Title. If not what games are almost direct BotW replacements
No. It’s a different game.
(But seriously, what are you asking here? Is it for the same audience? Is it similar enough that if you like one you’ll like the other? Are the gameplay mechanics similar? Your question is not specific enough.)
Idk if I’d call it a replacement per se but elden ring is an excellent large open world game with some really good variety of weapons / spells to play with. It also rewards exploration really well with secret loot and even entire secret areas
Depends on what you’re looking for. If you want a game exactly like BotW than no, Elden Ring is harder and has a lot more complex mechanics.
If you’re asking because you can only play one then Elden Ring is better and it’s not even close. With that said it is not meant for casual play, if you don’t like losing do not play it. Dying is a core mechanic of the game.
No.
Play Death Stranding instead, it’s closer to the exploration/traversal aspect of BotW at least.
I’m not gonna downvote Death Stranding, but it’s not much like Zelda BOTW at all. DS is the best “strand type” video game around. Breath of the Wild is an awesome Zelda RPG-lite with a vast open world and tons of stuff to do. Elden Ring is the best RPG like and Souls-like game of all time to present day.
For me at least, BotW was more about the movement and traversal problem solving than anything else. Of course it has action elements and it’s super different to DS in many ways, but the pathfinding part tickles the same part of my brain in both games, idk.
I think Elden Ring is way different because it’s an action game, where the fights take center stage, and not so much the movement mechanics (although the exploration is great in its own way).
Yeah that’s a good point. Tears of the Kingdom takes all that and dials it up to 11 with the flying and vehicles
That’s a wild recommendation.
I never bothered to get past the first real mission, so I don’t know how true it is. It’s a goddamn slog playing the game.Director’s Cut eases some of that, but it’s definitely a game that could use better guidance. The first map is a slog, but if you charge through it (past the point where you take a barge to a new map) things open up pretty quickly with vehicles, new obstacles, and other tools to keep things more interesting.
The worst part is that the game doesn’t really direct you towards unlocking the tools and upgrades that make things better. A lot is unlocked through the main plot path, but there’s more that’s just not signposted at all. Is grinding out the full 5 star approval of this guy going to unlock a level 3 exoskeleton, or is it just unlocking a new decorative patch for my backpack? How am I supposed to naturally find out what places give you the best boots in the game as delivery rewards?
It’s a game where you just kind of have to accept the slog as part of the narrative. You’re one singular delivery man tasked with reconnecting the remaining people and settlements in a ruined america. It’s going to be tough. Moments of power fantasy will be few and far between. As you reconnect more, you gain the ability to build infrastructure (and use infrastructure built by others through the network you’re making) to make things easier.
Like, if you can find enjoyment in the slow moments, then you earn the more enjoyable stuff over time. Definitely not for everyone. I like it, but I play on and off in bursts. Think I have like 100 hours over four years. Biggest advice is to speed through the first map, just do the main quests. On the second map you can start taking your time if you want to.
Everything you’ve described is so far past where my point of giving up is, none of that matters. “Charging through it” is watching 3 hours of cutscenes and only God knows how little gameplay.
Elden Ring is vastly superior IMO. I found there was less empty space compared to BotW, and far better combat mechanics.
