#griffmstr gabs

Unsurprisingly Tears of the Kingdom is really great. Everyone is raving about it from what I’ve seen but I’m staying away from most of it so I can experience it for myself you know? I’m not very far into the game so I wont bother talking about spoilers as I haven’t really seen anything myself to be honest and I wouldn’t be surprised if everything I’ve seen so far has already been shown in trailers.

There’s a couple things I really like about the game and how it builds upon what Breath of the Wild started or brought to the table. I’m one of those people that didn’t actually mind the destructible weapons. I know that was a huge issue for some but for the vast majority of the game it didn’t bother me. It did become a little annoying later when you had really good weapons and fighting shit mobs would eat your super weapons and they would drop sticks and clubs. So you ended up avoiding most combat when you could or just using other means to kill people.

That issue seems to have been solved or at least heavily addressed in TotK. All enemies drop an item that can always be fused into something to make a weapon. The more powerful the enemy the more powerful the fusion. Likely later you will have more of these items than you know what to do with so you can always make a powerful weapon from mobs even if you just use the weapons they wield as a base. This entire system is such a clever way to address the issue. Not only are you guaranteed materials to craft a weapon but you also are rewarded with your creativity on what weapons you choose to make. Some fusion materials make stronger weapons of different types like the hinox horns make good 2h clubs for example. 

I also really like the crafting system even though it is surprisingly more limited than it originally seemed however the artifacts you get continue to be more powerful or complex which allows you to make more powerful and complex machines which is really fun. Even if it’s limited when you make something using your imagination and it works how you planned it’s an amazing feeling.

Anyway mostly just rambling about my thoughts but so far I’m fucking loving this game. I complained about how long it took to come out considering they confirmed it used the same assets and engine as BotW but now that I’ve had a chance to play it I can fully understand why it took so long. 

However a very close friend of mine suggested I should watch a show coming up recently called Oshi no ko. A show about an idol who gets pregnant and the reincarnation of a huge fan of hers somehow becomes her child. The premise of this show has several things I dislike or at the very least I have several reservations on. The only things it had going for it was the writer previously did Kaguya sama which is one of my favorite comedies and the studio was doga kobo one of my favorite slice of live studios.

Everyone I asked about the show continued to say how great the manga was but nothing was very clear as to what made it so good. I came to the conclusion it’s gotta be one of those “you just gotta see it to understand” type of shows. The ones that are like an experience more so than just a good story or whatever. I wont give any examples as this is extremely subjective but I’m pretty sure most people have a show like this.

Needless to say everyone was right. Oshi no ko manages to be one of the best anime I’ve seen in a long time. It didn’t really subvert my expectations as the show is very much still about what the premise sets out but the show doesn’t sugar coat it’s themes but it also doesn’t bog you down with it. You’re not constantly having the themes I’d rather not see much of shoved down your throat. Instead it manages to be a show that pulls back the curtain so to speak on the entertainment industry. Despite the ludicrous plot it manages to be very grounded in reality.

Don’t listen to the troll reviews on MAL. If you like a well written drama ignore the premise. Just try the first episode. Take it at face value. It’s not for everyone, but it also shouldn’t be completely ignored just because of it’s synopsis.

I really like this game, I was worried about it being a BotW clone but it’s honestly different enough to where outside of the music and art style it doesn’t really feel like BotW did. There are elements that are similar such as the rewarding exploration and stuff but it really feels unique in it’s own way. The best parts of the game aren’t the parts borrowed by Zelda either and that’s good too.

I personally really like the combat. On the surface it’s just basic hack and slash but once you start getting into the elements and different weapons and characters it really becomes it’s own beast and pulling off these really cool combos and situations by switching characters is really something.

On top of all that the game has a pretty engaging story with well fleshed out characters with supreme voice acting (assuming you play using jp which if you follow me you probably are).

I haven’t even mentioned the fact the game is also free to play. I was also worried the gatcha elements the game has would hamper the experience but honestly I haven’t felt the need to buy a roll since starting. The game gives you some free rolls every now and then but they honestly just give you characters which mostly just comes down to personal preference. You can beat the whole game with just the characters they give you.