son tangled up against the odds of fate, the facade of eternal enemies, and the fact that everything is bound to change. 

The concept of "scene" is introduced, which is different from "gene" and "meme" introduced in 1 and 2, respectively. It deals with the idea of cultural relativism in response to ideology and personal doctrines, which it states is heavily influenced by the time and location we live in. "Eternal" is a concept not applicable to ideology, enemies, or allies. They are transitive and change in response to the "times" we live in. This is heavily illustrated in the character of "The Boss," a mentor and maternal figure to Snake, who becomes a victim of circumstance. This theme echoes through all the major characters. "Big Boss," for example, was considered a major antagonist in the previous games, but here he is a patriotic, heroic man. Eva is forced into playing a defect agent and participating in a deadly game of espionage where she falls in love, which ultimately causes heartbreak. Patriotism is also shown to be a relative idea, where one person can be publicly acknowledged, yet the true patriot can have their entire legacy tainted forever. Loyalty is also relative to the "times" where Snake was forced into choosing his own nation over his mentor, until he later decided to abandon it. It wasn't he who chose his loyalty, but the "times."

What a thrill

Everything I've mentioned is just the cherry on top compared to the opening theme. The lyrics are poignant, to say the least. This being my favourite,

I give my life
Not for honor, but for you

The theme has many loaded words. The gravity of them will not be apparent until you finish the game, which is full of these tiny allusions. Of course, lyrics aside, the music itself doesn't hold back.

Oh my god, how can you listen to it without being completely swayed and struck by it? That shit had me FLOORED. Cynthia Harrell's captivating vocals and the weight of the lyrics are some of the best of the best. Listening to it alone was so ethereal, even more so paired with scenes like the infamous ladder scene that sets the tone for the rest of the game and the final fight with The Boss that moves you to shed manly tears. The boot-up credit sequence itself was unskippable. I'll never stop playing it in my head and go

I'M STIIIIIIIIILL IN A DREEEEEEEEAAM SNAKE EATERRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!

Truly one of the greatest games ever made. What the hell Kojima

Spending a year and a half slowly navigating the empty framework of botw world has been, an experience to say the least. Tens upon hundreds of hours spent scaling every nook and crany of a cyclical world where each element builds upon itself into a world that feels boundless yet is also, limited in its constituents. The first few hours are agony because the game is designed to let you loose into a world where you don't really know what's going on. It brings a sense of adventure like none other but also takes away the safe feeling of pop up tutorials that tell you "hey dont do this! hey dont do that!" so your hero's path looks like if sisyphus decided to hop onto the game and fight Boroklins with a twig and kept doing that for 2 hours straight hoping that something would change. (another reason why the game was so difficult to navigate was because I didn't set my emulator up properly so it was essentially running at 10 fps for the first 18 hours 😭) It's a wonder that I never dropped this game and kept coming back to it from time to time, week after week or month after month like a moth to a flame. Eventually I realise that everything I ever needed to know was already told to me from the beginning. After that realization struck, the journey became a lot more bearable until it eventually became so that I couldn't stop thinking about it for hours, even days on end. The quiet soundtrack, the sorrowful tales of hyrule, the interactions with all its colourful and eccentric habitants. The emptiness itself became my home, something I never wanted to sever myself from.

The game works. It just works. There's no lengthy essay than can properly state how homogeneous every tiny aspect of the world is. How each individual element can be extrapolated and experimented on. Complete with a set of wonderfully realised score and a timeless story that deals with loss, grief, tragedy and heroism in a world of inspired mythology. It wears its influence on its sleeves. Just take on look at the Koroks or Ganon's second form. It's basically a Princess Mononoke open world game and if that doesn't sound like the best thing ever then I don't know what to tell you. The detractors confound me, claiming that the game loses its sheen after the first few hours or that they don't understand why the game is so celebrated. But botw simply offers creative freedom unlike any other and it only becomes more evident to the player the more they spend time on it. It's just a creative firework and every game that has copied it since is all the better for it. For those who argue that the only reason BOTW is popular is because of the Zelda tag, I present to you: Genshin Impact. Exact same game down to the minutest details but without the Zelda tag and it won best mobile game.

Is it flawless? No. But that's a redundant question to begin with. Is it the best an open world formula has ever been implemented? That entirely depends on you. For me however, Breath of the Wild stands head and shoulder above its peers. There's nothing quite like it. It offered a liberating escape from the shackles of my mundane life and I'm eternally grateful for it.

Let's see if Tears of the Kingdom can shift my opinion.

10/10

"By the gods... what have I become?"

Sony's flagship franchise didn't start slow. It was an explosion of a brazen subversion, featuring the most angry gonzo of a man that defied all connotations of the typical underdog narrative. Wrought in deep layers of tragedy lies a curious character broken by his own lust for power and neck deep in personal anguish. His bloodlust and indulgence were made into a riveting narrative device. Santa Monica overindulges where most would exercise caution, crafting ceaseless processions of a bald Spartan rampaging through the ancient seas and the land of Greece. His unflinching killing spree stems from the very ounce of humanity within him. A shattered past of seismic guilt reveals itself piece by piece via fragmented cutscenes. It is these haunting memories, bloodlust and tits where you find the very fascination that acts as the primary gel between the player's interest and Kratos' hard-boiled emotions. The writing and world-building are both stellar and hilarious, in mere seconds it builds intrigue from its opening and as the game continues it creates a vivid picture of Athens at war with a moronic double-digit IQ God of War Ares, stupid white women and endless "foreshadowing" that is as subtle as a brick to a face. At one point it just outright tells you what's gonna happen in the next game. Like woah, he's chained by his weapons! The painting says Zeus will fight a mortal man! Wonder what any of that could mean 😲 The gameplay leverages DMC's ingenious hack n slash design and dungeon aesthetics, offering enough experimentation, spatial range, brute damage, and combos to keep the game fresh for its short duration. Enemies are by and large engaging and varied, whilst platforming is funny because you get to control Kratos tiptoe his way over ceilings, ropes, and beams of wood, which never gets old. Puzzles, if anything, are both clever and fit the narrative context. There's just one instance where it got lazy and just put Tetris and called it a day. The gameplay offers enough leeway for newcomers to not be overwhelmed, but it is still challenging enough that it doesn't turn into simple button mashing (some sections, however, can get really, really annoying. Like the Siren one.) Pandora's Box deserves an entire essay on how great it is. The level designs are also far more elaborate than I ever expected, capturing an immense level of depth, intricacy, and scale. You're rewarded handsomely for being demonic. Killing civilians gives you health. You throw a man to his entrail-ridden doom because you don't like his tone (and you return to do it once more because you really hate his swag.) You get to drag and fry a chicken, I mean a living human for gaining passage. It's all very wholesome and is accompanied by an epic orchestral soundscape that makes you feel like a tragic bald mortal with anger issues and zero moral consciences.

Thus the game with a transgressive angry bald Spartan as the protagonist became one of the most popular games of all time.

Overindulgence might be the key people.

7/10