I did like the dialogue that acknowledge when you sequence break, I did it with the spirit temple, so when I finished the others Pura was like "hmmm, you need to find another temple... What you already did it?!" Or one time I defeated a monster base at random before talking to the team, even came from the other side, one of the pirate ships, and then went to the team and they were like "wait, you already defeated the monsters all by yourself? That why you the legendary swardman I guess"
Same! I found the spirit temple completely on accident and had all five sages before I went to the castle. It was so funny for Purah and the sages to be like : "Ok, well go defeat Ganon now I guess!"
Yeah my favorite sequence break was when link found out Zelda was the light dragon and was unable to tell anybody who was asking about Zelda for my entire playthrough
There were many times during my TOTK run that I said something like "Wouldn't it be cool if it worked this way" or "Why can't it work like this" and every single time without fail the game would turn out to be like I wanted it to. It felt like I was a student learning from a very wise teacher who always taught me, but not necessarily at the pace or in the way that I wanted to be taught. The game exudes a confidence about itself that it can leave you wanting for answers to "what happened with this plotline" or "how do I use this item," but not worry that these temporary frustrations will make you turn the game off. And that confidence is well deserved, because I put in over 100 hours. This is to say that TOTK is clearly made by incredibly talented and intelligent people who know how to play on your curiosity. Aonuma is clearly a master of his craft, with the skill and vision that few in the gaming industry can match. I admire TOTK in the same way that I admire the architecture of gothic cathedrals. It is the highest form of art, and I defy the Roger Eberts of the world to say that video games can't be art.
ToTK is a very unique game which is probably one the few games that can survive the goldfish attention span generation of modern gamers, it is very creative and I think the way they simplify every single thing about 3D open world games will help it stay relevant for a long time. And anyone who says videogames aren't art belong in the same category as people who said that the Internet is a fad.
Its amazing how despite everyone being able to see bigger issues in the game (like a lack of expanded enemy variety), when looking at what we'd change its largely nitpicks on things that are already amazing.
You're joking right? What the hell do you people see in these awful, repetitive games? Did we play the same game? You solve piss easy shrine puzzles and fight thousands of the same copy pasted moblins, bokoblins and lizalfos while running across the same copy pasted lifeless barren map from the last game.
I think it’s good actually that this video took so long. There were way too many people giving knee-jerk hot takes a few days or weeks after the game came out. Waiting a few months gives time for those initial impressions to settle makes for a more nuanced and balanced analysis.
Eh. Everybody feels their own way about the game and Breath of the Wild. Ceave and Nerrel made really good videos about Tears of the Kingdom. How I feel about them hasn't really changed for the better anyway. I've been replaying Breath of the Wild, and it just feels so bland in comparison to Tears of the Kingdom. I've said a number of times that Tears of the Kingdom is the Zelda game that Breath of the Wild should have been, and I still am not particularly happy with Tears of the Kingdom. I already had ill feelings for Breath of the Wild, and those carried over to Tears of the Kingdom.
I think it’s just the Zelda Cycle in full swing. I’ve seen a lot of gamers going through their messy divorce with the game and calling it “the worst Zelda story yet,” which is exactly what they said about Skyward Sword and BOTW (which they now say have good stories).
@@GeneralOlde yeah, I agree. That plays into the knee jerk reactions and all that. Nerrel's video (since that was mentioned) was riddled with trivial points that were more so skill issues with the game than actual issues with the game outside of the menus. Dude just seemed angry for the sake of being angry the game wasn't MM or OoT. Look up TotK is a frustrating 10/10, that's a solid review of TotK, it's issues and what it does right. That and KingK's video on TotK are probably the best I've seen due to them not really having a knee jerk reaction, giving themselves time to sit with the game and actually learn it's mechanics and how it's different from BotW
@@RNGuiceTotK suffers from not having that same ‘first playthrough’ effect that BoTW did. It’s a weird catch 22 to be in, as the game only really benefits players who have already seen the sights and sounds of the original Hyrule and contrasting that with what’s changed, while also already being a place veterans are too familiar with. I think the fact the depths were just a big empty map of light switches really felt like a missed opportunity for them to truly make a new map that felt fresh and new and not one that played on expectations entirely. Playing on them can be a good thing but not when it’s overdone imo like ToTK was.
If breath of the Wild reminded me of the beauty that lies in stopping and smelling the roses, then Tears showed me what unshakeable power lies in the combination of creativity and courage, both for a game like this, and for the world at large. God I love this franchise
Re: Shiekah tech disappearing - I don't think you can just handwave that as "well the older games don't really fit into this context either" because this isn't just a new Zelda haphazardly being smashed into the timeline, this is a direct sequel to Breath of the Wild. Shiekah tech was everywhere and now a few years later it's like it never existed. I can accept that the towers and shrines went back into the ground when the mission was completed and Calamity Ganon was defeated, but what about everything else? There were guardians EVERYWHERE and there were entire labs dedicated to studying Sheikah tech and now suddenly it's like none of it ever existed. Edit to clarify: This didn't ruin my experience with the game or anything I just thought it was notable that all Shiekah tech seemingly vanished without a trace and nobody seemed to notice or care.
And twilight princess is a direct sequel to OOT in the same hyrule which is the point he brought up. Zelda lore inconsistencies have been going on since OOT and to make it such a big deal when it comes to TOTK is just trivial
@@R.A.M_Games 1) not making a big deal about it, just thought it was notable. It doesn't ruin the game or anything like that. 2) Twilight Princess is absolutely not a direct sequel to OoT in the same way that TotK is to BotW. These are the literal same characters and same places as the last game, not some vague same hyrule but in a way different time where nothing is remotely the same as in the previous game.
The headcanon that we came up in our household was basically... they just recycled all of it? Like, Purah and the team went out, gathered the guardians and whatnot to study and ended up repurposing the tech.
@@Kirkklan yeah, either it all simply lost power as the shiekah who built it had a grasp of how long the seal beneath the castle would hold and was then recycled or just as easily it all vanished entirely like the monks themselves.
My favorite youtube channel hands down. You're so down to earth and you talk about artistry like an artist. You're vulnerable and open and I fully respect and look up to that
Tears of the Kingdom is a very fun game to play, while the storytelling in the middle finds some of the same pitfalls as BotW based on the nature of how the game is structured (though I would argue it is still a big improvment) I will say the opening and closing acts of the game hold some of my favorite moments in the entire series
Short rant, I think some of the pitfalls in Tears are even worse than they were in BotW. They double down on a formula that was heartfelt but middling, they lock all the interesting stuff behind memories so we can't interact with the story, they give the Zonai barely any development or dimension, they make every single Sage narrative(both the past and present sages) carbon copies of each other, completely delete the sheikah tech and effects of the Calamity outright with little mention(and this is from someone who dislikes BotW's take on the Sheikah), while incorporating other things from the first game. Like, Link has max hearts in the intro, implying he did all the shrine quests, but has apparently never met Hestu or done any of the shrine quests with stories like the Seven Heroines? Tarrey Town was so good and then they pulled stuff like this that really diminished TotK's concept as a sequel lol I like this game, but it still ended up being my least favorite Zelda for a reason.
I only figured this out while watching this video, but the Champions are your new dungeon items, in a way that your Zonai abilities aren’t. One is tied to each of the four main dungeons, and you have to get them to solve all the puzzles. Tulin is your Korok Leaf/Blower, Yunobo is your Ball & Chain, and the other two are also similarly useful.
Yeah but they’re shit and you don’t get them during a real dungeon. I want real items and power ups that are genuinely useful that I don’t get in the first 10 minutes of the game.
I've got one bone to pick, although I love the rest of the video: They literally coulda just said Ganondorf's malice destroyed the sheikah tech along with the weapons he rusted. Like c'mon that's already an excuse plot point anyway, to get players to use the fuse mechanic. And that's fine, because it totally works. Almost nobody complains about the weapons having deteriorated. It's implicitly understood its a gameplay thing. I don't think there would be as much debate over the Sheikah tech if they'd at least been given the dignity of the same in-game handwave. You seem unnecessarily dismissive of people who point out this pretty big hole of how the sheikah stuff vanished, and your argument is... to point to a timeline of games that all either take place hundreds of generations apart, or in different locations. But TOTK is a sequel set just a few years after BOTW, in the same Hyrule. Why couldn't we get even that much of an excuse answer for the disappearance of Sheikah tech? How come characters like Purah and Robbie who dedicated their entire life to Sheikah tech, don't even seem to notice it's gone? I loved exploring the world and finding the changes like you did. I think not bothering to have even a slightly better explanation for the sheikah thing, instead relegating it to an interview, and having the game seem to forget it entirely, does weaken that a bit tho. I think it's fair to acknowledge where TOTK changes the world in surprising ways, and also, what aspects of sharing a continnuity with BOTW that TOTK stumbles with.
Twilight Princess is said by Aonuma to exist one or two hundred years after Ocarina of Time, yet it looks nothing like Ocarina of Time. Compare that to the Botw Totk-verse, and these games actually have a MUCH stronger sense of continuity than the series has basically ever had.
@TheKingOfKingK I mean yeah, I'll give you that to an extent, but you're using one out-of-game interview to introduce an issue that otherwise doesn't exist in TP, in order to justify an issue with TOTK that's only even briefly addressed by.. an out-of-game interview. I mean, playing TP, the similarities to OOT are obvious, but without that interview nobody's gonna ask "Hey wait why isn't X thing from OOT here now?"
I would agree with the Twilight Princess point, but because Tears of the Kingdom uses the same world as Breath of the Wild, it needs to lean into its connections to its predecessor to make absolutely sure it's plausible for both games to exist in the same universe, hence why I would've liked to have this explained in-game. The only reason it's not much of a big deal to me is that the Sheikah tech mostly just existed as a gameplay mechanic (even Age of Calamity acts like the Shrines don't exist). It's also really easy to assume Hyrule used materials from the Guardians and Divine Beasts to make the Skyview Towers then dismantled them, especially since not doing so would've lead Hyrule to certain doom once Ganondorf reawakened.
@@KingKlonoa Twilight Princess is not located in the same Hyrule as Ocarina of Time, except for one small part. That small part is when you visit the ruins of the Temple of Time and get the Master Sword.
Seeing a video that's positive around Tears of the Kingdom in the Zelda community is surprisingly hard to find atm amidst all the lore hiccups, so I'm really thankful that this exists. Current Zelda titles are unlike anything in the modern gaming landscape, there are games that give you freedom, but they usually go by the tried and true ubisoft formula, and while botw and totk fall into that a little bit... They offer TRUE player driven experiences, if you don't wanna do some of the stuff in these games, you don't have to. Tears of the Kingdom is such a breath of fresh air in a year with FANTASTIC games, that are mostly (with a couple exceptions) tailored games that everyone will experience in a linear order, Zelda breaks away from that, I just think it's really unique.
Yeah, from a lore perspective, I feel TOTK is pretty messy and riddled with missed opportunities, but from a gameplay perspective, it deserves all the praise in the world! It's so fun to unleash one's creativity and the only people that bash this, are the ones who dislike player driven experiences!
@@sethfeldpausch4337 Definitely, at launch everyone was praising the game, but over time the cracks have shown for a lotta people, and while I see the cracks for SURE, it's still one of my favourite games of all time, it just expands on all the stuff I liked or disliked about botw
Your voice, vocabulary and presentation in these videos are absolutely top tier. Your retrospective analysis videos are perfect to listen to while I’m working on monotonous tasks at my job. Hearing about things i enjoy in, the way that you present them takes my mind off the monotony. Needless to say, this video did not disappoint.Thank you for doing what you do! Side note: are you planning on continuing the Final Fantasy series? I’m looking forward to your take on 4 and beyond.
What an amazing year: ToTK, Mario Wonder, Spider Man 2, Resident Evil 4 remake, Starfield, Baldur's Gate 3, Metroid Prime Remastered and Pikmin 4 THE GAMING YEAR!
Dead Space Remake, Alan Wake 2, Armored Core VI, Super Mario RPG Remake, FF XVI, Sea of Stars... This year's GOTY nomination list won't have any place holders, that's for damn sure.
It's been great seeing you not only improve, but challenge all of us watching as well. This series of Zelda vids has been an excellent look at not just the franchise, but how we digest and critique our favorite art.
so many of the people I watch on here criticize this game because it wasn’t what they wanted this game to be, you’re the first person I’ve watched that is talking about the game on what it is you’re the first person I’ve watching that i think really get this game :) it makes me really happy hehe
@@imhaddanitattaxx4172 Give it time and come back to it when you're ready I feel like you telling yourself u wanna like it means there's a lot there to like it's just hard for you to see.
@@FirstRecords204 there’s no hostility here! really! It was an observation I saw, many people had a specific idea of what this game would be in their heads, due to marketing / what they wanted the game to be. Of course some people just don’t like this game, it’s only natural! some people will just not like this game, but some people will almost definitely come around on this game! just wait and see! :) In no ways am i calling those who don’t like this game stupid, or trying to make myself seem like i know better, sorry if it came off that way. Hope you have a great day bro :3
I don't have the time and energy to spread my view on the game everywhere on the internet, but it's so damn sad to me how many people just complain about the Sky and Depths not being fleshed out, the story not being presented very well and the lore regarding the Zonai and the series' past not delivering while completely ignoring what it does so well. This game handles community interaction far better than any other Zelda game and most other video games I've played. KingK already listed a bunch of these examples, but you can save, rebuild and expand Lurelin Village with the help of its people before then taking the fight straight to the pirates on Eventide; you can work as a journalist investigating rumors about Zelda; you can assist with deciding how Hateno Village moves forward; you can catch up with characters from the past, work with them on some of their projects and help them through their problems; you can investigate Zonai Ruins with researchers; you can fight monsters with a warrior crew; you just get to see so much of the various workings of the kingdom and it makes you feel proud of how far it's come since the Calamity. The dungeons aren't quite as interesting to explore as they were in the classic games, but goddamn do they feel amazing. The entirety of Tulin's quest is a masterclass in building atmosphere by showing you the Rito's efforts to survive the storm, then having you rise to confront it yourself, then hitting you with the hypest musical moment in the series as you fight to defeat Colgera and end the Rito's struggle. The Gerudo Town quest was also super fun for all reasons above as it displays the full extent of the workings of the Gerudo community and efforts to survive the sand shroud, plus the Indiana Jones vibe of the Lightning Temple was awesome. Although the Water Temple was rather mechanically basic, the combination of the beautiful views, cool sacred fountain aesthetic and incredible music will never cease to blow me away. The Sky and Depths were also really fun to navigate despite not being all that fleshed out due to how each of them complimented each other; being the realms of mortals, gods and demons and each feeling different to navigate and providing useful resources for one of the other areas. And goddamn, that final boss was the single greatest I've ever played in a video game, not just from a gameplay perspective, but for the payoff of finally annihilating Ganondorf after seeing the efforts of Zelda, Hyrule, the Ancient Past and everyone in between to fight against him, and especially after the Great Calamity. Sorry for the paragraph, it's just hard to find discussions where I can freely talk about this without it coming back to "but the lore". Not only has Zelda lore always been a half-commitment for the devs, I've never believed the games being directly connected was something the series really needed, and I think people are doing themselves a huge disservice by judging the games through that lens instead of seeing what each game individually does so well. Besides, it's not like Link in each game is gonna be all that bothered about knowing everything about his predecessors, he just wants to save the people close to him in his own kingdom. 😅
This might just be my favourite video of yours. The way that these videos are now both a review of the game and also a look back on your personal experiences with it has really inspired me to be more subjective and confident with my own opinions. Doing UA-cam has been a dream of mine for a while now, and one I'm attempting to work towards. If I ever get to where I want to be with that, I hope I can be even half as good of a creator as you. It's been an absolute fuck of a year, but this video activated some of the best memories I have from it, my time with Tears of the Kingdom. Thanks for reminding me of why this is my favourite game of all time.
Thank you for this video. I already loved your BotW Retro, and after finishing TotK three months ago, I finally managed to watch (or rather listen to) this masterpiece of a gaming essay. For a long time, I've seen you more as a gaming researcher than a critic-kind of a gaming philosopher. That's what we need, and I'm glad you share your art with us.
I had the EXACT same reaction to seeing Colgera in the Depths. I had defeated the Wind Temple first and had no idea those bosses would appear. Pants-shittingly horrifying as I sprinted in the other direction. Fantastic video. 🌟
I remember walking near one of the lavafalls in the Hebra Depths and barely seeing it to my left, then looking over to realize it was pretty much right next to me. It felt like something straight out of Subnautica. 🤣
I've seen people try to say that seeing the bosses underground ruined them and called it repeat content. Listen I'm as mixed on totk as the next guy, but I was just happy to re-fight the bosses. Everything regarding game critique discussions nowadays feels like it lacks nuance y'know? Like dissecting the games quantifiable content exhaustively isn't the way that 99% players will play.
@@imhaddanitattaxx4172 That's so true. Most people are just gonna see the big bad monster, have a blast taking it down and leave it at that. Personally I was worried about the rematches lessening the impact of the original fights, but in hindsight it works fine since the Depths are essentially Hyrule's hell and the bosses return for the final battle anyway.
@@imhaddanitattaxx4172 It's a really weird complaint to have in general in respect to having the option to refight prior bosses anyway. Several prior Zelda games ALSO had some method of rematching prior bosses one way or another, yet aside from the boss gauntlet in Wind Waker's final dungeon I have never seen these previous instances complained about, so doing so now feels blatantly hypocritical.
@@OsnosisBones I feel like elden ring has a case I can understand. There is an optional boss you can possibly fight *before* the main story one, lessening the hype of the story boss cause you fought it elsewhere. The ones in totk fall under "optional/boss rush" and since they are only able to be fought after I just don't see how it ruins the boss retroactively.
36:03 this cracked me up 😄 Link stumbles upon an ancient trial, goes head first and collapses, then casually goes back to goof around with makeshift vehicles carrying a korok on the roof, while pondering what could be behind that door
I really enjoyed this analysis. A lot of these critiques looking over ToTK have painted it in a truly negative light where the flaws very much outweigh the vision of the artists. It was incredibly refreshing to see somebody else who could enjoy the atmosphere and look at it from a more artistic standpoint. I know there's a lot of issues to be found with it, but never enough to take away from the impressions the game left me.
This was the best video you've ever made. Your ability to put thoughts into words is unparalleled. Nearly everything you said in this video resonated perfectly with my own experiences with this game. And it honestly couldn't have come at a better time. I just put down the game in order to pick up Super Mario Wonder, so everything felt perfectly fresh in my head. Thank you for sharing this with the world.
This review has now become my favorite one because it capture the exact things I felt while playing this game, sure it isn't perfect but it's just an amazing experience, really love this video.
I wish I could love this game like you do. But I never could get into it. For every one thing I liked, there was something that annoyed me to no end. Ultimately, I grew tired of the annoyances, and re-used content, and clunky menues, and irritating grinding, and I left the game. Maybe one day I'll come back to it.
I’ve been watching your channel for years, and the whole time watching THIS video I kept feeling like you’d evolved, like your videos were always good but it felt like something was missing until now. Like you pointed out, it’s as if your styling has reached maturity, and that’s been an epic journey to watch
Crazy how it’s never been tried to just give the player a set of tools and tell them to figure out a problem. Not having a predetermined solution is the heart and soul of this game.
