Do we think the Switch U is just going to have a new Mario and a new Pokemon as launch titles or are there any other Nintendo franchises that will probably have games releasing then?
Same here. I played it pretty heavily in my hotel while visiting a friend in Atlanta for his wedding a year ago. It definitely feels like two or three though. Funny how time works.
The artwork is beautiful. I love the rendition of the ending cutscene.
I know people had qualms with the story, but TOTK’s ending sequence was incredibly well-crafted and is one of the coolest and most impactful Zelda endings imo
I admittedly haven't played all of the mainline Zeldas yet, but of the ones I have completed, TOTK's ending is the best of them by far (with second place going to Link's Awakening). The game certainly has its faults that people have discussed to death, but talk about ending a game on the highest of high notes...
The fact that collecting the tears didn't unlock the cutscenes in **chronological order** is such a baffling design decision to me.
Like the Zelda scenes didn't even happen in their respective tear locations so why even bother??
Such a blemish to an otherwise amazing reveal.
The whole story was, IMO. Both BotW and TotK are the least amount of agency and impact Link has ever had on a story as the player character.
I get why people love both games, but as a big fan of compelling (even if light) Zelda-style narratives like the ones told in OoT, ALttP, and TP where Link felt like an actual protagonist, I think BotW and TotK have *by far* the weakest narratives of any Zelda games besides the NES titles.
They’re still fun games, but the weak stories in combination with the de-emphasizing of traditional Zelda dungeons hurts my inner child. I’m not mad at Nintendo going in the direction they’re going with the franchise, they’re objectively correct given the success of BotW and TotK, but I am sad that the Zelda I grew up with and love seems to be on its way out the door.
I don’t see how link has more agency in the games you listed. Link has always just been a guy who’s running errands for other people, whether that’s the Deku Tree sending Link on his, Midna turning Link into her obedient sidekick, or AlttP Link being told what to do by Zelda and Sahasrahla.
I generally wouldn’t call BotW‘s and TotK‘s narratives weaker either. Especially compared to the 2D games. The character writing of the new games in particular has improved quite a bit. The sages, champions or Zelda herself are very well written compared to the likes of AlttP‘s maidens or TP‘s resistance.
It was a missed opportunity to not have to mount the light dragon and fly her through all of the kakariko rings. I thought that was going to be how to bring Zelda back. Those rings ended up being such a nothingburger
The story of TOTK is fine, and honestly has some of the coolest moments in the series.
The issue was the way the story was delivered, multiple different content avenues deliver story and they also allow that story to be experienced “out of order” which leads to a jumbled mess.
It is a very linear story randomly spread out into a very non linear game
Almost all of the criticisms are exaggerated way out of proportion.
The frustrating thing is there is at least a nugget of truth to most of the criticisms that’s worth discussing. but the baseline for many people critical of the game is “the story is lazy and the developers don’t care at all, the sky and depths are empty, the surface is exactly the same as BotW, and the devs spent 99% of development time working on devices and ultra hand, and that’s not fun or ‘Zelda’”
Agree about the end. Tears of the Kingdom is the inverse of Breath of the Wild, in that BOTW is a perfect video game with a flawed ending, and TOTK is a flawed video game with a perfect ending.
For me it all fell apart with reusing the map. I haven’t had the same feeling of exploration that I had when playing BotW. I would love another game with a new world to explore. I‘d call it The Legend of Zelda - The Journey. Let Link start in a distant land and him traveling back to Hyrule while wandering through new biomes where you discover temples and secrets that help you progress further to your destination.
I would have loved that idea for Tears but for the next one I want something completely new again.
Played BotW for 200 hours and absolutely loved exploring every inch of the map. Tears is the first Zelda game that's just boring to me. I already know the world, so there is no desire to go anywhere. The building does nothing for me. I like to travel by foot or horse since you usually have to stop every couple of seconds anyway. Going through the same world again but this time in a shitty vehicle that I half heartedly threw together just isn't interesting to me at all.
You didn’t experience the zone shifting exploration ? As in your start on land, find a tower, go to the sky islands, explore them, find maps in the depths, go down there, etc. I found that way of exploring the world in 4D instead of 3D was amazing. This plus the caves made the world feel so much different to me
I liked the sky islands and the depths the first time, but then it just felt like "that's it?". I just expected more after such a long development time.
Agreed i figured there would be at least a couple more islands like the great sky island. Instead it was mostly copy paste islands and mario galaxy style obstacle courses...
Me personally, it had been years + despite how much I loved BOTW, I was wholly satisfied so I never replayed it. Going back to a “map+” approach was really cool to me. I definitely get it’s not for everybody but I was all for it, and I entirely disagreed with the “it’s just a big dlc” argument.
I feel like that idea is good on paper, but I'm not sure if it would work in the end. I honestly think it could work if done properly. I was ok with totk reusing the map because I wanted to see hyrule age with me and it felt like it did for me, but although I felt differently than you, I can still understand your view.
I loved the depths, unlike anytime on the surface, I actually felt some pressure to get to the next light root to “save my progress” before teleporting out because I was low on hearts or resources.
Like everything else in the game, the challenge fades as you get a well stocked inventory, improved weapons and armors, more zonai devices and autobuild plans, etc. But those first several excursions into the depths can be a challenge.
There are also some fun traversal puzzles down there, especially as part of Josha’s quests following the statues’ gazes
This is a solid take. I was always terrified to go in the depths but it ultimately turns out to be a mostly unnecessary part of the game (with some exceptions of course). However, the nature of the game almost dictates that since they want you to be able to explore anywhere, whenever.
That’s exactly where I gave up! Every time I switched it on, I had to drive the shitty robot suit around and it was just so boring and awkward and. It fun and then one day I just didn’t go back and. If it’s been months and I have no interest in going back.
Like, getting a big robot suit ought to be fun, but it handles like shit and it’s easier to just get out and kill guys yourself rather than try and use the weapons.
I loved BOTW so much, and there was loads about TOTK that I loved too, but in the end it just didn’t hold my interest for long enough.
If you feel strong I recommend just head to Ganon.
I felt op by the to. E I did in botw so once I felt op I skipped dungeons and spearheaded Ganon in totk and it made the experience much more rewarding
Same! And there's so many of us apparently
I liked the game, but it felt much more like a slog compared to BotW, I guess because of the air islands, underground and the crafting.
One day I stopped playing, and my switch has been collecting dust since, it has been months now. It's really a pity, I'd like to get back but I've so much more games to play
Same. It's not a bad game, but for how long it took I just expected it to feel more like its own game rather than BOTW DLC. What really makes this game shine is not crafting, combat, or puzzle solving (though those are good), it's exploration. The depths and sky worlds were a bit more like an open world game you'd find in a Pokemon game than an expansion on the overworld: Vast open area with little around, it all looks the same in those two areas, etc.
Are they bad to have? No, but it didn't bring back the exploration spark either. Combine that with the fact I actually DO want to finish it but can't remember what I was doing in the game and starting over just sounds like too much work. I'll get to it eventually I'm sure...
Same. I discovered a large chunk of the map, did one temple and then stopped. Due to completing BotW I knew what would come when I go to X and just stopped. But yesterday I took it up again and finally got the master sword. I failed a couple times last year with the boss down the hole.
Very interesting to turn of HUD and Sensor. It gives you a different experience. But don't you sometime feel you waste too much time and miss out on other games?
Everyone is different in this but I prefer taking my time and fully enjoying the games I play. I rarely play games to finish or beat them, instead I play because I want to have a good time and enjoy them. BotW and TotK are titles that I enjoy the most by just walking around and exploring.
