Gecko's Blog!

No idea how often this will be updated, but here's where I'll put any updates and blog posts I write!

8/2/23 - Life Updates and a review of Tears of the Kingdom

So it has once again been quite a while since I've posted here. In my defense, I've had a very busy couple of months. I've had surgery twice (I'm ok) and visted the San Juan Islands (something I plan on making a post about because it was incredible!). I'm also getting ready for college! I don't have much time for it, but I do enjoy working on this site. So here's a little something: my review for Tears of the Kingdom! I wrote this a little while ago, but forgot to share it here. So without further ado, my thoughts!

I spent a little while waffling over whether to give this game a 7 or 8 out of 10, before remembering that I gave BOTW an 8 and I don’t feel this game is quite as good as its predecessor. So a 7 it is, though this is really more of a 7.5

Let’s get the obvious out of the way first: you don’t need me to tell you that the gameplay is top notch. It’s like playing BOTW again for the first time (an incredible feeling already), except bigger and better with even more to do. The new features allow for so much creativity, and are a natural fit for the game. BOTW’s design philosophy of “if it works it ain’t stupid” is compounded here, and its a joy to experience. It’s also wonderful to see all the characters and the land of Hyrule again. It really feels like visiting old friends.

Any prerelease promise of traditional Zelda dungeons were out and out lies, but these dungeons are leagues more interesting, both visually and gameplay wise, than the Divine Beasts. The bosses are a return to form as well, playing much more like classic Zelda bosses. The final boss especially is a notable improvement. You can’t just brute force your way through it and it actually looks, well, cool!

Where the game loses me is in its story. I really care about the stories in Zelda games, they’ve told some fantastic and thematically rich ones in the past. But Tears of the Kingdom’s is kind of a mess.

The reason why the memories system worked well in BOTW, at least in my opinion, is that the majority of them weren’t focused on story so much as they were focused on character. Their purpose was to let you get to know Zelda, and care about saving her. And she actually does have a character. She’s bitter about her circumstances and needs time to warm up to Link, but cares deeply and is passionate about her interests. This system does not work as well in TOTK. The memories in this game serve a different goal, they’re intended to show the events of the plot, not give insight into characters. Seeing as you can discover the memories in any order, the whole story loses its impact when you’re seeing it out of order. It’s not confusing, just frustrating. And the characters feel like props moving the story along, not characters in their own right. Characters who become very important (Mineru, I’m talking about Mineru) are difficult to care about like you’re supposed to because they never feel real. This sacrifice in character moments in service to a story that’s damaged by the way it’s told really stings.

And can we talk about that story? How you hear it repeated every single fucking time you complete a dungeon? The past sages provide no new insight and do not tell the story any differently so you just hear the same old thing, over and over. I think it’s a good thing they didn’t try to make the past sages characters, they would have just felt like replacements for the champions, but it means it’s boring as sin to hear them go on.

Speaking of the champions, the new champions sure are there. They all have fine roles in the story, but I can’t help but yearn for more. There’s glimpses into better arcs, but the conclusion of “it’s my entire people’s purpose to assist Link so I’ll do my best!” is uncomfortable to watch happen four times. And on the subject of that conclusion…

Much smarter people than me have talked about the Zelda franchise’s issues with racism and imperialism, but I’ll throw in my two cents. The suggestion that the other races of Hyrule’s purpose is to assist the royal family is an uncomfortable one, and it’s made worse by the fact that Ganondorf is back in this game and. Like that. I shouldn’t need to tell you his design plays on several harmful tropes. At the absolute bare minimum, the vai outfit is gone from the game and you can make Link girlboss with being fetishistic (thank you frostbite set).

I don’t dislike everything the game’s story has to offer, I love the little mysteries about what the fuck Zelda’s been up to (my friends and I took to calling the Zelda imposter Zelwario) and I love everything to do with the light dragon. I wish we got to see Fi, but I know I’m one of maybe a dozen people on earth who wanted to see that, so I understand why it didn’t happen.