Honestly I just can't get into botw/totk. I beat botw but I lost interest in totk and can't bring myself to go back to beat it yet. Really wish I enjoyed them more
Hey about the "Restrict" part of the video, there is an awesome video from called "A Story Analysis of Tears of the Kingdom" from FatBrett that can provide a good explanation of what the devs were seeking while making those additions
Tears of the Kingdom has such a weird place in my heart. I played it for well over a hundred hours, and really felt strongly during the high points of the game, but it's hard not to see a lot of those points as just being driven by nostalgia or my desire for a good Zelda game. There was so much narrative dissonance between this and Breath of the Wild, and even further with the rest of the series, that I never really felt immersed in it like I did with Breath of the Wild or earlier entries, and I think the game really suffered for that. If it were up to me, and I only got to choose between the story we were given and no new story at all using the exact same world and gameplay, I almost think I would've gone with none. The game overexplains some of its mysteries in ways that make them seem incredibly lame (The zonai were such a letdown) and with what remains, I feel like my time as a consumer of their story just wasn't respected at all. The repeated verbage made me feel like 0 effort went into narrative worldbuilding as the game progressed, what few times the game addressed breaks in continuity that are inevitable in an open world like this were just tongue in cheek and did nothing to actually advance the story. A lot of it felt like the NPCs just saying "Go to A, do B... you did B?! Wow!!" which just... I dunno, it doesn't feel very human. Breath of the Wild was so enjoyable narratively in spite of its flaws from repetitive albeit fun gameplay because it left so much to the imagination, and I wonder if Nintendo just felt too pressured from the success that they felt they needed to create exact explanations for certain things, or if they were planning on going this direction with the narrative to begin with. It truly feels like there was so much they could work with, but instead of creating a world of wonder, they just created a pop up book meant for 3 year olds and expected me to be totally invested. That concept then makes me think on the high points of the story, and makes me question if a lot of it was actually melodrama which didn't really have the buildup which deserves that level of an emotional grip. Maybe I'm just getting old, or maybe I'm gaining too much of an appreciation for good storytelling which respects me enough to have intrigue while also remaining consistent, stories like this are beginning to break games and worlds which I would otherwise greatly enjoy. Happens all the time in anime and a lot of modern adapted shows as well, sign of the times. I really appreciate your positivity however KingK. There's not much reason for me to scream into the void and try to detract from yours or others enjoyment, I know. However, I also know that at one point I loved Zelda as a series, so much that I've built a little shrine of sorts to my favorite game franchise, and I just can't help but critique what I find to be unforgivably bad narration and lore. I just hope that Nintendo does what I expected after BotW, and learns to improve the good and fix the bad before the next game arrives after my midlife crisis!
Rather than accounting for when you sequence break, the game acts like you didn't sequence break at all until the end of the dialogue, then they go "Oh wow!!! You already did the thing!! Cool!" and just continues on normally.
Man, I find it interesting how much of this I agree with but in the end I just didn't enjoy the game as much as I would have liked. It seems like for every incredible thing this game achieves, there's something equally ridiculous or annoying to bring it back down. It felt like the game constantly bounced between a 13/10 and 7/10 experience, which ultimately averaged to a 10/10 that I'm just not very satisfied with. Which is a very strange feeling.
The game was strange for me where I'd always dread booting it up due to how overwhelmed I'd feel, but once I started, I was hooked for the whole day. The overwhelmed bit was probably my own fault too since I felt the pressure to cover all ground and stockpile as many materials as I could for my 100% file, which definitely isn't how the game is meant to be played.
I thought the entire intro was referencing TotK development time. Only after reading the comments did it occur to me that it may also refer to your period of creation of this video. In both cases, I think the quality of the work is worth any additional time crafting the work. Keep up the high quality analyses.
This is my single favorite review of this game, and in the time since it dropped, I've found myself recommending it to more and more people. This is how a review *should* be; it's not empty praise or nitpicks, or just slapping a score onto something, either. It's a detailed lens that helped me both understand and appreciate this wonderful game even more than I already did. You provide a perspective that contextualizes and explains your individual understanding of the game perfectly, and it helped me put into words exactly what was special about it for me too because I was feeling similarly but couldn't explain it as well. Love this review, love this channel, love this game. Thanks for all the amazing work!
I'll share this story on every KingK video, but I still remember running into you during a POTD run in FFXIV during Shadowbringers era. Was so neat to talk to you in the chatbox and help you through those ten floors.
For what it's worth - speaking from the perspective of a writer (a hobby writer, but still), the thing about TOTK's storytelling style is that it requires the player to put in a little more effort than average to really *learn* about the world and what's going on. Like, when you compare the characters in Tears to, say, OOT, the amount of screentime is about on-par or maybe a little higher in Tears. Ruto, for example, gets all of Jabu-Jabu, a short scene in the Water Temple, and then the bit after the Water Temple; Darunia has his depression and dance scene, the post DC-scene, and the start and end of the Fire Temple; Impa has her first meeting in the courtyard, her brief appearance when fleeing Ganondorf, and then the bit in the Sage Chamber. I love OOT and I love its story and characters, but their fleshing-out is often done through NPC dialogue rather than them themselves. (The time-travel mechanic, letting you see characters at two different points in time, is really what picks up the slack!) Zelda, Rauru, Mineru, and even Sonia have more screentime than any of those three examples, and I'd argue they have just as much going on in terms of character and personality. The difference is that in OOT, the linear format means you're railroaded into seeing all of those scenes with its characters, so you literally cannot miss anything. Tears, on the other hand, puts the onus on you to seek out the memories, to find the stone tablets with the history logs, to meet the Sages and get a better understanding of what happened and what's happening. Ignoring optional content or missing information is a very real risk that may hamper one's enjoyment of the storytelling, which isn't a problem that the linear 3D Zeldas have. (That doesn't mean it's worse than linear storytelling, either, though. Twilight and Skyward's attempts at storytelling are the reason those games are so full of filler and annoyances.) All that said, I think Tears' story is the best Zelda story we've gotten since Wind Waker. Rauru, Sonia and Mineru in particular are absolute highlights, far and away my favorite new characters in the series in recent years. The story of the present and the story in the memories actively made me want to learn more about them and seek out the sidequests that might provide more insight, which is not something I could say about BOTW.
I'm honestly not sure how you can call the game the best written when it finishes with a giant deus ex machina, and blatently reuses cutscenes between each region's sage with no further information from their unique perspectives. There are no consequences for the story. And even when it does showcase the story (which is all in the past again), the characters are very comfy with just letting the plot happen around them, despite the characters having the knowledge to lead them to act differently. It has a great premise for sure, but it's really not well written at all.
@@amandaslough125I agree that the draconification reversal isn't made very clear and the Ancient Sage cutscenes would've been better off focusing more on the ancient races as a whole to distinguish them more. For the last bit, I'm assuming you're referring to A Show of Fealty and A King's Duty. It seems clear that Zelda suspects Ganondorf could be the mysterious mummy and even be related to Calamity Ganon, but when Rauru reassures her that he's only keeping him around to keep a close eye on him, she wouldn't want to risk messing up his plan when she isn't 100% sure what's going on. We also see in Zelda and Sonia that it weighs heavily on her, but Sonia encourages her to focus on getting back home instead and we see that she does train her in using her power. In the case of A King's Duty, I can't imagine there being much else Rauru could've done even if he knew Ganondorf would most likely survive. He does say that worst comes to worst, they'll place their faith in Link and the Master Sword.
@@Roflcrabs Honestly, despite much of the Wild era conflict taking place in a different time, the whole development Hyrule goes through in these games puts it above most other Zelda stories I can think of. Hyrule getting ravaged by its own corrupted technology and having all its people hang on by a thread in one game, then all contribute in their own way to help their recovering civilization in the next game is great. It also helps that Calamity Ganon and Demon King Ganondorf combined are one of the coolest concepts for a villain in any game I've played.
I really like your take on this. I didn’t like how the story was told in Tears of the Kingdom, and I had no idea what we were going to get ones the game came out; but I love how thoughtful and realistic you were about this game which is appreciated. No knee jerk reaction, or impulsive ernotional response.
Honestly, I think most of my issues with how Tears of the Kingdom uses the memory system would be fixed if A Master Sword in Time didn't show Mineru's statement about becoming a dragon. At that point, Zelda saying she'll be forever changed could make it more believable why she's acting weird in the present.
I know that I'm always going to be in the minority on this, but after putting in 180 hours into TotK, completly mapping out the depths, the caves, the sky islands, and completing just about everything there was to do in the game, I really don't have fond memories of TotK. I won't claim it's a bad game by any means, I wouldn't have put in that much time if I wasn't enjoying myself, but whenever i look back at my time with the game, the stories, the characters, the emotions, I just am felt lacking. I went into TotK with as low of expectations as I could, I didn't watch any trailers for it, I stopped following the news stories surrounding it, and all I was hoping for was the same feeling I got out of BotW. The problem, is that I don't really like BotW either. While it's undeniable that Nintendo has never had a focus on story telling or any real plan to connect Zelda games to one another, it's also true that the straight forward story telling of past games did manage to create an emotional resonance with people, myself included. To this day, I'll always love the dark themes and atmosphere of Twilight Princess and Majora's Mask, even if they both just happened to work out rather than being planned. In the end, for me, Zelda games are these interesting puzzle boxes that, when I unlock a piece, I'm presented with a fun and enjoyable story nugget. In BotW and TotK, the puzzles felt too easy and the nuggets tasted rancid to me. I'm super glad so many people love this game, but I don't think I'll ever return to it.
I mostly agree though I'm much more negative towards both Botw and Totk. They have solid foundations, the games feel great, looks great and have good maps (not so much Totk, very messy) but they're both devoid of content. I complain about this game alot because I'm not mad, just disappointed. It's sad looking at the squandered potential. The first 10 hours of Botw were fantastic but once you beat the first disappointing divine beast and start to notice how often content repeats the disappointment starts kicking in. I've said "disappoint" a lot. I sunk 120 hours into Botw at launch, enjoying the first 20 hours and hated the rest. Desperately trying to find the Zelda in this supposed Zelda game. Picked up Totk and I can't play it. 10 hours in.. it's the same damn game as Botw
@@Roflcrabs Yeah, I think that's a pretty good way of stating it. The game does have some incredible highs, but due to how much "content" there is, it really shows the shortcomings of the game (if you think they are shortcomings). If you enjoy games with tons of freedom to do whatever you want and experiment with game mechanics, these games are great. The problem is that I don't want to do that, and so without the experimentation, the mechanics are very shallow and the hours upon hours of stuff to do shows just how shallow the mechanics really are. When I think of BotW and TotK all I can see is an ocean of content that is only an inch deep. Even one of the mechanics that got the most attention from game developers really shows this off. The tire and chain interaction that was shown off in the Mineru quest line got lots of attention for how impressive it is. And it is incredibly impressive, just like many of the rope/chain interactions that the developers managed to create. But, nothing interesting is done with these mechanics. Aside from being shown off in a shrine or two, these mechanics don't actually do anything in the game. So they have all these incredible tools at their disposal, but most of them languish unused. The ascend mechanic is another great example of this, it's an incredible tool that was given to the user, but because of the way the world is built, it has no interesting interactions.
Eh. Personally I'm done with this format and Eiji Aonuma. The fact that he was shocked that this game didn't win GotY says something. While it's true that it wasn't particularly egregious that they reused the old game's map, you were right about it feeling like a rom hack. In a lot of ways Tears of the Kingdom feels like a slightly remixed Breath of the Wild. The stuff that's new feels like they took what was there and just kind of... moved it around a little. It's like a sidegrade more so than a sequel. Certainly not something I think deserves a 6-year gap and a $70 pricetag. Ultimately we're still roaming around the same map looking for the same Shrines and the same Koroks finding the same armor and the same materials with the same system to upgrade them. I hate Koroks, they're padding. Speaking of, duplication (which the devs patched out because players were having just too much fun) was a godsend. The grind is an absolute nightmare in this game, and Mineru saved me. They genuinely expect players to slowly pick up rare materials one at a time with hours between collection. Padding. The gameplay loop is identical, you just have Ultrahand and a vehicle builder now. Even the coolest vehicle/contraption is slower and more awkward to handle than the Master Cycle Zero or just your sword and bow. And, once you've built a hoverbike, it's over. The dungeons suck ass. The depths are boring after the first few hours with copied and pasted trees and like one biome type, sometimes with lava. There is one interesting sky island, although it's done much better than Skyward Sword and it's genuinely a good feel going from sky to sirface and vice versa. Breath of the Wild felt too alien to me to truly love. There was very little content spread very thin in a frankly boring world. Didn't help it remived everything I liked from Zelda games just so Link could climb some walls. That all said, treating it as a standalone experience it's in my top 5 Zeldas (I've played them all) but I still have a lot of issues with it. I liked the game because it really felt like it finally stopped pretending it was a Zelda game. I couldn't do that with Breath of the Wild. That game still feels like a betrayal, and now that they're doubling down in a format I don't care for in the slightest, at least they made the density of content much more enjoyable so it hold my attention for more than just the first few hours. I genuinely believe the Great Plateau was the most interesting part of BotW, and that it all goes downhill from there. Tears if the Kingdom has a better opening and tutorial, and managed to hold my attention much longer before I got bored. Aonuma said he doesn't understand why fans would want an older-style game, doesn't understand why anyone would want the story to make any internal sense, doesn't understand why his asset flip didn't with GotY. I've had enough.
I don't think Tears needed restrictions, I just think it needed it's sequence breaks to be harder to achieve and more rewarding. Cheesing puzzles for example is not a problem for me at all. It becomes a problem when the cheese strat is repeated over and over and over. These strats are basically four things: Hoverbike, rocketshield, bomb arrow and ultrahand-to-recall. The recall one I can forgive. However the other ones are just so horrendous. The hoverbike solves 100% of the Fire Temple. The bomb arrows solves almost every single target shrine, and the rocket shield skips any shrine puzzle that requires you to get to a higher place. It bypasses the puzzle in a way that you cheat yourself out of the clever design in front of you. It doesn't feel rewarding at all. Navigate through this labyrinth of ultrahand puzzles, or use one rocket shield and skip directly to the end without effort. TOTK needed better soft locks, not hard locks like classic Zelda games. It bypassing a puzzle should be both harder and faster than the straight forward way.
@@viktorthevictor6240 that’s a good point. At least with BotW cheesing puzzles pushed you to really think outside of the box. In this game, the tools at hand are almost designed for cheesing. Hoverbike and Ascend just offer easy access to cheese any puzzle.
@@TheRealNintendoKid ill agree that the rewards aren’t the best, the game is too big for its own good. But I really think adding in more linearity would provide the player a more unique and curated experience.
The two steps back on dungeons is not unlike the dark atmosphere of Twilight Princess in terms of appeasing largely unfair criticism. It clearly and unmistakably says: yes, we heard you, here you go. At the same time is still takes a step forward both through experimentation and easing players into the new normal. On one hand Twilight Princess hit the dark/edgy/mature/realistic vibe hard enough to border on parody, but on the other hand it still heavily stylized in it's own way. Similarity here the dungeons are hitting hard on all the linearity/uniqueness/structure feel while at the same time pulling those innards right out into the open air of the rest of the game and further deconstructing the central structured experience into bigger parallel tasks. If history is anything to go by, then next time around the vision of replacing dungeons with entire regions will be much closer to full realization. A web of overlapping quests and side quests that deliver a coherent experience where structure isn't mechanically imposed but rather created by the players actions within the provided canvas. With luck people will be able to look back at BotW and see what used to be the role of dungeons was taken over buy whole regions and the divine beasts in their entirety were more akin to extended boss fights, and the backlash against not being forced to stay on the rails will be as distant of a memory as the backlash against cell shading.
I gotta disagree with totk and continuity. Other direct sequels (Majora's mask, the ds games, heck even links awakening for it's time) show major level of continuity with the game they directly follow. Even games like wind Waker do it. Meanwhile in totk many characters don't remember link, forgot the calamity etc.
There are several monuments dotted around with words 'Remembering those lost in the Calamity'. Small square things you can read and it says commissioned by Princess Zelda. They are there, just it's been five years. Actually brought a tear to my eye. I assumed Shieka tech was simply cleaned up and repurposed.
They probably don't know that some random guy with a pot lid and ladle is the legendary warrior link. They even say that your master sword is a "replica" They simply dont know your link
As someone who is really not a fan of this game and thinks it's a relatively poor sequel, I'm super interested to see what you have to say and potentially leave my own thoughts as the vid goes on. •This game has an odd relationship with BotW tbh. Tarrey Town's expansion was so interesting and charming, and then you look across the way and see that Kass is just. Not there, the Sheikah bs is all just poofed away, Hestu is a stranger, even though Link has the Master Sword, and despite Link having max hearts at the beginning of the game, it seems as though any completed shrine quests are. . . Apparently not canon? It wants to have its Monster Cake and eat it too. It wants to be a sequel, but actively avoids expanding on the original.
The role of the Shrines was stated to be to train the Hero, so it's fair to assume Link naturally got his strength back throughout the years between games, especially since you start with full stamina and hearts which can't be obtained in Breath of the Wild. I would've liked for one of Purah's diaries to mention the disappearance of the Towers and Shrines so we know it happened and can attribute it to their purpose being fulfilled, but they were mostly just a gameplay mechanic so I'm not too bothered.
Ok, I actually enjoyed the overall gameplay and mechanics. My biggest gripe with this game is withs ita lore and storytelling. It also doesnt help recent interviews kinda feel the directors and creators care very little for story.
ZELDA has never had an interesting story nor lore, the developers have never meant to implement anything like that and fans who believe it has are just delusional
@@jesusbarrera6916You can't make Zelda turn into a dragon for eternity in order to deliver the master word and then pretend you can keep the player looking for her while following the main storyline.
Part of the beauty of Tears of the Kingdom is how it gives you the freedom to choose your own approach to problems even if the solution isn't exactly what the designers had in mind. Personally I stopped trying to make sense of the Zelda timeline long ago. Many have made a good point that Zelda's story starts to make more sense if you think of it more as an anthology series with each game being a different interpretation of the same legend. I think the side adventures compliment the main story well, being host to these little mini moments that are memorable in their own way. There was just something wild about visiting the Great Plateau and finding the Shrine of Resurrection, the place where you began in the last game now turned into another Yiga hideout. Speaking of which I just love it how they basically went and made Master Kohga and the Yiga the Team Rocket of Zelda villains. I also love how with the Light Dragon even before that one scene they do drop several hints on its identity. Going to the Great Fairy to upgrade my new Champions Tunic and seeing I needed parts from this one Dragon that I had never seen or heard of before was a genuine "oh shit..." moment for me. I certainly wasn't expecting Nintendo to create a Zelda with a physics system so robust and functional it actually made over devs sit up and take notice. I think Tears of the Kingdom really demonstrates the benefits of Nintendo's practice of keeping people on hand for years which helps preserve a good deal of institutional knowledge which is something that is kind of a problem with a lot of game dev studios from what I have heard.
