Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

[JB]

Can’t believe it - just stumbled into the final boss battle. Another character specifically says that he won’t be there and even gives another probable location.

Spoiler

Couldn’t possibly be a more unimaginative location - exactly where we left him at the start of the game. 

I was exploring, looking for the Hylian Shield and assumed it was safe to head down there.

Was completely unprepared weapon-wise but couldn’t warp away. Gave the first part of the battle a go (which was crap) but had to turn the Switch off when the second part started.

What an underwhelming experience this game has been. They’ve taken one or two great ideas and stretched and repeated them to breaking point. Other than that, there’s a complete lack of imagination to it. There are other great ideas but the execution has been poor (how did they manage to make riding on a robot’s back a complete ballache?!)

Of course, it’s tricky to judge this objectively. I grew up with Zelda and it’s been by far my favourite game series but if this is what it’s going to be now, I’m out.

I’m all for open world but there needs to be a lot more variety and more actual highlights, rather than hundreds of hours doing the same thing again and again and again. 

[Risso]

It’s really underwhelming. The temples are terrible. Get up somewhere high, and hit four switches, basically. And that’s your lot.

[Stevo985]

Disappointing seeing @Rissoand @JB’s reactions to this. 
 

I’ll still buy it and play it to death, but it’s dampened my expectations somewhat as I trust you guys’ opinions on Zelda. 

[dubbs]

1 minute ago, Stevo985 said:

Disappointing seeing @Rissoand @JB’s reactions to this. 
 

I’ll still buy it and play it to death, but it’s dampened my expectations somewhat as I trust you guys’ opinions on Zelda. 

100% this. I purchased this and BOTW as a discount package.  Really enjoying BOTW but disappointed to hear peoples opinions of TOTK having seen the initial reviews being so positive.

[Risso]

I mean, it's alright, just nowhere near as good as BOTW.

Firstly because it's the same world, so you don't get the same sense of excitement. It feels like DLC as somebody else I think mentioned earlier. So everything's where it was before, and unlocking the towers isn't as difficult or as rewarding. And I'm sure everybody knows now that you get to build stuff. Sometimes you have to, and it's a faff, and not really very much fun. And the Depths (the underground bit) is shit beyond belief, just not remotely fun, at all. And the temples are crap, even less to do in them than there was in the divine beasts.

[Chindie]

I would probably say that if you're expecting something revolutionary from TotK you're going to be disappointed. I think what they've done with the additional tools is quite clever and surprisingly well done, but if you don't get on board with them you're in trouble as the shrines are fundamentally puzzles using the systems they've built. Outside of that I don't really use the building system and only use it when it literally gives you the parts and partially built things right there for you. I thought the autobuild ability might help when I got it but it doesn't really.

The 'temples' are better than BOTW imo but only marginally, and they don't really hold a candle to a true temple of the classic type prior to BOTW. They're basically extended shrine puzzles, where they've also made the unlocking of the temple part of the trial of completing the temple, but they aren't great. The fire temple is particularly shite.

I would like to see more of the classic Zelda template be built with the mechanics of BotW. I understand why they haven't - partly it's clear that Aonuma doesn't want to do the classic format anymore (and I can't blame him, they've been doing it for 30 years) and the things they've built don't lend themselves to fitting in with the strict temple format. But it does mean that the game feels a little thin outside of the mechanics they have put together.

It's still very good. It's just not amazing.

[Stevo985]

14 hours ago, Risso said:

I mean, it's alright, just nowhere near as good as BOTW.

Firstly because it's the same world, so you don't get the same sense of excitement. It feels like DLC as somebody else I think mentioned earlier. So everything's where it was before, and unlocking the towers isn't as difficult or as rewarding. And I'm sure everybody knows now that you get to build stuff. Sometimes you have to, and it's a faff, and not really very much fun. And the Depths (the underground bit) is shit beyond belief, just not remotely fun, at all. And the temples are crap, even less to do in them than there was in the divine beasts.

I guess it’s difficult to have a direct sequel, which is rare in Zelda games, but also add variety into the world. Especially for Zelda which has essentially tied itself to happening in Hyrule. 
 

Majora’s mask got around that creatively but I’m guessing TOTK stuck to the existing world. 
 

Other Zeldas could stick to Hyrule but completely redesign it because of very few of them being actual sequels

[Risso]

It's basically BOTW with a little bit of Skyward Sword floating island stuff tacked on. It's just a shame that it doesn't have Skyward Sword type dungeons, as they were very good indeed. There's still loads to do, but you'll have the distinct impression that you've done most of it before, and it's miles easier than BOTW. And I can't stress strongly enough just what a miserable gaming experience The Depths are. Ugh, horrendous.

[JoshVilla]

I'm enjoying it, but I do understand (and share) some of the frustrations.

