Oh boy, this one's a doozy. People in our Discord and on social media have said this is a shame, that two of the biggest games of the year should not be squaring off so soon, since it means one of them will be heading home early.
To that we say: stop being such a pissbaby. This is a knockout tournament! There can be only one winner! There are no prizes for coming second or third. The Arena only recognises one Champion, and that Champion must defeat all who stand in their way, regardless of who they are or at what point in the tournament they face them.
Anyway, a rules reminder! There are 16 games in the mix for Game of the Year 2023. We're pitting them against each other in a knockout tournament. But we're not pitting the games themselves against each other; instead, we're selecting a Champion from in or around each game and having them duke it out in the arena in hand-to-hand (or weapon-to-weapon, or hand-to-weapon) combat. The winner, decided via a schoolyard "would Batman beat Superman" style debate, moves on. The loser does not. Here's how things stand after two bouts:
Now onto the main event, not just of tonight but maybe the whole first round: D&D For Theatre Kids Extravaganza Baldur's Gate 3 vs The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom: We're Really Doing This Again, Only With Robots. Representing the former will be Karlach, because if we'd picked anyone else she would have got mad at us, and fighting for Zelda will be Link, because that's the entire point of the story.
We now go live to the Aftermath staff for commentary on the fight:
Nathan: Link is the hero of time, an unparalleled climber, a snappy dresser, and gaming's greatest silent protagonist, but in a one-on-one, Karlach lifts him over her head and ties him into a pretzel.
Luke: And then chugs a beer and crushes the can on her head.
Riley: Despite his many skills, Link doesn't seem that strong in one-on-one combat that is not against easily-confused monsters, so yeah.
Nathan: I consider myself an easily-confused monster, so he'd defeat me handily. But not Karlach.
Chris: Do you think Karlach would be able to deal with Gizmos? I think if she’s doing a Barbarian build with tavern brawler he’s toast.
Nathan: The Gizmos would be an impediment at best. Even the biggest mech Link can build would just run out of battery power in, like, 20 seconds. Then Karlach eats Link for lunch and uses his magic hand as a toothpick.
WINNER: BALDUR'S GATE 3
Congratulations Karlach. Please notice us.