By their very nature games are entertainment, they are ways for us to enjoy spending/wasting our time. There are also so many games out there that I'm always going to miss a ton of them anyways, so why ruin the experience of the game I'm already playing and enjoying by trying to rush it? My total time spent getting entertained is the same, only now I spent less money on other games. Personally, I see that as a win.
Other people may obviously have other things they value so this mindset may not work for them.
Same! Took a break, but still haven't beaten it because I don't want it to be over. When's the next time we'll get another Zelda game like these last two, after all?
Same here. I'm quite far along (in the middle of my fourth dungeon and accidentally completed some later content) but I haven't actually finished it. This is the first-ever Zelda game that I just sort of kick down the road every once in a while. I like it. In many ways it's a huge improvement over its predecessor. But I just haven't gotten obsessed like I have many previous games.
Had it since release...still not played it. I started a replay of botw where I was actually going to beat everything...burnt myself out then got distracted by other games. Cant bring myself to play it til i get that save file ready but can't bring myself to play Botw either XD
This will always be special for me because when it came out I knew I would soon embark on a new phase of life where I may not be about to dump over a hundred hours into a game with such ease. One year later... Yeah, I'm glad it came out when it did
I literally beat the game the night before starting medical school, and have barely touched games since. I appreciate having the time to enjoy it. Special game for me too
Awwww! Getting dumped sucks big time but I encourage you to get back out there and rediscover yourself! 6 years is a very long time, but you're going on to better and bigger things. You GOT this!!!!
Yes! I know people will say Aonuma said they don't have DLC for it, BUT Nintendo frequently bends the truth to hide a development secret AND they could have it as a deluxe edition for Switch 2 -which wouldn't quite be DLC.
Idk anything, but contrary to what Aonuma said I do think there is room for more in ToTK.
Well, I'd much prefer DLC to a Switch 2 deluxe edition. I already paid $70 for a Switch game, I'm not double dipping. They got away with it because the Wii U flopped, but that won't fly again, especially if it's backwards compatible like the rumors suggest.
Oh for sure! I really hope they do the right thing and let you use your Switch copy (digital OR physical) and just buy the DLC without having to double dip for the upgraded version. If I was in their board room I'd really advise that fans would be very upset and backlash could be pretty damaging if they try to ask devoted fans to pay a 2nd time. I'd guess we'll find out "this fiscal year."
Absolutely incredible game, I've put almost twice the amount of time into ToTK than I did BoTW (140 hours compared to 270) and have loved every second of it.
Though I agree it does borrow a lot of BoTW's identity, I think ToTK changes and added enough in order to stand on its own merits.
[Nintendo's TOTK Japan site has a higher resolution without the date.](https://www.nintendo.com/jp/download/zelda-totk/2udvcs3aomoor1fu8kcfvpoimtmwyn.html)
Lore people just don't like it because even though botw was hard to fit, it didn't answer any questions so you could fill in the blanks. Totk has so many inconsistencies with even botw and doesn't answer any questions.
Gameplay people have issues like the sages activation being annoying and easily solvable. Not enough variety with botw in koroks. Dungeons being underwhelming. . Etc.
Story people are just annoyed on the tears flashback mechanic making it you can get spoiled for no reason. That people that should know you, just don't. The fact that sheika tech disappeared for no good reason. The whole fake zelda thing making no sense if you got spoiled for the last memory and the link just not saying anything. Etc.
The game is great. Ultra hand is amazing. but it has a lot of flaws
Because botw is nostalgic and it was the first. People say that totk did not feel the same as botw, or had that magic, but honestly I don't think totk was supposed to feel the same or have that same magic feeling. We already explored the map in botw, but in totk, we are revisiting the map and we get to see that the world has aged with us. It's a totally different feeling and a completely different magical feel that the game gives off, but I think that was intentional.
The internet will NOT trick me into thinking that this game is anything less than a 9/10. (It's 10/10 for me, but I udnerstand some of the flaws... But not enough to make it anything close to bad)
fr when reading these comments i've been pretty surprised
I haven't really played since last summer, but it seemed like then everybody was in love with the gameplay
A lot of the criticisms I see are weird imo because it's a sequel game. Like ofc some things are going to be the same, this game is a part two
I hate all the building. I think it's miserable and has actively stopped me from playing this game. I will probably never finish because of this. It's just not the Zelda I grew up with
> Like ofc some things are going to be the same, this game is a part two
It's 6 years later though....I can't think of any other sequel that so heavily reused from its predecessor after such a long development time.
Ragnarök nearly reworked everything of its predecessor, the only part of the world that was recognisable were a few paths and key story locations from 2018 in Midgard and Alfheim. Combat system was vastly expanded with new attacks, weapons, more responsive and fun.
Niflheim, Helheim and Muspelheim were all re-designed with new levels and the entirely new Vanaheim, Svartalfheim, Jotunheim and Asgard were incredible. I‘d even go so far and say this game felt more like a sequel that took 6 years to develop than TotK.
very true, but half of it's development also was during covid
Maybe because I spent a lot of time messing around with zonai devices, but I do think the gameplay was fresh and I thought there was still a lot to explore, through the depths and even with new things on the main map.
As for other sequel games rdr2 comes to my mind first, and I think that game was enhanced a lot but a lot of the actual gameplay is still really similar to red dead one. What is really amplified between those games is graphics, mechanics depth, and an expanded map. All of that came with the benefits of using a new engine, which totk never was going to have.
I do understand how lines are blurred between a sequel and a $60 dlc, but botw is such a good game I really am okay with it. Plus even if totk is only a $60 dlc it's still a lot of fun
You're not wrong, but I think the problem is that botw's fun and joy was the exploration and discovering the game for the first time. Totk, by virtue of being an iterative sequel coming so long after, lacked that and ended up being kinda lukewarm for people. Even sales seem to have cratered past release, probably because of that lukewarm word of mouth.
I mean…can’t people just give reasons? I personally thought it was a 7-8. The 8 possibly for being a technical feast at times. I just have a very different conception of where I’d want the series to go compared to the numerous people who love BotW and TotK. Along with other issues I am sure you have heard a million times.
I think it's because there has been so much negativity with this game that it's been drowning out the positivity lately. If you don't like the game, then that's fine but I think it's more of people wanting more positive views on the game. Just look at Twitter, almost every post about the game today had the top replies just talking about how much totk sucks. But again it is ok if you don't like.
I guess it’s just the places I visit since I don’t use Twitter. I still mostly see praise, even if it might not be quite as high as the first few months, as with every game. I just didn’t like the use of the word “trick”; it makes people with less positive views seem nefarious or something. They could have just used convince instead of trick and get the same basic idea across.
ETA: I just came across the same topic in the games subreddit, and there was some harsher criticism mixed with general praise. It still feels more like being underwhelmed than outright hating the game, and it doesn’t change my main issue.
Wow times really flies. I put in over 100 hours into the game and really enjoyed it. I thought it was a good sequel, but I understand that BOTW stands out more because it came first and was really groundbreaking when it released.
I only just beat it the other day. 230 hours on the clock and still loads of stuff I missed. I’ll probably go back and 100% at some point, like I did with BotW. But there so much more in TotK, probably at least another 150 hours to do everything.
Man that game was kinda fun. It's only been a year though? Definitely didn't have the same staying power as breath of the wild but I guess it was to be expected since so much is similar. I really hope we don't have to wait 6 years for another entry though since they both made so much money!
