[11/11] ...for now I suppose there's Zelda's legally-distinct lightsaber, the new trio of Gerudo, Rauru's midriff & royal rump &... just Everything About Him, & Mineru gliding graceful-as-fuck on a big wheel in lieu of running for me to enjoy, till I hear any future news for either HW:Ao_ games.

[10/11] I know it likely won’t happen, but if by some miracle an update for Calamity comes out that improves performance & adds in sync strikes, AND a DLC for Imprisonment that adds some optional uplifting canon-shattering fun in, I’ll be the first in line to fork over cash for those. For now tho?

[9/11] There -is- a post-game, but does it make any sense to have one if telling a story like the one they chose to? No! So it ends up a mish-mash of map completing missions that are just there because it’s expected, rather than some kind of heartfelt story bonus like with rebuilding Terrako.

[8/11] I -want- to like this game, & purely on the gameplay alone (& Rauru & Mineru & Zelda) I do. But the fact that Nintendo caved to the kinds of people that probably thought Rogue One was a good idea, it is so very, VERY frustrating.

[7/11] Beyond the main few, most new characters were borderline palette swaps introduced with little fanfare or development because they’ve decided they can’t bring future TotK characters into the mix. Instead of having a tight group, they just throw a roster at you you'll never end up using fully.

[6/11] What makes these games fun imo is a wacky varied band of characters you know & like getting so strong together they -successfully- defeat a huge evil. HW:AoI however is a game where they simultaneously want you to feel triumphant while reminding you the next second that failure is inevitable.

[5/11] If you want to tell the tragic tale of Hyrule falling, make it an animated movie. If you want to make a satisfying musou game, throw canon out the window & make something joyously overstuffed with banter and character and combat, ala Gimli & Legolas as a game concept.

[4/11] Imprisonment tho? No.

I truly, deeply, emphatically even, do NOT understand the fandom’s obsession with strict canon that was loud enough for the past few years to convince Nintendo & Koei Tecmo to heed to making a DOUR canon-strict musou game, a phrase that shouldn’t exist.

[3/11] Calamity found a fine middleground, where a satisfying triumphant new tale was told in the past, every BotW character old & new was playable & it made it clear the new were going back to the timeline of BotW at the end, while still leaving you with an uplifting ending & happy to have played.

[2/11] The animation, music & voice acting is very good, even if the script translation is still as literal as TotK. Getting to see more Rauru, Mineru & Zelda was a treat, & some of the new characters were fun too.

Now the Bad: The strictly-canon-obsessed story takes the joy out of it.
Hear me out:

decided to do a listen-thru to make sure the upload isn't messed up, and there is one small dip in volume that isn't supposed to be there. I don't know what happened but I can't let it slide, reuploading before I head to sleep

Progress is only progress if it leads to a future where –everyone– gets to live a long, comfortable, self-actualized life; time enough to wander, learn, make & enjoy living.
Suffering should never be a factor deemed necessary to make a system function. Chuck c(r)apitalism in the trash. Eat the rich.

People are not objects, or toys, or numbers on a sheet. Anyone that's born—no—dragged into their brief decades of sentience by others, deserve to have a happy, healthy, nurturing upbringing & allowed to grow into the person they know themselves to be.

There should be no financial classes. No haves & have-nots. No more in-group/out-group hateful f*scist fuckery. Fuck that.
Hate is taught. It is not & never will be the natural state of a person. Hate is only ever battered into a person by another person, regurgitating the hate that preceded them.