#‘but what about fi didn’t hylia create fi to guide the hero’

[redloftwingfeathers]

I'd kind of figured it was Demise's curse that got Link and Hylia's avatar stuck in a cycle of misery. But I also tend to think of it like the Avatar series where some of the past Zelda/Hylias are a little...out of touch.

But also, where were Din, Nayru, and Farore in all this nonsense? Aren't they the ones responsible for marking poor Link with the Triforce all the time? They handed the Triforce off to Hylia and just ditched. Your fellow and/or subordinate goddess got cursed to constantly be reborn as a mortal? Meh.

Is the Great Deku Tree the only responsible guardian deity in all of Hyrule or something??

Hi! Spoilers ahead!

Demise's curse definitely plays a role, but this was before the cursed cycle. Hylia still chooses her hero that is worthy of wielding the triforce, just as Link did in the game. He is sent through trials to be deemed worthy of being the holder to use its power against Demise, and to be a holder you must have an unbreakable spirit.

The goddesses Din, Nayru and Farore left the world they created and left their gift in the hands of Hylia to protect it from oncoming evils such as Demise and anyone else who wanted the power to themselves. This means that the goddesses are here as observers, and will make 0 effort for divine intervention. They created the Triforce, it's free game what people do with it. [Gods. Love. Chaos.] When the time came for Demise to rise, Hylia took her people and sent them to the sky with the Triforce and sealed them off with the cloud barrier so nobody could get through.

This is the part where it gets muddy for me because we have no other proof of there being a first hero outside of the Hyrule Historia manga (which is can be argued as canon/non-canon. Yes, Hylia gave her chosen hero a sail cloth, but?? That's it, no other context). The game says Hylia was the one that fought and sealed away Demise, not before creating Fi to guide her later hero (SS Link), and also giving up her goddess status to be reincarnated as the Zelda you meet in game. In this case, Hylia is doing everything in her range to keep the Triforce safe, and is Very smart for coming up with back up plans before taking Demise head-on.

Now the reason why Hylia gave up her immortality is because a god cannot use what they created for the world. The Triforce is fueled by the powers of all three creators (Din, Nayru, Farore), but neither can touch or use them. This also applies to Hylia, who is also a goddess, and is the keeper of the Triforce. She chose to find the only possible loophole to make this battle end in her favor by severing her ties with the gods and using its full power to stop Demise at all cost. Badass. Love it. #girlboss

However in my readings (again, outside of the manga) there was no presence of Hylia's chosen hero in this battle. So my theory here, going out on a limb, is that her hero failed. He could not harness the powers she granted him, so she has to build one herself through slight manipulation in her next life.

Going back to the game: Zelda is Hylia reborn. Cut, Print, Moving On. Hylia had to regain her memories as Zelda with the help of her assistant Impa. Impa knows just about as much as Fi does, waiting all those years for her to return and finish Demise once and for all, knowing the seal wouldn't last. Zelda finally understands what's going on, both as herself and as Hylia incarnate, and to her disgust and regret, she has to keep motivating Link to press on, otherwise the plan will fall apart. Zelda heavily apologizes to Link for having Hylia--Herself (she corrects because she realizes this is her doing, even if she doesn't want to admit it because she cares so DEEPLY for her best friend) for USING him. She was forced to keep quiet on her own accord once everything made sense, she kept Link in the dark because she wasn't sure how far he would go to get her back and help her. And Impa was the force too that helped Zelda gain the strength to use her best friend in their favor. And despite everything, Link is still there for her. And she can't fathom why. But Hylia does, and it's at that point Link is dubbed as her chosen hero.

If we're going by the manga, the first hero, to wield the master sword, he was purposely imprisoned to create his strength and unbreakable spirit ordered by the divine gods themselves (so..the goddesses were in on it??) and was released only when Demise was starting to sink Hylia's battleships . She said she feels awful for what he's been through, but all she could do was just watch until the time came to help aid her. And as the final piece to raise the earth to the sky to create skyloft he uses the master sword as the final key to raise Hylia's people high above before dying on the surface. He was chosen because again, despite all he's been through, he was still devoted to Hylia and all of her people, and that's what made the master sword (Fi) accept him as its master.