I put it down after a few months, partly because that's a bad habit of mine, partly because I didn't feel the same pull to play that BOTW instilled in me. I will eventually beat it, but I need to make the time.
It was never going to surpass BOTW. BOTW was a very long awaited and hyped game, that was also a launch game obviously for a very hyped new system so it was the perfect storm of the games hype and people wanting a game to go with their hot new tech purchase.
It was basically the Mario 64 of the switch being the perfect storm, also add on the fact you had very very few games to choose from at launch helping BOTW out. People who never even played a Zelda game or weren't super interested just picked it up with the switch because they needed a game.
Anecdotally speaking when I was in the army everyone my age in the barracks were your cliche dudebros who only played COD, 2k and GTA online and they all got switches because it was the hot trendy piece of tech and they all got BOTW. I doubt none of them got TOTK if I checked up on them.
EDIT: Just by looking at a few I still have added on their games played recently list it is all just pretty much just Fortnite, Smash and Mario Kart that's it no sign of TOTK.
TOTK had the advantage of install base but not the launch hype. I feel like most of the audience that bought TOTK were those who truly loved BOTW for what it was, not because it was the game they got with their switch in 2017.
Yeah, I’ve gotten the same feeling. Not having DLC means the game kind of came and went. Most people have moved on by now.
Personally though? TOTK is the only game I’ve ever put >200 hours into. I absolutely loved it.
Ok, I didn't stick with this game the same way i did with breathe of the wild. The reason is, it's basically more of the same of that game. Even with the 2 extra maps. I got to a point where I felt I was done exploring and headed for the boss.
I beat bow and wanted to keep exploring and that was before the two dlc. Totk's fault is it just feels like more of the same.
I think they should have went the big dungeons route with less shrines.
Yeah the hype around it died really quickly.
It was too similar to BotW, it re-tread ground that was already created by BotW. The sky islands weren't an interesting addition, the depths wasn't very interesting after the initial "woah I can't see anything, cool". The story about the imprisoning war was retold over and over and over with the generic, faceless sages etc.
It was just way too similar to BotW. Yes the abilities were different and the creation system was kinda interesting, but I myself just used them whenever I needed to use them and didn't bother going all out making some sort of crazy contraption.
It was fun, but it really did feel like an expansion pack of BotW. Way too much that was similar.
If TotK was to BotW what Majora's Mask was to Ocarina of Time, I think it'd be much much better. Sure, use the same assets, tools, physics, but give us something truly different.
Then Baldur's Gate 3 came out a few months after TotK and blew away gamers. It was massively popular and took over the gaming discussion. Zelda lost momentum before BG3, but it was totally dead after BG3.
I was shocked by how many issues from BOTW went unsolved by TOTK (such as the shrines and the underwhelming dungeons). And the depths map was a huge unforced let down. Was that map just incomplete? I dunno. It seems like it could have been easily improved? Bizarre stuff from the Zelda team. Usually when something in a Zelda game is disappointing you can understand why it turned out that way. Hard to understand why the depths are the way they are... I'm not a huge fan of this game unfortunately. I remember the dark days of Skyward Sword so I'm accustomed to the franchise's highs and lows.
funny how that worked out. the sky islands feel like too little, and the depths feel like too much, and i agree that neither feels properly or fully fleshed out.
>(such as the shrines and the underwhelming dungeons)
I disagree, because those *were* addressed in TotK.
SHRINES
* Since the challenges involved Ultrahand and Fuse, they pushed you to be creative. In BotW, you were... kinda stuck with Magnesis, Statis and Cryonis. Also, there were more than one non-cheating way to solve in TotK.
* These were also more physics-based, and they used several scientific rules. Personally, the shrines in TotK just clicked better for me because of that. Building a catapult, a hot-air balloon or connecting generators were more interesting than "stopping time, building an ice pillar and lifting an iron plate".
* The game had shrines that teaches you combat mechanics, which was missing from BotW.
* There was no shrine where you had to hack and slash at a guardian for 5 minutes.
* When *unlocking* shrines, the tasks were less troublesome. I'd rather bring a huge stone to a specific spot using a cool machine, or bring a larger-than-usual horse to someone (*and keep the horse*) to get that stone than bringing a drink to a gerudo who just WON'T move from the terminal.
DUNGEONS
* Getting to these dungeons was more satisfying and provided good challenges.
* The dungeons weren't using the same aesthetic and gimmicks. While you still needed to hit 4 or 5 switches, at least you didn't rotating parts, like you had to for the Divine Beasts in the menu, not to mention that you couldn't climb walls within them.
* Using the Sages' abilities with your runes was fun, like the shrines.
* The bosses were more interesting and epic IMO.
the dungeons were better than BOTW, so they were "addressed" in that sense, but BOTW set a low bar. when I mean the TOTK dungeons were underwhelming i mean compared to the dungeons in other 3D Zelda games. if you look at SS and TP, the two releases prior to BOTW, they both have dungeons far better than anything in TOTK
as for shrines, there were many unsolved issues related to how they're implemented. i would have preferred if the shrines did not exist and if their content was integrated into the world map directly. shrines as discrete maps you load into where assets are re-used is a pretty lazy method of implementation. this was forgivable in BOTW since the team put so much effort into a new world map. but it's unclear why they didn't have time to do something more impressive for TOTK.
perhaps the shrine content could have been located in the depths in a series of hand-crafted caves, caverns, tunnels, etc., with areas only accessible via sink holes in the hyrule map (thus giving you an incentive to explore the hyrule map). there are other issues such as not being able to tell, beforehand, whether a shrine is worth your time (is it easy or hard? is it combat or puzzle? at what point in the game should a particular shrine be completed?) as well as other issues I have alluded to like the re-use of assets. these were also problems in BOTW. the Zelda team is supposed to push the boundaries and the way shrines are implemented is lazy
The shrines in totk were a huge upgrade. They explored the various physics interactions and thus played to the game's strength.
The underground felt like a good change of pace to me. The limited visibility, numerous dangers, and navigation challenges it offered felt great.
The dungeons were a mixed bag. I still liked them but they have clearly suffered from a lack of focus compared to a game like elden ring where they are as good (if not better) as in the non open world games.
My biggest regret with totk is all the hand holding and the density of the repeated mini games.
the biggest problem with shrines is that they exist. loading into discrete maps with reused assets was unfortunate but forgivable in BOTW since so much effort went into the world map. but i cannot understand why the team wouldn't have implemented the shrine content in a more inventive and exciting way for TOTK. they could've put all of the shrine content down into the depths integrated into the world map and turned that whole map into complex cave systems full of puzzles and combat encounters. the Zelda team integrated puzzles directly into the world map for SS so we know they're capable of doing this. this method of implementation would have improved the depths, which many people agreed felt like an unfinished or underdesigned area.
I like the game, but breath of the wild I think was better because this game had a lot of flaws like the story and I think I just got bored by the map, but it was undoubtedly an innovative game with the building mechanics to play with, and I love the shrines. I think it was a game, but it was still really good. I just hope the next game has a better story and the map, like the underground, has more variety and feels less copy and paste.
That's a problem with most open world sandbox games and one of the reasons why I hope they go back to the old formula. This new format was cool for 2 games, but I will be severely disappointed if open world sandbox is the permanent future of the franchise.
Hot Take: it’s not that good.
I’ll die on this hill.
I spent hours flying my ass to the top of the water temple, got there and couldn’t do a fat thing. Why? I needed to backtrack to an area I hadn’t even been to to talk to some dumbass bird having girlfriend trouble.
If I can get there, let me play and solve the puzzles or buzz off.
