Legend Of Zelda is out, along with the Nintendo Switch, and reviews are already calling the game a masterpiece. The game is filled with amazing content, and imbues a sense of grand adventure unlike any other game. It does have a lot of standard open world elements, however, all of them are refined and polished to a shine. There’s one feature though, that really stood out.
The map, or the way you map out the land. Unlike your usual open world games, the map is not littered with icons and collectible (yes Ubisoft, there’s a better way to do it). As you explore, you come across these huge towers that you can climb. Climbing these towers makes a small section of the map around it visible. However, it does not make all the locations and points appear on your map. When you’re atop the tower, you need to mark these points yourself. Other than objectives and shrines which are visible on the map and mini map once activated, you discover and fill in the map manually.
While looking through your binoculars, you can place up to 5 markers/beacons on pints of interests that you see. Other than that you can place many more markers called ‘Stamps’, which you can place on treasure locations, dungeon entrances, cooking spots, even tough enemies that you want to come back to later. This makes exploration feel natural and and there’s a greater sense of discovery, since you’re not going to locations already pointed out in the map, but going to places that piqued your interest and that you marked on your map.
And it helps that you can climb almost any tree, tower or wall, and if you see something in the distance, there’s almost no obstacle that will stop you from getting there. Well, other than enemies that you’ll need to defeat. Overall, this map system is such a refreshing way to set about wandering an open world, without being overwhelmed by a huge number of markers demanding your attention at all times.
Here’s Assassin Creed Unity’s map in contrast:
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