You stand on the Great Plateau, fields and forests before you. There is a large pond, some ruins, and, of course, packs of monsters. This is the newest Legend of Zelda game, Breath of the Wild, but you don’t just run forward to hack and slash. In this latest epic, you still embody the hero Link, but you face a constant challenge unlike any before–surviving the world.

To take on the goblins in the distance, I have to find a tree branch to use as a weapon. When that gets destroyed mid-battle, I seek another so that I can defend myself. When the monsters are finally defeated, my health is low. Killing enemies or cutting grass no longer yields little cartoon hearts that heal me. Now, I must forage for food to restore myself, so I climb a small cliff to get to the mushrooms on top.

I continue exploring. I can only run through the plain so long, swim in a lake so far, scale a craggy cliff so high before Link has to stop to catch his breath. Link now has a stamina meter, and when it empties, he may drown or fall or halt a dash, leaving himself at the mercy of his enemies. I can sneak though, watching a little sound meter to see if I am quiet enough to creep past a stone giant that suddenly appears ahead.

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