Most people’s Game of the Year simply did not resonate with me, and I’m mostly disappointed in myself.
The Tears of the Kingdom special edition art book is still in its shrink packaging. It’s on my bookshelves, alongside a few other coffee table novels. We don’t have a coffee table, you see, and the art inside supposedly contains big spoilers for the events of Tears of the Kingdom, which was my most anticipated game heading into 2023. I’m a sucker for artbooks, but I don’t want to overspend. However, three months after the game’s release, I’m not sure I’ll ever open that clear film and flip through the pages.
(Image credit: Qualbert)
I truly tried to like Tears of the Kingdom. And it clicked right away. Exploring the archipelago from above was breath taking, as was Link’s first dive towards hydra firm. After that, it only excited me in spurts, and the most of the gameplay felt like a rehash of Breath of the Wild.
I know this is an oversimplification, but traversing Hyrule seemed quite similar to its predecessor, which I last played in 2017 when the DLC was released. I truly feel for anyone that played through Breath of the Wild in anticipation of Tears of the Kingdom. While the settlements scattered over Hyrule have changed over time, they are all in the same location. The four Temples, which are some of my favourite portions of the game, are located in the same towns as the Divine Beasts.
The primary distinction between the two games is traversal. You had to travel anywhere in Breath of the Wild by foot, hoof, or glider. Tears of the Kingdom let you to create your own transportation, whether it’s a fully motorized monster truck, a kaiju-killing colossal mech, or simply a long board with fans on it. Getting around Hyrule is easier than ever before, and it’s thanks to this mechanism that the original click became unclickable.
Aside from the Temples, which I’ve mentioned in past features, the plot was the only thing that kept me playing Tears of the Kingdom as much as I did. Ganondorf’s invasion of ancient Hyrule is captivating, Zelda’s predicament is perplexing, and I eagerly await the conclusion. I’m just not sure I have time for all of the side hustles.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – Official Trailer
At this point, I’m going to play Tears of the Kingdom in the exact opposite way Nintendo planned. I’m going to focus on the tale and the Temples while ignoring everything else. There’s no time to get to Tarry Town or deal with those pirates on the south shore (they’re merely Bokoblins, after all).