In either story you prefer, Hylia is just... Really Something. Her intentions are for the greater good, but her actions to find her hero is absolutely out of pocket as she's built on aiming for last resorts to fulfill destinies. In either story, she is creating a devoted hero through misery, as if it will be rewarding for them in the end. *coughcoughDEMISE CURSEcough* So yes, in a way Demise is also an element to the misery because this process somehow carried over to the other timelines and eras, but it didn't Have to be this way. (especially because if there wasn't a mention of a hero in the game of SS, why even bother??? like, girl did it all herself, she can do it again smh)

Tl;dr, all the zelda gods are canceled and Link needs a fucking break

#hoo boy sorry this is long #ss hd spoilers #replies

[musashi]

Heya Mu! Sent you an ask a few days ago about infodumping prompts; here's a few just for fun. Answer when you like, no rush! Feel free to use factual lore information, headcanons, or kin stuff as you like. So, I know that Hylia and Din, Farore, and Nayru are all goddesses, but what's their "relationship"? Which came first, and why did Nintendo/the responsible deity (or deities) feel like they had to make a new deity/deities? Hylia created Fi, right? To guide her chosen hero? Did Hylia create any other sword spirits (weird tongue guy notwithstanding, p sure Demise made him), did she create the concept of sword spirits, and what prompted Hylia to give Fi a very analytical-type personality (if she chose at all and if it wasn't Fi's own choice to be like that?) (Apologies for the weird tone on this next one, couldn't figure out the right way to word it) What gives Hylia the right/ability to intervene more in Hyrule's happenings than Din/Nayru/Farore? afaik, the latter trio has a pretty hands-off approach. Are they actually invested in seeing Hyrule flourish or is Hyrule just kind of Hylia's "pet project"? Is Hyrule the only land she cares for, or does she care for other lands that have been touched by her chosen hero/his incarnations as well (Labrynna/Holodrum/Termina/Lorule/etc.)? And, finally, what came first, the loftwing or the egg? Apologies if this is overwhelming, I can break these down into separate asks if you like, I just like the way you write things and give information... Plus it kinda got away from me a bit :P Hope things are going well for you!

OH FUCK YES LETS GOOOOOO THANK YOU I LOVE SHIT LIKE THIS

So, I know that Hylia and Din, Farore, and Nayru are all goddesses, but what's their "relationship"?

i view the golden goddesses as higher deities and hylia as a lesser one--the golden goddesses had power enough to create the entire world, while hylia herself seems less powerful? she was mortal enough to be mortally wounded from demise, despite being a goddess, so it seems her power is far less infinite.

i honestly have trouble humanizing the golden three like i do hylia, whenever i try to conceptualize them as people rather than forces it just goes fuzzy in my brain? so i have trouble viewing them having any relationship with her at all. the way i see it, they simply breathed a purpose into her and let her live it, and she did what she felt she was meant to do. if anything, the trinity are guiding stars more than they are big sisters.

Which came first, and why did Nintendo/the responsible deity (or deities) feel like they had to make a new deity/deities?

it's... hard to say? the triforce existed in zelda 1, and the goddesses of power/wisdom/courage are mentioned in alttp, but they aren't named until oot. hylia is also mentioned in alttp--'the people of hylia,' is what the royal family is referred to as, with no elaboration lol, she's not named as a goddess. a goddess of time is mentioned in majora's mask that's heavily implied to be hylia, but it's probably safe to say the golden 3 came first, hylia as a goddess didn't really feature at all until skyward sword.

in the story, the golden goddesses created the world, and the point at which they departed turned into the triforce. they tasked hylia with watching over the triforce, making sure it didn't fall into corrupt hands, and living amongst the people so they would always be protected. she's a guardian deity, at her core, her place is among mortals, which is why the humans of the surface are named in her honour.

as for why nintendo just kinda threw a fourth goddess into the mix 25 years in... i dunno, probably just to spice things up for the lore! ocarina of time made the golden goddesses seem so untouchable, i don't really blame them for making a pink diamond-type goddess to live closer to humans and kickstart the whole story. when skyward sword came out the marketing was all about how it was an origin story!

