Earlier this week, Nintendo announced a full title (Tears of the Kingdom) and release date (May 12th, 2023) for their next Zelda game (previously known as Breath of the Wild 2). I’m really looking forward to the game, but I figured it was about time to finally get that last shrine in Breath of the Wild.
I generally don’t like using guides unless I’m really, really stuck on something. But after 5.5 years of playing BOTW without finding that last shrine, I felt like that qualified as “really stuck.” 😂 So I found a map that showed all of the shrines, and I scoured it for several minutes until I found the one I was missing. It was in the Gerudo area, between the highlands and the desert. So I headed there, but I initially didn’t see anything.
Never gonna run around and desert you.
But after exploring the area a bit, I found a big hole and dropped down into it. (It’s the valley that leads to the Yiga Clan hideout, but that’s not where I needed to go.) Exploring the area from down below led me to an altar that had never been used!
Note: Because the shrine wasn’t exposed, only the altar, my Sheikah sensor did not beep to indicate it was nearby.
I had actually been afraid the last shrine would be something very difficult or time-consuming, like defeating every Talus or Hinox in the game. So I was relieved to see it was just something I overlooked…even if it was hard to believe I’ve missed it for over five years!
Anyway, the sign said to offer a shining blue stone. A sapphire didn’t work, but my next choice (a luminous stone) did the trick. The 120th shrine rose up out of the sand, and I entered the Sho Dantu Shrine. The hint was “Two Bombs,” and I joyfully solves the puzzles to complete my last shrine. 💣💣
It was a blast.
The monk gave me a spirit orb, but he also had a side quest for me! It was easy, though: I just had to go to the Forgotten Temple for my reward.
**SPOILER ALERT** If you don’t want to know the reward for completing all shrines, you probably want to stop reading this entry now.
Okay, still here?
So I got to the Forgotten Temple to claim my reward. There were three treasure chests inside, which gave me a cap of the wild, a tunic of the wild, and trousers of the wild. Basically it’s Link’s traditional outfit!
Nostalgia much? It’s like a link to the past! 😉
While I was there, I also exchanged my final four spirit orbs for another heart container.
With eight months to go until Tears of the Kingdom, I may not be posting any more BOTW blog entries. (It’s still possible, but maybe not likely.) So I figured I should post my game stats for (perhaps) one last time.
Completion percentage: 59.88%
Shrines: 120/120
Shrine quests: 42/42
Side quests: 76/77
Korok seeds: 418/900
Hyrule Compendium: 363/385
Rupees: 39,806
Also, I no longer plan to purchase the DLC. But I will certainly be back next May with my Tears of the Kingdom progress! Hopefully the game won’t get delayed any more. 😛 But here’s the TotK trailer if you’re interested:
Nintendo Switch finally has an entry in the Wii Sports series, and these are my impressions after about five hours with the game so far. There are six playable sports, all using motion controls: Volleyball, badminton, bowling, soccer, chambara (swordfighting), and tennis.
When you first start up, you can customize your appearance: skin color, hair color, eye color, hairstyle, and so on. Unfortunately, there are only six hairstyles to choose from at the start. You also have the option of using a Mii instead of the customizable characters.
One curious aspect of this game is that your ranking/progress are based only on online matches. Older Wii Sports games had you battling CPU-controlled opponents that gradually increased in difficulty as your skill rating grew. Here, offline matches don’t count for anything. I’m not a fan of this change. The many unlockable custom options for your character also require online play. So if you don’t have a Nintendo Switch Online account, don’t expect much out of the one-player modes.
Bowling
Bowling was the first game I tried out. One change that’s immediately noticeable is that you no longer release the back button (ZR in this case, B on Wii) as you release the bowling ball. I’m not sure why they changed this mechanic, but I got used to the new controls quickly.
The online setup is a bit curious, to say the least. The game gathers a whopping 16 players before you can begin. And then, after every three frames, a large portion of the bowlers are eliminated. Half of the players are eliminated after three frames, and only three out of the 16 players gets to play the full game!
Once you get to the “pro league,” most players are pretty good. So even a tiny mistake can mean your game ends after just three frames. I really hate this setup; I don’t understand why all 16 players can’t bowl the complete game. And in the pro league, regular lanes are sometimes replaced with annoying obstacles. As much as I enjoy bowling, it could have been so much better.
On the bright side, I do like the way you can see how the other bowlers are doing in other lanes as you play. And if you finish before the others, the game may focus on someone to show you what they’re doing. It’s a nice touch.
Have I made Pro League yet? Yes.
Tennis
Tennis plays very much like the Wii Sports versions. It’s a 2-on-2 game, but you control both players (unless you’re teaming up with a friend). But I’ve noticed that players seem to have a superhero-like ability to dive for unrealistically long distances. They almost seem to be flying at times.
Tennis is a lot of fun, just as it was in Wii Sports. It’s my favorite of the six mini-games to this point (and that’s unlikely to change later on).
Have I made Pro League yet? Yes.
Volleyball
Volleyball is new to the series, and it has controls for serving, bumping, setting, spiking, and blocking. Online matches are played with four players, two on each team. Teamwork is required; if your teammate isn’t competent, you don’t have a chance.
The gameplay is a bit…formulaic? It follows a repeatable pattern: Bump, set, spike, bump, set, spike…and timing plays a key role. But that’s not a bad thing, because volleyball is surprisingly enjoyable.
Have I made Pro League yet? Yes, right before finishing this blog entry.
Badminton
Badminton may resemble tennis at first, but it is quite a different sport. The game is played in one-on-one matches (instead of 2-on-2), and on a much smaller court. With less ground to cover, each point can drag on for a while with long volleys.
