It’s the Freakin’ Weekend! So What are You Playing?

Friday! Video games! Let’s Talk!

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is still my primary focus, which isn’t surprising given how massive the game is. I’ve just taken down my first Divine Beast (Ruta) and have yet to climb each of the map towers, so that’s part of my goal this weekend. The other goal is to hunt down more shrines so I can increase my heart pool in order to get the Master Sword. I’m… halfway to the required amount.

Since the last weekend wrap-up, I’ve learned that I can shoot animals with fire arrows to cook the meat immediately, surf down mountains on top of my shield, and toss food into bodies of water to attract fish. I’ve also found out the hard way that equipping metal weapons and armor during a lightning storm is a good way to get electrocuted. This game never ceases to amaze me.

If I had to guess, I’d say I’ve been playing Breath of the Wild for nearly 20 hours. I’ve barely scratched the surface of the story and there’s still a majority of the map left uncovered. It will most likely take me a few months to finish it, and that’s just fine. I don’t really want it to end.

My copy of Persona 5 just shipped from Best Buy, so I will be taking a Zelda break here soon. It won’t be any sort of major hiatus, since I’m making it a point to at least jump in every day to scan my amiibo. With so many major releases this year it’s been tough trying to juggle what I’ve picked up.

Adding to that, my rental copy of MLB The Show 17 should be here today, which couldn’t have come at a worse time. As a diehard baseball fan, I look forward to playing The Show every year. Jammed between Zelda and Persona 5, though, there’s a good chance I’ll only play it for a few hours before sending it back.

Outside of Breath of the Wild, I did spend quite a bit of time with Sumo Digital’s new platformer Snake Pass on Nintendo Switch. I’ve already reviewed it here, so I’ll spare you most of the details. The short version is that it’s a beautiful looking game with a novel concept but ultimately suffers from its own frustrating approach to locomotion.

Another Switch indie (or Nindie, I guess they’re calling them) I’ve been playing is Has-Been Heroes by the folks at Frozenbyte. It’s a roguelike RPG that’s a bit like Plants vs. Zombies, in which your band of aging heroes remains on the left side of the screen while enemies swarm in from the right. Each hero can only attack enemies in their given lanes, but these rules don’t apply to spells (which can be cast on anything). Attacking an enemy pauses the game, giving you a chance to place your heroes into different lanes. This strategy not only opens the enemy up for combo attacks, but it’s a great defensive maneuver to save a hero teetering on the verge of death.

As a roguelike, Has-Been Heroes is heavy on the randomization. Maps are randomized, boss order is randomized, and items acquired in the wild are randomized (based on what you’ve unlocked). It’s a very tough game, but a rewarding one. Even failures feel good, as you’re consistently expanding the amount of spells and items that could potentially drop in subsequent playthroughs.

Has-Been Heroes has been my go-to Switch game when I want a break from Breath of the Wild. It’s also enjoyable in short bursts, which is ideal if I need a brief homework distraction or just want to go sit out on the porch with the cats for an hour. If I weren’t so invested in Zelda, or perhaps if I’d already finished it, I could see me spending most of my Switch time with Has-Been Heroes until the next wave of games come along.

In a bit of disheartening news, I’ve been going back to Anima: Gate of Memories on PS4 from time to time, but I think I’m ready to throw in the towel. There are some neat ideas floating around in this budget RPG. Mostly, though, the combat isn’t fun, the characters are bland, and it suffers from some pretty unfortunate camera controls during its required platforming segments. Some of the boss fights are also incredibly cheap. I’ve given Anima a fair shake and I’m just ready to put it behind me so I can begin working on its review.

What about you folks? What are you getting into this weekend?