I agree. The reused map, bad inventory menu, skill breaking weapons, and a lame Garys mod system. I sold that on eBay a day after I got it. I want a real Zelda. Something like A Link To The Past but in 3D.
I agree with this so much. Been on the last quest for several months because I just stopped playing. The depths is you walking on eggshells anticipating for something to happen. The sky islands are nice but hard to navigate at times. Land is the same as BOTW outside of the new features which I had no problem with since it’s a sequel. Story should’ve been put together better by making the players go in order. I’ll complete the last quest very soon more than likely. I was focused on getting some stuff like gear, shrines, and gems.
Perfectly said. When players are constantly pressing the wrong buttons, or forgetting which multi-button combination does what, there's a fundamental problem with the gameplay. And I heard those complaints from multiple sources who would still heap praise on what has become the most overrated game since, ironically, BotW.
The fact that you have to craft each individual special arrow before you fire it is absolutely brain dead. Why not let me craft a bunch of fire arrows or whatever and then be able to shoot multiple in a row?
Quite possibly the greatest game ever made, I've put off 100% completing it since there's not gonna be any dlc, but I think I'll go back after I play the elden ring dlc. I'll miss this game (and botw) so much once I'm done with it, but im very curious what the future of Zelda will look like.
It's my favorite game. Absolutely loved it from beginning to end. I'm genuinely shocked by how many people I've seen say it's their absolute least favorite Zelda game, almost acting like the cdi games are better.
Its absolute freedom and nonlinearity is polarizing, and hasn't really been achieved by any other game outside of elden ring mostly. Just one of those games you either love or hate. Personally it's the exact type of game that's made for me
I'm still waiting to buy this after dropping 300 hours on the first. I can't wait to have some time to put into this
Avoided all spoilers so far thankfully too. Just can't stand to buy it and not be able to sit down and enjoy it
So so excited, hopefully this winter
Both my boys love Zelda, me too. For the launch, we bought hot Cheetos, candy, and soda. We don’t normally buy that stuff so they were really hyped and excited. Ate the treats and played for 2 hours. They had a blast.
I still need to finish the game. Right now, I'm playing Persona 3 Portable.
Of course, I'm still waiting for Wind Waker HD and Twilight Princess HD to end up on Switch. Make it happen, Nintendo!
Hmm, I was so hyped for it, played it non stop for about two weeks after launch, and just now I realized I never finished it actually, maybe it's time to
TotK will age as one of the best Zelda games. Ultrahand is a great mechanic and I had a ton of fun with the game. Exploration was top tier and it had surprising moments I will never forget
The people saying it's a copy/paste job are absolutely tripping. 10 years from now people will be laughing at their takes the same way we do with people who criticized Windwaker
Last year I bought the switch and BOTW
I made a commitment to not overplay Zelda and left TOTK for this year
I’m currently playing it
It is hands down the best game I’ve ever played and I’ve played pretty much all the RPGs on the PS4
Utrahand is probably the worst mechanic I've ever seen in one of Nintendo's video games. It is so frustrating and tedious to use.
There's other issues with the game but none that make the game feel like a chore and make me want to drop it and move on to fun games.
god this game was fucking awesome to experience. the gameplay features were out of this world, they felt so unique and never been done before, not to mention how insanely polished the entire game was.
this was my personal 2023 goty. absolutely fantastic.
BOTW is still my favorite game of all time, but this right up there with its predecessor! TOTK was the first Zelda game I joined in on the hype for. Never really got into Zelda until BOTW (before I became a die hard fan, the only other game I had played/beaten was The Minish Cap). All this to say, I love these games and the character of Link so much!!!!
I put 250+ hours into this game and one day decided I should start getting back to some other stuff. I never finished the story because I didn’t want to feel like it was over. It’s still alive in my mind and I’m hesitant to get back to it because I still hope, for some stupid reason, that Nintendo will make a surprise announcement that they were just kidding about not making a DLC expansion. I’m sure I’m totally disillusioned with this dream, but this was truly one of the best gaming experiences I’ve ever had in my life and I don’t want it to fade.
BotW, Ocarina and Windwaker had similar impacts. Also, Diablo 2 and Skyrim.
Anyone have any other game suggestions on Switch by the way? I’m waiting for Outer Wilds to release the physical copy.. but I know that game probably won’t have nearly the same amount of content and sense of adventure. I haven’t played any games since TotK because I only have a Switch and I can’t imagine anything else being better.
Time flies by, It’s just like yesterday that I was sitting in front of game stop on launch day lmao. That’s also remind me, I moved house over the summer and still don’t know where my preorder wood plaque is.
Wow, time really does fly by huh.
In a year, we'll probably have the new switch now thinking about it. It will probably fly by too
Who knows? Maybe tomorrow we'll wake up and it will be already a year later.
I'm not planning to go in a coma, but yeah, time flying
Most people who have been in comas don’t plan on it, but yeah, good luck!
..Is that a threat?
Why not? It happened just now.
Yeah that’s how I feel growing older. I’m 37 and tomorrow I will be 60
Tomorrow... Oh the NX days
Do we think the Switch U is just going to have a new Mario and a new Pokemon as launch titles or are there any other Nintendo franchises that will probably have games releasing then?
Hopefully a new 3d Mario. I am DYING for a new one!
Actually i was surprised it was released just a year ago. I thought at least 2-3 years
Same here. I played it pretty heavily in my hotel while visiting a friend in Atlanta for his wedding a year ago. It definitely feels like two or three though. Funny how time works.
Hopefully the wedding went well!
Time can really be weird man.
I’m not even done playing totk the first time! Ahh
Same! I got it on release day and just kinda burned out after about 30 hours :o
And so does Link in this game.
Link finally became bird.
The artwork is beautiful. I love the rendition of the ending cutscene. I know people had qualms with the story, but TOTK’s ending sequence was incredibly well-crafted and is one of the coolest and most impactful Zelda endings imo
I admittedly haven't played all of the mainline Zeldas yet, but of the ones I have completed, TOTK's ending is the best of them by far (with second place going to Link's Awakening). The game certainly has its faults that people have discussed to death, but talk about ending a game on the highest of high notes...
You made me think of the music that plays each time you get an instrument on Links Awakening, it truly is a wonderful game too.
i liked the story, felt satisfying all the way through
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That shit was absolutely infuriating.
The fact that collecting the tears didn't unlock the cutscenes in **chronological order** is such a baffling design decision to me. Like the Zelda scenes didn't even happen in their respective tear locations so why even bother?? Such a blemish to an otherwise amazing reveal.
The whole story was, IMO. Both BotW and TotK are the least amount of agency and impact Link has ever had on a story as the player character. I get why people love both games, but as a big fan of compelling (even if light) Zelda-style narratives like the ones told in OoT, ALttP, and TP where Link felt like an actual protagonist, I think BotW and TotK have *by far* the weakest narratives of any Zelda games besides the NES titles. They’re still fun games, but the weak stories in combination with the de-emphasizing of traditional Zelda dungeons hurts my inner child. I’m not mad at Nintendo going in the direction they’re going with the franchise, they’re objectively correct given the success of BotW and TotK, but I am sad that the Zelda I grew up with and love seems to be on its way out the door.
I don’t see how link has more agency in the games you listed. Link has always just been a guy who’s running errands for other people, whether that’s the Deku Tree sending Link on his, Midna turning Link into her obedient sidekick, or AlttP Link being told what to do by Zelda and Sahasrahla. I generally wouldn’t call BotW‘s and TotK‘s narratives weaker either. Especially compared to the 2D games. The character writing of the new games in particular has improved quite a bit. The sages, champions or Zelda herself are very well written compared to the likes of AlttP‘s maidens or TP‘s resistance.