I’m not as good at this as I am at tennis, and I’m not even sure why. I feel like there’s something I’m missing. Well, I certainly need more practice.
Have I made Pro League yet? No.
Soccer
Soccer is probably the oddest sport included in Nintendo Switch Sports. It’s a bit weird to play a game normally played with your feet by swinging your arm/wrist. (Yes, there is a shootout mode that you can play with your leg, but that’s not the main attraction.)
The game is played by eight players (4-on-4), and the ball is huge. Larger than the characters! And unlike most sports in this compilation, you can actually move your character around with the control stick on the left Joy-Con.
Most of your time is spent just moving around with the left stick, and constantly adjusting the awful camera with the right stick. The motion controls are basically only needed when you’re right at the ball, which isn’t very often. There have been matches that I’ve barely touched the ball at all. I’m really not a fan of soccer so far.
Have I made Pro League yet? Not even close.
Chambara
This is basically swordfighting, like the swordplay duels in Wii Sports Resort. This is, by far, the sport I’ve played the least…due to my lack of interest. You try to hit your opponent to push them back, eventually knocking them off a tower and into a pool. You can block attacks with the guard button (ZR) if your sword is perpendicular to your opponent’s as he/she strikes.
No silver or gold medals for Yukon.
Have I made Pro League yet? Heck no.
No Help
The game sometimes gives you tips for a game after you play it, instead of before (or during). And these “tips” are sometimes just basic controls that should be spelled out in an accessible manual somewhere…but aren’t. There are some playable tutorials, but only for three of the sports. Why not a summary of the moves for each sport? 🤔
Nice Touches
Just like in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, you can give yourself a title that is viewable by other players. New title words can be unlocked as you play online matches.
And even though I started out by giving the new characters a try, I’ve lately gone back to using Miis. It can really make you stand out during online matches. If you’d like to see some of my Miis, check here. Unfortunately, you can’t scan those QR codes with a Switch, but you can on 3DS and I think there’s complicated process to transfer them over, but I don’t remember the details. 😂
Ranking the Sports
Since this is just my impressions and not a final review, this list is subject to change. But after 5+ hours with the game, here is a list of my favorites from best to worst:
Tennis
Bowling
Volleyball
Badminton
Soccer
Chambara
Perhaps the most likely to switch places may be volleyball and badminton. I’ve kinda gone back and forth between which I like more, so they’re pretty close in my opinion. Are you all enjoying the game? Have any tips you’d like to share? Leave a comment below!
First unveiled in a September Nintendo Direct, Actraiser Renaissance for Nintendo Switch is a remake of the 1990s hidden gem ActRaiser on the 16-bit Super Nintendo (SNES).
The Basics, Much Like Before
Just as in the SNES original, you play as a god that looks over six lands. There are two distinct types of gameplay: Hack-and-slash style action stages and a town-building simulation mode. In the action stages, you take human form as you use your sword (and magic attacks) to fight through a variety of enemies…including a large boss at the end of each level.
A tree gives a helpful hand in Fillmore’s first action stage.
In the simulation mode, you direct your people (who worship you at a shrine) to make new roads, houses, fields, and more. You can use miracles to fulfill the people’s requests. For example, you may use lightning to clear out overgrown trees, use the sun to melt ice or dry out swampland, or make the wind blow to allow people to use their stagnant windmills.
The simulation mode initially has monsters (you fight them off by controlling an angel equipped with a bow and arrows), and the object is to lead your people to seal each monster lair. But this mode is generally more peaceful and relaxing, and it provides a nice change of pace from the action stages.
The town-building simulation mode.
What’s New
The action levels have been redesigned, boss enemies don’t follow the same patterns as on SNES, and new mini-stages have been added for each time you seal a monster’s lair. Your player also has several new moves, including a rising strike, a backstep, an overhead slam, and a thrust attack.
Actraiser Renaissance has more emphasis on plot…and lots of dialogue. Some original storylines have returned, but they are fleshed out and go into much more detail. I was happy to see that the runaway boy Teddy from Bloodpool has returned, and he still gets homesick when you deliver him some of his mother’s fresh baked bread.
Also, each town now has a “hero,” although some of them don’t seem like heroes initially. But many of the new storylines in each town revolve around them.
But the biggest change in Renaissance is the addition of settlement sieges, in which hordes of enemies come to attack your town (for no apparent reason). You can place forts at strategic locations, deploy palisades, command your heroes to guard certain spots, and use miracles (lightning, etc.) to help the fight. But curiously, the angel can not shoot arrows to help out during sieges.
The sieges provide a strategic challenge to the game. Unfortunately, they occur a bit too frequently for my tastes. They break up the the semi-peaceful simulation mode with more tense battles. While I don’t necessarily dislike the sieges, they are my least-favorite aspect of the game.
There is also some other new content at the end of the game, although I won’t spoil it in this review. But I was pleasantly surprised by the addition.
Graphics, Sound, Controls
The graphics have obviously been updated quite a bit from the SNES version, but they’re mediocre (at best) by modern standards. The pre-rendered characters look awkward and stand out (and not in a good way)…particularly against darker backgrounds. If you’re in a dark cave, why should bright lights be reflecting off your helmet? 😂
The music in the game is incredible. Heavenly, even. There are remastered versions of the great SNES tunes, along with some new songs as well. In addition, there’s even an option to switch to the SNES version of the songs, which is a really cool feature.
The controls are simple, straightforward, and solid. The new moves are easy to pull off, and I have no complaints about the controls.
A Class Act
ActRaiser Renaissance may have a bit of filler that extends the game (it took me about 25 hours to complete the game), but it’s enjoyable from start to finish. Even the sieges grew on me as I progressed through the game. I still prefer the original ActRaiser overall, but this remake gets a big thumbs-up from me. 8/10
