Does anyone actually like the rain mechanics in BOTW?

[LuisGarcia]

Currently playing BOTW and absolutely loving it. Such a fantastic game and the sense of exploration is unrivaled imo.

However the rain mechanic is an absolute crazy design decision. Who thought it would be a good idea to base a big portion of your game on climbing and then make it so you are unable to climb when it rains for long periods? I just went to climb a mountain and just had to stand still for 5 minutes until the rain stopped.

Just curious if anyone actually liked this mechanic and why?

 

[BigTnaples]

I haven't experienced this yet, but I love mechanics like this. Much more immersive.

 

[Ryouji Gunblade]

You get more puddles for cryonis shenanigans, but I've never used it when it rained. Ever.

 

[Pokemon Master Tim]

I f*cking hated it.

 

[Haze]

Don't know if I necessarily "like" it but it does add a bit of environmental challenge to the traversal

 

[Strings]

It was just a massive PITA, more than anything.

 

[Egrimal]

Found it very frustrating but from a design point of view I do kind of get it and I think in some areas it's forced me to find alternative ways around and up which isn't necessarily a bad thing in an open world game.

 

[sleepnaught]

Pretty sure its universally hated. I keep plenty of wood and flint in case I need to start a fire somewhere dry to pass the time

 

[MidnightCowboy]

I like it in theory, but in practice it was kind of annoying. There should have been a rain suit or something to mitigate it.

 

[packy17]

As it is, no. If there had been an item or gear set that allowed you to climb in it without slipping, it would have been fine.

 

[Khanimus]

I mean part of a big adventure is dealing with the elements. It's not like I was happy when it happened, but it made it feel more involving rather than just being a pointless random bit of aesthetic. For a game that made me feel like I was on my own Lord of the Rings-esque adventure through the world, how many scenes are there of them suffering through the mud, huddling from the rain, etc.

Not everything has to be in the player's favor, and BOTW clearly isn't interested in making things easy for you at all times. It's not like there aren't ways around it.

 

[It’s Reyn Time!]

I liked having to find an area of overhanging rock to shield me from the rain so that I could get a bonfire going and use the updraft to make more progress. I liked the risk of starting a big climb with the possibility that it could all go fuckup. I liked having the freedom of being able to climb everywhere combined with a mechanic which forced me to change my plans on the fly and decide between finding an alternative path, attempting to push on or waiting out the weather. I like mechanics which make you actually examine your surroundings, make plans and either execute them or adapt them.

 

[UsoEwin]

I do. Frustration is a part of adventure, and many different emotions collectively make up the experience; not just purely enjoyable ones.

Plus you can still climb, you just have to time when to jump. So it make you rethink how to scale certain things.

 

[Nightside]

Never bothered me too much.

 

[Fredrik]

Didn't like it but it made the game more challenging which was good.

 

[Sander VF]

No one ever mentions the silver linings of the rain.

It muffles your footsteps for when you're trying to sneak and also supercharges the effects of lightning arrows and weapons.

 

[rAndom]

Rain + electric arrows are my jam.

 

[Deleted member 19213]

I disliked it. If I recall correctly, I believe there's a way to climb even when it's raining. Maybe with an item or gear.

 

[Apollo]

How much it frustrates you is really going to depend on your mindset going in. I very much appreciate that it's a thing, because I like the idea that the world doesn't always bend to the player's convenience. If I needed to climb something and rain made that an impossibility, I found myself enjoying the opportunity to take a breather, explore around and sometimes get completely sidetracked.

 

[Net_Wrecker]

0 issues with rain. It's part of the open world problem solving and there's always a way to overcome, either through stamina food, timing leaps in between resting points, or finding an alternate path.

 

[Anth0ny]

it was the dumbest shit

i used to just put the controller down and do something else until it stopped raining

hoping it's gone in botw2

 

[Nights]

I loved it. It gives plenty of things a change-up. Electric Arrows being basically super buffed, having to swap from your (probably) extremely strong metal bow and sword, having to figure out how to traverse differently or if you want to rest you have to find some place dry so you can start your campfire, etc.

It made traversal way more interesting than I just always have my steelbow/weapon, climb here to get there, and plopping a fire down whenever to pass time.

Not to mention I really like rain in games anyway so that was a plus.

 

[Deleted member 8593]

The rain is one of the many elements in the game that make it feel more tangible and real and not feel like something that was designed for the player's convenience (even though there are lots of elements that affect the player subconsciously). Wouldn't want the game to be without it.

 

[Chaosblade]

There is a forecast section of the HUD so you can see it's going to start raining soon, and plan around it. And different parts of the map are more likely to have rain than others, so some places are just harder to climb in general because of that.

I never really had a problem with rain.

 

[Deleted member 5127]

Great for atmosphere but really fucking annoying with climbing, it just wasted time. Link is probably the unluckiest person in the world because every time it storms he gets struck lol.

 

[PlzUninstall]

I love rain in games. Combat wise it usually brings storms which added an interesting element to fights and your equipment.

Climbing-wise it was frustrating but added an interesting wrinkle into the mechanic. Having stamina limitations and fighting against the elements too really made it feel like you were suffering to get up a mountain.

Don't mind it at all.

 

[weekev]

I mean part of a big adventure is dealing with the elements. It's not like I was happy when it happened, but it made it feel more involving rather than just being a pointless random bit of aesthetic. For a game that made me feel like I was on my own Lord of the Rings-esque adventure through the world, how many scenes are there of them suffering through the mud, huddling from the rain, etc.

Not everything has to be in the player's favor, and BOTW clearly isn't interested in making things easy for you at all times. It's not like there aren't ways around it.