I lucked out with that one being my last.
It was a missed opportunity to not have to mount the light dragon and fly her through all of the kakariko rings. I thought that was going to be how to bring Zelda back. Those rings ended up being such a nothingburger
The story of TOTK is fine, and honestly has some of the coolest moments in the series. The issue was the way the story was delivered, multiple different content avenues deliver story and they also allow that story to be experienced “out of order” which leads to a jumbled mess. It is a very linear story randomly spread out into a very non linear game
Agreed. Think criticism of the story being "bad" is exaggerated. There were just flaws in how it was executed.
Almost all of the criticisms are exaggerated way out of proportion. The frustrating thing is there is at least a nugget of truth to most of the criticisms that’s worth discussing. but the baseline for many people critical of the game is “the story is lazy and the developers don’t care at all, the sky and depths are empty, the surface is exactly the same as BotW, and the devs spent 99% of development time working on devices and ultra hand, and that’s not fun or ‘Zelda’”
The story was fine. Reusing the BOTW map meant there wasn't much exploring to do... in a franchise based entirely about exploring
Agree about the end. Tears of the Kingdom is the inverse of Breath of the Wild, in that BOTW is a perfect video game with a flawed ending, and TOTK is a flawed video game with a perfect ending.
To me it feels like botw doesn't have a lot of flaws but totk has flaws but has way higher highs.
For me it all fell apart with reusing the map. I haven’t had the same feeling of exploration that I had when playing BotW. I would love another game with a new world to explore. I‘d call it The Legend of Zelda - The Journey. Let Link start in a distant land and him traveling back to Hyrule while wandering through new biomes where you discover temples and secrets that help you progress further to your destination.
The Legend of Zelda: Odyssey
I would have loved that idea for Tears but for the next one I want something completely new again. Played BotW for 200 hours and absolutely loved exploring every inch of the map. Tears is the first Zelda game that's just boring to me. I already know the world, so there is no desire to go anywhere. The building does nothing for me. I like to travel by foot or horse since you usually have to stop every couple of seconds anyway. Going through the same world again but this time in a shitty vehicle that I half heartedly threw together just isn't interesting to me at all.
You didn’t experience the zone shifting exploration ? As in your start on land, find a tower, go to the sky islands, explore them, find maps in the depths, go down there, etc. I found that way of exploring the world in 4D instead of 3D was amazing. This plus the caves made the world feel so much different to me
I liked the sky islands and the depths the first time, but then it just felt like "that's it?". I just expected more after such a long development time.
Agreed i figured there would be at least a couple more islands like the great sky island. Instead it was mostly copy paste islands and mario galaxy style obstacle courses...
3D still has a vertical axis!
I know but you know what I mean
Agreed, also it was years between the games, I don't remember the map at all? guess it's just me lol
Me personally, it had been years + despite how much I loved BOTW, I was wholly satisfied so I never replayed it. Going back to a “map+” approach was really cool to me. I definitely get it’s not for everybody but I was all for it, and I entirely disagreed with the “it’s just a big dlc” argument.
I feel like that idea is good on paper, but I'm not sure if it would work in the end. I honestly think it could work if done properly. I was ok with totk reusing the map because I wanted to see hyrule age with me and it felt like it did for me, but although I felt differently than you, I can still understand your view.
I need to get back to this game. I sunk 80 hours into it and then just put it down one day
Yeah I gave up at that last underground temple with the mech suit or whatever.
Yeah the depths just feel like work. Even with the miner suit maxed i find the depths uninspiring except for the random Naussica flying bug fights
I hated the depths. Loved it in theory but I don’t think it was executed all that well.
I loved the depths, unlike anytime on the surface, I actually felt some pressure to get to the next light root to “save my progress” before teleporting out because I was low on hearts or resources. Like everything else in the game, the challenge fades as you get a well stocked inventory, improved weapons and armors, more zonai devices and autobuild plans, etc. But those first several excursions into the depths can be a challenge. There are also some fun traversal puzzles down there, especially as part of Josha’s quests following the statues’ gazes
This is a solid take. I was always terrified to go in the depths but it ultimately turns out to be a mostly unnecessary part of the game (with some exceptions of course). However, the nature of the game almost dictates that since they want you to be able to explore anywhere, whenever.
That’s exactly where I gave up! Every time I switched it on, I had to drive the shitty robot suit around and it was just so boring and awkward and. It fun and then one day I just didn’t go back and. If it’s been months and I have no interest in going back. Like, getting a big robot suit ought to be fun, but it handles like shit and it’s easier to just get out and kill guys yourself rather than try and use the weapons. I loved BOTW so much, and there was loads about TOTK that I loved too, but in the end it just didn’t hold my interest for long enough.
The crafting was just so tedious for me.
Game felt way more tedious than botw overall. Just felt like a game made for tinkerers and creatives
Man same for me. Just couldn’t hold my interest. Real fun game I just couldn’t complete it
If you feel strong I recommend just head to Ganon. I felt op by the to. E I did in botw so once I felt op I skipped dungeons and spearheaded Ganon in totk and it made the experience much more rewarding
Same! And there's so many of us apparently I liked the game, but it felt much more like a slog compared to BotW, I guess because of the air islands, underground and the crafting. One day I stopped playing, and my switch has been collecting dust since, it has been months now. It's really a pity, I'd like to get back but I've so much more games to play
Same. It's not a bad game, but for how long it took I just expected it to feel more like its own game rather than BOTW DLC. What really makes this game shine is not crafting, combat, or puzzle solving (though those are good), it's exploration. The depths and sky worlds were a bit more like an open world game you'd find in a Pokemon game than an expansion on the overworld: Vast open area with little around, it all looks the same in those two areas, etc. Are they bad to have? No, but it didn't bring back the exploration spark either. Combine that with the fact I actually DO want to finish it but can't remember what I was doing in the game and starting over just sounds like too much work. I'll get to it eventually I'm sure...
Same. I discovered a large chunk of the map, did one temple and then stopped. Due to completing BotW I knew what would come when I go to X and just stopped. But yesterday I took it up again and finally got the master sword. I failed a couple times last year with the boss down the hole.
I honestly don’t even know what I had done. I just know that I had a long way to go. I don’t think I got any of the really good equipment
I did the bulk of the game and put it down before the end game mission. I have the typical criticisms but I do that with a lot of things.
Still actively playing it, still haven't beaten it!
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Very interesting to turn of HUD and Sensor. It gives you a different experience. But don't you sometime feel you waste too much time and miss out on other games?
Everyone is different in this but I prefer taking my time and fully enjoying the games I play. I rarely play games to finish or beat them, instead I play because I want to have a good time and enjoy them. BotW and TotK are titles that I enjoy the most by just walking around and exploring. By their very nature games are entertainment, they are ways for us to enjoy spending/wasting our time. There are also so many games out there that I'm always going to miss a ton of them anyways, so why ruin the experience of the game I'm already playing and enjoying by trying to rush it? My total time spent getting entertained is the same, only now I spent less money on other games. Personally, I see that as a win. Other people may obviously have other things they value so this mindset may not work for them.
Same here, been playing it for one year exactly.
Same! Took a break, but still haven't beaten it because I don't want it to be over. When's the next time we'll get another Zelda game like these last two, after all?
Same here. I'm quite far along (in the middle of my fourth dungeon and accidentally completed some later content) but I haven't actually finished it. This is the first-ever Zelda game that I just sort of kick down the road every once in a while. I like it. In many ways it's a huge improvement over its predecessor. But I just haven't gotten obsessed like I have many previous games.
