Recently I was slightly shocked by how much magic is lost when replaying Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom on Switch 2. Don't get me wrong, they're both fantastic games, but so much of their power is in the discovery, in uncovering new secrets, mechanics and revelations for the first time. Coming back years later for another go around, there was clearly no easy way to get the lightning back in the bottle. Without the thrill of exploration and revelation alike, knowing where everything is and how it all works, it all feels a lot less special. Now I know what's over the mountains and where the Master Sword is hiding, I feel less motivation to go out trekking.
But that was something that BOTW, at least, was able to solve. A special addition to the game (though admittedly not a free one) that shot life back into Hyrule and gave it the edge that I needed on a second playthrough. A bloody, serrated edge that turned the whole thing from a jolly adventure into a spiral down to the heart of darkness: Master Mode.
