Chapter 411 First Experience with Breath of the Wild (Requesting Subscriptions and Monthly Passes)

November 25th, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild officially launched.

In a coffee shop.

After ordering himself a pastry and a cup of coffee, Song Ren sat down in a corner seat, stretched, and pulled his Switch out of his briefcase.

He glanced at the time; it was only noon.

He had a meeting with employees at the company at 2:30 PM, and the commute was only half an hour, so he figured he could play for about two hours.

Although Song Ren clearly understood that this wasn't the ideal time to experience the game.

But there was one thing he couldn't stand, especially after waiting for so long.

And more importantly, Old Zhang had actually posted an unboxing photo of a physical copy of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild on his WeChat Moments.

That guy went straight to the game store, bought the physical card, and was already playing it!

'I'll play for an hour or two and see what this game is like.' Deciding this, Song Ren tapped on the game icon.

He bought the digital version because it was more convenient; he didn't have to insert and remove cartridges.

Besides, he was too lazy to go to an offline game store to buy it.

Buying online meant waiting for delivery, and not being able to play it the same day was completely unacceptable.

He tapped the game icon, and with a melodic tune, he entered the game's main interface. After selecting 'New Game,' it began loading.

Taking advantage of this time, Song Ren also plugged in his earphones and put them on.

Unexpectedly, the loading time wasn't slow, and after it completed, the screen went momentarily dark.

Then a golden light appeared, starting as a small dot, then gradually expanding and slowly filling the entire screen.

'Wake up... wake up...'

A faint, gentle female voice called out from his earphones.

Princess Zelda!

Although there were only lines, with no indication of the speaker's name.

But Song Ren instantly identified the voice's owner, as he had seen the previous promotional trailers.

Accompanying Princess Zelda's calling voice, a young man lying in blue liquid inside a container slowly opened his eyes.

At the same time, the image on the Switch gradually became clear. What he saw was a strange device, similar to a chandelier.

The room's style was very peculiar, with glimpses of both ancient and futuristic elements.

'Link... wake up...'

Amidst Princess Zelda's calls, Link, wearing boxer briefs, awoke from his slumber, looking bewildered at everything around him.

Following this, there were no overly complex operations.

Just a simple beginner's tip.

The L-stick controls movement, the R-stick controls the camera, identical to all controller operations.

However, what caught Song Ren's attention was a very exquisite circular platform in front of the large door.

Upon approaching, the sound of mechanical gears turning was heard. A special stone slab in the center of the stone platform was lifted up by a mechanism.

At the same time, Princess Zelda's voice also rang out.

'That is the Sheikah Slate... When you awaken from your eternal slumber, it will guide you forward...'

Song Ren controlled Link to reach out and take the Sheikah Slate in his hand.

The back of the Sheikah Slate had an eye-like pattern, perfectly centered on the stone card, emitting a faint blue glow.

The front, meanwhile, resembled an LCD screen, making the entire Sheikah Slate look just like a Switch without Joy-Cons.

Wait! No!

He'd seen this thing somewhere before!

Song Ren stared at the Sheikah Slate in front of him, then his eyes widened.

Isn't this the design of the 'The Legend of Zelda' limited edition Switch that Nebula Games released earlier?

Except it didn't have the controller buttons!

He knew he'd seen it!

'Well, isn't this a brilliant crossover,' Song Ren grumbled inwardly.

Meanwhile, Link in the game, after curiously examining the Sheikah Slate, hung it on his waistband.

Blue-backed, white-striped boxer shorts, just two words: cool and dashing.

After putting away the Sheikah Slate, the stone door next to it opened. Song Ren ran Link around the room once.

The movements were very fluid, especially when he rotated the in-game camera.

Even though it was a Switch, Song Ren didn't notice any lag or stuttering.

He then controlled Link to run out of the cave, and in a room halfway, he found two chests.

One contained trousers, the other a tunic.

'That's much better, more civilized. Before, he was just wearing boxer briefs with his top off, like an old hooligan. Nowadays, that'd get him fined and detained!' Song Ren nodded in satisfaction.

The room's main door was still closed, but there was another stone platform next to it, similar to the Sheikah Slate one.

He walked forward, following Princess Zelda's prompts, and used the Sheikah Slate to open the stone door.

Outside the stone door, a golden light bloomed – a path leading to the world beyond the cave.

'You are the light that will illuminate Hyrule once more... now is the time for you to embark on your journey...'

Princess Zelda's words echoed in his ears, and the golden light outside slowly vanished, replaced by the blue sky.

Song Ren controlled Link as he walked outside.

He passed through the short cave path, learning simple actions like sprinting and climbing.

Unlike other games' climbing systems, where a single button press automatically scales obstacles.

In The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, climbing is genuinely slow, steady climbing. Of course, one can ascend faster, but it consumes more of the character's stamina, and one can climb anywhere.

And at the moment he ran out of the cave.

A melodic tune suddenly began to play.

The camera moved from far to near, gradually lowering as it followed the running Link.

He walked out of the cave and slowly came to the cliff's edge, and the camera gently rose again.

Instantly, the magnificent vista of the entire continent of Hyrule was revealed.

Sunlight illuminated the sky, and green grasslands and trees swayed in the wind.

White clouds drifted in the distant sky, along with a distant volcano and the capital city shrouded in dark power.

Shattered ruins and dense forests.

Combined with the in-game lighting and shadow effects, and the cartoon-style art, it felt as if one were in a fairytale amusement park.

At the same time, the game's title, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, appeared in the bottom right corner. Then it slowly vanished.

After the camera finished showcasing the perfect scenery to Song Ren, it slowly rotated again.

Then it fixated on a tall shrine on the right side of the screen.

Halfway up the mountain, an oddly dressed old man stood by a bonfire, as if waiting for something.

'The graphics and scenery are truly beautiful!' Song Ren couldn't help but exclaim.

The game's graphics weren't meticulously detailed, but they could definitely be described as beautiful.

Especially this warm-toned, bright, cartoon-style rendering.

It made him feel as if he were watching a cartoon.

'Could all these visible places actually be traversable? Then this map is simply massive!' Standing on the cliff, gazing into the distance, Song Ren couldn't help but think.

Because the map he saw was simply too vast, and it appeared to extend far beyond its boundaries.

This situation genuinely made him doubt if this was truly a game on the Switch.

Or perhaps there was an invisible wall, and the distant scenery was just a texture?

This thought swirled in Song Ren's mind, but he quickly dismissed it.

If he wanted to know, wouldn't he find out by continuing to play?

(End of Chapter) <>