Realm of Memories: The Dad of the Wild Returns

For anyone who hasn’t read my Dad of the Wild piece, click here to read it.

Back in March of 2017, Breath of the Wild came out for the Switch and Wii U. I had given my father the Wii U and bought him a copy of the game so he could play it. It is now two years later and he is still playing the game, every single day. It’s become a bit of a family affair as my stepmother and my stepsister love watching Dad play the game.

My stepmother loves anything having to do with Bolson, the man who renovates Link’s house in Hateno. Often, Dad will drop chests from the amiibo over Bolson’s heading, making him scream in terror and my stepmother will become annoyed.

“Are you messing with my buddy?” I’ll hear as she comes into the room. “Leave my buddy alone,” she’ll say as my dad uses Magnesis to drop another chest over Bolson’s head.

My stepsister will pass through the living room when Dad is trying to figure out one of the Korok’s puzzles. Rather than making it to the next room, she’ll end up sitting with him trying to figure out the puzzle, which happens regularly. It’s become a great way for the two of them to bond. She also enjoys watching my dad play the game but never takes Dad up on his offer to actually play the game. She seems to prefer helping him figure out the Korok puzzles and watching him navigate through the world of Hyrule.

Dad has beaten the game countless times. He tries to make each file last for as long as possible, but after he beats Ganon, he has to start over. He plays in the afternoon and he’ll play at night after everyone goes to bed. He may play in the evening or play at earlier in the night if nothing is on television. This is the life of a man who has retired from the daily grind of the workforce. A world very few people enjoy and fewer find fulfillment within. Whenever I tell my friends about Dad’s obsession with Breath of the Wild, they usually respond with, “I wish I could like a game that much.”

To him, the world of Hyrule offers endless possibilities. One day he could be traversing over harsh mountains and the next he could be running through a field. Granted, that field may be infested with Guardians, but he’ll just kill them with an Ancient Arrow and sell the parts to Beedle. He may wander and suddenly find himself staring off into the sea or he may find an encampment of Bokoblins and Moblins. He still finds new things in that world. With 900 Korok Seeds, I doubt he will ever play a single file long enough to find all 900 of them.

I used to bring up that he should try out The Wind Waker HD. Usually, he responds with, “I’m sure I’ll get to it at some point.” He probably won’t play that game anytime soon, although he has already played it in the past, just not in glorious high definition. Recently, I learned that if he is content with playing Breath of Wild, then I should just let it happen and stop asking him to try new things. There is no reason to pull him away from the game.

Many people would view his game playing as an obsession, but it doesn’t hurt him, but actually helps him. For a 68-year-old man trapped in a house by Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, this game represents unlimited freedom to explore that he once had as a 20-year-old. The game also brings entertainment to the people who watch him play. I’ve never seen a game bring out laughs and stories like Breath of the Wild. This game is truly a once-in-a-lifetime type of experience. It’s not every day a game touches someone to the point that it brings his family closer and brings him two years of entertainment.