Absolutely agree about BotW. I’m barely getting into it (only 800 more korok seeds to go…), and I really enjoy it as a game, but it feels more like a great game set in Hyrule than it does a Zelda game. I think they strayed a bit too far from the formula on it. I miss going into a temple, finding a bunch of stuff I can’t do anything with, getting an item, using that item to solve all the puzzles I couldn’t do anything about, then using the skills that gave me to beat the boss with that item. I miss permanent items that are given incrementally and give a feeling of progression as more of the world opens up to you as a result. BotW feels like it gave me all my items at the beginning, handed me an open world, and said, “Have fun.”
I am having fun. Just not Zelda fun.
Just not very interesting. Most people just don’t show much interest in me beyond work buddy status, and work is pretty much the entirety of my social life. Down-side of moving to a new area. Making friends as an adult is hard, dating doubly so when there’s no one to introduce you to new people.
But historically the hardest part for me is expressing anything that can’t be back-pedalled into “just meant as a friend, buddy.” The second you cross that line, nothing will ever be the same for better or for worse. I hate committing to that change. Just feels like I’m ruining things irreparably every time. I’ll toe that line all day, crossing is just a bitch.