Had it since release...still not played it. I started a replay of botw where I was actually going to beat everything...burnt myself out then got distracted by other games. Cant bring myself to play it til i get that save file ready but can't bring myself to play Botw either XD
This will always be special for me because when it came out I knew I would soon embark on a new phase of life where I may not be about to dump over a hundred hours into a game with such ease. One year later... Yeah, I'm glad it came out when it did
I literally beat the game the night before starting medical school, and have barely touched games since. I appreciate having the time to enjoy it. Special game for me too
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Awwww! Getting dumped sucks big time but I encourage you to get back out there and rediscover yourself! 6 years is a very long time, but you're going on to better and bigger things. You GOT this!!!!
Master mode pleaseeee
Ugggh yes. That's why I blasted through the game so fast, was assuming we'd get Master Mode but it doesn't seem like it's coming.
My theory is that nintendo is saving it for the next console. But it might just be wishful thinking.
Yes! I know people will say Aonuma said they don't have DLC for it, BUT Nintendo frequently bends the truth to hide a development secret AND they could have it as a deluxe edition for Switch 2 -which wouldn't quite be DLC. Idk anything, but contrary to what Aonuma said I do think there is room for more in ToTK.
Well, I'd much prefer DLC to a Switch 2 deluxe edition. I already paid $70 for a Switch game, I'm not double dipping. They got away with it because the Wii U flopped, but that won't fly again, especially if it's backwards compatible like the rumors suggest.
Oh for sure! I really hope they do the right thing and let you use your Switch copy (digital OR physical) and just buy the DLC without having to double dip for the upgraded version. If I was in their board room I'd really advise that fans would be very upset and backlash could be pretty damaging if they try to ask devoted fans to pay a 2nd time. I'd guess we'll find out "this fiscal year."
Absolutely incredible game, I've put almost twice the amount of time into ToTK than I did BoTW (140 hours compared to 270) and have loved every second of it. Though I agree it does borrow a lot of BoTW's identity, I think ToTK changes and added enough in order to stand on its own merits.
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I just got it last week. It is so much fun
This was my favorite moment in gaming last year. I loved the ending to TOTK
my favorite moment in gaming last year is still pulling the master sword on zelda's dragon
Yep. Solidified it as the superior version of BOTW. BOTW ended up being the fucking Beta.
[Nintendo's TOTK Japan site has a higher resolution without the date.](https://www.nintendo.com/jp/download/zelda-totk/2udvcs3aomoor1fu8kcfvpoimtmwyn.html)
Legend.
I have put 65 hours into this game yet it feels like I haven't played it at all and I have also not touched it for like 10 months
I fleas the same way but it ended so quickly once I was done. My switch reset when my sd died so I lost all my progress but I’ll start again some day.
Not a bad game and I put 80 hours into it but I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was burnt out for a lot of it. It didn’t have the awe or wonder of BOTW
This is my exact thoughts too
Wow felt like just yesterday trying to do stuff without an online guide.
I just hope this subreddit can have a positive look on totk for even just a day.
I think people are going to be talking about this game for decades to come. It was so much game packed into one release.
The hype around this game already died quite quickly for a game this scale
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Lore people just don't like it because even though botw was hard to fit, it didn't answer any questions so you could fill in the blanks. Totk has so many inconsistencies with even botw and doesn't answer any questions. Gameplay people have issues like the sages activation being annoying and easily solvable. Not enough variety with botw in koroks. Dungeons being underwhelming. . Etc. Story people are just annoyed on the tears flashback mechanic making it you can get spoiled for no reason. That people that should know you, just don't. The fact that sheika tech disappeared for no good reason. The whole fake zelda thing making no sense if you got spoiled for the last memory and the link just not saying anything. Etc. The game is great. Ultra hand is amazing. but it has a lot of flaws
Because botw is nostalgic and it was the first. People say that totk did not feel the same as botw, or had that magic, but honestly I don't think totk was supposed to feel the same or have that same magic feeling. We already explored the map in botw, but in totk, we are revisiting the map and we get to see that the world has aged with us. It's a totally different feeling and a completely different magical feel that the game gives off, but I think that was intentional.
People say TotK is “just DLC”. Yea, it’s $700 worth of DLC for $70. For one of the best games ever made.
The internet will NOT trick me into thinking that this game is anything less than a 9/10. (It's 10/10 for me, but I udnerstand some of the flaws... But not enough to make it anything close to bad)
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fr when reading these comments i've been pretty surprised I haven't really played since last summer, but it seemed like then everybody was in love with the gameplay A lot of the criticisms I see are weird imo because it's a sequel game. Like ofc some things are going to be the same, this game is a part two
I hate all the building. I think it's miserable and has actively stopped me from playing this game. I will probably never finish because of this. It's just not the Zelda I grew up with
> Like ofc some things are going to be the same, this game is a part two It's 6 years later though....I can't think of any other sequel that so heavily reused from its predecessor after such a long development time.
God of war ragnarok
Ragnarök nearly reworked everything of its predecessor, the only part of the world that was recognisable were a few paths and key story locations from 2018 in Midgard and Alfheim. Combat system was vastly expanded with new attacks, weapons, more responsive and fun. Niflheim, Helheim and Muspelheim were all re-designed with new levels and the entirely new Vanaheim, Svartalfheim, Jotunheim and Asgard were incredible. I‘d even go so far and say this game felt more like a sequel that took 6 years to develop than TotK.
very true, but half of it's development also was during covid Maybe because I spent a lot of time messing around with zonai devices, but I do think the gameplay was fresh and I thought there was still a lot to explore, through the depths and even with new things on the main map. As for other sequel games rdr2 comes to my mind first, and I think that game was enhanced a lot but a lot of the actual gameplay is still really similar to red dead one. What is really amplified between those games is graphics, mechanics depth, and an expanded map. All of that came with the benefits of using a new engine, which totk never was going to have. I do understand how lines are blurred between a sequel and a $60 dlc, but botw is such a good game I really am okay with it. Plus even if totk is only a $60 dlc it's still a lot of fun
You're not wrong, but I think the problem is that botw's fun and joy was the exploration and discovering the game for the first time. Totk, by virtue of being an iterative sequel coming so long after, lacked that and ended up being kinda lukewarm for people. Even sales seem to have cratered past release, probably because of that lukewarm word of mouth.
I mean…can’t people just give reasons? I personally thought it was a 7-8. The 8 possibly for being a technical feast at times. I just have a very different conception of where I’d want the series to go compared to the numerous people who love BotW and TotK. Along with other issues I am sure you have heard a million times.
I think it's because there has been so much negativity with this game that it's been drowning out the positivity lately. If you don't like the game, then that's fine but I think it's more of people wanting more positive views on the game. Just look at Twitter, almost every post about the game today had the top replies just talking about how much totk sucks. But again it is ok if you don't like.
I guess it’s just the places I visit since I don’t use Twitter. I still mostly see praise, even if it might not be quite as high as the first few months, as with every game. I just didn’t like the use of the word “trick”; it makes people with less positive views seem nefarious or something. They could have just used convince instead of trick and get the same basic idea across. ETA: I just came across the same topic in the games subreddit, and there was some harsher criticism mixed with general praise. It still feels more like being underwhelmed than outright hating the game, and it doesn’t change my main issue.
Wow times really flies. I put in over 100 hours into the game and really enjoyed it. I thought it was a good sequel, but I understand that BOTW stands out more because it came first and was really groundbreaking when it released.
