I've played through the game nearly twice now, and I think I'm beginning to understand what makes it so different. Nintendo really focused on the core gameplay and left everything else behind. The end result is a game that is relatively short but at the same time feels like the most polished game in the series. There is virtually nothing to complain about in this game because you just go from dungeon to dungeon with little of the distractions that have made up the majority of games recently. Anything that isn't a dungeon is optional with some brief exceptions like rescuing the turtles before Turtle Rock. For some perspective, I think one tears of light quest from Twilight Princess was about the same length as a bunch of the required pre-dungeon quests from A Link Between Worlds combined. This is a good thing imo because dungeons are a thousand times better than little fetch quests designed to just eat up gameplay time.
Obviously I love this switch to a game focused on core gameplay. I appreciate the minimal story, ability to go straight from dungeon to dungeon, and large amount of the game left as optional content. Like I said this felt like the most polished Zelda game ever to me. I have to really look to find anything I'd change. Besides my usual wish for more dungeons, the only little flaw I encountered was how combat on stairs or inclines was a little messed up (I commonly felt like the game's hit detection was off in this situation). I could see how someone misses a more expansive story, but for me ALBW had a story that was easy to follow and very enjoyable. I thought the optional content was very excellent. I loved the treasure areas which could have challenging puzzles without excluding anyone because they were totally optional. This game cut out filler or left it optional, and this is why the game is so great. However, I can see some things that people would miss. Is ALBW a little too gameplay focused for any of you?
Obviously I love this switch to a game focused on core gameplay. I appreciate the minimal story, ability to go straight from dungeon to dungeon, and large amount of the game left as optional content. Like I said this felt like the most polished Zelda game ever to me. I have to really look to find anything I'd change. Besides my usual wish for more dungeons, the only little flaw I encountered was how combat on stairs or inclines was a little messed up (I commonly felt like the game's hit detection was off in this situation). I could see how someone misses a more expansive story, but for me ALBW had a story that was easy to follow and very enjoyable. I thought the optional content was very excellent. I loved the treasure areas which could have challenging puzzles without excluding anyone because they were totally optional. This game cut out filler or left it optional, and this is why the game is so great. However, I can see some things that people would miss. Is ALBW a little too gameplay focused for any of you?