I have a story to share, about the restriction you mention and similar to you discovering the Construct factory and the leadup to the Lightning Temple. The first time I ever discovered the Wind Temple was by exploring, not part of the main quest. I didn't have any Zonai devices yet, and I think I still had just 4 hearts as well. I believe I flew into the rising island chain from a tower, but I'm not sure. But the discovery of this giant string of sky islands in the snow, and all these platforming challenges (which were challenges without Tulin or devices but always doable, you just had to plan your route from what you saw ahead) was probably the most magical time in the entire game for me. You could never see extremely far ahead, but you could always see far enough to plan your next few steps. Everything was organized in a way so that if you planned your route, between jumping off high points, using Ascend, and small ledges, you could always JUST make it to the top of the next platform to continue. Making my way through floating between the various floating platforms, discovering the floating trampoline ships without any context, making it above the clouds, discovering a giant airship in the middle, and seeing that title card for "Wind Temple - The Legendary Stormwind Ark" without having any idea what that meant because I hadn't gone to Rito Village yet was... again, for lack of a better word, magical. There was so much wonder in what I found, so much beauty. I wandered around in the temple, trying to find a way to proceed. I killed as many enemies as I could, I discovered the little wind turbines and tried to make them move to no avail, and explored the entire Ark, feeling increasingly confused the entire time. This was also like 2 days before release (I managed to get a copy early), so embargoes were in place and there would be no official guides, but I googled it anyway out of sheer desperation, where I found exactly ONE other person had asked about it on Reddit, who had done the same thing as me. They got some incredulous comments on the fact they made it there without Tulin, who I had to piece together would be with you as part of a story quest. So, dejected, I left, and went to go do that quest. I had to go back through the entire section again with Tulin by my side, in order to do the Temple. That restriction turned what should have been an amazing, magical discovery into a repetitious slog, and honestly, it really soured how I felt about the game for a while. I understand how it's important, but I see no reason why I couldn't have been allowed to turn the turbines with a Deku Leaf, and simply get Tulin's sage ghost afterward. That would have felt incredible to me, to save Rito Village from a problem I didn't even know they had yet, while also getting such a reward as a Sage ghost, but instead, I ended up having to replay so much and backtrack so much that the entire experience soured. It was simultaneously my favorite, and least favorite, part of the entire game.
I find it very impressive how they managed to create this large map with no loading screens. That's quite insane, when you think about how weak the Switch actually is. Compare that to the extreme amounts of loading screens in Starfield... That alone proves the dedication of Nintendo.
Lemme preface this by saying i think King Ks opinion is absolutely valid here. I honest to god wish i could agree with this review/mindset. But unfortunately the anticipation and expectations for the game after waiting 5 years (yes i know game dev timeline+covid wise it was shorter, but that just doesnt invalidate my feelings as a consumer) definitely broke my enjoyment of this game in hindsight Admittedly i do remember really enjoying it while i was running through, and maybe thats all that matters, i dont know. But the more time ive had to settle my thoughts, the less fondly i can think of it as. But compared to BOTW, I was enthralled by that game and came back again and again. After Totk, i finished and never looked back. Botw i definitely had my shortcomings with. But i could ultimately forgive it because it felt like an amazing foundation to build off of. Totk to me feels like they bedazzled/engraved said foundation, but didnt really build on top of it. I guess i just don't get why nintendo/ people cant realize that going back to full linear zelda is a horrible idea (and i say this as a lifeling zelda fan) but going FULL open design is just harming the core of zelda. I say open design because i think the open world is amazing, but i was holding my breath throughout bote and totk that id just stumble upon a labrynthian zelda dungeon, no buildup, story, nothing. Just find a dungeon, mind blowing. But the open dungeons (minus hyrule castle, amazing new type of dungeon that i was very sad didnt get put into tears) really just oversimplify what should be gratifying to overcome. Im tired. At least ganondorfs fight sent me to nirvana.
Maybe sit on those feelings for a while and come back to it a few years down the line once the pre-release idea of the game has faded and we have a much clearer picture of open world Zelda in general from the next few games. Whether those games recapture some of the lost strengths of the series or create a new type of appeal altogether, I think the game will age better as a result of its place among the rest of the games.
I'm thrilled you enjoyed TOTK as much as you did, and great video. Unfortunately for me, there were too many blemishes to ignore which sullied my experience with the game. For me, open world/air or sandbox games just don't appeal as much as other more (let's say) structured games. Zelda has changed and that's ok.
I understand, but i also feel sorry for you cause unless people get sick of these open air games, nintendo will never make another oot style 3d game again
I just wish Classic games could supplement the longer gaps of time between these open world releases. Even if they are smaller in scope than past entries.
Listen man, I don't think anyone has an issue with you not liking the game. But you say how it is ok that Zelda has changed and when I take a look at your comments in other videos about the game it really seems like you're not actually ok with it, it seemed like you were annoyed with it.
Im glad im not the only one who stumbled onto the Zonai Construct dungeon before i was supposed to. I also just blindly tackled the storm islands and found the shrine and door. But i had enough hearts by then so just continued through the quest and got Mineru early
To sum it up. Were there things I felt they should have done differently? yes. Was it an amazing game? yes. Did it disappoint me? yes. Did it leave me stunned? Also yes.
14:09 oh my goodness, I got a good giggle out of your solution to this korok XD It's in WATER. There's a nearby shrine that teaches you about BUOYANCY. It took me a second to put it together, but yeah all you have to do is ultrahand the cork under the water then let go. Cork goes flying up, out pops the korok!
I ultimately didn't dislike my time with Tears of the Kingdom, but it gave me an unfortunate Assassin's Creed 2 vibe where it made the first game feel like the beta test before being fully realized. Nothing wrong with that, but I couldn't help but feel a little let down at times. At the end of the day, I don't know if Zelda's going in a direction I'm much interested in. I love character driven stories, and the last time assets were heavily reused for a Zelda game we got MM, my still favorite 3D Zelda, and maybe it was unfair of me to put that kind of expectation on Tears. I think Breath and Tears are both good games, but the next 3D Zelda has an uphill battle to win me over that it'll bring me moments that consistently brought me to tears like MM. I simply don't like open world games much (or have the time to play so many of'em anymore). It takes a very specific flavor of one to wrap me in, but hopefully it continues to grow no matter what path it takes so people can continue to enjoy this new shift. Really hoping they keep some of the classic energy in 2D Zelda...if they're still going to happen. >.>
The better answer for why the sheikah tech disappeared would’ve easily been “we dismantled it all. After the calamity ended, the shrines deactivated, and so did the guardians and all that, and because we know Ganon could come back again some day, we didn’t want to risk it, so we tore it all down until we could figure out how he took it over in the first place.
The way I see it, the Towers, Shrines and Hyrule Castle pillars all disappeared due to their purpose being fulfilled after Ganon's defeat, but the dug up Divine Beasts and Guardians remained. In order to both prevent another Great Calamity and learn about the construction of Sheikah tech, Hyrule deconstructed them and used the materials to build the Skyview Towers.
19:07 Thank you for the kind words; have a great day as well! ^_^ And thanks for for giving us another awesome video! Especially one so beefy and on what will probably end up being my favorite game of 2023, and perhaps of the Switch's life :)
Thanks for reminding me about all the reasons I love this game and love Zelda as a whole. Overly Sarcastic Productions has a detailed diatribe I recommend you watch as they discuss the sky in TotK and it gave me a whole different perspective on it and made me love it even more. I think you would enjoy their video.
Although I’m halfway thru the video, I am unsure if this is going to be your entry for Totk into the Zelda retrospective playlist. Anyways, I respect your opinion more than Zeltik, NBC, and many other Zeldatubers, and this is the first time I’ve ever disagreed with you. I give this as a compliment, it’s not often a UA-camr has so many based takes, especially on my favorite series. But I really cannot look past the sheer amount of disappointment I felt playing this game. I defended this game religiously before its release, and once I got it the day it released, I dumped hours into it like it was a full time job. But fatigue and frustration began to set in very quickly and steeply. The approach to Totk is the problem, not the map. The story doesn’t tie into the world properly as it did in Botw. The story is beyond lackluster to the point that Totk is afraid of referencing Botw, its direct prequel. The emphasis on geographical exploration, with small tweaks or not, is still a detrimental approach for a sequel in a familiar world. The towns we are so familiar with have not expanded, nor is there an establishment of Hyrule itself. It’s still, years later, a scattered country of different people’s. I’d expand more on this but my break at work is almost up. I think what I’m trying to say is that no one can reasonably judge Totk for itself and what it accomplished and NOT compare it to Botw. The biggest sin of Totk imo is acting as if Botw never happened.
I completely disagree that it acts like Breath of the Wild never happened; I'm pretty sure it's the way it is out of a sheer obligation to be more accessible for those that haven't played Breath of the Wild, and when I look outside the perspective of the online community, it makes sense that they wouldn't want to force people to play a whole other open world game just to get a good experience with this one, especially with it being the biggest Nintendo game probably since its predecessor. Otherwise there are several references to BotW, and the things that were removed such as the Sheikah Tech aren't all too important and mostly just existed for the sake of gameplay mechanics. You may still think it isn't possible to make a successful sequel under these conditions, but personally I can appreciate it and find plausible ways to fill in the gaps myself. In general, I'll agree that the environmental storytelling isn't quite as good as Breath of the Wild, but that game was one of the best of all time at it to be fair. Lemme give you an example of a story detail hidden in the world relating to the Sage quests. The Upheaval is essentially the result of the influence of the Ancient Sages and Ganondorf reaching the world from the Sky and Depths respectively. Where the Ancient Sages created passageways for the new Sages to find the secret stones, Ganondorf summoned monsters to corrupt those passageways along with the whole region. In addition, we know the plan was originally for Mineru to join Link on his whole quest (essentially be this game's companion character, which is a cool twist on the trend) but Ganondorf delayed their meeting until likely the end of the game. Then you realize that of the 5 Regional Phenomena Purah wants you to investigate, the only one not caused by Ganondorf is the Kakariko Ring Ruins. Thus had everything gone according to plan, Purah would've directed Link straight to the Ring Ruins where he and Mineru would've reached her construct and begun their journey. We also know that Ganondorf went to Kakariko Village disguised as Zelda and forbade exploration of the floating ruin knowing it had the information to kickstart the Ancient Sages' plan, but given all the info about becoming a Sage and what not on the rest of the Ring Ruins, it's likely Ganondorf read those too and figured out the plan from them, hence why he was able to hinder it so effectively. You can piece together so many unspoken details about the story just from the Ring Ruins, and I find that so cool.
I'm getting close to 400 hours in and still haven't explored 75% of the depths and need to finish the main story still. I spent over 5 months goofing off hours every day and loving it
Just finished rewatching this masterpiece of a video, and it’s easily been cemented as one of my favourites you’ve ever made. You’re one of my favourite creators simply due to the honesty and passion you have for what you talk about, and this video is one of the best examples of that. Thanks King.
I watched this video when it came out, and I loved it. But rewatching it months later, after the world seems to have turned agains this game, which is my favorite of all time… it meant the world to me. This is probably my favorite UA-cam video that exists. I cannot possibly speak enough about how much I agree with everything in this video. Thank you.
It's not everyone's cup of tea and I get that, but it's really sad to me that so many people can't look past their pre-release idea of what the game would be and see it for what it does do so well. Regardless, know that you aren't alone, and I'm 99% sure the people complaining are the minority, cause everyone I know irl and several big creators outside the Zelda community love it.
@@speedude0164 I hope so. I'm almost ashamed to admit it, but the recent negativity genuinely dampens how much I love it, despite my best efforts. It's definitely not perfect. I actually agree with most of the criticisms people have. It just makes me sad that it's so intensively negative, like they have something to prove. Thoughts on this? The things I'm talking about have been going on for months, but I've only started seeing it in the last few days, so I'm trying to gather all the opinions I can
@@holdenarledge9672 I actually do kinda relate to that. I'm not sure I'd say it dampens my enjoyment, but it has me looking at certain things and going "is this dogshit or not", which is why I'm trying to limit the time I spend in online Zelda discussions. Online communities are excellent for sharing your experiences with the things you love with others like you, even if those experiences aren't always positive, but this has been a great eye-opener to how much it can influence your view of those things and lead to a popular sentiment reigning supreme. What's funny is that the sentiment some people are expressing for this game, I remember having for Breath of the Wild (albeit much more mild). I still adore the game, but a lot of its issues became clearer to me overtime. The more I think about and play Tears of the Kingdom on the other hand, the more I fall in love with it.
@@holdenarledge9672to each their own, if you like it more power to you but way too much carried over from the last game, which I already didn't like. The last game felt bloated, rushed and repetitive. The map was cool but it's like they ran out of time and just began aimlessly copy pasting moblins, bokobkins and lizalfos EVERYWHERE. Was hoping Totk would rectify that. It didn't imo.
This game was so satisfying to rediscover. I appreciated the mention of the Climbing Gear and Barbarian set, as those were my favorites from BotW. As soon as I discovered caves had armor the entire game changed. It took a long time but eventually I managed to track down both sets basically by accident or with the clues from passing fashionistas. It was one of the most satisfying video game experiences of my life, and it was just getting something I’d already played with. It says a lot about TotK that the game can give you such joy in rediscovery.
Tears of the Kingdom really takes advantage of the reused world to do things that wouldn't have been possible with a brand new world. Hyrule Castle feels so calm and desolate now without Ganon there, so having the player explore it at the beginning is a great decision. They were also able to transform the towns much more for the Regional Phenomena and then give you a sense of familiarity once you save them. Where hearing the Rito Village theme would normally have me going "looks like I returned this place to normal, nice", it instead has me going "ah, there's the Rito Village I know and love". I also love how after Breath of the Wild put an armor piece capable of disguising you from any enemy a minute's worth of travel away from the tutorial area, Tears of the Kingdom locks it behind a battle against 5 of that game's infamous unkillable god enemy. 😂
My fundamental disappointment with this game is "you always know what you're going to get". I felt the surprises were relatively minor, and while some of the changes were impressive, I really had to motivate myself to play Whereas, BotW was a game I could not stop revisiting, TotK is my least favorite Zelda. I completely understand why people love it, but the lack of deviation from its predecessor really left me wanting
The game is definitely not for everyone and wouldn’t recommend it to anyone that played the first game. I still miss the upgrades from the first games DLC especially the unbreakable master sword. I wanted an epic story with amazing gameplay like dragon quest 11 S or FF7 remake. It’s true that the longer the game takes, the bigger the expectations. The game felt more like a rom hack than a proper game. I’ll stick to playing more RPGs for now to fulfill those expectations.
But you always know what you're going to get in BOTW too? Disposable weapons and more moblin, bokoblin and lizalfos fights. Both are terrible games imo.
@@Roflcrabs BotW was innovative, but it did have a lot of repetition as well, it's true. However, I expected TotK to offer something new as most Zelda games had before it. From game to game, Zeldas have a certain distinction With TotK it's the same type of starting tutorial where you get all your powers, you get the detached and unengaging storytelling, some ancient tech focus, shrines, koroks, champion centric goals, etc... we've seen this in BotW. While a few elements impressed, TotK does not distinguish itself from BotW very well. In fact, I find the design clunkier since the map was made for BotW and was adapted for TotK (sometimes poorly, IMO) I played BotW afterwards, and that game is far superior to me. It has has an appealing simplicity to it, while TotK dumps garbage all over the map and seems to struggle with the extremes of it's progression system I've played TotK a lot (almost compulsively). I mapped everything, got every shrine, found every memory, did all the dungeons, and finished the game, but it felt a bit hollow. With TotK the devs just seemed like they were remaking BotW again, with an emphasis on adding more tedium. I would have preferred it to be DLC with a reduction of the extra empty space they gave us. The depths were such a let down... Anyway, these are all just my thoughts and have no real bearing on anything. I do hope you had a good time with TotK. My experience was really frustrating. The amount of times I've said "this again?". It just sorta sucked for me
@@Roflcrabssorry, didn't read your initial comment properly. I can see the argument against BotW a bit more after TotK. I did enjoy BotW, but TotK has cheapened my experience with the game
@@Ophmar4 yeah that's fair enough, I can agree with that. I still didn't like Botw.. or I did for about 10-20 hours but the following 80 hours were a boring mindless slog once you realize how much the game repeats but Botw was at least a new game. Totk feels like a copy paste job. Same assets, same UI, same sound effects. I'm fine with them reusing the same engine, the foundation for both games are amazing partly why I find the games so frustrating as it has so much potential but so little content. Throw in at least 4 classic 3D Zelda dungeons at a minimum, unique boss fights, unique enemies sequestered to different locations of the map rather than aimlessly peppering the whole map with moblins, bokoblins, lizalfos and the occasional lynels and hinocks. Add some memorable unique tracks and have the story be mandatory, force us to collect the memories and either go all in on voice acting or drop it. The in-between thing they went for is jarring. In a pre-rendered cut-scene someone will be speaking then it cuts to dialogue boxes with "oh"s "ah"s and "hmmm"s. There isn't much dialogue in the games as it is, it just seems lazy and inconsistent. It's a big ask but as a long-time Zelda fan It's what I loved about the series. New enemies, environments, memorable music fun boss fights, creative puzzles and dungeons. This just felt like bokoblin genocide simulator.. I strongly agree with Totks map being cluttered, the sky in particular looks like a mess, it isn't awe inspiring, I'm not pining to find out what's up in those messy floating islands because I know it will just contain disposable weapons or rupees. I can't definitely say that's the case as I haven't finished the game but from what I've played the sky islands are admittedly a nice change of scenery but that's as far as it goes, new terrain basically. Even the new abilities function like the old ones, same functionality and mechanics just tweaked, stasis now reverses time and the carry metal ability is now carry everything ability with glue.
One nitpick, OoT isn't the Imprisoning War. That event, and its analogs happens generations later, which is TP and the time leading up to the Great Flood
I’m sad. I had so much hope for totk to mix the traditional Zelda with botw’s version of Zelda but instead we got the same thing with more sandbox elements. I still had fun but it’s not the Zelda I love and care about.
I would be so genuinely happy if they used the open world format but hid much more impactful discoveries, like dungeons, around. No story buildup or anything, just stumble into a labyrinth like Zelda 1 but have the puzzle box feel of OOT and majoras dungeons. I remember freaking out when I first found the forgotten temple in botw, only to realize it was just a really long hallway.. I was really hoping totk rectified that but it didnt.
@@imhaddanitattaxx4172 Yeah, I would also like if the story was more linear instead of being like it was in totk because you could just get spoiled about Zelda’s draconification and then still have to do all the sage quests with fake Zelda running around town and the sages being complete morons and link doing a little trolling.
These new 3D Zelda videos are incredible. I've always loved your content, and I've been a fan of yours ever since you first started your Zelda marathon way back when. You got me more interested in longform analysis videos before they even blew up, and I've seen your perspectives shift from judging how close to perfection a game can get to your more laid back, appreciative role that you are today. As someone who turns 30 next year, I can relate to getting more somber and less harsh as you grew older. I too would always try to tear apart every little detail of games and films I loved until they met my criteria for perfection, whatever that was. Nowadays, while I still hold a high standard, I still try to meet things where they are, as it were. I try to empathize with the artist who created the thing I enjoy to critique so much. I try to find value in everything I play/see, and it's helped me enjoy life as a whole a lot more than I did in my early 20s/late teens. Enjoying things is based, actually. I don't comment on these much because I usually just like to watch and listen to your voice, but I adore your videos, Mr K, and I look forward to having some well-deserved fun today. Keep being you, man.
I get your angle with the "consumer expectations" thing, but I don't think people generally expected THAT much from this game. What I expected was something that tightropes the line between expansion and sequel. That's what the game looked to be leading up to release, and that's what I got: a game that wasn't expansive enough to be a sequel, yet more than what usually constitutes an expansion. I felt it in the temples, the monotone depths, the barren sky islands, the worse rain, the worse weapon durability, and the predictable and redundant nature of story beats, and how ungracefully said story was delivered (not to mention the deus ex machina in the end). There were also problems in BOTW that were not fixed which held near-universal criticism, most notably the cluttered inventory system (which is now worse) and the way you still can't distinguish between which shrines you haven't completed and which ones still have an unopened chest. No one with such reservations expected a "perfect" game by any means. The old "get fucked your expectations were too high" seems to be the way die-hard Zelda fans justify being dismissive of TOTK's shortcomings and talking down to people who acknowledge them. Most of us didn't go and pluck $70 off a tree when the game came out. When someone buys it because game journalists and UA-camrs are giving it 10/10s and GOTYs like no one's business and find it has glaring flaws, they're going to be upset. When day one buyers find that after six years Nintendo underdelivered in many aspects, they're going to be upset. It's fine to have expected more and it's fine to have loved it. All I can say is I played through BOTW three times, yet I have no desire to replay TOTK.