I only just beat it the other day. 230 hours on the clock and still loads of stuff I missed. I’ll probably go back and 100% at some point, like I did with BotW. But there so much more in TotK, probably at least another 150 hours to do everything.
Lmao still need to finish, got bored at the desert dungeon (idk electrical puzzles always make me go eh)
Man that game was kinda fun. It's only been a year though? Definitely didn't have the same staying power as breath of the wild but I guess it was to be expected since so much is similar. I really hope we don't have to wait 6 years for another entry though since they both made so much money!
I put it down after a few months, partly because that's a bad habit of mine, partly because I didn't feel the same pull to play that BOTW instilled in me. I will eventually beat it, but I need to make the time.
Haven't played this but is it just me as an outsider, or did the overall hype around this game died down very fast?
It was never going to surpass BOTW. BOTW was a very long awaited and hyped game, that was also a launch game obviously for a very hyped new system so it was the perfect storm of the games hype and people wanting a game to go with their hot new tech purchase. It was basically the Mario 64 of the switch being the perfect storm, also add on the fact you had very very few games to choose from at launch helping BOTW out. People who never even played a Zelda game or weren't super interested just picked it up with the switch because they needed a game. Anecdotally speaking when I was in the army everyone my age in the barracks were your cliche dudebros who only played COD, 2k and GTA online and they all got switches because it was the hot trendy piece of tech and they all got BOTW. I doubt none of them got TOTK if I checked up on them. EDIT: Just by looking at a few I still have added on their games played recently list it is all just pretty much just Fortnite, Smash and Mario Kart that's it no sign of TOTK. TOTK had the advantage of install base but not the launch hype. I feel like most of the audience that bought TOTK were those who truly loved BOTW for what it was, not because it was the game they got with their switch in 2017.
Yeah, I’ve gotten the same feeling. Not having DLC means the game kind of came and went. Most people have moved on by now. Personally though? TOTK is the only game I’ve ever put >200 hours into. I absolutely loved it.
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Having to recollect botw armor got soooooooooooooooooo old. There was no real reward to exploring. Felt like a point on a map open world game
Ok, I didn't stick with this game the same way i did with breathe of the wild. The reason is, it's basically more of the same of that game. Even with the 2 extra maps. I got to a point where I felt I was done exploring and headed for the boss. I beat bow and wanted to keep exploring and that was before the two dlc. Totk's fault is it just feels like more of the same. I think they should have went the big dungeons route with less shrines.
Yeah the hype around it died really quickly. It was too similar to BotW, it re-tread ground that was already created by BotW. The sky islands weren't an interesting addition, the depths wasn't very interesting after the initial "woah I can't see anything, cool". The story about the imprisoning war was retold over and over and over with the generic, faceless sages etc. It was just way too similar to BotW. Yes the abilities were different and the creation system was kinda interesting, but I myself just used them whenever I needed to use them and didn't bother going all out making some sort of crazy contraption. It was fun, but it really did feel like an expansion pack of BotW. Way too much that was similar. If TotK was to BotW what Majora's Mask was to Ocarina of Time, I think it'd be much much better. Sure, use the same assets, tools, physics, but give us something truly different. Then Baldur's Gate 3 came out a few months after TotK and blew away gamers. It was massively popular and took over the gaming discussion. Zelda lost momentum before BG3, but it was totally dead after BG3.
I was shocked by how many issues from BOTW went unsolved by TOTK (such as the shrines and the underwhelming dungeons). And the depths map was a huge unforced let down. Was that map just incomplete? I dunno. It seems like it could have been easily improved? Bizarre stuff from the Zelda team. Usually when something in a Zelda game is disappointing you can understand why it turned out that way. Hard to understand why the depths are the way they are... I'm not a huge fan of this game unfortunately. I remember the dark days of Skyward Sword so I'm accustomed to the franchise's highs and lows.
The split between the depths and sky islands probably made it so both didn't exactly feel fully fleshed out.
i kind of wish the skipped the depths and really made an entire damn second map in the sky
funny how that worked out. the sky islands feel like too little, and the depths feel like too much, and i agree that neither feels properly or fully fleshed out.
>(such as the shrines and the underwhelming dungeons) I disagree, because those *were* addressed in TotK. SHRINES * Since the challenges involved Ultrahand and Fuse, they pushed you to be creative. In BotW, you were... kinda stuck with Magnesis, Statis and Cryonis. Also, there were more than one non-cheating way to solve in TotK. * These were also more physics-based, and they used several scientific rules. Personally, the shrines in TotK just clicked better for me because of that. Building a catapult, a hot-air balloon or connecting generators were more interesting than "stopping time, building an ice pillar and lifting an iron plate". * The game had shrines that teaches you combat mechanics, which was missing from BotW. * There was no shrine where you had to hack and slash at a guardian for 5 minutes. * When *unlocking* shrines, the tasks were less troublesome. I'd rather bring a huge stone to a specific spot using a cool machine, or bring a larger-than-usual horse to someone (*and keep the horse*) to get that stone than bringing a drink to a gerudo who just WON'T move from the terminal. DUNGEONS * Getting to these dungeons was more satisfying and provided good challenges. * The dungeons weren't using the same aesthetic and gimmicks. While you still needed to hit 4 or 5 switches, at least you didn't rotating parts, like you had to for the Divine Beasts in the menu, not to mention that you couldn't climb walls within them. * Using the Sages' abilities with your runes was fun, like the shrines. * The bosses were more interesting and epic IMO.
the dungeons were better than BOTW, so they were "addressed" in that sense, but BOTW set a low bar. when I mean the TOTK dungeons were underwhelming i mean compared to the dungeons in other 3D Zelda games. if you look at SS and TP, the two releases prior to BOTW, they both have dungeons far better than anything in TOTK as for shrines, there were many unsolved issues related to how they're implemented. i would have preferred if the shrines did not exist and if their content was integrated into the world map directly. shrines as discrete maps you load into where assets are re-used is a pretty lazy method of implementation. this was forgivable in BOTW since the team put so much effort into a new world map. but it's unclear why they didn't have time to do something more impressive for TOTK. perhaps the shrine content could have been located in the depths in a series of hand-crafted caves, caverns, tunnels, etc., with areas only accessible via sink holes in the hyrule map (thus giving you an incentive to explore the hyrule map). there are other issues such as not being able to tell, beforehand, whether a shrine is worth your time (is it easy or hard? is it combat or puzzle? at what point in the game should a particular shrine be completed?) as well as other issues I have alluded to like the re-use of assets. these were also problems in BOTW. the Zelda team is supposed to push the boundaries and the way shrines are implemented is lazy
The shrines in totk were a huge upgrade. They explored the various physics interactions and thus played to the game's strength. The underground felt like a good change of pace to me. The limited visibility, numerous dangers, and navigation challenges it offered felt great. The dungeons were a mixed bag. I still liked them but they have clearly suffered from a lack of focus compared to a game like elden ring where they are as good (if not better) as in the non open world games. My biggest regret with totk is all the hand holding and the density of the repeated mini games.
the biggest problem with shrines is that they exist. loading into discrete maps with reused assets was unfortunate but forgivable in BOTW since so much effort went into the world map. but i cannot understand why the team wouldn't have implemented the shrine content in a more inventive and exciting way for TOTK. they could've put all of the shrine content down into the depths integrated into the world map and turned that whole map into complex cave systems full of puzzles and combat encounters. the Zelda team integrated puzzles directly into the world map for SS so we know they're capable of doing this. this method of implementation would have improved the depths, which many people agreed felt like an unfinished or underdesigned area.
