Artist's Note:
As the one who plays this game, I always found the Master Sword's test unusual. Is this really a test? Is it necrotic? Does the Master Sword consume your life force every time you use it?
Writer's Note:
I haven't played BOTW, so when Sarah told me about the Master Sword's life-sucking mechanism, I was like ...wut? Is it a dark knight blood sword or something?
While I can understand the practical reason why Nintendo chose to use this minimum life requirement (given BOTW's open world design, and the fact that the Master Sword is no longer an essential plot device), it inadvertently makes the sword seem a bit sinister. It's not quite ludonarrative dissonance, but it still feels strange. Then again, Nintendo did make the Master Sword a weird AI / spirit thing in Skyward Sword, so maybe I shouldn't be so surprised...