Totally agree with your take. Although I have more than a few gripes with it, I'm a fan of BotW and I can appreciate what they were going for. That game had soul, despite its problems. I had my reservations going into ToTK, no massive expectations or hype to be met whatsoever and it still underdelivered for me. Played BotW multiple times, yet now I am struggling to even finish this game. And I have played A LOT of it, willing to give it a fair chance.
I was recently able to finish TOTK and I think your video really solidified everything I experienced. I waited so long for this game and to say I had expectations is an understatement. I was truly a child again exploring the great sea and with so many tools to aid my distraction I got lost. To me the biggest issue with BoTW was how distraction felt like it had a cost - Zelda was waiting and here you are running about. ToTK really builds up to how you are supposed to find Zelda and helping people is what leads you to clues. Exploration and distraction build on the story and gives you context for the world you are about to save. I have such an appreciation for how these games have influenced me as a person and am happy you were able to encapsulate those feelings in a video.
The temples are specifically via Lore tied to the sages because they’re meant to be places for the ancient sages to pass on the secret stone to the present day sages. Hence why they need to be with you.
I love your interpretation of Link as being characterized through his relationship with the people, and how it relates to the conflict. By corrupting the Divine Beasts in Breath of the Wild, Calamity Ganon essentially forced the Champions into individual battles they couldn't win on their own, and they all perished as a result. Tears of the Kingdom really feels like Hyrule's chance to get things right and not fail like they did 100 years ago. Everyone is doing their part to contribute to the war, whether it be fighting the monsters head-on, cooking meals or taking care of horses. Where Zelda and the Champions could only lend you their power against Calamity Ganon, Zelda and the Sages now actively join the fight to take down this far greater threat. Even in your case when you help the Monster Control Crew take out an enemy camp and kick absolute ass, you set an example for everyone to look up to and draw inspiration from. You aren't just fighting with Hyrule's help in this game; you're fighting alongside Hyrule. That's really the perfect next step to take in this story. Hyrule took a massive blow from the Demon King's forces and barely survived by putting their faith in Link, and although the Demon King has now been revived in his true form, Hyrule has also made significant progress in regaining its former strength. It's a final showdown between Hyrule and the Demon King with both giving absolutely everything they've got.
I'm honestly surprised of how positive this video is, considering this is the same guy who complained that Mario Odyssey subareas don't have enough variation.
Yeah, I honestly was expecting for him to beat this game to the ground. Kinda dissapointed, there. But it is true that people change with time, his first take on Breath of the Wild was significantly different than the last one. They say that you perceive more negativity in the things around you the more negative you feel within yourself; I think *KingK* is in a much positive headspace now than he was back then. Also, more peaceful.
One thing that i would love to see on a switch 2 port of TOTK would be seamless transitions into the shrines themselves, imagine simply walking into a shrine, the contents of which you can see from outside of it, with no loading screen or downtime of any sort
TOTK ending is definitely the best in the series. And that sword pull is also definitely the best in the series. I get why they played the imprisoning war after each dungeon but like, it's like 1 single line of code to say "if this isn't the first dungeon you've beat, don't show the imprisoning war cutscene"
I think they should've used the Ancient Sage meetings to flesh out the races of the era of Hyrule's founding a bit by telling us how they were impacted by the Imprisoning War and how their leader ultimately joined Rauru, only using the final battle as the conclusion of the flashback. They don't need to show us more than tiny glimpses of the past, just enough to allow the cutscenes to feel more unique. Mineru would then be the one to really go in depth about how that final battle went.
@@FirstRecords204 I don't know what you're referring to outside of the draconification reversal, but I have a theory I'm super confident in. Zelda says at the end that she had been sleeping, but was woken up when she felt something like a warm, loving embrace. I dunno about you, but that sounds an awful lot like what happened with her power in Breath of the Wild, only this time it's her spirit dormant within a body born of her light power. Since her spirit is made up of light and time power, Rauru and Sonia were able to use their own light and time power to create a bridge for Link to reach Zelda, and because of the deep bond they share, it reawakened her. This isn't exactly conveyed perfectly, but I feel it makes the most sense of anything I've seen based on the in-game explanations, and it's actually really narratively satisfying.
46:50 The devs saying that Sheikah tech "mysteriously disappeared" once Calamity Ganon was defeated is... actually consistent with what we see and are told in Breath of the Wild, actually. The tech only started appearing in the first place in response to Ganon's return being at hand, and at the end of the game (if you got all the memories), Zelda mentions that the Divine Beasts have mysteriously gone offline, and you follow her to investigate. Considering that we know all the tech somehow vanished into the earth 10,000 years prior, it's not a huge stretch to say that ALL Sheikah tech stopped working and vanished into the ground soon after its purpose was complete, and its absence in the sequel supports that idea. Most likely, the only reason any Sheikah tech is left in the game is that it's stuff that was taken apart by Purah and others, or else is made of all the bits and bobs that Link gathered from defeated Guardians. IMO, if people find the "it disappeared" answer unsatisfying, they weren't paying attention in the last game. The tech ceasing to function and possibly even burying itself at the end was heavily implied by everything we were told about the tech and its history.
If people find the "it disappeared" answer unsatisfying, maybe it's because IT IS really unsatisfying. Not only it's a boring response, it's also full of nonsense since Sheikah tech is present in Tears of the Kingdom: the Purah Pad, the stupid Guardian sitting on top of the Hateno Ancient Tech Lab, the travel medallions and so on. So how does it work? Something disappears into nothingness, while something else stays? According to which rules? It makes no sense.
Damn good video. Makes me sad that I'm ultimately not creative enough and can't find enjoyment out of TotK just like how (oddly enough that you brought it up in the video lol) I can't with Minecraft since there are so many things you can create that my brain just shuts down from all the options (prolly adhd tbh). Banger video tho KingK, I've always enjoyed your stuff and you're recent "growth" doesn't diminish your past stuff but I def see a positive shift in your mindset on content creation. Can't wait for the next one.
I love how you can go from being hyper critical of one game to bucking the trend and unabashedly loving another. Great video, and makes me want to get back to diving into Tears.
34:57 This part probably sums up best why these open world Zeldas don't sit well with me. They're not about the story or mechanics anymore. They're about the emotional experience of existing in simulated spaces.
I wish this video could resonate with me more. I wish I could keep my expectations in check and let the Zelda team just do what they want without being disappointed that it's not what I wanted it to be. I love Open Air Zelda, but the Open Air Zelda game that lives in my head rent-free sadly doesn't exist yet. The one with tons of dungeons to find randomly across the map, the one without shrines or koroks, the one where rewards I find in a chest MEAN something. All I can do now is wait for them to make it, or be forever disappointed whenever they make a game that isn't that. Like you say, expectations can be poisonous, and while I can realize that, it's far more difficult to just let go. You said "I was never disappointed whenever I revisited an old place to see what had changed" and... I wish I could share the sentiment. The FIRST thing I did in Tears of the Kingdom was go back to Akkala Citadel Ruins, I expected it to finally be able to enter it, I expected to find an entire dungeon inside of it, one that would reward me with an item or anything worthwhile. Instead, all I got was a lousy cave. "This is fine" I told myself "Forgotten Temple is next, and surely now..." nope, still no dungeon, this time, it was just a lore room. Again, this is on me and my skewed expectations, but why that, I already knew TOTK wasn't the Open Air Zelda game I dreamed it'd be.
Big agree with your views on this game. Just a small nitpick: Teba is the new Rito Elder so even though he’s not our companion, they gave him something new at least lol
I really wish they'd gone the extra mile on that rebuilding in some ways. I really feel like they did one worse than BoTW when it came to their approach to the main quest. BoTW had distinct stories for each of the four heroes, and gave you a different chunk of lore after clearing each of the blights. ToTK had a distinct _lead-up_ to the bosses, but copied the same cutscene nearly verbatim after clearing those, leaving me feeling... I don't know, unrewarded? It was a really baffling design decision (I can't put that on the writers; this was very much a mechanics-level decision) after they did a much better job at letting us take the four divine beasts in any order in BoTW without feeling like we were progressing wrongly. Out of all the rubs I may have with ToTK, that's the one that's stuck in my mind the most strongly. Much of the rest I saw as a series of very fair trade-offs. Ultra-hand is an _amazing_ flex, but I wish they'd done more to balance it within dungeons (but I also wish the fire temple didn't make me feel like I need to skip mechanics, but that might be a me thing.)
Outstanding video. I've only played a few Zelda games overall but I really enjoyed BOTW. I love the open world concept. I heard a lot of negative reviews about TOTK so when I finally decided to play it consistently, I wasn't sure what to except. I just finished it finally after nearly 3 months of daily play and wow I'm so amazed and I'm glad you were able to feel similarly about this game. It was amazing and your video helped explain a lot of my feelings and thoughts too.
I’m not a fan of them keeping the durability system. But the fusion system mostly corrects it, but it reaches the same point. Once I had a collection od silver Lynel weapons I just stopped combat completely unless I had to kill something. Want worth expending it. But during that last battle, when you see his massive hp bar and the first time ganon hit you and straight up destroyed one of your hearts? That was epic. You knew he wasn’t messing around.
I left a pretty lengthy comment on the last video (And forgive me as I do the same here) about my thoughts on the Zelda series and the way the fanbase tends to talk about it. (I even got into a back and forth with a very persistent detractor), and I feel that this video has once again helped me put into words what it was about these games that gives me so much passion for the series. When I was first playing, I remember taking the game's suggested path of heading to rito village first, mainly because that was my go to when playing botw. I came across Impa and the first geoglyph and couldn't figure out what she meant by "finding the tear", so I made a mental note and decided to come back to it later. I eventually did and saw the first memory and was pretty quickly intrigued. However, before heading to the forgotten temple to see impa, I found myself deciding to inspect the chasm beneath Hyrule castle. I was only one temple in, and only one memory in with few hearts, but through shear force of will I pushed all the way through to the room with the murals, still at that point unsure where the chasm was leading. I decided to break the stones and see what was behind the wall, and found it wasn't particularly spoilery, only showing things I could have assumed, save for Sonia's death which I couldn't really tell from the mural alone, but found myself particularly puzzled by the last image of the dragon. i had initially assumed the dragon floating around the sky-islands was Naydra until looking closer, but even then I didn't think much of it. Until I said aloud, "Is Zelda the dragon?". I didn't really take that idea seriously as I still didn't know where she was exactly, but it stuck in the back of my head, and quickly became clear as I started progressing through the memories. Once I finally found the last memory and saw it happen, I was left rather shell shocked for a moment. Previous Zelda games had place the character of Zelda in peril before, it's the core conceit of the series, after all. But never like this. When the camera cut above to show her flying overhead, I quickly flew up there, in a sort of blind panic to see if there was something, anything I could do. And then upon getting close enough, I saw the Master Sword in her head. I had no idea thats where it was. Everyone you speak to says its probably back in korok forrest, but I couldn't figure out how to get past the fog and assumed it probably wasn't there anyway. The sequence of events was probably one of the most memorable moments in a video game I've ever had. And this was the first instance of the game truly cementing itself as one of the best games I'd ever played. The second moment came at the end. The final sequence of Totk, from diving into the chasm to the credits, Is absolutely the best any Zelda game has ever offered. The lead up to Ganon, with the slowly encroaching music that ramps up in speed and volume as you progress, as the sages disappear and lack of enemies creates a mood unlike any before. hearing Ganon's theme on the organ as you advance through Hyrule Castle in OOt and TP is intimidating, but It pales in comparison to the sound of the reverse choir getting louder and louder as you descend into an inky black pit at very the bottom of the world. the sages joining you as you fight the hoards of monsters and the silent march into Ganon's lair. And then there's Ganon himself. This is the most of Ganondorf we've ever seen in a Zelda game. And actually getting to hear him speak makes a world of difference. Ganondorf's speech is rendered instantly iconic through Matt Mercer's performance. The regality and confidence in his tone, combined with the motif of his OOt theme operatically sung as his title appears. Even Twilight princess, which I'd argue had up until this point portrayed the definitive Ganondorf can't compete with the raw power Totk's exudes. Something to note, is the way Totk characterizes this incarnation's lust for power. In Totk he bemoans the "weak peace loving cowards" who run rampant, when he first awakes he announces his disappointment in Link and the Master sword. When Link actually manages to get past his first phase he seems pleased and speaks of the surge of power in his veins. This Ganondorf is a warrior first and foremost. This Ganondorf embodies power so much more than his predecessors, because he seeks the thrill of battle. When OOt Ganon rules over Hyrule he creates a kingdom of stagnant decay, with Tp Ganon basically holding the world frozen in twilight. When we see what this Ganondorf plans, it isn't a stagnant frozen world, its a burning hellscape. This Ganondorf doesn't just want to sit on a throne and hoard power, this one wants to wield it. To burn and destroy. He wants a forever war. His hatred of Rauru and the Zonai isn't simply because they hold power, its because they use it for peace. Rauru wields his might for order and stability. To Ganondorf this is an affront to his way. He's a warrior in a world ruled by one who has abandoned war. Without War and conflict he has no purpose. This is what drives him, he wants a world where only power reigns supreme. To me this is the most succinct portrayal of the idea of Ganondorf. Not just a mad king or usurper, but a bonafide War Lord. and actual demon in human form. But the main thing that solidified this game for me was the very end. I recently watched a video on the Escapist about the ways in which games deliver their final input. The last button press of the game. In just about every Zelda game, the last proper mechanical interaction the player gives is the final blow. But in Totk, it's not. Totk's demon dragon fight is absolutely the most spectacular moment in any zelda game. Previously, I had held that to be Skyward Sword's ending. One of the main reason I will always defend Skyward Sword's motion controls, is that very few games have ever gave me such an immersive and tactile experience as delivering the final blow against Demise in SS. In one of dorkiest moments in my gaming career, I genuinely stood up from my chair and shouted "DIE" as I drove the joycon down to deliver the final blow. Skyward Sword gave me such a sense of immersion in the game, and created what was up until now the best final boss in any zelda game and one of the best in any game period. But the Demon dragon somehow managed to top it, through visual spectacle alone. (On a side note, I made a comparison to Xenoblade 3 in my last comment, but does anyone else think its crazy that in this game Monolith helped develop, that has tons of Ouroboros imagery in it, the shape the Demon Dragon takes when the fight starts is a Mobius strip Infinity sign? Like, that can't be a coincidence right?) Aside from improving on Botw's dark beast Ganon fight by having the battle involve sky diving, which has been a crucial mechanic the whole game, unlike horse back riding in Botw, totk also breaks convention by having the game's final input not be the finishing blow, but rather catching Zelda. The Zelda series has always been about saving Zelda. but the method it uses to accomplish this, is near universally killing Ganondorf. But Totk, becomes the first game in the series to actually, genuinely depict this act as a player driven action. I say with no uncertainty, that Botw/Totk's Zelda is the most fleshed out and realized version of the character. We know more about this Zelda's likes, dislikes, interests, hobbies and personality then any other version. We have had two games (and a warriors game) developing and getting to know this Zelda. so the fact that game ends with a final sequence where the player must dive through the air to save her, with the final action from the player being to grab her hand, mirroring Link's failure in the start of the game, perfectly bring Botw's themes of redeeming one self after failure full circle, and giving the player the climactic final moment universally reserved for cutscenes, while the game's theme transitions into Zelda's lullaby, which then transitions into the Series theme. That right there is the greatest moment this series has ever offered. I get chills just thinking back to it. This is the ONLY Zelda game to make SAVING ZELDA an actual mechanical interaction. Considering botw and totk had placed gameplay at the forefront more so then any other Zelda game before, the fact that they make the core conceit of the series, for the first time a real playable moment. that right there was why the Demise fight was so immersive. It put the experience of play above all else. That's why this is my favourite Zelda game. Where as Botw's ending felt sweet but somewhat lacking, this ending felt like a triumph of design. This is what Zelda has always meant to me. That incredible feeling of a real, personal adventure.
I had so much fun watching this! Funny, I used to be that connoisseur; jaded, wishing things were like the old days with books, games, etc. Now I try to meet the art without expectation, and viola! The magic was there just waiting to be discovered all over again :)
I've been trying to do the same since the negative shift in Zeldatube's views on the game. It can make it hard to remember why I hold it in such high regard, but videos like this remind me. It wasn't necessarily what I expected, but once I put aside all the pre-release speculation and just looked at it as the next Zelda game, I really appreciated what it pulled off. I didn't even skip the damn cutscenes for the Shrines and Lightroots.
I did like the dialogue that acknowledge when you sequence break, I did it with the spirit temple, so when I finished the others Pura was like "hmmm, you need to find another temple... What you already did it?!"
Or one time I defeated a monster base at random before talking to the team, even came from the other side, one of the pirate ships, and then went to the team and they were like "wait, you already defeated the monsters all by yourself? That why you the legendary swardman I guess"
Same! I found the spirit temple completely on accident and had all five sages before I went to the castle. It was so funny for Purah and the sages to be like : "Ok, well go defeat Ganon now I guess!"
Those moments we're funny as hell, Made me laugh a lot
@@Joee003 Very cool. The Spirit Temple was one of my favorite parts of the game, maybe next time I'll try doing it out of sequence.
Damn you almost sound like a reaI woman
Yeah my favorite sequence break was when link found out Zelda was the light dragon and was unable to tell anybody who was asking about Zelda for my entire playthrough
There were many times during my TOTK run that I said something like "Wouldn't it be cool if it worked this way" or "Why can't it work like this" and every single time without fail the game would turn out to be like I wanted it to. It felt like I was a student learning from a very wise teacher who always taught me, but not necessarily at the pace or in the way that I wanted to be taught. The game exudes a confidence about itself that it can leave you wanting for answers to "what happened with this plotline" or "how do I use this item," but not worry that these temporary frustrations will make you turn the game off. And that confidence is well deserved, because I put in over 100 hours. This is to say that TOTK is clearly made by incredibly talented and intelligent people who know how to play on your curiosity. Aonuma is clearly a master of his craft, with the skill and vision that few in the gaming industry can match. I admire TOTK in the same way that I admire the architecture of gothic cathedrals. It is the highest form of art, and I defy the Roger Eberts of the world to say that video games can't be art.
ToTK is a very unique game which is probably one the few games that can survive the goldfish attention span generation of modern gamers, it is very creative and I think the way they simplify every single thing about 3D open world games will help it stay relevant for a long time. And anyone who says videogames aren't art belong in the same category as people who said that the Internet is a fad.
This is phrased so perfectly well done 👏
Its amazing how despite everyone being able to see bigger issues in the game (like a lack of expanded enemy variety), when looking at what we'd change its largely nitpicks on things that are already amazing.
You're joking right? What the hell do you people see in these awful, repetitive games? Did we play the same game? You solve piss easy shrine puzzles and fight thousands of the same copy pasted moblins, bokoblins and lizalfos while running across the same copy pasted lifeless barren map from the last game.
I think it’s good actually that this video took so long. There were way too many people giving knee-jerk hot takes a few days or weeks after the game came out. Waiting a few months gives time for those initial impressions to settle makes for a more nuanced and balanced analysis.
Eh. Everybody feels their own way about the game and Breath of the Wild. Ceave and Nerrel made really good videos about Tears of the Kingdom.
