So I finally finished this game. Been playing the last couple of weeks but, before that, I hadn't really messed with it since last July. This post may get wordy, but I hope you guys won't mind me sharing some thoughts as I finally wrapped this one up.
So I'll just get this out of the way to start. I didn't really care for this game at launch. I didn't like, what I perceived to be, the lack of story. I felt like it was piss easy and by extension wasn't really motivated to find shrines or explore after a certain point.
Then DLC 1 hit and I immediately jumped ship on my normal playthrough (having freed 3 divine beasts) and started Master Mode. I ignored nearly everything on this run until I had enough hearts for the Master Sword. After getting it and seeing how quickly it broke on Master Mode, I just put the game down. I figured I'd just wait for the 2nd DLC to hit before bothering to try this again. And that's where the game sat.
So when I started to play again a few weeks ago I figured the first thing I should do was Trial of the Sword. I thought this would give me an unbreakable Master Sword, which would counter one of my big criticisms with the game. Of course, trial doesn't actually do that, Master Mode is challenging and Trial of the Sword even moreso. So this was probably the worst way to get back into things. But I dove into the deep end and came out on top after a little trial and error. The Master Sword still broke, but it was way stronger and more reliable. I then set out to free the divine beasts and clear all the shrines. I also made sure to pick up all the memories in my travels.
Some thoughts about this portion of the game: For the most part, the shrines were very fun. I especially enjoyed the ones that involved solving environmental puzzles before the shrine would appear. On the flip side, the apparatus puzzles made me want to kill someone. The motion controls never felt good to me and also having to flip or manipulate the same joycon that you also had to press buttons on to get off the apparatus was...ugh. Fuck those.
Anyways, the Divine Beasts themselves were pretty fun. I remember on my initial playthrough I wished they had been more substantial, like traditional Zelda dungeons. On my replay though I tried to think of each region as a dungeon with the Divine Beast just being part of it. That helped, though I still wish they had been longer or at least more visually unique inside.
The reward you get for all 120 shrines was quite cool and I made sure to fully upgrade it before visiting Ganon. The memories and the 2nd DLC really helped the lack of story aspect. That said, I wish there were more characters as interesting as Zelda and the Champions that were actually...you know...alive or present during the game.
So with a full powered Master Sword, fully upgraded Garb of the Wild and my trusty Hylian Shield I set out again for the castle to see this thing through to the end.
The two Ganon fights were really impressive overall. I feel like the horseback section in Twilight Princess was more epic, but I haven't played that game in years. In any case the fight was great, the bow was cool and it was a very satisfying final boss. The ending kind of sucked, or at least it would have had I not sought out the memories. That post credit scene really gave some nice closure to everything. I'm under the impression that scene doesn't play otherwise.
So I think overall, my opinion on this game has changed since I first played it. Master Mode helped me see the value of exploration as weapons and materials were all the more important. Trial of the Sword was a lovely challenge that really made the Master Sword feel like it was supposed to. And Champions Balad helped flesh out the most compelling (to me) characters the game had. I like the game a great deal more, and respect the choices the devs made more, even though I still disagree with some of those choices.
So yeah, fun game, probably not my favorite Zelda still...but close believe it or not. Just wanted to share some thoughts since everyone I know has been long done with this one.