BotW was breathtaking, and had that "wow" factor with it being completely new in terms of what a Zelda game was. The open world was huge, and gave us a level of freedom that we hadn't yet seen in the previous titles. The problem with TotK is that it's basically the same game, but just with some new mechanics, set in the same world that's been altered a bit (similar to GoW: Ragnarok). It's kind of relying on you loving the previous game enough that you just want more of the same but with some subtle changes. Because of that, it doesn't really have that "oh my gosh" moment that BotW had when you first step out of the cave and see the world.

It's still a very good game, but I feel like I have to be in the mood for it. When I am, I really enjoy it and spend most of the time doing everything but the main quest. Other times, I just can't be arsed because the new mechanics, while fun at first, can be a bit of a chore when you're not really in the mood.

I would love a more "traditional" Zelda game with a slightly smaller open world but with proper dungeons, but I think that ship might have sailed.

[JB]

Completely agree with the above posts. 

Despite all my complaints, I’m still playing it, so there’s stuff that I’m enjoying.

I think it’s a game where you need to make your own fun. My favourite moments have been things like figuring out how to get up to and between sky islands. But even that can get boring and nearly all of the sky islands are empty ruins, anyway.

There’s almost nothing good or interesting about the main quest and the story is awful.

Frustratingly, there’s so much potential. I just want to be presented with something entertaining to tackle, not have to activate terminals, walk through identical caves and fight the same boring enemies constantly.

 

[Risso]

16 hours ago, JB said:

Completely agree with the above posts. 

Despite all my complaints, I’m still playing it, so there’s stuff that I’m enjoying.

I think it’s a game where you need to make your own fun. My favourite moments have been things like figuring out how to get up to and between sky islands. But even that can get boring and nearly all of the sky islands are empty ruins, anyway.

There’s almost nothing good or interesting about the main quest and the story is awful.

Frustratingly, there’s so much potential. I just want to be presented with something entertaining to tackle, not have to activate terminals, walk through identical caves and fight the same boring enemies constantly.

 

The only thing that I do when I have the odd half an hour on it, is try to find more shrines and collect armor sets. I did the wind and fire temples, and they were both dreadful. Got to the boss on the water temple but couldn't be arsed with it after the first attempt, as it was really annoying. I do like some of the shrines, as it's the one time when the build mechanics can actually be quite fun. Such a shame, as it could have been brilliant.

[JB]

There’s a side quest in this game where the task is to stand on a pillar from sunset to sunrise. I thought it was taking the piss but I started it and that’s literally all it is. I’ve never seen anything like it in a game. I’ve just put my controller down and am writing this post while it goes on. It’s been nearly 10 minutes of doing nothing. Utterly bizarre. There have been a few things that have made me think Nintendo are purposely taking the piss.

I’ve hardly been playing this game but I’m done now. I might do the final boss at some point but then I’ll probably sell it. It’s been too much of a chore to ever consider playing again. Been to a few regions where there’s actually less than in BotW.

It’s absolute shite. Don’t waste your time or money if you haven’t already got it. 

[The_Rev]

I've been dipping into this since it came out. Not sure how far I am into it, nor what my hour count is.  I'm definitely one of those wander round and smell the roses kind of guys when it comes to open world games like Zelda and as a result I'm really enjoying it.   Obviously it's not going to have the same impact on me as BOTW did, that's an impossible task as BOTW was an industry shaking title in the same way as, say, Streetfighter 2, GTA 3, Call of Duty 4, Minecraft (etc etc) did in that there was a games industry before it came out and a different one after.  TOTK could only refine what BOTW did so all of the impact would be lost.    That said, I'm enjoying the sky stuff and the depths, the Zonai system is really clever and some of the stuff people have made and shared online is delightful.  I love how Twitter became a platform for Korok torture videos for a while, and I really love how the game just lets you goof around.  I concede if you are after a more guided experience and want to feel like you've made progress after every session then it might not light up the bits of your brain that you want it to, but for me it's great. 

[Risso]

As a just wander around and do side quests and explore shrines and lightroots experience it's fine as Nays said. I've got every lightroot and shrine, and that was OK. But the rest of the game is shite. It's the anti Skyward Sword, where the temples were all brilliant but the actual world wasn't fully formed. With TOTK the world is great but the main story and temples are all woeful.

Main complaints :

- Temples are all terrible, with the possible exception of the lightning one which was OK in the lead up to it. All very similar, and way too easy. Flick four switches, and that's it.

- Boss fights all way too easy

- Other combat very basic and nothing that requires much more than bashing X

- Weak story

- The Depths is a horrible experience

- World far too empty, even more than BOTW

- Everything felt very repetitive, eg the shrines in the sky were nearly all fetch the crystal on a flying wing quest.

I've downgraded my score for it from 7/10 to 5/10. Very, very average at best I'm afraid.

 

 

[JB]

‘Finished’ this last night. Well, I beat Ganondorf. I’ve seen all of the sky islands but still got 5 shrines to find. Can’t be bothered with the depths, caves, koroks or upgrading armour. 

Anyway, turns out that Ganondorf has just been sitting in his cave chilling for the entire game. The final fight kind of sums up the game as a whole. Should be epic but it’s just boring and repetitive.