How I feel about them hasn't really changed for the better anyway. I've been replaying Breath of the Wild, and it just feels so bland in comparison to Tears of the Kingdom. I've said a number of times that Tears of the Kingdom is the Zelda game that Breath of the Wild should have been, and I still am not particularly happy with Tears of the Kingdom. I already had ill feelings for Breath of the Wild, and those carried over to Tears of the Kingdom.
I think it’s just the Zelda Cycle in full swing. I’ve seen a lot of gamers going through their messy divorce with the game and calling it “the worst Zelda story yet,” which is exactly what they said about Skyward Sword and BOTW (which they now say have good stories).
@@SpirrwellHonestly bro… I’d lowkey say that Breath Of The Wild is better than TOTK, even though it is OBJECTIVELY worse (in most ways)
@@GeneralOlde yeah, I agree. That plays into the knee jerk reactions and all that. Nerrel's video (since that was mentioned) was riddled with trivial points that were more so skill issues with the game than actual issues with the game outside of the menus. Dude just seemed angry for the sake of being angry the game wasn't MM or OoT. Look up TotK is a frustrating 10/10, that's a solid review of TotK, it's issues and what it does right. That and KingK's video on TotK are probably the best I've seen due to them not really having a knee jerk reaction, giving themselves time to sit with the game and actually learn it's mechanics and how it's different from BotW
@@RNGuiceTotK suffers from not having that same ‘first playthrough’ effect that BoTW did. It’s a weird catch 22 to be in, as the game only really benefits players who have already seen the sights and sounds of the original Hyrule and contrasting that with what’s changed, while also already being a place veterans are too familiar with. I think the fact the depths were just a big empty map of light switches really felt like a missed opportunity for them to truly make a new map that felt fresh and new and not one that played on expectations entirely. Playing on them can be a good thing but not when it’s overdone imo like ToTK was.
If breath of the Wild reminded me of the beauty that lies in stopping and smelling the roses, then Tears showed me what unshakeable power lies in the combination of creativity and courage, both for a game like this, and for the world at large. God I love this franchise
Creativity and courage? To what, fight bokoblins over and over while solving mindlessly easy puzzles in a lifeless barren map?
Re: Shiekah tech disappearing - I don't think you can just handwave that as "well the older games don't really fit into this context either" because this isn't just a new Zelda haphazardly being smashed into the timeline, this is a direct sequel to Breath of the Wild. Shiekah tech was everywhere and now a few years later it's like it never existed. I can accept that the towers and shrines went back into the ground when the mission was completed and Calamity Ganon was defeated, but what about everything else? There were guardians EVERYWHERE and there were entire labs dedicated to studying Sheikah tech and now suddenly it's like none of it ever existed.
Edit to clarify: This didn't ruin my experience with the game or anything I just thought it was notable that all Shiekah tech seemingly vanished without a trace and nobody seemed to notice or care.
And twilight princess is a direct sequel to OOT in the same hyrule which is the point he brought up.
Zelda lore inconsistencies have been going on since OOT and to make it such a big deal when it comes to TOTK is just trivial
@@R.A.M_Games 1) not making a big deal about it, just thought it was notable. It doesn't ruin the game or anything like that.
2) Twilight Princess is absolutely not a direct sequel to OoT in the same way that TotK is to BotW. These are the literal same characters and same places as the last game, not some vague same hyrule but in a way different time where nothing is remotely the same as in the previous game.
@@R.A.M_GamesTP is at least multiple generations away from OoT, they are not even remotely the same.
The headcanon that we came up in our household was basically... they just recycled all of it? Like, Purah and the team went out, gathered the guardians and whatnot to study and ended up repurposing the tech.
@@Kirkklan yeah, either it all simply lost power as the shiekah who built it had a grasp of how long the seal beneath the castle would hold and was then recycled or just as easily it all vanished entirely like the monks themselves.
My favorite youtube channel hands down. You're so down to earth and you talk about artistry like an artist. You're vulnerable and open and I fully respect and look up to that
Well said.
Thank you for taking the time to do this your own way and just be you, enjoying art the way you want at your own pace.
Tears of the Kingdom is a very fun game to play, while the storytelling in the middle finds some of the same pitfalls as BotW based on the nature of how the game is structured (though I would argue it is still a big improvment) I will say the opening and closing acts of the game hold some of my favorite moments in the entire series
Short rant, I think some of the pitfalls in Tears are even worse than they were in BotW. They double down on a formula that was heartfelt but middling, they lock all the interesting stuff behind memories so we can't interact with the story, they give the Zonai barely any development or dimension, they make every single Sage narrative(both the past and present sages) carbon copies of each other, completely delete the sheikah tech and effects of the Calamity outright with little mention(and this is from someone who dislikes BotW's take on the Sheikah), while incorporating other things from the first game. Like, Link has max hearts in the intro, implying he did all the shrine quests, but has apparently never met Hestu or done any of the shrine quests with stories like the Seven Heroines? Tarrey Town was so good and then they pulled stuff like this that really diminished TotK's concept as a sequel lol
I like this game, but it still ended up being my least favorite Zelda for a reason.
I only figured this out while watching this video, but the Champions are your new dungeon items, in a way that your Zonai abilities aren’t. One is tied to each of the four main dungeons, and you have to get them to solve all the puzzles. Tulin is your Korok Leaf/Blower, Yunobo is your Ball & Chain, and the other two are also similarly useful.
Maybe Im just a knucklehead but I didnt really see the use of Rito and Sidon outside of combat
I assume they meant Riju, to which she functions as your electricity puzzle tool/din's fire if you really need a comparison
how is tulin only useful in combat. he is almost exclusively for traversal. @@Zockanumber1
@@PlayPodOGTulin can push enemies off cliffs with his wind gusts and he's always hitting those head shots the with bow
Yeah but they’re shit and you don’t get them during a real dungeon. I want real items and power ups that are genuinely useful that I don’t get in the first 10 minutes of the game.
I've got one bone to pick, although I love the rest of the video:
They literally coulda just said Ganondorf's malice destroyed the sheikah tech along with the weapons he rusted.
Like c'mon that's already an excuse plot point anyway, to get players to use the fuse mechanic. And that's fine, because it totally works. Almost nobody complains about the weapons having deteriorated. It's implicitly understood its a gameplay thing. I don't think there would be as much debate over the Sheikah tech if they'd at least been given the dignity of the same in-game handwave.
You seem unnecessarily dismissive of people who point out this pretty big hole of how the sheikah stuff vanished, and your argument is... to point to a timeline of games that all either take place hundreds of generations apart, or in different locations.
But TOTK is a sequel set just a few years after BOTW, in the same Hyrule. Why couldn't we get even that much of an excuse answer for the disappearance of Sheikah tech? How come characters like Purah and Robbie who dedicated their entire life to Sheikah tech, don't even seem to notice it's gone?
I loved exploring the world and finding the changes like you did. I think not bothering to have even a slightly better explanation for the sheikah thing, instead relegating it to an interview, and having the game seem to forget it entirely, does weaken that a bit tho. I think it's fair to acknowledge where TOTK changes the world in surprising ways, and also, what aspects of sharing a continnuity with BOTW that TOTK stumbles with.
Twilight Princess is said by Aonuma to exist one or two hundred years after Ocarina of Time, yet it looks nothing like Ocarina of Time.
Compare that to the Botw Totk-verse, and these games actually have a MUCH stronger sense of continuity than the series has basically ever had.
@TheKingOfKingK I mean yeah, I'll give you that to an extent, but you're using one out-of-game interview to introduce an issue that otherwise doesn't exist in TP, in order to justify an issue with TOTK that's only even briefly addressed by..
an out-of-game interview.
I mean, playing TP, the similarities to OOT are obvious, but without that interview nobody's gonna ask "Hey wait why isn't X thing from OOT here now?"
I would agree with the Twilight Princess point, but because Tears of the Kingdom uses the same world as Breath of the Wild, it needs to lean into its connections to its predecessor to make absolutely sure it's plausible for both games to exist in the same universe, hence why I would've liked to have this explained in-game. The only reason it's not much of a big deal to me is that the Sheikah tech mostly just existed as a gameplay mechanic (even Age of Calamity acts like the Shrines don't exist). It's also really easy to assume Hyrule used materials from the Guardians and Divine Beasts to make the Skyview Towers then dismantled them, especially since not doing so would've lead Hyrule to certain doom once Ganondorf reawakened.
@@KingKlonoa Twilight Princess is not located in the same Hyrule as Ocarina of Time, except for one small part. That small part is when you visit the ruins of the Temple of Time and get the Master Sword.
Seeing a video that's positive around Tears of the Kingdom in the Zelda community is surprisingly hard to find atm amidst all the lore hiccups, so I'm really thankful that this exists. Current Zelda titles are unlike anything in the modern gaming landscape, there are games that give you freedom, but they usually go by the tried and true ubisoft formula, and while botw and totk fall into that a little bit... They offer TRUE player driven experiences, if you don't wanna do some of the stuff in these games, you don't have to.
Tears of the Kingdom is such a breath of fresh air in a year with FANTASTIC games, that are mostly (with a couple exceptions) tailored games that everyone will experience in a linear order, Zelda breaks away from that, I just think it's really unique.
I see more videos praising the game than bashing it TBH. It's mostly lore nerds and old good/new bad people getting in a hissy that TotK isn't OoT 4.0
its like waves of the ocean, i kinda ignore the community and just enjoy the series.
@@chooongusbug724 oh for sure but I'm too far deep in the community to go back at this point and it's tough haha
Yeah, from a lore perspective, I feel TOTK is pretty messy and riddled with missed opportunities, but from a gameplay perspective, it deserves all the praise in the world! It's so fun to unleash one's creativity and the only people that bash this, are the ones who dislike player driven experiences!
@@sethfeldpausch4337 Definitely, at launch everyone was praising the game, but over time the cracks have shown for a lotta people, and while I see the cracks for SURE, it's still one of my favourite games of all time, it just expands on all the stuff I liked or disliked about botw
Your voice, vocabulary and presentation in these videos are absolutely top tier. Your retrospective analysis videos are perfect to listen to while I’m working on monotonous tasks at my job. Hearing about things i enjoy in, the way that you present them takes my mind off the monotony. Needless to say, this video did not disappoint.Thank you for doing what you do!
Side note: are you planning on continuing the Final Fantasy series? I’m looking forward to your take on 4 and beyond.
What an amazing year:
ToTK, Mario Wonder, Spider Man 2, Resident Evil 4 remake, Starfield, Baldur's Gate 3, Metroid Prime Remastered and Pikmin 4
THE GAMING YEAR!
You forgot Hi-Fi Rush. The Star Ocean 2 remake is also looking incredible.
Dead Space Remake, Alan Wake 2, Armored Core VI, Super Mario RPG Remake, FF XVI, Sea of Stars...
This year's GOTY nomination list won't have any place holders, that's for damn sure.
And Xenoblade 3 Future Redeemed.
I agree with all of those except baldurs gate 3, that game is overrated garbage
I haven't played it, but it's on the list cuz everyone is saying it's good@@fgclash454
WAKE UP BABE NEW KINGK VID JUST DROPPED
I literally woke up to this notification 😍
WAKE UP BABE A NEW ORIGINAL COMMENT JUST DROPPED
Heuheuheu.
@@FluffyMustacheoath man. Goodness me. People being excited about the Switch Zelda games is depressing enough as it is.
WAKE UP BAB-
I'm single
It's been great seeing you not only improve, but challenge all of us watching as well. This series of Zelda vids has been an excellent look at not just the franchise, but how we digest and critique our favorite art.
so many of the people I watch on here criticize this game because it wasn’t what they wanted this game to be, you’re the first person I’ve watched that is talking about the game on what it is
you’re the first person I’ve watching that i think really get this game :) it makes me really happy hehe
I honestly wish I could have this mindset. I sincerely wanna think of totk more fondly man :(
@@imhaddanitattaxx4172 Give it time and come back to it when you're ready
I feel like you telling yourself u wanna like it means there's a lot there to like it's just hard for you to see.
@@bemblobyou might just have to accept that people don't feel the same way you do
@@FirstRecords204 there’s no hostility here! really! It was an observation I saw, many people had a specific idea of what this game would be in their heads, due to marketing / what they wanted the game to be. Of course some people just don’t like this game, it’s only natural! some people will just not like this game, but some people will almost definitely come around on this game! just wait and see! :)
In no ways am i calling those who don’t like this game stupid, or trying to make myself seem like i know better, sorry if it came off that way. Hope you have a great day bro :3
I don't have the time and energy to spread my view on the game everywhere on the internet, but it's so damn sad to me how many people just complain about the Sky and Depths not being fleshed out, the story not being presented very well and the lore regarding the Zonai and the series' past not delivering while completely ignoring what it does so well. This game handles community interaction far better than any other Zelda game and most other video games I've played. KingK already listed a bunch of these examples, but you can save, rebuild and expand Lurelin Village with the help of its people before then taking the fight straight to the pirates on Eventide; you can work as a journalist investigating rumors about Zelda; you can assist with deciding how Hateno Village moves forward; you can catch up with characters from the past, work with them on some of their projects and help them through their problems; you can investigate Zonai Ruins with researchers; you can fight monsters with a warrior crew; you just get to see so much of the various workings of the kingdom and it makes you feel proud of how far it's come since the Calamity. The dungeons aren't quite as interesting to explore as they were in the classic games, but goddamn do they feel amazing. The entirety of Tulin's quest is a masterclass in building atmosphere by showing you the Rito's efforts to survive the storm, then having you rise to confront it yourself, then hitting you with the hypest musical moment in the series as you fight to defeat Colgera and end the Rito's struggle. The Gerudo Town quest was also super fun for all reasons above as it displays the full extent of the workings of the Gerudo community and efforts to survive the sand shroud, plus the Indiana Jones vibe of the Lightning Temple was awesome. Although the Water Temple was rather mechanically basic, the combination of the beautiful views, cool sacred fountain aesthetic and incredible music will never cease to blow me away. The Sky and Depths were also really fun to navigate despite not being all that fleshed out due to how each of them complimented each other; being the realms of mortals, gods and demons and each feeling different to navigate and providing useful resources for one of the other areas. And goddamn, that final boss was the single greatest I've ever played in a video game, not just from a gameplay perspective, but for the payoff of finally annihilating Ganondorf after seeing the efforts of Zelda, Hyrule, the Ancient Past and everyone in between to fight against him, and especially after the Great Calamity.
Sorry for the paragraph, it's just hard to find discussions where I can freely talk about this without it coming back to "but the lore". Not only has Zelda lore always been a half-commitment for the devs, I've never believed the games being directly connected was something the series really needed, and I think people are doing themselves a huge disservice by judging the games through that lens instead of seeing what each game individually does so well. Besides, it's not like Link in each game is gonna be all that bothered about knowing everything about his predecessors, he just wants to save the people close to him in his own kingdom. 😅
This might just be my favourite video of yours. The way that these videos are now both a review of the game and also a look back on your personal experiences with it has really inspired me to be more subjective and confident with my own opinions. Doing UA-cam has been a dream of mine for a while now, and one I'm attempting to work towards. If I ever get to where I want to be with that, I hope I can be even half as good of a creator as you. It's been an absolute fuck of a year, but this video activated some of the best memories I have from it, my time with Tears of the Kingdom. Thanks for reminding me of why this is my favourite game of all time.
Thank you for this video. I already loved your BotW Retro, and after finishing TotK three months ago, I finally managed to watch (or rather listen to) this masterpiece of a gaming essay. For a long time, I've seen you more as a gaming researcher than a critic-kind of a gaming philosopher. That's what we need, and I'm glad you share your art with us.
Thank you very much! I appreciate it. The words are touching and it's what I aim to accomplish. I hope I can keep that up.
I had the EXACT same reaction to seeing Colgera in the Depths. I had defeated the Wind Temple first and had no idea those bosses would appear. Pants-shittingly horrifying as I sprinted in the other direction.
Fantastic video. 🌟
I remember walking near one of the lavafalls in the Hebra Depths and barely seeing it to my left, then looking over to realize it was pretty much right next to me. It felt like something straight out of Subnautica. 🤣
I've seen people try to say that seeing the bosses underground ruined them and called it repeat content. Listen I'm as mixed on totk as the next guy, but I was just happy to re-fight the bosses. Everything regarding game critique discussions nowadays feels like it lacks nuance y'know? Like dissecting the games quantifiable content exhaustively isn't the way that 99% players will play.
@@imhaddanitattaxx4172 That's so true. Most people are just gonna see the big bad monster, have a blast taking it down and leave it at that. Personally I was worried about the rematches lessening the impact of the original fights, but in hindsight it works fine since the Depths are essentially Hyrule's hell and the bosses return for the final battle anyway.
@@imhaddanitattaxx4172 It's a really weird complaint to have in general in respect to having the option to refight prior bosses anyway. Several prior Zelda games ALSO had some method of rematching prior bosses one way or another, yet aside from the boss gauntlet in Wind Waker's final dungeon I have never seen these previous instances complained about, so doing so now feels blatantly hypocritical.
@@OsnosisBones I feel like elden ring has a case I can understand. There is an optional boss you can possibly fight *before* the main story one, lessening the hype of the story boss cause you fought it elsewhere. The ones in totk fall under "optional/boss rush" and since they are only able to be fought after I just don't see how it ruins the boss retroactively.
36:03 this cracked me up 😄 Link stumbles upon an ancient trial, goes head first and collapses, then casually goes back to goof around with makeshift vehicles carrying a korok on the roof, while pondering what could be behind that door
I really enjoyed this analysis. A lot of these critiques looking over ToTK have painted it in a truly negative light where the flaws very much outweigh the vision of the artists. It was incredibly refreshing to see somebody else who could enjoy the atmosphere and look at it from a more artistic standpoint. I know there's a lot of issues to be found with it, but never enough to take away from the impressions the game left me.
This was the best video you've ever made. Your ability to put thoughts into words is unparalleled. Nearly everything you said in this video resonated perfectly with my own experiences with this game. And it honestly couldn't have come at a better time. I just put down the game in order to pick up Super Mario Wonder, so everything felt perfectly fresh in my head. Thank you for sharing this with the world.
Agreed, this was a lovely video to watch
So great to see another video from you and loved seeing Liam and Jeb make appearances!
This review has now become my favorite one because it capture the exact things I felt while playing this game, sure it isn't perfect but it's just an amazing experience, really love this video.
I wish I could love this game like you do. But I never could get into it. For every one thing I liked, there was something that annoyed me to no end. Ultimately, I grew tired of the annoyances, and re-used content, and clunky menues, and irritating grinding, and I left the game. Maybe one day I'll come back to it.
I’ve been watching your channel for years, and the whole time watching THIS video I kept feeling like you’d evolved, like your videos were always good but it felt like something was missing until now. Like you pointed out, it’s as if your styling has reached maturity, and that’s been an epic journey to watch
Crazy how it’s never been tried to just give the player a set of tools and tell them to figure out a problem. Not having a predetermined solution is the heart and soul of this game.
Honestly I just can't get into botw/totk. I beat botw but I lost interest in totk and can't bring myself to go back to beat it yet. Really wish I enjoyed them more
Hey about the "Restrict" part of the video, there is an awesome video from called "A Story Analysis of Tears of the Kingdom" from FatBrett that can provide a good explanation of what the devs were seeking while making those additions
Tears of the Kingdom has such a weird place in my heart. I played it for well over a hundred hours, and really felt strongly during the high points of the game, but it's hard not to see a lot of those points as just being driven by nostalgia or my desire for a good Zelda game. There was so much narrative dissonance between this and Breath of the Wild, and even further with the rest of the series, that I never really felt immersed in it like I did with Breath of the Wild or earlier entries, and I think the game really suffered for that.
