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Breath of the Wild Combat Potential-Can it be the most varied of any Open World Game?

Lozjam

A Cool, Cool Mountain
Joined
May 24, 2015
One of the biggest complaints of open world games, is that Open World games tend not to have the best combat systems. It tends to get repetitive, too bland with enemy encounters that all feel the same, and use the same strategies to beat.

For example, Skyrim, while it is still a great game, has a terribly shallow combat system, of which the same strategies can be used for practically any enemy in the game.

Now, games such as Final Fantasy XV, and Xenoblade Chronicles X are open world, and I would say they do have a great combat system, each in their own unique way. However, those are RPG's, and they are still plagued with some problems as well. Such as the fact that it's sometimes purely a numbers game, where higher leveled enemies are nearly impossible to defeat.

The best combat in an open world game, of the action variety is probably either The Witcher3, and Metal Gear Solid V. Both had excellent battle systems that were dynamic.

But do you think Breath of the Wild can beat it? Breath of the Wild has already shown off a variety of enemies, each one of them being incredibly dynamic and intuitive. The A.I. As we have seen so far, is absolutely fantastic just like MGSV was. Enemies can weild different weapons to give differing moves, and also the enemy types are quite different as well. They can use items and cover to their advantage, they can noticeably skirt around bombs, and other obstacles.

Not only that, but Link has such a variety within his Arsenal of move sets to draw from. At any given time Link can:
Spin attack/Power attack
Jump Attack
Jump + Shield Slide for mobility + Aiming
Glider
Use bow
Use weapon
Throw weapon
Use Runes
Dodge + Flurry Rush

That is along with Environmental cues such as setting a whole base on fire, pushing rocks down, using exploding barrels, ect.

You can also take a stealth route as well.

And I think what may be the best thing about Breath of the Wild, that will give it an edge over Skyrim and FFXV, is that it is less of a numbers game. Any enemy, can be beaten with skill and wit. No matter what level you are, it's much more possible due to Link's agility to dodge attacks that come your way. You just need to get creative to how to beat them(Such as using freaking Magnesis to sling shot a sword right into a Guardians Eye).

Plus, Enemies seem to have much more variety than other open world games now(and even Zelda games). You will have to exploit different weak spots, dodge different attacks(like electric attacks from Lizalfos), and take different strategies however you want.
 
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CrimsonCavalier

Fuzzy Pickles
Joined
Mar 27, 2015
Location
United States
Gender
XY
It all depends on how the enemy AI works, to be honest. If you look at some of the games that give you a lot of freedom in combat, like the Souls games or Monster Hunter, both of which give you a plethora of different fighting styles, sometimes the enemy AI can be extremely "cheap" in combat.

There is a certain level of enemy attack tracking in those games, where even if you roll out of the way, the enemy's attack will follow you through your dodge. That really takes away from the perceived freedom the combat system gives you. I think the combat would have to be extremely well-refined to really make me say it is going to be not just varied, but fun.

I would like to have a system wherein the weapons you use very much affect your combat style and strategy. Different moves and different combos for different weapons. But I also want the game to be fair with its attack tracking, hit boxes and invincibility frames, as well as enemy attack frames. Few things are as frustrating as attacking an enemy first, and the enemy seemingly completely unaffected by your attack, then being able to attack you, but if the enemy attacks you first, you stagger and can't do anything to respond. Those small nuances make the difference between a fun combat system and artificial difficulty.
 

Pen

The game is on!
I haven't really played many open world games so I might not be the most qualified person for this discussion, but what I can say for sure though is that the combat in BotW will be very varied, and I think it will be very good and feel very gratifying to play. I guess one could consider some of the Assassin's Creed games to be open world, and I have played those. Assassin's Creed III and onward have a pretty simple and not so varied combat system. Sure, you can use a wide variety of weapons and there's a bunch of good looking fighting animations, but the gameplay is barely affected at all. The three Assassin's Creed games that came before ACIII though did provide some pretty varied combat, with different weapons classes that each had their unique pros and cons, as well as distinctly different enemy classes that would fight you in various different ways.

Anyway, from what we've seen of BotW so far, it looks to me like it'll most certainly surpass any Assassin's Creed game when it comes to combat variety. I think you brought up some excellent points, Lozjam, so I'll quote the parts that I think describe the best things about the combat of BotW.

Enemies can weild different weapons to give differing moves, and also the enemy types are quite different as well. They can use items and cover to their advantage, they can noticeably skirt around bombs, and other obstacles.

That is along with Environmental cues such as setting a whole base on fire, pushing rocks down, using exploding barrels, ect.

You can also take a stealth route as well.

Any enemy, can be beaten with skill and wit. No matter what level you are, it's much more possible due to Link's agility to dodge attacks that come your way. You just need to get creative to how to beat them(Such as using freaking Magnesis to sling shot a sword right into a Guardians Eye).

Out of the new combat mechanics in BotW I'm the most excited for the stealth. It's something I've always wanted more of in Zelda, and now we'll be able to do it freely. When I get the game I'm definitely gonna be using Link's seamless stealth moves a lot. ^^
 

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