Spoiler

First stage is ridiculously easy. I beat it in about 2 minutes just by doing flurry rushes. 

Second stage was a bit more challenging. I was struggling to figure out how to hit him towards the end until I realised that you can hit him at will with arrows and they do loads of damage. Turns out all this trouble could’ve been avoided if someone took a bow to the fight thousands of years ago.

Third stage summed the game up more than anything. Looked very cool - two **** dragons about to fight in the sky! Should’ve been amazing and epic! Was rubbish. Dragon don’t interact at all. They both just fly around in circles aimlessly. Jump off the light dragon, land on demon dragon’s back and smash the glowing bits. Repeat.

Quite a cool moment at the end when you have to dive to catch Zelda falling from the sky and then carry her out of the water.

Overall it’s a 5/10 game at best. Started off amazingly but quickly became insanely repetitive. Seems like it tries to test the player in terms of endurance rather than actual challenge. Any difficulty is artificial - items not dropping, enemies being sponges etc. Terrible story and main quest, more or less empty skies, depths all looks the same and takes the piss with how exactly the same as BotW the overworld is, yet somehow manages to be worse.

Story also retcons any Zelda stories that have come before, if anybody is bothered about that sort of thing.

Won’t be playing this again.

 

[JoshVilla]

Am I missing out on anything by not visiting the sky islands? I think I've used recall thingy on maybe 2 or 3 of the stones that fell from the sky and there was literally nothing of any worth on any of those little islands.

I've sunk quite a few hours into the game without really bothering with them.

[Chindie]

30 minutes ago, JoshVilla said:

Am I missing out on anything by not visiting the sky islands? I think I've used recall thingy on maybe 2 or 3 of the stones that fell from the sky and there was literally nothing of any worth on any of those little islands.

I've sunk quite a few hours into the game without really bothering with them.

You'll eventually do a few things up there - there's some shrines, a couple of the temples, and a few side activity kinda things up there, but they're very much the place you'll spend the least time in.

[Risso]

On 09/07/2023 at 12:26, JB said:

‘Finished’ this last night. Well, I beat Ganondorf. I’ve seen all of the sky islands but still got 5 shrines to find. Can’t be bothered with the depths, caves, koroks or upgrading armour. 

Anyway, turns out that Ganondorf has just been sitting in his cave chilling for the entire game. The final fight kind of sums up the game as a whole. Should be epic but it’s just boring and repetitive.

  Hide contents

First stage is ridiculously easy. I beat it in about 2 minutes just by doing flurry rushes. 

Second stage was a bit more challenging. I was struggling to figure out how to hit him towards the end until I realised that you can hit him at will with arrows and they do loads of damage. Turns out all this trouble could’ve been avoided if someone took a bow to the fight thousands of years ago.

Third stage summed the game up more than anything. Looked very cool - two **** dragons about to fight in the sky! Should’ve been amazing and epic! Was rubbish. Dragon don’t interact at all. They both just fly around in circles aimlessly. Jump off the light dragon, land on demon dragon’s back and smash the glowing bits. Repeat.

Quite a cool moment at the end when you have to dive to catch Zelda falling from the sky and then carry her out of the water.

Overall it’s a 5/10 game at best. Started off amazingly but quickly became insanely repetitive. Seems like it tries to test the player in terms of endurance rather than actual challenge. Any difficulty is artificial - items not dropping, enemies being sponges etc. Terrible story and main quest, more or less empty skies, depths all looks the same and takes the piss with how exactly the same as BotW the overworld is, yet somehow manages to be worse.

Story also retcons any Zelda stories that have come before, if anybody is bothered about that sort of thing.

Won’t be playing this again.

 

Finished it as well. I agree with all your comments. 

Overall, 5/10 for me as well. There's just about enough interesting stuff to do, but it doesn't hang together as a game very well at all, and it should just have been BOTW DLC.

It's much, much too easy, with very little challenge at all, and a more or less empty world. It's very repetitive, and the battle system is dreadful. There's nothing you can't beat either just by pressing Y and hitting it with your sword repeatedly, or by using the bow and arrow. I don't think I used a shield once in the whole game. The Sky Islands are a useless afterthought, and the Depths were just miserable.

 

[JB]

To be fair, bar the first few hours, I didn’t take to ultra hand at all. Even with auto build, it was too much of a faff for very little reward. Especially when I’d spend a while carefully selected Zonai items only to be told ‘you can’t take these out here’ because I was standing too close to a rock. It’s gimmicky.  I can see why if someone liked that and didn’t care too much about an actual structured game, why they would love it.

It didn’t quite live up to the Guardian review which said it was a game that would ‘change the way you see the world’.

Massive shame. 

[Risso]

Yep, autobuild was just a chore to be honest. Very fiddly and I never used it to get anywhere, other than balloons for getting up high.

I can't believe how easy the final boss fight was. I'm mostly crap at games, and hate things like Dark Souls, but my two year old son could have completed that.