Last Updated on 05/12/2023 by てんしょく飯
I want to lose my memory and play it all over again from the beginning.
–I’ve often heard comments like that about The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
It’s true,” I nodded my head in agreement. The sensation of running across endless grasslands, the joy of seeing the landscape spread out before you over cliffs, the fights that made your hands sweaty as you made various discoveries – these were special adventures even for me, a veteran hero who has saved many worlds up until now.
Having known that excitement and thrill, I wouldn’t be surprised by a little bit of it. That’s why I wanted to “lose my memory”, but that was before I played The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
The adventure that awaits you in Tears of the Kingdom will definitely surprise and thrill you anew with the memories of the previous title, Breath of the Wild. The systemic changes, the expanding field that is not limited to the sky, and the new world of Hyrule’s “darkness” …….
This adventure is littered with surprises that can only be experienced [because it is a sequel].
Of course, those who have not played the previous title can also experience the endless adventures without “memories”, so you will definitely enjoy playing this title first. However, even after clearing this title, it is fine to play the previous Breath of the Wild title to feel the “changes” in the world.
This article is a review of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Please note that this article contains commentary on game elements, although major story spoilers have been avoided.
And so, without further preamble, here’s where we start to get to grips with Tears of the Kingdom while keeping spoilers to a minimum.
If you want to play without knowing anything about the game, we recommend that you read the rest of this article some time after playing the game.
The field is the land and sky of Hyrule and ……
This adventure takes place in three different fields with different characteristics: the vast land of Hyrule, which also appeared in the previous title, the sky above the land, and the depths of the earth far below the land.
After escaping from the empty island “Sky Island of the Beginning” at the beginning of the game, players will be able to explore the three fields with different exploration styles, moving freely back and forth as they did in the previous title.
The Land
The main stage, the land of Hyrule, is based on the fields of the previous title, but the terrain and weather have changed due to natural disasters that have occurred in Hyrule, such as the [Ruins] that fell from the Sky Island.
The locations of the shrines and colognes have also been renewed, and the field is scattered with newly added collect elements such as [Cave], [Well], [Terrestrial Picture] and [Sign], including a different building [Bird’s Watchtower] that replaces the Seeker Tower, making the field exploration even denser than in the previous title.
Furthermore, many of the main characters as well as other characters from the previous game continue to appear in the game, allowing you to enjoy the “changes” from the previous game as well as the new elements.
Mitsuba-chan, the people of Sakurada Engineering, the people of Utley Village, the Eega Gang and others – the world continues after you save it, and you can feel that time has passed equally for each of them, which is something that only a sequel can provide.
I never thought I would be able to enjoy this in Hyrule, the immortal masterpiece Breath of the Wild!
Sky Island
The Sky Island, on the other hand, is a space in the sky.
This is a field that can be reached by a variety of means, such as by jumping from a bird watchtower or using the Zonau gear you’ve assembled yourself.
The style of exploration while gliding and diving through the magnificent sky is similar to that of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, but the earth is not covered by thick clouds, so you can view the landscape from the sky while searching for shrines and ground paintings, which makes the movement itself much more exhilarating.
Underground
And then there is Underground.
This is a world that can be entered through huge holes that appear throughout Hyrule, where vast fields the same size as those on the ground exist in the darkness. Rather than an “underground dungeon”, the field is more aptly called the “subterranean world”.
The main difference is that darkness dominates the entire world.
Players must prepare their own lights when exploring, and use Akaribana seeds and other items to secure their vision as they move forward. When the lights are lit, [ruins], [mysterious statues] and enemies clad in miasma emerge from the darkness. …… This is an area where you can feel a chilling mystery in terms of both exploration and storytelling.
Earth, Sky Island and Underground.
The field has roughly tripled in size since the previous game, which was only on the earth, but of course it’s not just bigger.
The Earth gives you a sense of “nostalgia” as if you were back in your hometown, and a sense of “change” and “rediscovery” from the previous title, while the exhilaration of diving into the sky is a new experience. The Sky, where you can enjoy a sense of exhilaration as you dive through the sky and look out over the whole of Hyrule, and the Underground, where you explore by hand in the darkness.
Link’s new abilities will expand your adventures!
In Tears of the Kingdom, Link’s four abilities have been revamped from the previous Breath of the Wild title.
This changes the approach to solving the riddles in Shrines, Dungeons and Exploration, and allows for a fresh approach to solving many of the riddles.
In addition to solving riddles, Scrabild and Ultra Hand can also use their abilities to perform [DIY], which adds a unique touch to the adventures in this title.
In Hyrule, many of the “weapons” have lost their original power for one reason or another, and Link must use his new “Scrabble Build” ability to create his own weapons and fight demons.
You can create a variety of weapons by combining “wooden stick and stone” to make an axe, “spear and iron box” to make a hammer, “magic wand and gemstone” to make an attribute weapon, and so on. Weapons can be created by combining different weapons.
If you attach a Bakudan to your shield, when your shield is hit by an enemy’s attack, it will explode and inflict heavy damage on the enemy!
In addition to weapons, you can combine weapons and shields with plants, foodstuffs, ore and other material items, some objects in the field and the Zonau device.
Depending on what you attach, not only attack power but also attack spacing and special effects can be added, so in this title you can enjoy not only “your own adventure” but also “your own battle”.
The Ultra Hand ability, which also has DIY elements, allows you to manipulate objects from a distance like the Magne Catch ability in the previous title, and also allows you to combine objects.
Unlike the Magne Catch, it can move non-metallic objects freely, and can also attach and detach objects from each other.
By utilising this power, you can build a variety of things yourself, depending on the materials and ideas you have ……, from giant scaffolds, to cars driving in fields, rafts crossing rivers, and even gliders and drones flying in the sky.
Even if you are aiming for the same destination, the route you take can change depending on what you have made, so you can enjoy your own unique adventure. The building process is simple, and once you get used to using the Ultra Hand, it’s just like building a stack of blocks.
If you still think, “Oh no, it’s a bit tedious to make things every time ……”, we recommend that you give priority to the main challenge! Because once you get a certain power, DIY with Ultra Hand will become even more fun and pleasant.
The Freedom of Movement inherited from the previous Breath of the Wild game, and the new Freedom of Tools through DIY, will make your one-of-a-kind adventure even more special.
Battles with more situations and challenges
Among the newly added field monsters, we can see enemies that surpass the Lynel, which terrified many players in the previous title.
However, new enemies are not the only “surprise” in battles.
This time around, the battles themselves are richer and more varied, with enemies attacking in formations, defeating demons in cooperation with a strike force, the existence of buddy characters, and using the rivalry between golems and demons to get around, all evolving to allow players to enjoy various forms of battle throughout Hyrule.
Also, when you think it’s a demon fortress, it turns out to be a 0000, or when you defeat an enemy that relentlessly pursues you, a 0000 appears! The overall response and presentation of the battles have been greatly brushed up.
Summary: A “royal sequel” with new surprises and discoveries.
Even if you know the previous game, you will find new surprises and discoveries in the exploration and battles in Tears of the Kingdom.
It’s a sequel to the high road, with a volume and quality that’s seamless in every way.
I confess that, as of this writing, I have not yet reached the ending. Today, I’m still on the road to Hyrule again.
However, once I complete the game, I will definitely think: “I want to lose my memory and play it again from the beginning”.
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