Chapter 884: This Scenery Is Absolutely Stunning
Amid Selda Princess's soft calls, Link opened his eyes.
A dazzling blue light appeared in Zhao Lei's field of vision, and the picture gradually sharpened. What he saw now was a strangely shaped object.
He looked closer—was it… a lamp?
But this lamp, along with the ceiling beside it, had a unique style—a blend of ancient and futuristic aesthetics. The material looked incredibly hard and durable, blue dots like constellations glowed with a faint luminescence, and the rounded, sculpted patterns added to the design…
Just the design of a single lamp, paired with the overall art style of the game, transported Zhao Lei into another virtual world.
"Link… wake up…"
At Selda Princess's call, Link opened his eyes, sat up on a special circular platform, and looked around in confusion.
At this moment, Zhao Lei felt much the same as Link—utterly bewildered.
Who am I?
Where am I?
What am I supposed to do?
This was a place with a peculiar art style. The patterns, constellations, and glowing dots on the walls gave the impression of alien technology, and everything around seemed indestructible.
Still, the overall aesthetic was very cohesive, and this unique scene felt novel to Zhao Lei.
Link walked up to the camera, and Zhao Lei realized he could now control the perspective.
The VR version of *The Legend of Zelda* had a perspective similar to VR *The Last of Us*—a third-person follow camera. However, the camera was positioned far behind the character, allowing a full view of Link's entire body, including his feet.
Link's figure occupied only a small portion of the screen, so it didn't obstruct the view at all.
Most VR games use a first-person perspective to maximize immersion, but a few adopt a third-person view, like *The Last of Us* and *The Legend of Zelda*. The former does this to prevent cognitive dissonance when switching between dual protagonists, enhancing narrative flow, while the latter deliberately pulls the camera back to avoid exposing the performance limitations of the Sitch and Matrix Glasses when running VR games.
If you've only ever played VR games in first-person, this perspective feels a bit strange. When you rotate the view, the camera pivots around the protagonist. Using the surrounding scenery as a reference, it feels like you're a floating ghost, circling the main character.
But Zhao Lei quickly got used to it. After all, most third-person single-player games on PC work on the same principle, and it's no different when ported to VR.
Ahead, there was a strangely shaped stone platform, glowing with a faint blue light. At the center of the platform lay a special slate.
Just as Link approached the platform, a mechanism gently turned, and the uniquely shaped slate stood upright, as if inviting Link to pick it up.
Selda Princess: "That is the Sheikah Slate… When you awaken from your long slumber, it will guide your path…"
Link reached out and took the Sheikah Slate in his hand.
On the back of the Sheikah Slate, at the center, was an eye pattern, with the pupil emitting a blue glow. At the top, there was a handle, allowing it to be held or hung for wear.
And on its front… was a display screen.
The entire Sheikah Slate was roughly the same size as a Sitch, fitting perfectly in hand, except it had no controller grips.
Link put away the slate and continued outward.
After retrieving a worn shirt and trousers from two chests, Link dressed himself and used the Sheikah Slate to open the shrine's door.
The door swung open with a rumble, and sunlight streamed in. Link shielded his eyes with his hand, squinting as he looked outside.
Selda Princess: "You are the light that will illuminate Hyrule once more… Now, it is time for you to begin your journey…"
Zhao Lei guided Link as he ran out of the shrine, familiarizing himself with basic operations like running, sprinting, climbing, adjusting the camera, and equipping items.
Unlike *Assassin's Creed* and *Uncharted*, the protagonist Link in *The Legend of Zelda* didn't need specific handholds to climb. As long as the terrain was a regular slope or wall, he could scale it freely. However, climbing consumed stamina, and the speed was much slower than in *Assassin's Creed*.
Facing the sunlight, Link dashed into the outside world.
The camera zoomed in from afar, following Link as he ran, gradually lowering. When Link reached the edge of a cliff, the camera slowly pulled back again, and in an instant, the entire splendor of Hyrule was laid out before him!
In the distance, there was a volcano spewing lava and a royal city shrouded in evil; up close, ruined relics, lush forests, and vast grasslands…
A faint mist, gentle sunlight—the whole scene seemed coated in a special filter, as picturesque as a watercolor painting.
A soft BGM began to play, and in the lower right corner of the view, the game's title appeared: *The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild*.
The camera slowly panned and then settled on a tall temple to the right of the screen. Halfway up a mountain, an oddly dressed old man stood by a campfire, as if waiting for something.
"This scenery… is absolutely stunning!"
Zhao Lei hadn't expected much from the VR effect of the Matrix Glasses, given that both its size and price were far inferior to a proper VR gaming pod. But after seeing this opening vista, he was instantly convinced.
The image clarity was certainly far below that of a VR pod, but the distance compensated for the lack of detail, and the stylistic advantage of *The Legend of Zelda* immediately shone through.
Compared to realistic-style games, this art style was more impressionistic and artistic, giving the feeling of a carefree fairy-tale world.
In a realistic game, the thick grass and slightly rough terrain might have been criticized by many, but in this style, they blended perfectly with the environment and even looked a bit charming.
"Huh? There's a branch on the ground. And a mushroom."
"What's this? A rhinoceros beetle? Oh crap, it flew away!"
As he made his way down the mountain, Zhao Lei noticed many collectible elements in the surrounding environment.
The entire UI system of *The Legend of Zelda* was similar to *Uncharted*—it hid as much textual information as possible to enhance immersion. Items like apples and mushrooms only had a faint glowing effect to hint at their presence.
For collectible creatures like the rhinoceros beetle, if the player ran over, it would be startled and fly away. To catch it, the player had to sneak up. Unless the player was prepared in advance, failure was almost inevitable.
Along the way, Zhao Lei also encountered an apple tree with two bright red apples on it. But the branches were too high to reach with a normal jump; Link had to climb the tree to get them.