Hard Mode sounds pretty lame
Nintendo has posted details about what the first DLC pack for the Breath of the Wild season pass will contain. In all honesty, it doesn’t sound that great, but one of the items could make collecting those Korok seeds more palatable. Coming this summer, there is going to be four new types of armor hidden in the world based on previous Zelda games from the series, specifically Majora’s Mask, Wind Waker, Spirit Tracks, and Twilight Princess.
Along with that comes a Korok Mask that will shake when players get close to a hidden Korok location. While I don’t know if I care for Nintendo locking something like this behind DLC, there are plenty of maps currently available online that any truly dedicated players should be able to find the 900 seeds scattered around Hyrule. A travel medallion will also be hidden somewhere in the game world for you to discover. This medallion will allow players to create a single fast travel spot anywhere in the game world for convenience, I suppose.
As for actual gameplay additions, the “Trial of the Sword” is basically a horde mode for Link to tackle. You’ll have 45 waves of enemies to go through and will start off with absolutely nothing on you. The trial will take place in some undisclosed location and finishing it is said to unlock the “True Power” of the Master Sword, meaning it will “always be in its glowing powered-up state.”
“Hero’s Path Mode” is a simple addition that tracks Link’s steps throughout your last 200 hours of gameplay. With this feature on, a path will be traced on the map that shows you where you’ve been and should help players figure out specifically what areas of the map they haven’t touched. Seeing as how it took me about 65 hours to finish all the side quests and shrines, I don’t know how much mileage I would even get out of this.
Finally, “Hard Mode” sounds like a totally wasted opportunity. All enemies in the game world will have regenerating health and will be one level higher (i.e. Red Bokoblins are now Blue ones). Enemies also have higher maximum heart counts and there is supposedly more enemies and treasure chests in the sky. That honestly doesn’t sound much different from the main game (progression evolved enemies to higher levels, anyway) and certainly doesn’t sound “Hard.” Why not tweak things like the food system that would require Link to actually ingest his food in the game world?
While my initial reaction to a season pass for Zelda was disgust, after finishing Breath of the Wild I became really intrigued by what Nintendo could add to the game. Maybe this is a way to quell people who are shouting that the game isn’t finished, but this sounds like a waste of time. If the second part of this DLC doesn’t deliver, I don’t think I will even bother with grabbing the pass.
Still, if you truly enjoy collecting different bits of armor and really just want a combat oriented arena section, then I guess this has you covered.
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