If you got to live inside a video game world, which one would you choose?
By Andrew R. Duckworth
Well, this is an interesting prompt indeed… I don’t say this sarcastically, although it really is a rather inconsequential prompt and there is really nothing deep to think about. However, I’ll oblige…
Obviously, the option has to be any of the games in the Legend of Zelda series, particularly Breath of the Wild. I carefully considered other options: the Grand Theft Auto series (too much violence and too much free will, but albeit a beautiful open world that seems to mirror our own… in some very unfortunate ways), the Jurassic World Evolution game series (who hasn’t wanted to see living breathing dinosaurs in breathtaking—okay, that’s a bit of a stretch—landscapes?… but I wouldn’t want to be one of the park visitors during and escape!), and even the Red Dead Redemption II open world (that open world game really is a marvel to behold. The game design is magnificent… but, still yet, a bit too violent and a bit too much free will, albeit a bit better than the GTA series).
I mention Breath of the Wild for a few reasons which I will detail further: 1) the open world is magnificent. 2) there is clear morality involved. 3) the characters are kind of awesome and often comical. 4) the sense of adventure. And the related 5) plenty of mystery and puzzles to work through.
I mentioned that the open world is magnificent. No, it isn’t the crystal clear mirror version of our own world and it isn’t meant to be. It still has a very cartoonish quality to it and that is part of the charm of the Zelda series. However, the landscape is vast and provides a significant upgrade from previous Zelda titles. There is plenty to explore, from jungle environments to vast canyons.
There is clear morality involved in the Zelda series. There is clear delineation of good and evil, although the line gets a bit blurry every now and then. As Link, you know who the enemies are—they’re monstrous. You also know who the good characters are. You don’t necessarily ever have to play a guessing game, and, even if you did, the game doesn’t permit you to harm good characters. In that way, no matter how hard a player might try, no harm can come to the good characters from the part of the controlled character. While this is a restriction of the free will, it’s a welcome one. The most harm that a player can do is swat at chickens with their sword which never terminates them. Instead, you’ll find that doing such things have consequences… several of them all at once, in fact.
The wide range of characters is also appealing. Within the Zelda games, there are several types of characters in unique environments that you can befriend along the journey. The Gorons are fun, for instance, as are the Zora (although I’m a bit more partial to the Zora in Ocarina of Time). And in between is a wide cast of characters in various towns and establishments, all of them with unique quirks.
But, perhaps most importantly, the Zelda series offers a sense of adventure unlike many other games. The story is compelling and puts you in the center of a “fate of the world in your hands” approach. It is a battle of good vs. evil that brings you from one corner of the world to the other. Exploring is part of the fun of this game, whether it be throughout the vast landscape or one of the dungeons. And through this exploring, the story expands. You can follow the main story of the game or find plenty of other tasks to accomplish.
When I first played Breath of the Wild, I was awestruck at how expansive the world was and how much potential it held. It is one of the reasons why I was more than happy that Tears of the Kingdom was a direct sequel that explored much of the same map. In fact, if they choose to go in the direction of a direct sequel of Tears of the Kingdom, I would welcome it. I would definitely want the world to expand a bit, but given the expansion that Tears of the Kingdom brought, I’m not exactly anxiety-ridden about it. And, for these reasons, if I got to live inside a video game world, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild would be my ultimate choice.