Hylia created Fi, right? To guide her chosen hero? Did Hylia create any other sword spirits (weird tongue guy notwithstanding, p sure Demise made him), did she create the concept of sword spirits?

as far as we know, fi and gary hams are the only sword spirits in existence. there's straight up no trace of sword spirits anywhere else in zelda lore, like literally nothing. i would say that it takes tremendous power to enchant a sword with a spirit. hylia and demise are both gods of their respective domains.

i honestly lean more toward demise being the first. ghirahim strikes me as 'older' than fi, though that might just be that he's been autonomous & without his master for a very long time, lots of time to wander the surface and develop as an entity. sword spirits are... very morally complex creatures, because they are designed to be servants, which is never a good thing and you can't really make it better by being like 'oh, but they love it' lmao. demise designing himself what is functionally a slave to get him the upper hand is within his character, and programming that slave as a failsafe in the event of his death is exactly the kind of global evil i'd expect from him. i think hylia takes a page from his book when she makes fi, hoping to gain a similar upperhand--but with fi she's less of a slave and more of a guardian angel.

(botw confirms that fi is programmed with a similar failsafe, which is very interesting! when demise is sealed away, ghirahim awakens and persists, wandering the surface in search of anything and everything that could revive his master. when link dies in botw, fi awakens after millennia asleep and calculates, immediately, the exact scenario with the highest probability of saving him from the brink.)

what prompted Hylia to give Fi a very analytical-type personality (if she chose at all and if it wasn't Fi's own choice to be like that?)

i go back and forth on this, i have many interpretations. i can never decide which interpretation of hylia i like best. the sentimental kinnie side of me wants her to be this heavenly thing with this overflowing heart who loves and loves and loves so much, she can't help but let it spill over. the part of me who is interested in stories wants her to literally just be rose quartz/pink diamond from steven universe, this otherworldly being who is fascinated by humans but struggles to see them as her equal, as things with souls. how i interpret fi is directly tied to how i interpret hylia, so it changes.

here are some ideas i have:

hylia sucks. she made fi to get the upper hand, in both her own battles and her chosen hero's. she didn't think about much of anything when she made fi, just kind of saw the sword spirit as a chess piece. fi came out like that because hylia didn't bother to program her emotions.

hylia really sucks. she purposefully designed fi to be an unfeeling machine. emotional attachments are not efficient, they do not give you the upper hand in battle. she designed fi intentionally and carefully to be nothing more than a cold ai who exists to serve. anything less wouldn't be enough.

hylia rocks. she came down to earth a goddess who knew she was above the mortals there, but the courageous heart of one single man melted her heart to honey and she vowed to make his soul immortal. sword spirits are born as blank slates, their identities tied only to their purpose. hylia knew when fi met link, though, that would change. this hylia does not view emotional attachments as a flaw--maybe she did, once upon a time, but since knowing humans and loving humans, she's learned there is nothing more powerful than a heart on fire. hylia always wanted fi to learn this lesson, and though she programmed the spirit to be efficient first and foremost, she knew that if anyone could wake up the heart of a machine, it would be link.

What gives Hylia the right/ability to intervene more in Hyrule's happenings than Din/Nayru/Farore? afaik, the latter trio has a pretty hands-off approach. Are they actually invested in seeing Hyrule flourish or is Hyrule just kind of Hylia's "pet project"?

honestly i can't say why beyond what i said above about her being kind of a lesser deity. the golden goddesses really did just create the entire universe and the most powerful artifact known to man and then dip and leave her to it.

they seem very... ambivalent to the fate of hyrule. the triforce itself can't discern good from evil intent, it simply grants wishes, and likewise the golden goddesses make no move to intervene unless they are certain their world will be completely destroyed. i'm pretty sure the only influence they ever have on the land below is the great flood that precedes wind waker--hyrule gets so close to desolation that they say fuck it and even then they drown the world, with little care for the people below. it's just this clean sweep, survival of the fittest.

after the era of the goddess though, hylia's right to intervene simply comes from the fact that she chose mortality over godhood. she looked her divinity in the face and said 'no thank you' and chose to die and be eternally reborn instead. homegirl brute forced her way into it and as long as the royal family keeps having daughters she isn't stopping any time soon.

Is Hyrule the only land she cares for, or does she care for other lands that have been touched by her chosen hero/his incarnations as well (Labrynna/Holodrum/Termina/Lorule/etc.)?

i wish i had answers for this. i feel like her protection goes wherever link goes, though, even if it's not as strong in other realms. it is her that forged his unbreakable spirit, so in a way he carries her blessing with him always... i don't know if that makes sense, but i think there's a bit of hylia's golden love wherever link steps.

