The first time I truly felt the weight of the word “adventure” was one late night. I was sitting in front of the screen, with the sound of wind in my headphones, distant calls of animals, and the subtle rustle of grass beneath my feet. At that moment, I wasn’t in my room—I was exploring a strange and vast world. I never thought a video game could make me forget reality to such an extent. Over the past few years, I’ve tried quite a few adventure games, but it wasn’t until I played The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Starfield that I understood what “overwhelming immersion” truly meant.
1. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom — The Limits of Freedom and Imagination
I remember the first time I set foot on Hyrule’s land in Tears of the Kingdom, I felt an inexplicable pressure—not because of danger, but because the world before me was so vast. Distant snow-capped mountains, plains under my feet, floating islands in the sky, and the dark depths underground were all calling out to me. The game never tells you “where to go next.” It only gives you a paraglider, a weapon, a few tools, and then lets you figure it out for yourself.
In the first few hours, I wandered around like a lost traveler. One time, I spotted a floating island hanging in the sky, with sunlight streaming through the clouds like a staircase to heaven. I tried to climb up using Ascend, my stamina bar depleting again and again, but when I finally reached the top, I saw the entire continent—lakes shimmering in the sunlight, forests stretching to the horizon like a sea. In that instant, every bit of effort felt worthwhile.
What impressed me most about Tears of the Kingdom was its “creativity-based gameplay.” Using Ultrahand, I pieced together planks, fans, and wheels to create oddly shaped flying machines; I fused rocks with polearms to make a “stone hammer” that could shatter enemy shields in one blow. Every experiment could fail, but every failure taught me a new method. This open-ended design made me feel like I wasn’t just following a script—I was actively helping to build this world.
I especially loved exploring underground. There’s no sunlight there, only the occasional sparkle of minerals lighting the way. Riding a minecart I built through pitch-black tunnels felt like being in a fantasy movie—both terrifying and exhilarating. Every time I lit a Brightbloom Seed and saw the terrain around me come into view, that rush of discovering a new world made me lose track of time.
2. Starfield — The Realism of Space Travel
If Tears of the Kingdom is a dreamlike fantasy adventure, then Starfield is a science-fiction journey that feels almost real.
The first time I piloted my ship away from my home planet, my heart was in my throat. Outside the screen, I knew it was just a game, but inside, I was completely immersed in the cockpit. Through the porthole, I could see the planet’s curve, the thinning atmosphere, and then the boundless depths of space. I nudged the control stick and steered into a nebula, the shifting colors and light making me feel like a true astronaut.
What makes Starfield so captivating is that it doesn’t just let you explore planet surfaces—it gives you an almost limitless universe. Every planet has unique terrain, climate, and resources. Once, I landed on a stormy planet. The moment the hatch opened, a dust-filled wind blasted in my face, and visibility dropped to mere meters. I had to proceed cautiously in the storm to find mineral veins, all while watching out for hostile creatures. This unpredictability made every landing feel like a new adventure.
My favorite feature in Starfield is the ship customization system. I personally designed new propulsion modules and weapon systems, turning my vessel into a versatile ship that could both jump quickly and handle combat with agility. Once, I encountered a group of space pirates in an asteroid belt. The battle lasted a full fifteen minutes as I managed weapons and adjusted shield allocations. After the fight, my ship’s hull was covered in scratches and scorch marks, giving me a sense of having survived a real battle.
3. The Essence of Immersion — More Than Graphics and Sound
Whether it’s the fantasy land of Tears of the Kingdom or the vast cosmos of Starfield, what truly moves me isn’t just the beautiful visuals or realistic audio—it’s the design that lets players write their own stories.
In Tears of the Kingdom, I once spent two hours helping a villager repair a bridge because it was his only way home. In Starfield, I escorted rare samples for a research team on a distant planet, only to be ambushed on the way back, forcing me to reroute through an asteroid belt. These seemingly trivial events are actually part of my adventure story—and they’re unique, because they weren’t scripted by the system. They were my own choices and experiences.
4. Why I Keep Returning to These Worlds
I often reopen Tears of the Kingdom or Starfield after a busy day—not because I have unfinished missions, but because I want to “go back” to those worlds. There, I don’t need anyone to tell me where to go or what to do. I can follow my curiosity to the ends of the earth, or get lost in the depths of space for hours.
Sometimes I stand atop a mountain in Tears of the Kingdom and watch the sun sink beyond the horizon; sometimes I float silently in Starfield’s cockpit, listening to the low hum of the engines. That immersion makes me realize that a great adventure game doesn’t just take you on a journey—it makes you believe that journey belongs to you.
The magic of adventure games lies in how they act like a door, taking you from your familiar room to an unfamiliar world. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom lets me create freely in a fantasy land, while Starfield lets me feel the solitude and romance of space exploration. They not only bring me the joy of gaming, but also the true meaning of freedom and discovery in a virtual journey.
Perhaps the essence of adventure is to keep opening new doors to the unknown—and I know these two titles will always make me want to push that door open, just to see what scenery lies beyond.
