Astro Bot And Zelda’s Fame Shows The Love For Creativity Hasn’t Faded Just Yet

In the pursuit of photorealistic visuals, profound narratives, and doing everything by the book, we forgot somewhere in the way what made games fun and entertaining. Peculiar experimentation ceased, creative thinking and unorthodox approaches were no longer needed, and we pursued realism so religiously that even a slight error was intolerable.

In a time when gaming has become majorly about who could create the largest, most realistic world, my heart flutters whenever an unrealistically hilarious game comes around once in a while.

Astro Bot And Zelda, Crushing The Competition

We’re fresh off from the unbelievably hard-to-digest “E3” season, and this year was particularly brutal, especially thanks to the Xbox and Nintendo showcases showing everyone how it’s done.

With magnificent games all around like the new DOOM, Perfect Dark, Indiana Jones, the next Call of Duty, Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero, Black Myth Wukong, Mario and Luigi, Mario Party, Metroid Prime 4, and many more equally worthy of a mention, making a choice is going to be extra hard this time around.

Every game at the Xbox Showcase 2024
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Still, everyone started wishlisting their favorites no second later than the games’ store pages were up. Eventually, a downright shocking result emerged. It wasn’t Call of Duty, Perfect Dark, or even Metroid Prime 4 taking the crown. The titles that stole the show and people’s hearts were none other than Sony’s marvelous Astro Bot, and Nintendo’s unprecedented new Zelda game.

Now, my question to you is, notice something similar?

Let Your Inner Child Run Wild

If you take a look at Astro Bot and The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, you’ll see that they’re fundamentally the same kind of games; ones that appeal to your inner child and the desire to just throw all logic aside and have fun doing the craziest of things.

First, take a look at Astro Bot. A culmination of PlayStation’s rich history, the Astro series has always been about creative adventures, paying homages, and letting you relax while having the time of your life. There’s no meaningful plot or ultra-realism here. Just a tiny robot going around, platforming through the most brilliantly designed structures, using goofy and bizarre abilities, and leading you to heartwarming, nostalgic memories.

Astro’s Playroom was one of the most fun and enjoyable games I’ve played in years. I was so sad when I finished it.
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Similarly, the new Zelda is pushing the boundaries of what’s possible once again, as it features the series namesake as the playable character in an unprecedented setting. Moreover, the gameplay just took the word “freedom of approach” to a whole new level. The entire game is all about just how bizarre and hilarious your solution will be to a problem.

It lets you craft anything you come across, put it together, and do the wackiest of things possible to accomplish your goal. Want to throw a table across an enemy’s face? You can. The game is a true embodiment of the phrase “Go wild.”

Oh the big religious Zelda fan in me is so HYPED! Finally get to play as Zelda! And they found a creative way to have the theme of wisdom over courage, which Zelda is known for. https://t.co/oohIisC3bO

— NitsuaGamer (@NitsuaGamer) June 18, 2024

The Desire For Imaginative And Liberating Adventures

The fact that Astro Bot and Echoes of Wisdom are the most wishlisted titles and not the others paints a vivid picture of just how much gamers value creative freedom and imaginative thinking. 

Video games do not need to look and feel like real life
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Besides, this recent situation is but one example. History has witnessed that any game mode that imparts freedom of choice and lets your imagination run wild has been a fan favorite. Take a look at Minecraft, the entire game is a living, breathing example of my point.

It’s not just limited to gameplay. Recently, games have started adding a profound and in-depth character creator in which people spend hours. You might argue that it’s a different thing, but I say it’s the exact same. You throw away logic to design what your silly mind tells you to do, and it’s the best kind of fun you’ve had in ages. What’s the difference?

Do you remember Tears of the Kingdom and its overwhelmingly creative Ultrahand mechanic that lets you craft whatever abomination you can think of? Remember how much time you spent goofing around with it? If you do, I believe I’ve got my point across of why games like this and Astro Bot are so fun.

I’m having so much fun with ultrahand
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Shorter, Creative Games Can Accomplish This

I do not mean to say that bigger, AAA games portraying a meaningful adventure need to seize, and these silly creations should take their spot. Everything has its own place, and cannot replace the other. We wouldn’t be enjoying games half as much if not for those big-budget AAAs.

My point is to keep creativity in gaming alive with titles like Astro Bot and the new Zelda. This can be accomplished with shorter games once in a while that embody the concept of “forget reality, embrace dumb fun.” AAA games have very high costs and lengthy development cycles. Something needs to fill this void between subsequent titles, and a short, ingenious adventure all about letting go can be a perfect fit.

I think the average AAA games are getting too long and bloated so it is nice to play a game that is shorter such as Kirby and the Forgotten Land and the original resident evil 4.
byu/Linkbetweentwirls inpatientgamers

I hope the gaming industry never stops the influx of these liberating titles, as no amount of realistic, thought-provoking adventures can ever replace these.