I’ve still got theTears of the Kingdomspecial edition art book in its shrink wrap. It sits on my bookshelf along with a handful of other coffee table books. We don’t have a coffee table, you see, and apparently the art inside gives away major spoilers for the events of Tears of the Kingdom, which was my most anticipated game coming into 2023. I’m a sucker for an artbook, but I don’t want to spoil myself. However, three months after the game’s release, I’m not sure I’m ever going to crack open that clear film and open the pages.
I tried to love Tears of the Kingdom, I really did. And to start with, it clicked.Exploring the archipelago in the sky was breathtaking, and Link’s first dive towards hyra firma was exhilarating. After that though, it only excited me in moments, and most of the gameplay felt likeBreath of the Wildall over again.
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This is a massive oversimplification, I know, but navigating Hyrule felt very similar to its predecessor, which I last played when the DLC was released in 2017. I feel for anyone who replayed Breath of the Wild in anticipation of Tears of the Kingdom, I really do. While the towns dotted across Hyrule have evolved in the time between the games, they’re all in the same place. The four Temples, which are admittedlysome of my favourite parts of the game, are in the same cities that the Divine Beasts were.
The main difference between the two games is traversal. In Breath of the Wild, you had to get everywhere by foot, hoof, or glider. Tears of the Kingdom lets you build your own transports, whether that’s a fully motorised monster truck, a kaiju-killing titanic mech, or just a long plank with fans on it. Getting around Hyrule is easier than it has ever been before, and it’s this system that made that initial click unclick.
I see people building wild inventions on social media, and I say “woah cool” to my empty office. But I have no incentive to build it myself. I’ve only got one Zonai charge, and I know the grind to get more is gargantuan. Inever really understood the deal with Ultrahand, and when that’s Tears of the Kingdom’swhole thing, I think I just don’t get Tears of the Kingdom.
Barring the Temples, which I’ve professed my love for in other features aplenty, the only other driving force that made me play as much of Tears of the Kingdom as I did was the story. Ganondorf’s invasion of ancient Hyrule is compelling, Zelda’s predicament puzzling, and I’d love to reach the end. I’m just not sure I’ve got the time for all the busywork along the way.
At this point, I’m going to give Tears of the Kingdom another go and play it in the exact opposite way Nintendo intended. I’m going to mainline the story, blitz the Temples, and ignore everything else. No time to toddle off to Tarry Town or deal with those pirates on the south coast (they’re just Bokoblins anyway). We’re heading straight for the Gerudo warlord himself. Where’s he at again?
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