by Joseph Carlson
Let me start out by saying this is not a review. No, there are a lot of those online right now. You can go to IGN, Polygon, or Gamespot if you want to hear what score different outlets are giving the game. I wanted to talk about something different and a way that I am looking at Breath of the Wild.
It's therapy.
My mother is sick. About a week ago she got out of the hospital. The doctors there told me that her liver is failing but they can't give me a timeline on how quickly it is progressing. So, now that she is out of the hospital I come home every night and then travel about fifteen minutes over to here place and help her deal with doctor bills and prescriptions, as well as low-income assistance and food stamps.
This is terrible. Not the people you have to deal with, most of them have been great. It's the idea that at any moment my mom might not be able to deal with this anymore. Her medication she takes keeps her sharp, but this last time she got out of the hospital was the second time because of her medication. Well, she didn't take the right amount of her medication or at the right time or something. I couldn't really get a straight answer from her. Long story, but the rub as it were, is that at any moment is something goes wrong she could backslide.
When I finish helping her out I get to come home and play The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
It's great. Really. It is. Calamity Ganon is far off in the distance, and yes it's terrible looking. A pink mist swirling around Hyrule Castle, which ever time I look at it reminds me of the Disney Castle. The game gives you a lot of distance and time. You can truly go in any direction or tackle any problem after the first hour or so. You just need one item to get off The Great Plateau.
After that Hyrule is yours to explore. You can climb, swim, glide, run, walk, or ride a horse across the plains, meadows, mountains, and valleys.
This helps me when I think that my mother's situation is daunting. Many people talk about games being an escape, and while I understand how people come to that conclusion fewer people talk about the therapy that games can offer.
When I enter a shrine and try to solve a puzzle, it's a good way to unwind and relax. Hell, even when I'm in combat, I keep thinking that this challenge is something that I can definitely deal with. After I get my spirit orb, and I leave the shrine, I can look around and decide what direction to go. No phone calls, no paperwork, no faxing of power-of-attorney forms. Just a man from Hyrule on a personal quest to save the kingdom from doom. But this man has the tools to do it.
With every challenge I become a little bit more confident and a little bit stronger. Some day, some day very soon, I'll be able to take Ganon on and save Zelda.