Click to shrink...

This is pretty spot on. Did I like it? No. Do I think it adds to the games immersiveness? Yes absolutely

 

[iamaustrian]

The fact that rain actually changes the environment by creating puddles of water(which you can use) is absolutley insane.
I can easily forgive the slippery rocks/walls.

Best "everything works together" VG engine ever.

 

[Deleted member 49319]

Just FYI to not get annoyed by the rain you can actually do a climbless run in BOTW.

 

[Deleted member 31092]

I think the game needed a rain suit for climbing. The mechanic itself was fine.

 

[JTyrmi]

It's possible to climb even in rain, even for a long period of time if you know what you're doing. So it never bothered me, it actually just added a nice layer of challenge which was fun. Also it made some nice scenery especially when it was storm at the same time.

 

[Fliesen]

I didn't mind them all that much. If you're into the immersion, you could always just set up camp and wait it out. Or find a climbing route that allows for breaks.

I kinda appreciated the mechanic for making me look for alternate routes.

 

[Zacmortar]

I do. Frustration is a part of adventure, and many different emotions collectively make up the experience; not just purely enjoyable ones.

Click to shrink...

This is the goddamn dumbest thing ive ever heard

 

[iamaustrian]

Great for atmosphere but really fucking annoying with climbing, it just wasted time. Link is probably the unluckiest person in the world because every time it storms he gets struck lol.

Click to shrink...

Only when you wear weapons/armor which contain metal. You are pretty save when sticking to stoneage stuff when a thunderstorm appears.
Thanks to the unrivaled chemistry/physics engine of the game

 

[xxracerxx]

I thought there should have been something to mitigate the hassle of it.

 

[Deleted member 5127]

Only when you wear weapons/armor which contain metal. You are pretty save when sticking to stoneage stuff when a thunderstorm appears.
Thanks to the unrivaled chemistry/physics engine of the game

Click to shrink...

I know, it's annoying to change to something else every time because it happens pretty frequently.

 

[Deleted member 3038]

Nothing infuriated me more in that game than every time I went to go get the blue flame for the ancient furnace and every single time I went for it It started raining, making me leave the area and going to do something else. It took me almost 6 hours of game time to even get the torch there in the end, because every single time I went for it it would rain.

 

[UsoEwin]

This is the goddamn dumbest thing ive ever heard

Click to shrink...

Your face :V


Gameplay has highs and lows just as storytelling. The difference is the implimentation. The rain in BotW isn't frustrating because it's poorly designed, it was designed to be frustrating so you were forced to adapt to different tactics.

I'm sorry you are so dull to not realise that things outside of pure enjoyment and fun can add to the greater experience.

 

[Radishhead]

It made the world feel more immersive to me. I even set up a campfire under a cliff so I could sleep through the rain. I understood then why they decided to implement the rain mechanic.

 

[Deleted member 2474]

Hate when it rains when I'm trying to talk a walk outside and go mountain climbing, nature please nerf

 

[catboy]

Yes, because I don't think every element in a game should have to benefit the player. It's realistic.

Maybe it would be nice if rain had some kind of benefit that would offset the decrease in mobility though.

 

[Inugami]

There are a couple areas where it makes for a fun puzzle element... But random? Pain in the ass at times.

 

[Council Pop]

I didn't like it, but I like what it achieved- it made Link feel vulnerable, and the topography of the world as something genuinely dangerous. It's not exactly difficult to wait a couple of minutes for the rain to stop. Similarly, wanting to light a bonfire but not being able to because it's raining is annoying, but I still like it being there.

It's annoying to take damage in a video game- doesn't mean I want to be invincible.

 

[ThisIsBlitz21]

I liked it overall, but hated it for climbing. That was annoying.

 

[xxracerxx]

What's the overlap of people that like the rain in BotW and the people that like the deliberate animations of RDR2?

 

[Nights]

Yes, because I don't think every element in a game should have to benefit the player. It's realistic.

Maybe it would be nice if rain had some kind of benefit that would offset the decrease in mobility though.

Click to shrink...

I believe if its thundering stealth is easier to do as in you can be louder without being noticed. It also gives electrical weapons a huge buff. In addition to that if enemies have steel swords/bows/spears they can be struck by lightning as well. Its not just negative to the player.

Unless you mean regarding traversal. Which in that case, yes. It just hurts us, the player. Lol

 

[Ryo]

It's annoying but part of the game's charm is that you're trying to survive in a dangerous environment and the weather is a very important part of that.

 

[Crushed]

I loved it.

-It muffles noise and reduces vision for enemies, making stealth stronger
-Different times of resources are available
-If it storms you can use metal against enemies
-It buffs electrical attacks with AoE
-You can totally climb in rain, it's not that hard. "you can't climb in rain" is a myth that got so widespread that tons of people never bothered to experiment and figure it out because they assumed it was impossible. There's even alternate dialogue for getting into Zora's Domain without passing Sidon at the entrance, which IIRC requires at least some rain climbing in spots to do.

 

[Deleted member 37928]

Yeah it baffled me that it rained almost every day. As you say it completely ruins the pacing and traversal of the game because you just stand there and wait for it to turn around. There's no tool or anything to use when there is rain so all it does is to bring downtime to your progress. I absolutely hated it. As soon as it started I just pulled up my phone and had a playlist of youtube videos ready for me.

 

[NotLiquid]

It's annoying, but it's not the only deliberately annoying mechanic to be put into a game in service of itself. And yeah, I like it. It adds another layer to the open world, another obstacle to solve.