Kakariko Hills

The mountains overlooking Kakariko Village are one of my favorite places in Breath of the Wild.

Most players will visit Kakariko Village early in the game, and it’s possible for a more experienced player to climb the surrounding hills and venture into the mountains. Link can find Koroks by solving little environmental puzzles (in this case, putting an apple in the offering plate in front of the frog statue), and the optional hunt for Koroks encourages the player to explore the hidden corners of the map. There’s no meaningful material reward for finding this Korok, but the scenery is impressive. This experience of discovery is a perfect example of what I love about video games – the joy of the journey.

It’s hard to say I have a favorite game, but I’m a big fan of Breath of the Wild. I live in a neighborhood of Philadelphia that has almost no plants or trees, and the beautiful landscapes in this game provide a much-needed immersion in green space while inspiring me to engage in urban gardening. I love open-world games in general, but Breath of the Wild is the first one I played and the one I keep returning to.

This illustration was my submission to the Videogames Zine published by Coin-Operated Press, a cool zine community based on Scotland that’s open to people from all over the world. You can follow them on Instagram (here), where they post news about events and upcoming calls for submissions.