If it were up to me, and I only got to choose between the story we were given and no new story at all using the exact same world and gameplay, I almost think I would've gone with none. The game overexplains some of its mysteries in ways that make them seem incredibly lame (The zonai were such a letdown) and with what remains, I feel like my time as a consumer of their story just wasn't respected at all. The repeated verbage made me feel like 0 effort went into narrative worldbuilding as the game progressed, what few times the game addressed breaks in continuity that are inevitable in an open world like this were just tongue in cheek and did nothing to actually advance the story. A lot of it felt like the NPCs just saying "Go to A, do B... you did B?! Wow!!" which just... I dunno, it doesn't feel very human.
Breath of the Wild was so enjoyable narratively in spite of its flaws from repetitive albeit fun gameplay because it left so much to the imagination, and I wonder if Nintendo just felt too pressured from the success that they felt they needed to create exact explanations for certain things, or if they were planning on going this direction with the narrative to begin with. It truly feels like there was so much they could work with, but instead of creating a world of wonder, they just created a pop up book meant for 3 year olds and expected me to be totally invested. That concept then makes me think on the high points of the story, and makes me question if a lot of it was actually melodrama which didn't really have the buildup which deserves that level of an emotional grip. Maybe I'm just getting old, or maybe I'm gaining too much of an appreciation for good storytelling which respects me enough to have intrigue while also remaining consistent, stories like this are beginning to break games and worlds which I would otherwise greatly enjoy. Happens all the time in anime and a lot of modern adapted shows as well, sign of the times.
I really appreciate your positivity however KingK. There's not much reason for me to scream into the void and try to detract from yours or others enjoyment, I know. However, I also know that at one point I loved Zelda as a series, so much that I've built a little shrine of sorts to my favorite game franchise, and I just can't help but critique what I find to be unforgivably bad narration and lore. I just hope that Nintendo does what I expected after BotW, and learns to improve the good and fix the bad before the next game arrives after my midlife crisis!
Rather than accounting for when you sequence break, the game acts like you didn't sequence break at all until the end of the dialogue, then they go "Oh wow!!! You already did the thing!! Cool!" and just continues on normally.
Man, I find it interesting how much of this I agree with but in the end I just didn't enjoy the game as much as I would have liked. It seems like for every incredible thing this game achieves, there's something equally ridiculous or annoying to bring it back down. It felt like the game constantly bounced between a 13/10 and 7/10 experience, which ultimately averaged to a 10/10 that I'm just not very satisfied with. Which is a very strange feeling.
I feel so too. I really want to love and enjoy the game, but, without any real reason I can't grab it. It just didn't clicked enough :/
The game was strange for me where I'd always dread booting it up due to how overwhelmed I'd feel, but once I started, I was hooked for the whole day. The overwhelmed bit was probably my own fault too since I felt the pressure to cover all ground and stockpile as many materials as I could for my 100% file, which definitely isn't how the game is meant to be played.
Thanks!
I thought the entire intro was referencing TotK development time. Only after reading the comments did it occur to me that it may also refer to your period of creation of this video. In both cases, I think the quality of the work is worth any additional time crafting the work. Keep up the high quality analyses.
This is my single favorite review of this game, and in the time since it dropped, I've found myself recommending it to more and more people. This is how a review *should* be; it's not empty praise or nitpicks, or just slapping a score onto something, either. It's a detailed lens that helped me both understand and appreciate this wonderful game even more than I already did. You provide a perspective that contextualizes and explains your individual understanding of the game perfectly, and it helped me put into words exactly what was special about it for me too because I was feeling similarly but couldn't explain it as well.
Love this review, love this channel, love this game. Thanks for all the amazing work!
I’ve beat Ganon three times. Not once did I think to hit his projectiles back.
I'll share this story on every KingK video, but I still remember running into you during a POTD run in FFXIV during Shadowbringers era. Was so neat to talk to you in the chatbox and help you through those ten floors.
For what it's worth - speaking from the perspective of a writer (a hobby writer, but still), the thing about TOTK's storytelling style is that it requires the player to put in a little more effort than average to really *learn* about the world and what's going on.
Like, when you compare the characters in Tears to, say, OOT, the amount of screentime is about on-par or maybe a little higher in Tears. Ruto, for example, gets all of Jabu-Jabu, a short scene in the Water Temple, and then the bit after the Water Temple; Darunia has his depression and dance scene, the post DC-scene, and the start and end of the Fire Temple; Impa has her first meeting in the courtyard, her brief appearance when fleeing Ganondorf, and then the bit in the Sage Chamber. I love OOT and I love its story and characters, but their fleshing-out is often done through NPC dialogue rather than them themselves. (The time-travel mechanic, letting you see characters at two different points in time, is really what picks up the slack!)
Zelda, Rauru, Mineru, and even Sonia have more screentime than any of those three examples, and I'd argue they have just as much going on in terms of character and personality. The difference is that in OOT, the linear format means you're railroaded into seeing all of those scenes with its characters, so you literally cannot miss anything. Tears, on the other hand, puts the onus on you to seek out the memories, to find the stone tablets with the history logs, to meet the Sages and get a better understanding of what happened and what's happening. Ignoring optional content or missing information is a very real risk that may hamper one's enjoyment of the storytelling, which isn't a problem that the linear 3D Zeldas have.
(That doesn't mean it's worse than linear storytelling, either, though. Twilight and Skyward's attempts at storytelling are the reason those games are so full of filler and annoyances.)
All that said, I think Tears' story is the best Zelda story we've gotten since Wind Waker. Rauru, Sonia and Mineru in particular are absolute highlights, far and away my favorite new characters in the series in recent years. The story of the present and the story in the memories actively made me want to learn more about them and seek out the sidequests that might provide more insight, which is not something I could say about BOTW.
I'm honestly not sure how you can call the game the best written when it finishes with a giant deus ex machina, and blatently reuses cutscenes between each region's sage with no further information from their unique perspectives. There are no consequences for the story. And even when it does showcase the story (which is all in the past again), the characters are very comfy with just letting the plot happen around them, despite the characters having the knowledge to lead them to act differently. It has a great premise for sure, but it's really not well written at all.
@@amandaslough125I agree that the draconification reversal isn't made very clear and the Ancient Sage cutscenes would've been better off focusing more on the ancient races as a whole to distinguish them more. For the last bit, I'm assuming you're referring to A Show of Fealty and A King's Duty. It seems clear that Zelda suspects Ganondorf could be the mysterious mummy and even be related to Calamity Ganon, but when Rauru reassures her that he's only keeping him around to keep a close eye on him, she wouldn't want to risk messing up his plan when she isn't 100% sure what's going on. We also see in Zelda and Sonia that it weighs heavily on her, but Sonia encourages her to focus on getting back home instead and we see that she does train her in using her power. In the case of A King's Duty, I can't imagine there being much else Rauru could've done even if he knew Ganondorf would most likely survive. He does say that worst comes to worst, they'll place their faith in Link and the Master Sword.
I'm blown away by how much people can read into nothing. These games were hollow as hell. What are you smoking? And can I have some please?
@@Roflcrabs Honestly, despite much of the Wild era conflict taking place in a different time, the whole development Hyrule goes through in these games puts it above most other Zelda stories I can think of. Hyrule getting ravaged by its own corrupted technology and having all its people hang on by a thread in one game, then all contribute in their own way to help their recovering civilization in the next game is great. It also helps that Calamity Ganon and Demon King Ganondorf combined are one of the coolest concepts for a villain in any game I've played.
I really like your take on this. I didn’t like how the story was told in Tears of the Kingdom, and I had no idea what we were going to get ones the game came out; but I love how thoughtful and realistic you were about this game which is appreciated. No knee jerk reaction, or impulsive ernotional response.
Honestly, I think most of my issues with how Tears of the Kingdom uses the memory system would be fixed if A Master Sword in Time didn't show Mineru's statement about becoming a dragon. At that point, Zelda saying she'll be forever changed could make it more believable why she's acting weird in the present.
I know that I'm always going to be in the minority on this, but after putting in 180 hours into TotK, completly mapping out the depths, the caves, the sky islands, and completing just about everything there was to do in the game, I really don't have fond memories of TotK. I won't claim it's a bad game by any means, I wouldn't have put in that much time if I wasn't enjoying myself, but whenever i look back at my time with the game, the stories, the characters, the emotions, I just am felt lacking. I went into TotK with as low of expectations as I could, I didn't watch any trailers for it, I stopped following the news stories surrounding it, and all I was hoping for was the same feeling I got out of BotW. The problem, is that I don't really like BotW either.
While it's undeniable that Nintendo has never had a focus on story telling or any real plan to connect Zelda games to one another, it's also true that the straight forward story telling of past games did manage to create an emotional resonance with people, myself included. To this day, I'll always love the dark themes and atmosphere of Twilight Princess and Majora's Mask, even if they both just happened to work out rather than being planned.
In the end, for me, Zelda games are these interesting puzzle boxes that, when I unlock a piece, I'm presented with a fun and enjoyable story nugget. In BotW and TotK, the puzzles felt too easy and the nuggets tasted rancid to me. I'm super glad so many people love this game, but I don't think I'll ever return to it.
I mostly agree though I'm much more negative towards both Botw and Totk. They have solid foundations, the games feel great, looks great and have good maps (not so much Totk, very messy) but they're both devoid of content. I complain about this game alot because I'm not mad, just disappointed. It's sad looking at the squandered potential. The first 10 hours of Botw were fantastic but once you beat the first disappointing divine beast and start to notice how often content repeats the disappointment starts kicking in. I've said "disappoint" a lot.
I sunk 120 hours into Botw at launch, enjoying the first 20 hours and hated the rest. Desperately trying to find the Zelda in this supposed Zelda game. Picked up Totk and I can't play it. 10 hours in.. it's the same damn game as Botw
@@Roflcrabs Yeah, I think that's a pretty good way of stating it. The game does have some incredible highs, but due to how much "content" there is, it really shows the shortcomings of the game (if you think they are shortcomings). If you enjoy games with tons of freedom to do whatever you want and experiment with game mechanics, these games are great. The problem is that I don't want to do that, and so without the experimentation, the mechanics are very shallow and the hours upon hours of stuff to do shows just how shallow the mechanics really are. When I think of BotW and TotK all I can see is an ocean of content that is only an inch deep.
Even one of the mechanics that got the most attention from game developers really shows this off. The tire and chain interaction that was shown off in the Mineru quest line got lots of attention for how impressive it is. And it is incredibly impressive, just like many of the rope/chain interactions that the developers managed to create. But, nothing interesting is done with these mechanics. Aside from being shown off in a shrine or two, these mechanics don't actually do anything in the game. So they have all these incredible tools at their disposal, but most of them languish unused. The ascend mechanic is another great example of this, it's an incredible tool that was given to the user, but because of the way the world is built, it has no interesting interactions.
Eh. Personally I'm done with this format and Eiji Aonuma. The fact that he was shocked that this game didn't win GotY says something. While it's true that it wasn't particularly egregious that they reused the old game's map, you were right about it feeling like a rom hack. In a lot of ways Tears of the Kingdom feels like a slightly remixed Breath of the Wild. The stuff that's new feels like they took what was there and just kind of... moved it around a little. It's like a sidegrade more so than a sequel. Certainly not something I think deserves a 6-year gap and a $70 pricetag. Ultimately we're still roaming around the same map looking for the same Shrines and the same Koroks finding the same armor and the same materials with the same system to upgrade them. I hate Koroks, they're padding. Speaking of, duplication (which the devs patched out because players were having just too much fun) was a godsend. The grind is an absolute nightmare in this game, and Mineru saved me. They genuinely expect players to slowly pick up rare materials one at a time with hours between collection. Padding.
The gameplay loop is identical, you just have Ultrahand and a vehicle builder now. Even the coolest vehicle/contraption is slower and more awkward to handle than the Master Cycle Zero or just your sword and bow. And, once you've built a hoverbike, it's over. The dungeons suck ass. The depths are boring after the first few hours with copied and pasted trees and like one biome type, sometimes with lava. There is one interesting sky island, although it's done much better than Skyward Sword and it's genuinely a good feel going from sky to sirface and vice versa.
Breath of the Wild felt too alien to me to truly love. There was very little content spread very thin in a frankly boring world. Didn't help it remived everything I liked from Zelda games just so Link could climb some walls.
That all said, treating it as a standalone experience it's in my top 5 Zeldas (I've played them all) but I still have a lot of issues with it. I liked the game because it really felt like it finally stopped pretending it was a Zelda game. I couldn't do that with Breath of the Wild. That game still feels like a betrayal, and now that they're doubling down in a format I don't care for in the slightest, at least they made the density of content much more enjoyable so it hold my attention for more than just the first few hours. I genuinely believe the Great Plateau was the most interesting part of BotW, and that it all goes downhill from there.
Tears if the Kingdom has a better opening and tutorial, and managed to hold my attention much longer before I got bored.
Aonuma said he doesn't understand why fans would want an older-style game, doesn't understand why anyone would want the story to make any internal sense, doesn't understand why his asset flip didn't with GotY. I've had enough.
Most of TOTK’s main issues stem from it being too open. Restriction is valuable.
I disagree personally. The reason why elden ring will never beat open world zelda for me is simply its restrictions.
I don't think Tears needed restrictions, I just think it needed it's sequence breaks to be harder to achieve and more rewarding. Cheesing puzzles for example is not a problem for me at all. It becomes a problem when the cheese strat is repeated over and over and over. These strats are basically four things: Hoverbike, rocketshield, bomb arrow and ultrahand-to-recall. The recall one I can forgive. However the other ones are just so horrendous. The hoverbike solves 100% of the Fire Temple. The bomb arrows solves almost every single target shrine, and the rocket shield skips any shrine puzzle that requires you to get to a higher place. It bypasses the puzzle in a way that you cheat yourself out of the clever design in front of you. It doesn't feel rewarding at all. Navigate through this labyrinth of ultrahand puzzles, or use one rocket shield and skip directly to the end without effort.
TOTK needed better soft locks, not hard locks like classic Zelda games. It bypassing a puzzle should be both harder and faster than the straight forward way.
wrong. Its issues stem from it not having valuable rewards for your exploration, which was the same problem BOTW had.
@@viktorthevictor6240 that’s a good point. At least with BotW cheesing puzzles pushed you to really think outside of the box. In this game, the tools at hand are almost designed for cheesing. Hoverbike and Ascend just offer easy access to cheese any puzzle.
@@TheRealNintendoKid ill agree that the rewards aren’t the best, the game is too big for its own good. But I really think adding in more linearity would provide the player a more unique and curated experience.
The two steps back on dungeons is not unlike the dark atmosphere of Twilight Princess in terms of appeasing largely unfair criticism.
It clearly and unmistakably says: yes, we heard you, here you go. At the same time is still takes a step forward both through experimentation and easing players into the new normal.
On one hand Twilight Princess hit the dark/edgy/mature/realistic vibe hard enough to border on parody, but on the other hand it still heavily stylized in it's own way.
Similarity here the dungeons are hitting hard on all the linearity/uniqueness/structure feel while at the same time pulling those innards right out into the open air of the rest of the game and further deconstructing the central structured experience into bigger parallel tasks.
If history is anything to go by, then next time around the vision of replacing dungeons with entire regions will be much closer to full realization. A web of overlapping quests and side quests that deliver a coherent experience where structure isn't mechanically imposed but rather created by the players actions within the provided canvas.
With luck people will be able to look back at BotW and see what used to be the role of dungeons was taken over buy whole regions and the divine beasts in their entirety were more akin to extended boss fights, and the backlash against not being forced to stay on the rails will be as distant of a memory as the backlash against cell shading.
I feel like totk lightning temple is the closest we'll get 2 a traditional zelda dungeon
I gotta disagree with totk and continuity. Other direct sequels (Majora's mask, the ds games, heck even links awakening for it's time) show major level of continuity with the game they directly follow. Even games like wind Waker do it. Meanwhile in totk many characters don't remember link, forgot the calamity etc.
There are several monuments dotted around with words 'Remembering those lost in the Calamity'. Small square things you can read and it says commissioned by Princess Zelda. They are there, just it's been five years. Actually brought a tear to my eye. I assumed Shieka tech was simply cleaned up and repurposed.
They probably don't know that some random guy with a pot lid and ladle is the legendary warrior link. They even say that your master sword is a "replica" They simply dont know your link
As someone who is really not a fan of this game and thinks it's a relatively poor sequel, I'm super interested to see what you have to say and potentially leave my own thoughts as the vid goes on.
•This game has an odd relationship with BotW tbh. Tarrey Town's expansion was so interesting and charming, and then you look across the way and see that Kass is just. Not there, the Sheikah bs is all just poofed away, Hestu is a stranger, even though Link has the Master Sword, and despite Link having max hearts at the beginning of the game, it seems as though any completed shrine quests are. . . Apparently not canon? It wants to have its Monster Cake and eat it too. It wants to be a sequel, but actively avoids expanding on the original.
The role of the Shrines was stated to be to train the Hero, so it's fair to assume Link naturally got his strength back throughout the years between games, especially since you start with full stamina and hearts which can't be obtained in Breath of the Wild. I would've liked for one of Purah's diaries to mention the disappearance of the Towers and Shrines so we know it happened and can attribute it to their purpose being fulfilled, but they were mostly just a gameplay mechanic so I'm not too bothered.
Zelda lived a thousand lifetimes to save the person she loves most - and she gave us the perfect Zelda ending.
Outstanding video.
Ocarina of Time: Construction
Breath of the Wild: Deconstruction
Tears of the Kingdom: Reconstruction
If i need to clear my head, this is my go to youtube channel
Ok, I actually enjoyed the overall gameplay and mechanics. My biggest gripe with this game is withs ita lore and storytelling. It also doesnt help recent interviews kinda feel the directors and creators care very little for story.
Yeah it’s actually really annoying at this point
ZELDA has never had an interesting story nor lore, the developers have never meant to implement anything like that and fans who believe it has are just delusional
@@jesusbarrera6916You can't make Zelda turn into a dragon for eternity in order to deliver the master word and then pretend you can keep the player looking for her while following the main storyline.
@@jesusbarrera6916bruh. Skyward Sword is literally "make the story make sense." Now they're just giving up and expecting us to be cool with it
@@jesusbarrera6916Stop drinking so much stupid juice.
Part of the beauty of Tears of the Kingdom is how it gives you the freedom to choose your own approach to problems even if the solution isn't exactly what the designers had in mind. Personally I stopped trying to make sense of the Zelda timeline long ago. Many have made a good point that Zelda's story starts to make more sense if you think of it more as an anthology series with each game being a different interpretation of the same legend. I think the side adventures compliment the main story well, being host to these little mini moments that are memorable in their own way. There was just something wild about visiting the Great Plateau and finding the Shrine of Resurrection, the place where you began in the last game now turned into another Yiga hideout. Speaking of which I just love it how they basically went and made Master Kohga and the Yiga the Team Rocket of Zelda villains.
I also love how with the Light Dragon even before that one scene they do drop several hints on its identity. Going to the Great Fairy to upgrade my new Champions Tunic and seeing I needed parts from this one Dragon that I had never seen or heard of before was a genuine "oh shit..." moment for me.
I certainly wasn't expecting Nintendo to create a Zelda with a physics system so robust and functional it actually made over devs sit up and take notice. I think Tears of the Kingdom really demonstrates the benefits of Nintendo's practice of keeping people on hand for years which helps preserve a good deal of institutional knowledge which is something that is kind of a problem with a lot of game dev studios from what I have heard.