And, finally, what came first, the loftwing or the egg?

oh i know this one. it's the loftwing. i will not elaborate.

#wendy rambles #anonymous #wendy answers #thank you SO MUCH i love shit like this

[doyoureallyrememberme]

“Receiving Grace”

Words: 1,407

Rating: G

Warnings: N/A

Categories: Gen

Characters: Ghirahim, Fi, Hylia

Relationships: N/A

Demise had not been good, not in any way. Creating Ghirahim had been a selfish act, though the demon lord refused to see it that way. Demise had created him by hand. He had put care into his creation, had given him a body, a heart, emotions, a purpose.

Ghirahim wished he hadn't.

He loathed the skychild, he really did. With every encounter, he became all the more angrier. Every time their blades clashed, Ghirahim was out for blood. It was all he knew. It was all he had been taught. He had been given life for one purpose and come hell or high water, he was going to fulfill that purpose. No demon, no goddess, and especially no mortal was going to stand in his way.

Until they did.

With the death of his master, Ghirahim lost everything. Demise had never been kind. Evil incarnate knew no kindness. Regardless, Ghirahim had learned all he knew from his master, every concept, every emotion, it all centered around Demise. He was Ghirahim's purpose. The death of his master was the death of him.

Except that it wasn't.

Physically, Ghirahim was very much alive. He just didn't feel it. With no one to wield him, he chose to stay in his physical form. After all, a weapon without a wielder was a useless item. That was what he had become. Useless.

The emptiness was what ate at him the most. He had no purpose, no reason to exist anymore. All he had known was simply gone. It was in the deepest pits of his despair that Ghirahim cursed his master. The skychild's sword spirit had been created without emotions. She was a guide, a book of facts, and nothing more. She did not feel; she analyzed. Why hadn't Demise created him likewise?

Even without a master, Ghirahim clung to him. He could not perform simple tasks without worrying about his master's opinion. The rare, fleeting moments when he was overcome with anger and resentment for Demise were followed by long stretches of time of repentance. Of course, Demise could neither hear nor forgive him. That still didn't stop the guilt from filling Ghirahim until he was sure he would burst.

As a sword spirit, Ghirahim required no sleep. That didn't keep him from sleeping for days at a time though. With no purpose, no goal, no reason to keep going, Ghirahim simply decided to sleep his life away.

It was in one of those periods of rest that he received the one thing he needed most.

✨ ✨ ✨

The area felt unfamiliar to Ghirahim though it held a feeling of nostalgia. The beautiful expanse of a forest stretched in every direction, surrounding him completely. A gentle breeze rustled the perfect green leaves and grass, carrying the sound of a gentle voice to his ears.

"Ghirahim," the voice whispered on the wind. The owner of the voice was nowhere to be seen and the sound was too faint to make out anything else about it. The sword spirit let his ears be his guide, listening to the gentle sound as it drifted to him through the trees.

When the voice's owner came into sight, a wave of nausea came over him, stronger than the feeling he had harbored in his gut since his master had been killed. Standing in a clearing, surrounded by trees, was the goddess Hylia. The cool breeze didn't touch her; her white garments and golden hair remained stationary despite the movement around her. To one side of her was a familiar face.

At first, the goddess said nothing, allowing Ghirahim to take in the sight of her and the feminine, expressionless sword spirit at her side. The longest of moments passed as Ghirahim simply stared, his gut twisted in knots. Judging by the fact that Fi was with the goddess Hylia, Ghirahim knew that the hero must have returned the Master Sword to its pedestal to rest once more.

"Ghirahim," Hylia's soft, sweet voice spoke. Without realizing it, Ghirahim had been holding his breath. "Come to me." The beautiful immortal stretched her arms out, beckoning the demon to her.

His chest was tight and the air rushed from his lungs which refused to reinflate. Shaking hands reached up and grasped his arms, holding himself tight, as if he would fall apart if his grip faltered. When the oxygen finally rushed back into his aching lungs, Ghirahim slowly shook his head. His gaze darted from the goddess to the sword spirit at her side and finally to the ground in front of him. With a quiet, unsteady voice, he slowly spoke.