I don’t know. I got really invested in the simple yet effective story of BOTW, and it feels like this game is a good example of bigger isn’t always better.

It really speaks to how damn fun this game is that I’d still rank it so highly with so many negative things to say about it. I may have beaten the main story, but I’m nowhere near done with this game. Those Koroks aren’t going to torture themselves.

6/8/23 - Graduation

Been a little while, hasn't it? I've been very busy the past few months, so I haven't had much time to work on my site. I'm coming here now though to give you an exciting life update: I'm officially a high school graduate! It's a little bittersweet, I met a lot of great people in high school, but it's mostly sweet. Happy to be out of there.

I'm pretty sure I know where the next part of my life is going to take me, but who can ever say for certain? Whatever happens, I'm genuinely excited for the future. There were a lot of points this year where I couldn't say that. I'm glad I can now.

4/8/23 - A Trip to Pennsylvania

Last week, I got back from a quick trip to Pennsylvania for college stuff. While I was there, I had the chance to visit the Philadelphia Zoo. I'm a huge nerd about zoos and aquariums, so I was excited to visit an institute with such a history. Overall, I quite enjoyed myself. The highlights were easily their reptile collection and the avian center. The reptile house was filled with beautiful displays, knowledgeable educators, and several species I haven't seen before! I also saw the largest green anacondas I've ever seen. I'm telling you, massive. I also enjoyed the avian center! Again, knowledgeable people, beautiful birds. I was most excited for the birds before going, because I knew the zoo was home to a few birds from Guam (the Guam rail and Guam kingfisher). Both birds are currently extinct in the while due to invasive snakes, and the zoo is working to return the species to its home someday. It was quite moving to see these beautiful little birds.

I wasn't impressed with everything. The primate house was quite honestly depressing. I am well aware that what looks upsetting to people does not always mean the animals are unhappy, but the exhibits were just small, offered little privacy, and were very barren. These were winter exhibits, and I'm sure their outdoor habitats are much nicer, but it was still upsetting to see. Perhaps it would be better if they only had either gorillas or orangutans instead of both. Then they could devote more space and resources to one of them. This is a pretty common problem with zoos, insisting on having subpar habitats for multiple species isntead of a truly great habitat for one.

Overall, I'm glad I had the chance to visit. I love seeing new zoos and aquariums, and I hope the Philadelphia Zoo continues to improve in the future.

also I saw a very casual hit and run

3/28/23 - Tears of the Kingdom Gameplay Trailer

So the gameplay trailer for Tears of the Kingdom, the upcoming Zelda game, came out today, and I watched it during class. I'm definitely very excited for it! Breath of the Wild was never my favorite game and I've always had more love for older Zelda titles, but it was still undeniably an excellent game and I look forward to seeing how it's built on. I've already seen some interesting theories!

I'm also very excited to see what sorts of batshit things people do with the new mechanics. Breath of the Wild has been thoroughly cracked and open and experimented with over the past six years, and this is just a fresh new sandbox. I'm not smart enough to figure out stuff like that, but I love watching the people who are. I expect to see bonkers stuff quite soon.

I'm also very much hoping to see some references to Skyloft in those sky islands! Skyward Sword, though not super loved it seems, is one of my favorite Zelda games and I'd love to see some aspects of it in this game. Maybe more Fi since she's referred to in Breath of the Wild? That probably wouldn't make very many people happy, but I'd love it. Fi is overhated.

Overall, I'm definitely excited, and also horrified what the fuck do you mean this costs seventy dollars

3/19/23 - First post!

I finally got around to adding this section of my website! I've been meaning to do it for a while, but just haven't felt like it yet. I haven't been hanging out here as much, but rest assured, there are still plans for this site. Something I'd love to experiment with is making a little game! Might be beyond my skill level, but I could pull it off maybe. I do have ideas. Anyway, I haven't been up to much. This has been a rough school year, and I'm very much looking forward to seeing it finished. Maybe then I'll have more time to do some cool stuff here!

Ready to head back?