I have a story to share, about the restriction you mention and similar to you discovering the Construct factory and the leadup to the Lightning Temple. The first time I ever discovered the Wind Temple was by exploring, not part of the main quest. I didn't have any Zonai devices yet, and I think I still had just 4 hearts as well. I believe I flew into the rising island chain from a tower, but I'm not sure. But the discovery of this giant string of sky islands in the snow, and all these platforming challenges (which were challenges without Tulin or devices but always doable, you just had to plan your route from what you saw ahead) was probably the most magical time in the entire game for me. You could never see extremely far ahead, but you could always see far enough to plan your next few steps. Everything was organized in a way so that if you planned your route, between jumping off high points, using Ascend, and small ledges, you could always JUST make it to the top of the next platform to continue. Making my way through floating between the various floating platforms, discovering the floating trampoline ships without any context, making it above the clouds, discovering a giant airship in the middle, and seeing that title card for "Wind Temple - The Legendary Stormwind Ark" without having any idea what that meant because I hadn't gone to Rito Village yet was... again, for lack of a better word, magical. There was so much wonder in what I found, so much beauty. I wandered around in the temple, trying to find a way to proceed. I killed as many enemies as I could, I discovered the little wind turbines and tried to make them move to no avail, and explored the entire Ark, feeling increasingly confused the entire time.
This was also like 2 days before release (I managed to get a copy early), so embargoes were in place and there would be no official guides, but I googled it anyway out of sheer desperation, where I found exactly ONE other person had asked about it on Reddit, who had done the same thing as me. They got some incredulous comments on the fact they made it there without Tulin, who I had to piece together would be with you as part of a story quest. So, dejected, I left, and went to go do that quest. I had to go back through the entire section again with Tulin by my side, in order to do the Temple. That restriction turned what should have been an amazing, magical discovery into a repetitious slog, and honestly, it really soured how I felt about the game for a while. I understand how it's important, but I see no reason why I couldn't have been allowed to turn the turbines with a Deku Leaf, and simply get Tulin's sage ghost afterward. That would have felt incredible to me, to save Rito Village from a problem I didn't even know they had yet, while also getting such a reward as a Sage ghost, but instead, I ended up having to replay so much and backtrack so much that the entire experience soured. It was simultaneously my favorite, and least favorite, part of the entire game.
I find it very impressive how they managed to create this large map with no loading screens. That's quite insane, when you think about how weak the Switch actually is.
Compare that to the extreme amounts of loading screens in Starfield... That alone proves the dedication of Nintendo.
Lemme preface this by saying i think King Ks opinion is absolutely valid here.
I honest to god wish i could agree with this review/mindset. But unfortunately the anticipation and expectations for the game after waiting 5 years (yes i know game dev timeline+covid wise it was shorter, but that just doesnt invalidate my feelings as a consumer) definitely broke my enjoyment of this game in hindsight
Admittedly i do remember really enjoying it while i was running through, and maybe thats all that matters, i dont know. But the more time ive had to settle my thoughts, the less fondly i can think of it as. But compared to BOTW, I was enthralled by that game and came back again and again. After Totk, i finished and never looked back.
Botw i definitely had my shortcomings with. But i could ultimately forgive it because it felt like an amazing foundation to build off of. Totk to me feels like they bedazzled/engraved said foundation, but didnt really build on top of it.
I guess i just don't get why nintendo/ people cant realize that going back to full linear zelda is a horrible idea (and i say this as a lifeling zelda fan) but going FULL open design is just harming the core of zelda. I say open design because i think the open world is amazing, but i was holding my breath throughout bote and totk that id just stumble upon a labrynthian zelda dungeon, no buildup, story, nothing. Just find a dungeon, mind blowing. But the open dungeons (minus hyrule castle, amazing new type of dungeon that i was very sad didnt get put into tears) really just oversimplify what should be gratifying to overcome.
Im tired. At least ganondorfs fight sent me to nirvana.
Maybe sit on those feelings for a while and come back to it a few years down the line once the pre-release idea of the game has faded and we have a much clearer picture of open world Zelda in general from the next few games. Whether those games recapture some of the lost strengths of the series or create a new type of appeal altogether, I think the game will age better as a result of its place among the rest of the games.
I'm thrilled you enjoyed TOTK as much as you did, and great video. Unfortunately for me, there were too many blemishes to ignore which sullied my experience with the game. For me, open world/air or sandbox games just don't appeal as much as other more (let's say) structured games. Zelda has changed and that's ok.
I understand, but i also feel sorry for you cause unless people get sick of these open air games, nintendo will never make another oot style 3d game again
I’m genuinely still kinda tweaking at the fact that I genuinely just don’t like TOTK
@@RNGuiceSame. Played for a couple hours, haven't touched it since.
I just wish Classic games could supplement the longer gaps of time between these open world releases. Even if they are smaller in scope than past entries.
Listen man, I don't think anyone has an issue with you not liking the game. But you say how it is ok that Zelda has changed and when I take a look at your comments in other videos about the game it really seems like you're not actually ok with it, it seemed like you were annoyed with it.
Im glad im not the only one who stumbled onto the Zonai Construct dungeon before i was supposed to. I also just blindly tackled the storm islands and found the shrine and door. But i had enough hearts by then so just continued through the quest and got Mineru early
To sum it up. Were there things I felt they should have done differently? yes. Was it an amazing game? yes. Did it disappoint me? yes. Did it leave me stunned? Also yes.
Yeah, as a massive fan of both Wild games, that's probably the most accurate statement I've ever seen. 😂
14:09 oh my goodness, I got a good giggle out of your solution to this korok XD It's in WATER. There's a nearby shrine that teaches you about BUOYANCY. It took me a second to put it together, but yeah all you have to do is ultrahand the cork under the water then let go. Cork goes flying up, out pops the korok!
I ultimately didn't dislike my time with Tears of the Kingdom, but it gave me an unfortunate Assassin's Creed 2 vibe where it made the first game feel like the beta test before being fully realized. Nothing wrong with that, but I couldn't help but feel a little let down at times.
At the end of the day, I don't know if Zelda's going in a direction I'm much interested in. I love character driven stories, and the last time assets were heavily reused for a Zelda game we got MM, my still favorite 3D Zelda, and maybe it was unfair of me to put that kind of expectation on Tears. I think Breath and Tears are both good games, but the next 3D Zelda has an uphill battle to win me over that it'll bring me moments that consistently brought me to tears like MM. I simply don't like open world games much (or have the time to play so many of'em anymore). It takes a very specific flavor of one to wrap me in, but hopefully it continues to grow no matter what path it takes so people can continue to enjoy this new shift. Really hoping they keep some of the classic energy in 2D Zelda...if they're still going to happen. >.>
The better answer for why the sheikah tech disappeared would’ve easily been “we dismantled it all. After the calamity ended, the shrines deactivated, and so did the guardians and all that, and because we know Ganon could come back again some day, we didn’t want to risk it, so we tore it all down until we could figure out how he took it over in the first place.
The way I see it, the Towers, Shrines and Hyrule Castle pillars all disappeared due to their purpose being fulfilled after Ganon's defeat, but the dug up Divine Beasts and Guardians remained. In order to both prevent another Great Calamity and learn about the construction of Sheikah tech, Hyrule deconstructed them and used the materials to build the Skyview Towers.
19:07 Thank you for the kind words; have a great day as well! ^_^ And thanks for for giving us another awesome video! Especially one so beefy and on what will probably end up being my favorite game of 2023, and perhaps of the Switch's life :)
Thanks for reminding me about all the reasons I love this game and love Zelda as a whole. Overly Sarcastic Productions has a detailed diatribe I recommend you watch as they discuss the sky in TotK and it gave me a whole different perspective on it and made me love it even more. I think you would enjoy their video.
Although I’m halfway thru the video, I am unsure if this is going to be your entry for Totk into the Zelda retrospective playlist. Anyways, I respect your opinion more than Zeltik, NBC, and many other Zeldatubers, and this is the first time I’ve ever disagreed with you.
I give this as a compliment, it’s not often a UA-camr has so many based takes, especially on my favorite series. But I really cannot look past the sheer amount of disappointment I felt playing this game. I defended this game religiously before its release, and once I got it the day it released, I dumped hours into it like it was a full time job.
But fatigue and frustration began to set in very quickly and steeply. The approach to Totk is the problem, not the map. The story doesn’t tie into the world properly as it did in Botw. The story is beyond lackluster to the point that Totk is afraid of referencing Botw, its direct prequel. The emphasis on geographical exploration, with small tweaks or not, is still a detrimental approach for a sequel in a familiar world.
The towns we are so familiar with have not expanded, nor is there an establishment of Hyrule itself. It’s still, years later, a scattered country of different people’s. I’d expand more on this but my break at work is almost up.
I think what I’m trying to say is that no one can reasonably judge Totk for itself and what it accomplished and NOT compare it to Botw. The biggest sin of Totk imo is acting as if Botw never happened.
I completely disagree that it acts like Breath of the Wild never happened; I'm pretty sure it's the way it is out of a sheer obligation to be more accessible for those that haven't played Breath of the Wild, and when I look outside the perspective of the online community, it makes sense that they wouldn't want to force people to play a whole other open world game just to get a good experience with this one, especially with it being the biggest Nintendo game probably since its predecessor. Otherwise there are several references to BotW, and the things that were removed such as the Sheikah Tech aren't all too important and mostly just existed for the sake of gameplay mechanics. You may still think it isn't possible to make a successful sequel under these conditions, but personally I can appreciate it and find plausible ways to fill in the gaps myself.
In general, I'll agree that the environmental storytelling isn't quite as good as Breath of the Wild, but that game was one of the best of all time at it to be fair. Lemme give you an example of a story detail hidden in the world relating to the Sage quests. The Upheaval is essentially the result of the influence of the Ancient Sages and Ganondorf reaching the world from the Sky and Depths respectively. Where the Ancient Sages created passageways for the new Sages to find the secret stones, Ganondorf summoned monsters to corrupt those passageways along with the whole region. In addition, we know the plan was originally for Mineru to join Link on his whole quest (essentially be this game's companion character, which is a cool twist on the trend) but Ganondorf delayed their meeting until likely the end of the game. Then you realize that of the 5 Regional Phenomena Purah wants you to investigate, the only one not caused by Ganondorf is the Kakariko Ring Ruins. Thus had everything gone according to plan, Purah would've directed Link straight to the Ring Ruins where he and Mineru would've reached her construct and begun their journey. We also know that Ganondorf went to Kakariko Village disguised as Zelda and forbade exploration of the floating ruin knowing it had the information to kickstart the Ancient Sages' plan, but given all the info about becoming a Sage and what not on the rest of the Ring Ruins, it's likely Ganondorf read those too and figured out the plan from them, hence why he was able to hinder it so effectively. You can piece together so many unspoken details about the story just from the Ring Ruins, and I find that so cool.
I'm getting close to 400 hours in and still haven't explored 75% of the depths and need to finish the main story still. I spent over 5 months goofing off hours every day and loving it
One of if not the best video I’ve seen on this game. Quintessential. Liked and subbed
Just finished rewatching this masterpiece of a video, and it’s easily been cemented as one of my favourites you’ve ever made. You’re one of my favourite creators simply due to the honesty and passion you have for what you talk about, and this video is one of the best examples of that. Thanks King.
I watched this video when it came out, and I loved it. But rewatching it months later, after the world seems to have turned agains this game, which is my favorite of all time… it meant the world to me. This is probably my favorite UA-cam video that exists. I cannot possibly speak enough about how much I agree with everything in this video. Thank you.
It's not everyone's cup of tea and I get that, but it's really sad to me that so many people can't look past their pre-release idea of what the game would be and see it for what it does do so well. Regardless, know that you aren't alone, and I'm 99% sure the people complaining are the minority, cause everyone I know irl and several big creators outside the Zelda community love it.
@@speedude0164 I hope so. I'm almost ashamed to admit it, but the recent negativity genuinely dampens how much I love it, despite my best efforts. It's definitely not perfect. I actually agree with most of the criticisms people have. It just makes me sad that it's so intensively negative, like they have something to prove. Thoughts on this? The things I'm talking about have been going on for months, but I've only started seeing it in the last few days, so I'm trying to gather all the opinions I can
@@holdenarledge9672 I actually do kinda relate to that. I'm not sure I'd say it dampens my enjoyment, but it has me looking at certain things and going "is this dogshit or not", which is why I'm trying to limit the time I spend in online Zelda discussions. Online communities are excellent for sharing your experiences with the things you love with others like you, even if those experiences aren't always positive, but this has been a great eye-opener to how much it can influence your view of those things and lead to a popular sentiment reigning supreme. What's funny is that the sentiment some people are expressing for this game, I remember having for Breath of the Wild (albeit much more mild). I still adore the game, but a lot of its issues became clearer to me overtime. The more I think about and play Tears of the Kingdom on the other hand, the more I fall in love with it.
@@holdenarledge9672to each their own, if you like it more power to you but way too much carried over from the last game, which I already didn't like. The last game felt bloated, rushed and repetitive. The map was cool but it's like they ran out of time and just began aimlessly copy pasting moblins, bokobkins and lizalfos EVERYWHERE. Was hoping Totk would rectify that. It didn't imo.
Play more games bro please. Het Majora's mask, wind waker, twilight princess, even the orginal nes zelda is much better then totk.
This game was so satisfying to rediscover. I appreciated the mention of the Climbing Gear and Barbarian set, as those were my favorites from BotW. As soon as I discovered caves had armor the entire game changed. It took a long time but eventually I managed to track down both sets basically by accident or with the clues from passing fashionistas. It was one of the most satisfying video game experiences of my life, and it was just getting something I’d already played with. It says a lot about TotK that the game can give you such joy in rediscovery.
Tears of the Kingdom really takes advantage of the reused world to do things that wouldn't have been possible with a brand new world. Hyrule Castle feels so calm and desolate now without Ganon there, so having the player explore it at the beginning is a great decision. They were also able to transform the towns much more for the Regional Phenomena and then give you a sense of familiarity once you save them. Where hearing the Rito Village theme would normally have me going "looks like I returned this place to normal, nice", it instead has me going "ah, there's the Rito Village I know and love". I also love how after Breath of the Wild put an armor piece capable of disguising you from any enemy a minute's worth of travel away from the tutorial area, Tears of the Kingdom locks it behind a battle against 5 of that game's infamous unkillable god enemy. 😂
My fundamental disappointment with this game is "you always know what you're going to get". I felt the surprises were relatively minor, and while some of the changes were impressive, I really had to motivate myself to play
Whereas, BotW was a game I could not stop revisiting, TotK is my least favorite Zelda. I completely understand why people love it, but the lack of deviation from its predecessor really left me wanting
The game is definitely not for everyone and wouldn’t recommend it to anyone that played the first game. I still miss the upgrades from the first games DLC especially the unbreakable master sword. I wanted an epic story with amazing gameplay like dragon quest 11 S or FF7 remake. It’s true that the longer the game takes, the bigger the expectations. The game felt more like a rom hack than a proper game. I’ll stick to playing more RPGs for now to fulfill those expectations.
But you always know what you're going to get in BOTW too? Disposable weapons and more moblin, bokoblin and lizalfos fights. Both are terrible games imo.
@@Roflcrabs BotW was innovative, but it did have a lot of repetition as well, it's true. However, I expected TotK to offer something new as most Zelda games had before it. From game to game, Zeldas have a certain distinction
With TotK it's the same type of starting tutorial where you get all your powers, you get the detached and unengaging storytelling, some ancient tech focus, shrines, koroks, champion centric goals, etc... we've seen this in BotW. While a few elements impressed, TotK does not distinguish itself from BotW very well. In fact, I find the design clunkier since the map was made for BotW and was adapted for TotK (sometimes poorly, IMO)
I played BotW afterwards, and that game is far superior to me. It has has an appealing simplicity to it, while TotK dumps garbage all over the map and seems to struggle with the extremes of it's progression system
I've played TotK a lot (almost compulsively). I mapped everything, got every shrine, found every memory, did all the dungeons, and finished the game, but it felt a bit hollow. With TotK the devs just seemed like they were remaking BotW again, with an emphasis on adding more tedium. I would have preferred it to be DLC with a reduction of the extra empty space they gave us. The depths were such a let down...
Anyway, these are all just my thoughts and have no real bearing on anything. I do hope you had a good time with TotK. My experience was really frustrating. The amount of times I've said "this again?". It just sorta sucked for me
@@Roflcrabssorry, didn't read your initial comment properly. I can see the argument against BotW a bit more after TotK. I did enjoy BotW, but TotK has cheapened my experience with the game
@@Ophmar4 yeah that's fair enough, I can agree with that. I still didn't like Botw.. or I did for about 10-20 hours but the following 80 hours were a boring mindless slog once you realize how much the game repeats but Botw was at least a new game. Totk feels like a copy paste job. Same assets, same UI, same sound effects. I'm fine with them reusing the same engine, the foundation for both games are amazing partly why I find the games so frustrating as it has so much potential but so little content.
Throw in at least 4 classic 3D Zelda dungeons at a minimum, unique boss fights, unique enemies sequestered to different locations of the map rather than aimlessly peppering the whole map with moblins, bokoblins, lizalfos and the occasional lynels and hinocks. Add some memorable unique tracks and have the story be mandatory, force us to collect the memories and either go all in on voice acting or drop it. The in-between thing they went for is jarring. In a pre-rendered cut-scene someone will be speaking then it cuts to dialogue boxes with "oh"s "ah"s and "hmmm"s. There isn't much dialogue in the games as it is, it just seems lazy and inconsistent. It's a big ask but as a long-time Zelda fan It's what I loved about the series. New enemies, environments, memorable music fun boss fights, creative puzzles and dungeons. This just felt like bokoblin genocide simulator..
I strongly agree with Totks map being cluttered, the sky in particular looks like a mess, it isn't awe inspiring, I'm not pining to find out what's up in those messy floating islands because I know it will just contain disposable weapons or rupees. I can't definitely say that's the case as I haven't finished the game but from what I've played the sky islands are admittedly a nice change of scenery but that's as far as it goes, new terrain basically. Even the new abilities function like the old ones, same functionality and mechanics just tweaked, stasis now reverses time and the carry metal ability is now carry everything ability with glue.
One nitpick, OoT isn't the Imprisoning War. That event, and its analogs happens generations later, which is TP and the time leading up to the Great Flood
I’m sad. I had so much hope for totk to mix the traditional Zelda with botw’s version of Zelda but instead we got the same thing with more sandbox elements. I still had fun but it’s not the Zelda I love and care about.
I would be so genuinely happy if they used the open world format but hid much more impactful discoveries, like dungeons, around. No story buildup or anything, just stumble into a labyrinth like Zelda 1 but have the puzzle box feel of OOT and majoras dungeons. I remember freaking out when I first found the forgotten temple in botw, only to realize it was just a really long hallway.. I was really hoping totk rectified that but it didnt.
@@imhaddanitattaxx4172 Yeah, I would also like if the story was more linear instead of being like it was in totk because you could just get spoiled about Zelda’s draconification and then still have to do all the sage quests with fake Zelda running around town and the sages being complete morons and link doing a little trolling.
These new 3D Zelda videos are incredible. I've always loved your content, and I've been a fan of yours ever since you first started your Zelda marathon way back when. You got me more interested in longform analysis videos before they even blew up, and I've seen your perspectives shift from judging how close to perfection a game can get to your more laid back, appreciative role that you are today. As someone who turns 30 next year, I can relate to getting more somber and less harsh as you grew older. I too would always try to tear apart every little detail of games and films I loved until they met my criteria for perfection, whatever that was. Nowadays, while I still hold a high standard, I still try to meet things where they are, as it were. I try to empathize with the artist who created the thing I enjoy to critique so much. I try to find value in everything I play/see, and it's helped me enjoy life as a whole a lot more than I did in my early 20s/late teens. Enjoying things is based, actually.