"You created Fi to guide the hero. Once her purpose was fulfilled, she returned to you, her physical form resting until her master reclaims her. Without a master, I have no purpose."

"Let me give you a purpose, Ghirahim." Hylia's voice was gentle, offering nothing but kindness. Kindness, a thing Ghirahim had never received.

A lump formed in his throat and his vision began to blur; the grip on his arms tightened, turning his knuckles white and making his arms ache. Silence hung in the air as Ghirahim took several breaths to quell his emotions enough to speak.

"I've spent my entire life opposing you. I've done everything in my power to destroy you. I've cursed you, despised you, loathed you..." His vision was blurred over, everything morphing into blurry colours, shapes completely lost. "I've done nothing to earn your kindness."

"Ghirahim," the goddess said, her voice sad. With his vision distorted, Ghirahim could only hear her voice and movements and was unprepared when her arms wrapped around him, pulling him against her.

The dam broke, the tears swimming in Ghirahim's eyes spilling over and drenching his face as well as the white dress of the goddess. His sobs were violent, making his body convulse in the arms encompassing him. He struggled to breathe between loud sobs and when he finally drew in enough air, it immediately rushed out in a loud, ragged pant.

With his face buried in the goddess's shoulder, Ghirahim's hands finally relinquished their bruising grip on his arms, instead gripping fistfuls of the white fabric draped over the immortal woman who held him. His body shook with the force of his sobs, but not once did the goddess's hold on him lessen.

The broken sword spirit sobbed, crying out for something, though he was unsure what. Every emotion he had suffered through since Demise's death washed over him with an intensity he had never felt, threatening to drown him.

Time meant nothing and Ghirahim had no idea how much had passed by the time his breathing evened out enough that he could pull his face from Hylia's shoulder. Gazing into the perfect eyes of the goddess, the masculine spirit let the tears flow, dripping down his cheeks and neck as his lip quivered. Never had he felt so vulnerable, so completely helpless.

"Ghirahim," Hylia finally spoke. "You were created with a purpose and knew nothing else. The intentions of your master were all you were taught, they were all you knew. The same is true of Fi. She was created with a purpose and, though she has learned much, her purpose is essentially all she knows."

A soft hand slid under Ghirahim's chin, tilting his head so the two locked eyes. "You have to let Demise go. It is a harsh reality, but he did not care for you and he never could. He saw you as a tool and nothing more."

A tearful hiccup escaped Ghirahim's quivering lips at her words. The words held a painful truth that he struggled to accept despite knowing their accuracy.

"Let me give you a purpose," Hylia gently prodded. "Let me show you the kindness you deserve, because you do deserve to be loved."

Ghirahim's body was a wreck. His eyes were puffy and his face was soaking wet. His diaphragm refused to relax, making him hiccup and draw in sharp, quick breaths. His entire body was weak and shaky, his legs barely supporting his weight. Had he been able to find his breaths, he would have argued. He did not deserve kindness, he did not deserve love.

Arms protectively wrapped around the quivering, broken man, the golden goddess gazed down on him with a look of pure love and adoration before speaking the words that reduced Ghirahim to tears once more.

"You are forgiven."

#legend of zelda #loz #goddess hylia #fi #ghirahim #fanfic #oneshot #angst #forgiveness #sad #CHAWrites #skyward sword

[thomcoldman-blog]

My 10 Favourite Games Of 2017

This list was originally posted on the forum Resetera, but I felt like putting it up here too, with a little more insight into why I liked these games so much, and so they don’t get lost in the muddle of forum posts. Enjoy!

10. Snake Pass (Sumo Digital; Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One, PC)

Sumo Digital has been a developer I've admired for years, particularly for their work on the Nintendo-tier kart racer Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed. Snake Pass is their first independently-produced title, and it has a great hook - the player controls a snake in much the same manner as a real snake might move. There's no jump button, no Earthworm Jim spacesuit, just the power to raise one's head and the strength to grip tightly to any object you've coiled around. There's no timer or enemies; Snake Pass is content to let you explore its levels at your own pace, letting you getting used to its unique feeling and take in the calming David Wise soundtrack. It's a game that feels like learning to ride a bike again, and the progression in ability over time is such a pleasing sensation that it earns it its place on this list by itself. The good use of collectables and generous helping of levels is icing on the cake.

9. Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus (MachineGames; PS4, Xbox One, PC)

B.J. Blazkowicz returns and he's lost all meaning of subtlety whilst he's been out of action. Wolfenstein 2 shoots all of its shots - the action is bloody, explosive carnage, and the subject matter isn't satisfied with just skewering Nazi idiocy and narcissism, taking time to shine a light on White America's love affair with sitting back and reaping the rewards of compliance under fascist rule. Whether it's exploring B.J.'s broken psyche, giving Wyatt a crash course on hallucinogenics or putting you under the spotlight in a terrifying audition, MachineGames refuse to pull their punches, each great moment coming swinging like B.J.'s Nazi-reprimanding fireaxe. The combat encounters are far from polished, with stealth being heavily nerfed from The New Order and the half-way shift in tone from borderline-satirical diatribe on mortality and American race relations to comic-book capers is incredibly stodgy, but Wolfenstein 2 leaves a hell of an impression all the same. Shame about that credits music.

8. Gorogoa (Jason Roberts; PC, iOS, Nintendo Switch)

A good puzzle game can make a really strong impression, guiding you subtly by the hand to make you feel like a member of MENSA just for pressing a few buttons or prodding at a screen. With Gorogoa, I can't even begin to describe how the puzzles actually work. Imagine a window segmented with 4 panes of glass, and now imagine you can drag elements out of those panes and into other panes, or over where there isn't a pane to create a new pane... See, it’s hard! In as simple terms as I can muster, it’s a game about taking the world apart and putting it back together again to create paths and progress for your anonymous young hero. It’s intensely abstract, yet the South Asian aesthetic feels like a living locale, an exploration of a boy's days-to-come. It's a short experience, but with each puzzle solved making me feeling smarter than Albert god damn Einstein, it's one that will stick with me for a long time.

7. Splatoon 2 (Nintendo EPD; Nintendo Switch)

Like pretty much everyone, I didn't own a Wii U, but the sting of that decision never really happened until the arrival of Splatoon - Nintendo's first proper new "core" universe since what felt like Pikmin. It instantly looked like sheer fun - and as a big fan of both Jet Set Radio and The World Ends With You, it was clear as day Nintendo's younger designers were picking up the Shibuya fashion torch those games dropped behind them. Put simply, it's totally my shit. Splatoon 2 confirms my suspicions and then some, being the first multiplayer title I've enjoyed online in forever. I can't get enough of the soundtrack, the sound effects, the amazingly catty banter between Pearl and Marina, and just the feeling of dropping into ink, strafing around a sucker and blasting them straight between the eyeballs with my N-ZAP '85. 20% of Switch owners in the US can't be wrong.

6. Yakuza 0 (SEGA; PS4)

The only games I've played previously by SEGA's Toshihiro Nagoshi are the brilliant arcade/Gamecube bangers F-Zero GX and Super Monkey Ball 2, plus his one-off PS3 sci-fi shooter Binary Domain. Loving those 3 wacky games, I always felt a little put-off by his regular gig nowadays being a series about Japan's most decorated crime organisation, and a bare-knuckle brawler at that. Yakuza 0, the 80s-set series prequel that serves as a perfect entry point for series newcomers, proved my suspicions ill-founded. It's a game which instantly casts the majority of the yakuza as control freaks and bullies, pits its protagonists Kiryu and Majima as their unfounded targets and pawns... and then lets you fight your way out of hell via brutal finishing moves, bizarrely complex business management sidequests and, if you're so inclined, a gun shaped like a giant fish. It's that kind of game that always keeps you guessing whether or not you should take it seriously, and so it wins you over with its best-in-class action choreography, astonishingly good direction and a never-ending deluge of sidequests, minigames and challenges. Don't sleep on Kamurocho.

5. Sonic Mania (SEGA/Christian Whitehead/Headcannon/PagodaWest Games; Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One, PC)

If you’re reading this, you probably know I'm a Sonic apologist. I don't really stand by the 3D entries - bar Sonic Generations, which I genuinely love - but the narrative that "Sonic was never good" is some ridiculous meme that I can't stand. They were genuinely fun games, albeit far from perfect; every game can use some improvement. Sonic Mania is that improvement, spinning the level themes and gimmicks from the original Mega Drive (and Mega CD) games into vast new forms, with myraid routes, tons of secrets, an astonishing sense of speed from beginning to end and fairer, more agreeable, more exciting level design. Old locales, new levels - oh, and some new locales as well, one of which (Studiopolis Zone) is an instant classic. 16:9 presentation, all new animations and crazy levels of animation detail, and a mind-blowing soundtrack by Tee Lopes - Sonic Mania is the perfect Sonic game.

4. NieR: Automata (Square Enix/PlatinumGames; PS4, PC)

For my first foray into the sunken mind of Yoko Taro, he couldn't have left a better impression. NieR: Automata uses Platinum's engaging-at-worst, thrilling-at-best melee combat as the language to tell his new story of how pointless it is for anyone to even bother throwing themselves after ideals of society or humanity, and why it's worth trying all the same. Every inch of this game feels crusted in Taro’s sensibilities, with the no-bullshit 2B and her curious whiny partner 9S running into robots waving white flags, avenging fallen comrades, establishing monarchies, throwing themselves to their deaths, and coming to terms with their crumbling existence in apocalypse.  It's crushing, it's raw, it's often dull, but its uniquely bleak vision of AIs breaking free of their programming has a grip as powerful as a Terminator's. And when it’s ready to let you go, it has you send it off with the most memorable credits sequence in history. Glory to Yoko Taro, glory to PlatinumGames - glory to mankind.

3. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Nintendo EPD; Nintendo Switch, Wii U)

Standing in the centre of a bridge connecting Hyrule’s broad, emerald green fields to the desert mountain approach, a bridge overlooking the still Lake Hylia, I fire an arrow into a lizard bastard’s head, or at least I try to. He dodges it and rushes me, forcing me to jump away and retaliate with my claymore. Out for the count, I resume looking for the lost Zora wife I’ve been asked to seek out, who apparently washed all the way downstream in a recent downpour. I can’t see any wife - my entire view is dominated by the giant green dragon snaking across the night sky above me. The wind picks up, but I am too awestruck by its presence to take note that I could glide up to it and shoot off a valuable scale. Instead, I just stand and stare, this utterly unexpected moment happening before my eyes. Friend or foe? A boss monster, perhaps? A vital story element later on? The answer ended up being none of the above: in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, there be dragons, and that fact in and of itself speaks volumes about what this game is about. After 30 years, Hyrule finally feels alive.

2. Night in the Woods (Infinite Fall; PS4, Xbox One, PC, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS)

Very few games instil a genuine emotional response within me, but the story of Mae Borowski's no-fanfare return from college to suburban gloom resonates hard with me. It's an expert at the little touches - the needless-yet-fun triple jump, the not-so-starcrossed rooftop musicians, the impulsive reaction to poke a severed arm with a stick - and woefully precise with its big swings, like an upsetting cross-town party, a wave of violent frustration amongst the townspeople, and the inability to just lay it all on the table with friends and family when you need to most. In the cosmic dreams of shitty teens, Night in the Woods finds an ugly beauty in depression. 

1. Super Mario Odyssey (Nintendo EPD; Nintendo Switch)

It’s impossible to deny 2017 has been the year of Nintendo. There’s plenty of celebrate elsewhere, but the Switch’s rise to prominence as the machine to be playing ideally everything on, and the amount of absolute smash hits Nintendo has producing this year makes it hard for the narrative to focus elsewhere. The epitome of all this is their final killer game of 2017: Super Mario Odyssey, the grand return of a more open-ended style of Mario platformer. A true blue achievement in joyous freedom, it brings together everything from Mario's history of 3D platforming - 64's freedom, Sunshine's other-worldliness and sky-high skill ceiling, Galaxy's spectacle, 3D World's razor-sharp platforming challenge - and throws into one big pot, creating a Mario where both the journey and the destination are one and the same, and exciting to the very end. In a year of amazing games that hit upon horrid, upsetting themes with delicate, pinpoint accuracy for tremendous success, I’m not sure whether it’s a shame or an inevitability that such an unapologetically surprising, happy game made the biggest mark on me this year, but either way, I’m welcome to have Mario be truly Super once more.

#goty #2017 #splatoon2 #super mario odyssey #zelda breath of the wild #yakuza 0 #night in the woods #snake pass #sonic mania #gorogoa #wolfenstein #nier automata