Breath of the Wild's FATAL Flaw

In today's episode I talk about my biggest problem with Breath of the Wild, it's horrible healing system. The ability to pause at any time and heal to full HP is kind of ridiculous and sucks the tension out of a lot of situations. If you can just heal to full hearts at any time, why should I do well or play better. In a worse case scenario the player will just try to brute force it all. The healing system doesn't let you cheese the game entirely, but it doesn't help the difficulty curve at all. I disuss 3 ways I think the healing system could be improved including a method I didn't really come up with myself. Thanks for the free content u/kokomoman.
Music Used:
Dragon - The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild
Opening Theme - The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild
Hateno Village (Day) - The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild
Korok Forrest - The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild
Goron City (Night) - The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild
Shrine - The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild
Great Fairy Fountain - The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild
Tarrey Town (Zora) - The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild
Video Credits:
BoTW Footage -
• The Legend of Zelda: B... - ZeldaMaster
• TLOZ: Breath Of The Wi... - xTGE
• Breath of the Wild: Ep... - Halderder84
• THE BEST Recipes GUIDE... - Austin John Plays
• Zelda Breath Of The Wi... - Paranoia's Dungeon
• The Legend of Zelda: B... - ZeldaMaster
• The Ultimate Recipe Gu... - ConvictedBattler
• Breath of the Wild: Ep... - Halberder84
• Breath of the Wild: Ep... - Halberder84
• Breath of the Wild: Ep... - Halberder84
• Breath of the Wild : E... - Halberder84
• The Legend of Zelda: B... - Kokiri Gaming
• Breath of the Wild: Ep... - Halberder84
• Zelda Breath of the Wi... - BeardBear
• Video - MKIceAndFire
• Video - MKIceAndFire
• Video - MKIceAndFire
• Video - MKIceAndFire
• How to get the best he... - GTS13
• Zelda Breath of the Wi... - BeardBear
• Zelda Breath of the Wi... - BeardBear
• Zelda Breath Of The Wi... - Paranoia's Dungeon
• GOLD LYNEL FIGHT NO DA... - ConvictedBattler
• Legend of Zelda: Breat... - Yusuf Çiftci
• TLoZ: BotW - Killing a... - Cyrus K
• Zelda Lady - BOTW - My... - The Zelda Lady
• Zelda BotW MASTER MODE... - Good Old Days Gaming
• What Happens if you ge... - ConvictedBattler
• The Legend of Zelda: B... - ZeldaMaster
• Zelda Breath Of The Wi... - Paranoia's Dungeon
• The Legend of Zelda: B... - ZeldaMaster
• NEW Molduga Form! King... - ConvictedBattler
Misc Footage (Hollow Knight, Dark Souls 3, Super Metroid) -
• Dark Souls 3 - Let's P... - FightinCowboy
• Let's Play Hollow Knig... - Keith Ballard
• Super Metroid - Episod... - TheRunawayGuys
• Super Metroid - Episod... - TheRunawayGuys
• Tetris 99 HD Gameplay ... - Gameplay Cache
• Super Metroid - Episod... - TheRunawayGuys
• Hollow Knight - 106% P... - Fábio Ken Ishizu
• Dark Souls 3 - Let's P... - FightinCowboy
• Let's Play Hollow Knig... - Keith Ballard
GOLDEN CORRAL
• TV Commercial Spot - G... - Complete TvSpots

[@yerman0564]

"Give more hearts than an underground market in a third world country." Take my subscription. You've earned it.

[@dooper264]

I also hate that dubious food has no negative effects whatsoever

[@SlightlyInDepthGaming]

True I didn't even think about that, it really doesn't make a lot of sense that Link eats essentially garbage and heals from it

[@eb2k445]

That was a pretty interesting analysis on a mechanic that I don’t think that many people thought about. I know I didn’t. I just over stocked myself when I knew I was going to go into a boss fight. Also, I had no idea you can chop off the guardians’ legs.

[@SlightlyInDepthGaming]

The food mechanic really sucked dout a lot of the tension so hopefully enough ppl notcied for them to change it for the sequel

[@SlightlyInDepthGaming]

I can't believe I'm saying this but THANK YOU FOR 200 SUBSCRIBERS (almost 250 at this point). I was thinking of doing another special but I wasn't sure what to make it on. I'm back and forth between something more fun and longer like a ranking video or maybe a regular length episode that's a bit more like the Mario Galaxy segment of the 100 sub video. I'm not sure yet I have to disappear for another month first, I think that's how this works or something

[@reillymcwriting]

You know what’s crazy?! I was legitimately introduced to you by the dunkmeister. You’ve quickly become one of my favorite youtubers because you really treat video games with the respectfulness of an artistic medium that it deserves. Thank you SIG!

[@SlightlyInDepthGaming]

@@reillymcwriting Thanks man, I really try to pput my passion for video games into each video I make

[@carquest3748]

I just subscribed

[@ChikaJihyo]

a LOT of action games just give the player a cast time for eating food or a lockout each time you eat food. it stops the issue in its tracks and also rewards you for getting higher tier meals. It's strange that they didnt include this. Great video! A topic I dont see talked about enough.

[@danielnasby7695]

As much as I love BOTW you are definitely right sometimes the fact that you can pause time and use a whole bunch of healing and stat boosting items does really take away from the challenge. Nice work keep it up.

[@MrMinossauR]

Heyy, man! Congrats on the subs! Nice to see a video from you again! Hope school is doing alright!

[@SlightlyInDepthGaming]

Always a pleasure to see you in the comments Pedro, I'm doing fine just had a bit of writer's block

[@The_Legend_Maybe]

Honestly well spoken point here and a good one too. Great video In-Depth. It sounds like you are the one the Boboklins chose to speak up for them when no one else would haha

[@SlightlyInDepthGaming]

Thank you very much

[@tasoganedude]

Speaking of using Food to heal, I wanted to bring up Minecraft's Hunger system. When you have 9 food and above in gauge, you'll regen health. Food itself won't heal you, but a full belly will over time. For instant healing, you'll need healing potions instead.

[@LinkDing]

Personally I think the best method is a Monster Hunter style of healing. It's animation based and as the animation plays you will recover health over time. You are able to roll out of the animation but if you do that, you don't get the full effect of your healing items and if you roll early, it's just a complete waste of the item. Couple that with making your food storage MUCH smaller and it makes healing a lot more of an active decision. Edit: I commented this before your final section above the reddit post and it ended up giving me some ideas. Like for one, different food types taking longer to fully use up. Of course something like a skewer is probably pretty fast since it's just on a stick, while any of the foods in bowls probably takes a decent amount of time to eat. Essentially incorporating common sense as a mechanic could also help in balancing things like eating while climbing. I definitely don't believe it should be taken out of the game completely since failing to climb a wall just because of stamina is kind of frustrating. But it could be balanced by having only certain foods available while doing other actions. Climbing for example perhaps means you can only use something that takes one hand like a potion, and because of that you could balance stamina potion ingredients specifically around the fact that they can be used while climbing. Making them heal less stamina in comparison to actual food. (Oh and that one candy recipe would actually have a use besides just being in the game for "variety")

[@Levi-hs6mg]

There’s many more flaws in this game other than the food system. But at least this system can be ignored. In my most recent play through on master mode I’ve made it a rule to not eat or save mid battle, which really builds up the tension. Also I’m playing naked and no fast travelling. Anyways I’d prefer they work on issues of the game that can’t be ignored by the player for the sequel. Like more enemies, better bosses, better dungeons, more meaningful quests. Also cave exploration! BoTW disappointed me in that area. I’d blow up a wall or go behind a water fall and think omg a massive cave! Only to see it’s one room to hold some ore, a chest or a shrine. Anyways good video, I think the last fix at the end is pretty interesting

[@SlightlyInDepthGaming]

I think the healing can be ignored but it’s still an important fix seeing as some players will always come to rely on it. I definitely feel that the cave exploration was lacking as well nothing cool was ever hidden in caves when the rest of the map had things like evantide or the labyrinths

[@Aurun30]

I think it would be hard to implement the pause screen and not stop gameplay, especially with the switch. The amount of assets that are pulled when u open the menu is a lot, plus not stopping gameplay would make the switch explode. A better solution would be to the hunger system, 2-3 minutes for that 8 heart heal is a little much. It should work like the Minecraft healing system. If u eat, you fill-up the hunger meter, and instead of in-game time dropping the meter, it should be the amount of sprinting or stamina used during a fight. If u get hit hard,and you're full u have to deplete the hunger bar a bit to eat again. Bingo bongo, healing is no longer overpowered

[@SlightlyInDepthGaming]

Very true I think Minecraft’s hunger system could work very well in breath of the wild’s engine

[@buzz3992]

Most under rated channel deserves more love

[@PickleAndPearBTBM]

underrated channel 📈📈, keep goin at it bro. you’ll make it big

[@dilanjacob6865]

I love this guy

[@smidlee7747]

Botw fatal flaw is totally focus on item hunting. Over 90% of the game is all about hunting more items so the player is force to continue hoarding more items. The actual Zelda gameplay took a back seat to hoarding items. I would name the game "Link: the great hoarder" The game is all about hoarding. This is what make the game appealing as people love to hoard things. Why do my weapons break so often? So I have to hoard more weapons. Why is my weapon inventory so limited? So I have to hoard more korok seeds to fill the empty world. Why does all armor start out weak? So I have to search fairies and more items. What do I need to survive the cold and heat? more items and armor Why can I have 60 food item? To encourage collecting more items to make food and potions In side quest what is often the objective? Yeap getting more items. The game was designed this way on purpose as what is freedom after all but power. In botw Link starts out as a demigod from the beginning.

[@JOVAHK11N]

Edit: Yes, I now that I got further on the video I saw that it was also one of your ideas. It's a good idea... I have a solution. Make food heal over time like a satus effect, that way it's doesn't trivialize those hard encounters, keeping them tense and exciting. The more heart's you have the less effective each dish is as to replenishing your life so you need to keep making better/more complex dishes.This way you still have to survive for long enough to recover some hearts to then be able to play more aggressively. The one exception, healing potions. Just like traditionally done, only be able to carry few of them or making then very rare items should be how they are handled as to not remove all skill from a defensive standpoint is concerned. And you would only be able to drink them trough a button press in battle as to not break the flow.

[@haroeneissa790]

It would be funny if Link got really fat and slow after eating too much. Just like in GTA San Andreas. This could also work as a punishment for overusing the healing system.

[@Manavine]

Something you didn't discuss is, for how broken healing is, if you focus hearts *you can just entirely sidestep this mechanic entirely by cooking 1 hearty ingredient meals* That bit is what makes healing SO dumb in this game, because I could cook this absolute monster of a meal or just... drop one hearty radish and some random food item I don't care about and bam a full heal meal. *That would also break this ideal you presented* because I can just take a hearty radish and a herb. Sure, it'd make me think twice about maxxing stamina asap, but at the same time... *Should such a decision be changed by the cooking system?*

[@SlightlyInDepthGaming]

that's a great point and I do think that should be fixed in the next name. The rare ones like truffles and durians turn your regular dish into a godly meal that stacks your heart bar. Tears of the Kingdom should either make hearty ingrediants even more rare or not have them at all

[@Manavine]

@@SlightlyInDepthGaming Or just nerf the hearty fruits to only apply extra hearts as an overheal.

[@gonzaurra1]

I hope they get it right for the third game

[@Johnny2Feathers]

I had so much fun playing game for hundreds of hours. Can’t wait for BOTW2 !

[@mr_lankyon2065]

have you played monster hunter? that's option 1 and they've got a great animation with it especially in the older games

[@squidwarg]

SIG UPLOAD SIG UPLOAD LETS FUCKIJG GOOOOOO

[@squidwarg]

This is why I feel as though Minecraft deals with health, healing items and equipment upgrades so well. Food doesn't directly raise your health bar, but how you maintain your hunger bar affects it. It also handles weapon health and even equipment scaling better than many games including breath of the wild, but that's a different conversation lol.

[@SlightlyInDepthGaming]

Yeah Minecraft does do food very well by using it both as a survival mechanic and a healing system. It’s also just fun to farm and hunt animals

[@roankai]

Limiting the amount of hearts would solve a lot of the problems too

[@BB-vp4qx]

Agree!

[@lewlabelle]

Amazing video! When will your next upload be?

[@SlightlyInDepthGaming]

Great question! It was supposed to be last Wednesday but uhh that didn’t happen so hopefully I’ll have a video out by the end of the week

[@lewlabelle]

@@SlightlyInDepthGaming sounds great! I’m excited!

[@JayBeeMilly]

Hey, we’ve been watching your videos lately, we love them so much 😍 would love to collab with you some time

[@SlightlyInDepthGaming]

Hey sounds interesting. If you could email me with more details that would be great. My email is listed under the about section on the channel Thanks!

[@JayBeeMilly]

@@SlightlyInDepthGaming no problem, thanks so much ☺️

[@JayBeeMilly]

@@SlightlyInDepthGaming hey, just wanted to check, the email says [e-mail] - is this correct or is the first word mean to say ‘Slightly’ ?

[@SlightlyInDepthGaming]

@@JayBeeMilly Oh whoops that's my fault I can't believe I spelled my own name wrong, but yes it is supposed to be "slightly"

[@JayBeeMilly]

@@SlightlyInDepthGaming no worries, so sorry. We just wanted to make sure. Thank you so much for your response again 🥰 we’ll send you an email shortly