MDA & 8 Kinds of Fun
Core Aesthetics of Legend of Zelda: Breadth of the Wild
According to Hunicke,there are generally 8 types of core aesthetics of games. They are sensation, fantasy, narrative, challenge, fellowship, discovery, expression and submission. Here is an analysis on core aesthetics on one my favorite game — Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
Narrative
Zelda is a game that the main character Link goes to trials and challenge to fight the monster Ganon, to rescue the imprisoned princess Zelda, and to explore the story that happened 100 years ago. There is a lot of narrative to explain the storyline and details of what happened.
Fantasy
Very obvious. The story is sort of a tale. People have super powers. There are human, monsters and various forms of creatures. There’s magic. It’s a fantasy!
Challenge
There are four divine beasts that you have to fight before you fight the final big boss Ganon. Along the way, there are also 120 shrines where there are smaller challenges that help you gain more power and resources.
Discovery
There’s so much to discover in the game. There are major quests that you need for major milestone progress, but a ton of side quests and shrine quests. Any random passerby you met on the street might have interesting information to tell you, and lead you to some unexpected surprise. After I thought I have finished most of the game, one day, I was just walking along the shore, and I found a hidden sea village and a ton of interesting story and secrets there. Isn’t that amazing! I’ve also built a house from scratch that belongs to me as well as witnessing marriages… So many fun discoveries and happy surprises!
Expression
There’s no one way to play Zelda. You can play whatever ways you like. Some people like to go straight to kill monsters. Others enjoy discovering shrines. Some may like cooking, or collecting different costumes for Link. It’s a way to express yourselves by deep diving in certain aspect of Zelda and play it in a certain way.
Sensation
The game is absolutely beautiful. Stunning! My favorite moments are just riding a horse and running along the great Plateau. It feels like I’m actually riding in the wilderness. So much peace.