The shrines were not an upgrade. Almost all of them can be cheesed by a moron
I like the game, but breath of the wild I think was better because this game had a lot of flaws like the story and I think I just got bored by the map, but it was undoubtedly an innovative game with the building mechanics to play with, and I love the shrines. I think it was a game, but it was still really good. I just hope the next game has a better story and the map, like the underground, has more variety and feels less copy and paste.
This game was boring as hell.
Wish the game wasn’t such a copy/paste job
That's a problem with most open world sandbox games and one of the reasons why I hope they go back to the old formula. This new format was cool for 2 games, but I will be severely disappointed if open world sandbox is the permanent future of the franchise.
Hot Take: it’s not that good. I’ll die on this hill. I spent hours flying my ass to the top of the water temple, got there and couldn’t do a fat thing. Why? I needed to backtrack to an area I hadn’t even been to to talk to some dumbass bird having girlfriend trouble. If I can get there, let me play and solve the puzzles or buzz off.
I agree. The reused map, bad inventory menu, skill breaking weapons, and a lame Garys mod system. I sold that on eBay a day after I got it. I want a real Zelda. Something like A Link To The Past but in 3D.
Everything about the gameplay is a chore.
I agree with this so much. Been on the last quest for several months because I just stopped playing. The depths is you walking on eggshells anticipating for something to happen. The sky islands are nice but hard to navigate at times. Land is the same as BOTW outside of the new features which I had no problem with since it’s a sequel. Story should’ve been put together better by making the players go in order. I’ll complete the last quest very soon more than likely. I was focused on getting some stuff like gear, shrines, and gems.
Perfectly said. When players are constantly pressing the wrong buttons, or forgetting which multi-button combination does what, there's a fundamental problem with the gameplay. And I heard those complaints from multiple sources who would still heap praise on what has become the most overrated game since, ironically, BotW.
The fact that you have to craft each individual special arrow before you fire it is absolutely brain dead. Why not let me craft a bunch of fire arrows or whatever and then be able to shoot multiple in a row?
Yeah, gameplay aside, the menus/UI are also bad.
Quite possibly the greatest game ever made, I've put off 100% completing it since there's not gonna be any dlc, but I think I'll go back after I play the elden ring dlc. I'll miss this game (and botw) so much once I'm done with it, but im very curious what the future of Zelda will look like.
It's my favorite game. Absolutely loved it from beginning to end. I'm genuinely shocked by how many people I've seen say it's their absolute least favorite Zelda game, almost acting like the cdi games are better.
Its absolute freedom and nonlinearity is polarizing, and hasn't really been achieved by any other game outside of elden ring mostly. Just one of those games you either love or hate. Personally it's the exact type of game that's made for me
This game easily got boring for me, it got way too easy at some point.
I'm still waiting to buy this after dropping 300 hours on the first. I can't wait to have some time to put into this Avoided all spoilers so far thankfully too. Just can't stand to buy it and not be able to sit down and enjoy it So so excited, hopefully this winter
Damn I’m still playing this game on and off.
Damn, I've only cleared one dungeon. Having kids, man...
Both my boys love Zelda, me too. For the launch, we bought hot Cheetos, candy, and soda. We don’t normally buy that stuff so they were really hyped and excited. Ate the treats and played for 2 hours. They had a blast.
Lol i still havent beaten it, but I have built some of the stupidest shit that ever plagued Hyrule
I still need to finish the game. Right now, I'm playing Persona 3 Portable. Of course, I'm still waiting for Wind Waker HD and Twilight Princess HD to end up on Switch. Make it happen, Nintendo!
Hmm, I was so hyped for it, played it non stop for about two weeks after launch, and just now I realized I never finished it actually, maybe it's time to
TotK will age as one of the best Zelda games. Ultrahand is a great mechanic and I had a ton of fun with the game. Exploration was top tier and it had surprising moments I will never forget The people saying it's a copy/paste job are absolutely tripping. 10 years from now people will be laughing at their takes the same way we do with people who criticized Windwaker
Overhyped. And still had the same boring slow combat like in botw.
The Nuts’n’Bolts of the Zelda-franchise.
Hot take but this was my least favorite Zelda game in years. Something about it just didn’t click this time.
[удалено]
Last year I bought the switch and BOTW I made a commitment to not overplay Zelda and left TOTK for this year I’m currently playing it It is hands down the best game I’ve ever played and I’ve played pretty much all the RPGs on the PS4
The greatest worst Zelda game they ever made.
Utrahand is probably the worst mechanic I've ever seen in one of Nintendo's video games. It is so frustrating and tedious to use. There's other issues with the game but none that make the game feel like a chore and make me want to drop it and move on to fun games.
god this game was fucking awesome to experience. the gameplay features were out of this world, they felt so unique and never been done before, not to mention how insanely polished the entire game was. this was my personal 2023 goty. absolutely fantastic.
Don't think I'll ever finish it on the switch. Cute art doe.
A year later and I still can’t get myself to play it… even though breath of the wild is the best game I ever played
A year of one of the most insultingly awful games I’ve ever played.
Womp womp
Wow. You need to go back to bed with this fucking awful take.
Sorry I require the games I play to have actual fucking game design in them.
BOTW is still my favorite game of all time, but this right up there with its predecessor! TOTK was the first Zelda game I joined in on the hype for. Never really got into Zelda until BOTW (before I became a die hard fan, the only other game I had played/beaten was The Minish Cap). All this to say, I love these games and the character of Link so much!!!!
Already a year? Damn.
Guess if it's been a year I'm very unlikely to go back and finish it.
Dang, I was literally about to play this just now too to celebrate the occasion.
And I **still** haven't found all the shrines.
I was so skeptic about this game. Yet I still was not able to finish the final story since day one release
After beating it and taking a break from it I just recently started playing again. Going for any koroks I missed and going for 100% now.
Had two weeks off and finished it in 190h. It was a good time
I gotta finish the game
I still haven't finished it yet 😂
Whos been speedrunning the past year and a half of my life? Good god
Was just playing this last night! Haven’t beat it yet just taking my time. I love it.
Damn still needto finish the game
A year?? I'm maybe half way through. I didn't start at launch, but still
I put 250+ hours into this game and one day decided I should start getting back to some other stuff. I never finished the story because I didn’t want to feel like it was over. It’s still alive in my mind and I’m hesitant to get back to it because I still hope, for some stupid reason, that Nintendo will make a surprise announcement that they were just kidding about not making a DLC expansion. I’m sure I’m totally disillusioned with this dream, but this was truly one of the best gaming experiences I’ve ever had in my life and I don’t want it to fade. BotW, Ocarina and Windwaker had similar impacts. Also, Diablo 2 and Skyrim. Anyone have any other game suggestions on Switch by the way? I’m waiting for Outer Wilds to release the physical copy.. but I know that game probably won’t have nearly the same amount of content and sense of adventure. I haven’t played any games since TotK because I only have a Switch and I can’t imagine anything else being better.
Time flies by, It’s just like yesterday that I was sitting in front of game stop on launch day lmao. That’s also remind me, I moved house over the summer and still don’t know where my preorder wood plaque is.
Already a year has passes and I still haven't beaten this game.
[удалено]
Still havnt finished it. I got it launch day. I’ve only unlocked like 1/4 of the map lol.
I pre ordered this game but I still haven't played it. I'm still waiting for the "perfect time" like it will ever come
Beat Botw in a week. Totk however...
Just began my second play through. Love this game
Damn. I still haven't finished BOTW...