I don't comment on these much because I usually just like to watch and listen to your voice, but I adore your videos, Mr K, and I look forward to having some well-deserved fun today. Keep being you, man.
I get your angle with the "consumer expectations" thing, but I don't think people generally expected THAT much from this game. What I expected was something that tightropes the line between expansion and sequel. That's what the game looked to be leading up to release, and that's what I got: a game that wasn't expansive enough to be a sequel, yet more than what usually constitutes an expansion. I felt it in the temples, the monotone depths, the barren sky islands, the worse rain, the worse weapon durability, and the predictable and redundant nature of story beats, and how ungracefully said story was delivered (not to mention the deus ex machina in the end). There were also problems in BOTW that were not fixed which held near-universal criticism, most notably the cluttered inventory system (which is now worse) and the way you still can't distinguish between which shrines you haven't completed and which ones still have an unopened chest.
No one with such reservations expected a "perfect" game by any means. The old "get fucked your expectations were too high" seems to be the way die-hard Zelda fans justify being dismissive of TOTK's shortcomings and talking down to people who acknowledge them. Most of us didn't go and pluck $70 off a tree when the game came out. When someone buys it because game journalists and UA-camrs are giving it 10/10s and GOTYs like no one's business and find it has glaring flaws, they're going to be upset. When day one buyers find that after six years Nintendo underdelivered in many aspects, they're going to be upset.
It's fine to have expected more and it's fine to have loved it. All I can say is I played through BOTW three times, yet I have no desire to replay TOTK.
Totally agree with your take. Although I have more than a few gripes with it, I'm a fan of BotW and I can appreciate what they were going for. That game had soul, despite its problems. I had my reservations going into ToTK, no massive expectations or hype to be met whatsoever and it still underdelivered for me. Played BotW multiple times, yet now I am struggling to even finish this game. And I have played A LOT of it, willing to give it a fair chance.
I was recently able to finish TOTK and I think your video really solidified everything I experienced. I waited so long for this game and to say I had expectations is an understatement. I was truly a child again exploring the great sea and with so many tools to aid my distraction I got lost. To me the biggest issue with BoTW was how distraction felt like it had a cost - Zelda was waiting and here you are running about. ToTK really builds up to how you are supposed to find Zelda and helping people is what leads you to clues. Exploration and distraction build on the story and gives you context for the world you are about to save. I have such an appreciation for how these games have influenced me as a person and am happy you were able to encapsulate those feelings in a video.
i dont mind being able to skip puzzles, but personally i enjoy solving them the way that feels "intended" for lack a better word
The temples are specifically via Lore tied to the sages because they’re meant to be places for the ancient sages to pass on the secret stone to the present day sages. Hence why they need to be with you.
I know why they need to be with you. I said as much in the video. I simply feel it is limiting.
Literally, perfect timing. You have no idea.
I also have no idea
It IS perfect timing season
I would like an idea. I really wanna know the lore now.
I love your interpretation of Link as being characterized through his relationship with the people, and how it relates to the conflict. By corrupting the Divine Beasts in Breath of the Wild, Calamity Ganon essentially forced the Champions into individual battles they couldn't win on their own, and they all perished as a result. Tears of the Kingdom really feels like Hyrule's chance to get things right and not fail like they did 100 years ago. Everyone is doing their part to contribute to the war, whether it be fighting the monsters head-on, cooking meals or taking care of horses. Where Zelda and the Champions could only lend you their power against Calamity Ganon, Zelda and the Sages now actively join the fight to take down this far greater threat. Even in your case when you help the Monster Control Crew take out an enemy camp and kick absolute ass, you set an example for everyone to look up to and draw inspiration from. You aren't just fighting with Hyrule's help in this game; you're fighting alongside Hyrule. That's really the perfect next step to take in this story. Hyrule took a massive blow from the Demon King's forces and barely survived by putting their faith in Link, and although the Demon King has now been revived in his true form, Hyrule has also made significant progress in regaining its former strength. It's a final showdown between Hyrule and the Demon King with both giving absolutely everything they've got.
I'm honestly surprised of how positive this video is, considering this is the same guy who complained that Mario Odyssey subareas don't have enough variation.
You know, I made that video quite a long time ago now.
Yeah, I honestly was expecting for him to beat this game to the ground. Kinda dissapointed, there. But it is true that people change with time, his first take on Breath of the Wild was significantly different than the last one. They say that you perceive more negativity in the things around you the more negative you feel within yourself; I think *KingK* is in a much positive headspace now than he was back then. Also, more peaceful.
One thing that i would love to see on a switch 2 port of TOTK would be seamless transitions into the shrines themselves, imagine simply walking into a shrine, the contents of which you can see from outside of it, with no loading screen or downtime of any sort
Why? The shrines were boring and incredibly easy to solve
TOTK ending is definitely the best in the series.
And that sword pull is also definitely the best in the series.
I get why they played the imprisoning war after each dungeon but like, it's like 1 single line of code to say "if this isn't the first dungeon you've beat, don't show the imprisoning war cutscene"
This game definitely has some high highs.
I think they should've used the Ancient Sage meetings to flesh out the races of the era of Hyrule's founding a bit by telling us how they were impacted by the Imprisoning War and how their leader ultimately joined Rauru, only using the final battle as the conclusion of the flashback. They don't need to show us more than tiny glimpses of the past, just enough to allow the cutscenes to feel more unique. Mineru would then be the one to really go in depth about how that final battle went.
man, i wish i felt the same way about the ending. it's 4 deus ex machinas stacked on top of each other
@@FirstRecords204 I don't know what you're referring to outside of the draconification reversal, but I have a theory I'm super confident in. Zelda says at the end that she had been sleeping, but was woken up when she felt something like a warm, loving embrace. I dunno about you, but that sounds an awful lot like what happened with her power in Breath of the Wild, only this time it's her spirit dormant within a body born of her light power. Since her spirit is made up of light and time power, Rauru and Sonia were able to use their own light and time power to create a bridge for Link to reach Zelda, and because of the deep bond they share, it reawakened her. This isn't exactly conveyed perfectly, but I feel it makes the most sense of anything I've seen based on the in-game explanations, and it's actually really narratively satisfying.
Play Majora's mask or wind waker and come back amd say that totk is the best in the series.
This is the deepest analysis I've seen of the game so far.
Bravo.
Hell yeah, something to get me through 1/8th of my work day
Me and you both
LOL fr
Ayyyy
KingK video with a surprise LiamTriforce feature?!? I'm in!!
The trilogy of Zelda videos is now complete, now you can defeat the demonic algorithm once and for all
That was the best segue into an ad I've ever seen
46:50 The devs saying that Sheikah tech "mysteriously disappeared" once Calamity Ganon was defeated is... actually consistent with what we see and are told in Breath of the Wild, actually. The tech only started appearing in the first place in response to Ganon's return being at hand, and at the end of the game (if you got all the memories), Zelda mentions that the Divine Beasts have mysteriously gone offline, and you follow her to investigate. Considering that we know all the tech somehow vanished into the earth 10,000 years prior, it's not a huge stretch to say that ALL Sheikah tech stopped working and vanished into the ground soon after its purpose was complete, and its absence in the sequel supports that idea. Most likely, the only reason any Sheikah tech is left in the game is that it's stuff that was taken apart by Purah and others, or else is made of all the bits and bobs that Link gathered from defeated Guardians. IMO, if people find the "it disappeared" answer unsatisfying, they weren't paying attention in the last game. The tech ceasing to function and possibly even burying itself at the end was heavily implied by everything we were told about the tech and its history.
If people find the "it disappeared" answer unsatisfying, maybe it's because IT IS really unsatisfying.
Not only it's a boring response, it's also full of nonsense since Sheikah tech is present in Tears of the Kingdom: the Purah Pad, the stupid Guardian sitting on top of the Hateno Ancient Tech Lab, the travel medallions and so on. So how does it work? Something disappears into nothingness, while something else stays? According to which rules? It makes no sense.
Man that poem you wrote at the beginning was genuinely beautiful, well done.
Damn good video. Makes me sad that I'm ultimately not creative enough and can't find enjoyment out of TotK just like how (oddly enough that you brought it up in the video lol) I can't with Minecraft since there are so many things you can create that my brain just shuts down from all the options (prolly adhd tbh). Banger video tho KingK, I've always enjoyed your stuff and you're recent "growth" doesn't diminish your past stuff but I def see a positive shift in your mindset on content creation. Can't wait for the next one.
I love how you can go from being hyper critical of one game to bucking the trend and unabashedly loving another. Great video, and makes me want to get back to diving into Tears.
34:57 This part probably sums up best why these open world Zeldas don't sit well with me. They're not about the story or mechanics anymore. They're about the emotional experience of existing in simulated spaces.
This was your best video my King. Massive props
I wish this video could resonate with me more. I wish I could keep my expectations in check and let the Zelda team just do what they want without being disappointed that it's not what I wanted it to be.
I love Open Air Zelda, but the Open Air Zelda game that lives in my head rent-free sadly doesn't exist yet. The one with tons of dungeons to find randomly across the map, the one without shrines or koroks, the one where rewards I find in a chest MEAN something. All I can do now is wait for them to make it, or be forever disappointed whenever they make a game that isn't that.
Like you say, expectations can be poisonous, and while I can realize that, it's far more difficult to just let go.
You said "I was never disappointed whenever I revisited an old place to see what had changed" and... I wish I could share the sentiment. The FIRST thing I did in Tears of the Kingdom was go back to Akkala Citadel Ruins, I expected it to finally be able to enter it, I expected to find an entire dungeon inside of it, one that would reward me with an item or anything worthwhile. Instead, all I got was a lousy cave. "This is fine" I told myself "Forgotten Temple is next, and surely now..." nope, still no dungeon, this time, it was just a lore room. Again, this is on me and my skewed expectations, but why that, I already knew TOTK wasn't the Open Air Zelda game I dreamed it'd be.
Your expectations are NOT unreasonable. Totk falls flat and it's ok to be critical of it.
Big agree with your views on this game. Just a small nitpick: Teba is the new Rito Elder so even though he’s not our companion, they gave him something new at least lol
I really wish they'd gone the extra mile on that rebuilding in some ways. I really feel like they did one worse than BoTW when it came to their approach to the main quest. BoTW had distinct stories for each of the four heroes, and gave you a different chunk of lore after clearing each of the blights. ToTK had a distinct _lead-up_ to the bosses, but copied the same cutscene nearly verbatim after clearing those, leaving me feeling... I don't know, unrewarded? It was a really baffling design decision (I can't put that on the writers; this was very much a mechanics-level decision) after they did a much better job at letting us take the four divine beasts in any order in BoTW without feeling like we were progressing wrongly. Out of all the rubs I may have with ToTK, that's the one that's stuck in my mind the most strongly.
Much of the rest I saw as a series of very fair trade-offs. Ultra-hand is an _amazing_ flex, but I wish they'd done more to balance it within dungeons (but I also wish the fire temple didn't make me feel like I need to skip mechanics, but that might be a me thing.)
Outstanding video. I've only played a few Zelda games overall but I really enjoyed BOTW. I love the open world concept. I heard a lot of negative reviews about TOTK so when I finally decided to play it consistently, I wasn't sure what to except. I just finished it finally after nearly 3 months of daily play and wow I'm so amazed and I'm glad you were able to feel similarly about this game. It was amazing and your video helped explain a lot of my feelings and thoughts too.
I’m not a fan of them keeping the durability system. But the fusion system mostly corrects it, but it reaches the same point. Once I had a collection od silver Lynel weapons I just stopped combat completely unless I had to kill something. Want worth expending it.
But during that last battle, when you see his massive hp bar and the first time ganon hit you and straight up destroyed one of your hearts? That was epic. You knew he wasn’t messing around.
Thank you for this video, it actually helped voice some of the thoughts I had but that I didn't quite know how to put into words
I left a pretty lengthy comment on the last video (And forgive me as I do the same here) about my thoughts on the Zelda series and the way the fanbase tends to talk about it. (I even got into a back and forth with a very persistent detractor), and I feel that this video has once again helped me put into words what it was about these games that gives me so much passion for the series.
When I was first playing, I remember taking the game's suggested path of heading to rito village first, mainly because that was my go to when playing botw. I came across Impa and the first geoglyph and couldn't figure out what she meant by "finding the tear", so I made a mental note and decided to come back to it later. I eventually did and saw the first memory and was pretty quickly intrigued. However, before heading to the forgotten temple to see impa, I found myself deciding to inspect the chasm beneath Hyrule castle. I was only one temple in, and only one memory in with few hearts, but through shear force of will I pushed all the way through to the room with the murals, still at that point unsure where the chasm was leading. I decided to break the stones and see what was behind the wall, and found it wasn't particularly spoilery, only showing things I could have assumed, save for Sonia's death which I couldn't really tell from the mural alone, but found myself particularly puzzled by the last image of the dragon. i had initially assumed the dragon floating around the sky-islands was Naydra until looking closer, but even then I didn't think much of it. Until I said aloud, "Is Zelda the dragon?". I didn't really take that idea seriously as I still didn't know where she was exactly, but it stuck in the back of my head, and quickly became clear as I started progressing through the memories. Once I finally found the last memory and saw it happen, I was left rather shell shocked for a moment. Previous Zelda games had place the character of Zelda in peril before, it's the core conceit of the series, after all. But never like this. When the camera cut above to show her flying overhead, I quickly flew up there, in a sort of blind panic to see if there was something, anything I could do. And then upon getting close enough, I saw the Master Sword in her head. I had no idea thats where it was. Everyone you speak to says its probably back in korok forrest, but I couldn't figure out how to get past the fog and assumed it probably wasn't there anyway. The sequence of events was probably one of the most memorable moments in a video game I've ever had. And this was the first instance of the game truly cementing itself as one of the best games I'd ever played.
The second moment came at the end. The final sequence of Totk, from diving into the chasm to the credits, Is absolutely the best any Zelda game has ever offered. The lead up to Ganon, with the slowly encroaching music that ramps up in speed and volume as you progress, as the sages disappear and lack of enemies creates a mood unlike any before. hearing Ganon's theme on the organ as you advance through Hyrule Castle in OOt and TP is intimidating, but It pales in comparison to the sound of the reverse choir getting louder and louder as you descend into an inky black pit at very the bottom of the world. the sages joining you as you fight the hoards of monsters and the silent march into Ganon's lair. And then there's Ganon himself. This is the most of Ganondorf we've ever seen in a Zelda game. And actually getting to hear him speak makes a world of difference. Ganondorf's speech is rendered instantly iconic through Matt Mercer's performance. The regality and confidence in his tone, combined with the motif of his OOt theme operatically sung as his title appears. Even Twilight princess, which I'd argue had up until this point portrayed the definitive Ganondorf can't compete with the raw power Totk's exudes. Something to note, is the way Totk characterizes this incarnation's lust for power. In Totk he bemoans the "weak peace loving cowards" who run rampant, when he first awakes he announces his disappointment in Link and the Master sword. When Link actually manages to get past his first phase he seems pleased and speaks of the surge of power in his veins. This Ganondorf is a warrior first and foremost. This Ganondorf embodies power so much more than his predecessors, because he seeks the thrill of battle. When OOt Ganon rules over Hyrule he creates a kingdom of stagnant decay, with Tp Ganon basically holding the world frozen in twilight. When we see what this Ganondorf plans, it isn't a stagnant frozen world, its a burning hellscape. This Ganondorf doesn't just want to sit on a throne and hoard power, this one wants to wield it. To burn and destroy. He wants a forever war. His hatred of Rauru and the Zonai isn't simply because they hold power, its because they use it for peace. Rauru wields his might for order and stability. To Ganondorf this is an affront to his way. He's a warrior in a world ruled by one who has abandoned war. Without War and conflict he has no purpose. This is what drives him, he wants a world where only power reigns supreme. To me this is the most succinct portrayal of the idea of Ganondorf. Not just a mad king or usurper, but a bonafide War Lord. and actual demon in human form.
But the main thing that solidified this game for me was the very end. I recently watched a video on the Escapist about the ways in which games deliver their final input. The last button press of the game. In just about every Zelda game, the last proper mechanical interaction the player gives is the final blow. But in Totk, it's not. Totk's demon dragon fight is absolutely the most spectacular moment in any zelda game. Previously, I had held that to be Skyward Sword's ending. One of the main reason I will always defend Skyward Sword's motion controls, is that very few games have ever gave me such an immersive and tactile experience as delivering the final blow against Demise in SS. In one of dorkiest moments in my gaming career, I genuinely stood up from my chair and shouted "DIE" as I drove the joycon down to deliver the final blow. Skyward Sword gave me such a sense of immersion in the game, and created what was up until now the best final boss in any zelda game and one of the best in any game period. But the Demon dragon somehow managed to top it, through visual spectacle alone.
(On a side note, I made a comparison to Xenoblade 3 in my last comment, but does anyone else think its crazy that in this game Monolith helped develop, that has tons of Ouroboros imagery in it, the shape the Demon Dragon takes when the fight starts is a Mobius strip Infinity sign? Like, that can't be a coincidence right?)
Aside from improving on Botw's dark beast Ganon fight by having the battle involve sky diving, which has been a crucial mechanic the whole game, unlike horse back riding in Botw, totk also breaks convention by having the game's final input not be the finishing blow, but rather catching Zelda. The Zelda series has always been about saving Zelda. but the method it uses to accomplish this, is near universally killing Ganondorf. But Totk, becomes the first game in the series to actually, genuinely depict this act as a player driven action. I say with no uncertainty, that Botw/Totk's Zelda is the most fleshed out and realized version of the character. We know more about this Zelda's likes, dislikes, interests, hobbies and personality then any other version. We have had two games (and a warriors game) developing and getting to know this Zelda. so the fact that game ends with a final sequence where the player must dive through the air to save her, with the final action from the player being to grab her hand, mirroring Link's failure in the start of the game, perfectly bring Botw's themes of redeeming one self after failure full circle, and giving the player the climactic final moment universally reserved for cutscenes, while the game's theme transitions into Zelda's lullaby, which then transitions into the Series theme. That right there is the greatest moment this series has ever offered. I get chills just thinking back to it. This is the ONLY Zelda game to make SAVING ZELDA an actual mechanical interaction. Considering botw and totk had placed gameplay at the forefront more so then any other Zelda game before, the fact that they make the core conceit of the series, for the first time a real playable moment. that right there was why the Demise fight was so immersive. It put the experience of play above all else. That's why this is my favourite Zelda game. Where as Botw's ending felt sweet but somewhat lacking, this ending felt like a triumph of design. This is what Zelda has always meant to me. That incredible feeling of a real, personal adventure.
*nuclear explosion* "as link greets the rising sun" what a choice of words
I had so much fun watching this! Funny, I used to be that connoisseur; jaded, wishing things were like the old days with books, games, etc. Now I try to meet the art without expectation, and viola! The magic was there just waiting to be discovered all over again :)
I've been trying to do the same since the negative shift in Zeldatube's views on the game. It can make it hard to remember why I hold it in such high regard, but videos like this remind me. It wasn't necessarily what I expected, but once I put aside all the pre-release speculation and just looked at it as the next Zelda game, I really appreciated what it pulled off. I didn't even skip the damn cutscenes for the Shrines and Lightroots.
New Zelda video??? About ToTk? And its KingK?! And its a bit over an hour long? YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS