Chapter 890: A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words
"Legend of Zelda" took only two hours to win over the vast majority of players who came to the experience store for a trial run.
As for the players who didn't come to try it out, they were a bit puzzled. Is this game really that fun? It doesn't feel like it?
Many people found these "wild cooking" (players hyping up Breath of the Wild) a bit baffling, because just from watching videos, it didn't seem like the game was all that enjoyable. There was no thrilling, heart-pounding story like "Uncharted," no identity as buzzworthy as "Assassin's Creed," and none of the hardcore difficulty of "Dark Souls."
If you only watched videos as a cloud player, you might think "Legend of Zelda" was a game that had a bit of everything but was mediocre in every aspect. After all, without playing it yourself, it's hard to understand how much freedom the "chemistry engine" brings to the game, and it's tough to grasp the sense of accomplishment from taking down an entire monster camp with some unconventional tactics.
But that didn't stop the players who had tried it from hyping "Legend of Zelda" to the skies, nor did it stop most players from developing a strong interest in the game.
For those who already had SITR games to play... these two devices were so feature-rich that their appeal to players was all-encompassing; ordinary people simply couldn't resist...
...
On the eve of "Legend of Zelda"'s official release, it wasn't just players who were buzzing with discussion. Major gaming media outlets worldwide had also released their scores for the game.
Regarding the scoring for "Legend of Zelda," Chen Mo's reaction was very low-key. He simply posted a picture on Weibo.
A picture is worth a thousand words.
Right in the center of the picture was the logo of "Legend of Zelda," and surrounding the logo were the scores from various major gaming media outlets.
/10
/10
Supergamer: 5/5
Age: Five Stars
...
A total of twenty-three gaming review outlets, all perfect scores!
And these weren't some obscure outlets; they were the most authoritative gaming review media in the world. Those with slightly lesser reputations, even if they gave "Legend of Zelda" a perfect score, weren't qualified to be included in this picture.
The logos of various major gaming review outlets and all kinds of perfect score ratings filled the entire picture. Even though there were no images or text on it, it was still enough to leave people utterly shocked.
Another masterpiece that swept the entire gaming industry with all perfect scores had appeared!
The last time this achievement was reached was with "The Last of Us." Back then, many gaming media outlets were lamenting that they didn't know when they'd see the next perfect-score masterpiece. Yet that day came so quickly—less than a year later, the second all-perfect-score masterpiece had already emerged, and the designer was still Chen Mo!
IGN's review gave "Legend of Zelda" an almost invincible evaluation, and many players couldn't help but joke that IGN was the biggest "wild cooking" boss of them all!
Professional Chen Mo hyping for a hundred years without wavering?
"Before playing this game, you must forget all the preconceived notions you have about 'open-world games' in your mind. Approach it like an innocent elementary school student and truly experience the earth-shattering changes this game brings to the 'open-world' genre."
"This is pure freedom and adventure. The land of Hyrule hides countless wonderful puzzles, and all the systems fit together perfectly, forming a seamless, complex whole. Even after playing for dozens of hours, there are still countless unsolved puzzles waiting for you to uncover."
"Perhaps every year Serent brings players a brand-new gaming experience, but this time, 'Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild' stands as his most ambitious and most impressive game. This kind of gaming experience is unprecedented."
"Pros:"
"Beautiful, romantic, and all-powerful open world"
"Countless puzzles with no repetition"
"Exquisite soundtrack"
"Combat system that encompasses all possibilities"
"Unique and adorable NPCs and monsters"
"Cons:"
"None"
Many players read this review and felt like they'd seen it somewhere before?
Hmm, they remembered—it had the same "con" as "The Last of Us"!
The reviews from other gaming media outlets were basically the same as IGN's, all praising "Legend of Zelda"'s open world to no end, with no amount of hype feeling excessive.
And the most shocking part was that, despite both being perfect-score masterpieces, "The Last of Us" and "Legend of Zelda" had absolutely nothing in common—they were two completely different games!
"The Last of Us" was a linear game, its main strength lying in its story, realistic art style, and profound, impactful content.
"Legend of Zelda" was an open-world game. Its main strength lay in its gameplay, anime style, with characters and monsters that were very cute and charming. The story was relatively traditional but never felt boring, perfectly fitting the game itself.
Looking closely, you could see that these two games were made in entirely different ways!
Other designers often specialized in only one aspect of games. After creating a successful title, they'd only dare to make minor innovations. Some companies even planned to milk a single IP for a lifetime.
But Chen Mo was different. He tackled different genres every time, and each one was a classic!
Many gaming media outlets were sighing in amazement.
It was only the end of August!
Could it be that this year's Game of the Year...
Was already a foregone conclusion again?