There’s no doubting the amount of pressure that was placed onThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomprior to its release. The wealth of imaginative and game-changing ideas introduced byBreath of the Wildresulted in the game attaining a revolutionary status that was tough to follow. Thankfully,TOTKmanaged to stand out, simply by taking the ideas ofBOTWand expanding them to a much higher level.
One aspect in whichTOTKattempted to surpass its predecessor is with its story. From the game’s opening moments,TOTKdelivers an exciting, enthralling and action-packed adventure that greatly contrasts the more subdued approach taken byBOTW. However, in its attempt to create a more ambitious narrative,TOTKmakes a crucial decision that prevents the story from reaching its full potential.
Does TOTK Feel Like A Full Sequel?
The Game Often Fails To Acknowledge Previous Events
At a very surface level, there are many ways in which it’s made clear to players thatTOTKis a direct sequel toBOTW.Not only doesTOTKmake use of the same engine as its predecessor, but it uses the exact same version of Hyrule that’s seen inBOTW, expanding the world with the introduction of the sky islands and the Depths. Furthermore,TOTKalso makes use of many of the same mechanics, like weapon durability, while also adoptingBOTW’s non-linear structure, allowing players to take the adventure at their own pace.
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However, it’s when the player makes their way through the story thatTOTKtries to separate itself from its predecessor. WhileTOTKsees the return of many beloved characters first introduced inBOTW, the game often refuses to acknowledge the events of that game, despite the Calamity playing a crucial role in creating the decimated kingdom that the player traverses through. Moreover,TOTKmakes major changes to its overworld to accommodate this decision, removing the majority of the Sheikah structures that occupy the world, from the towers to thepowerful Divine Beasts.
TOTK’s decision to ignoreBOTW’s own narrative is confusing to say the least. The game is often in conflict with its sense of identity, haphazardly adopting some aspects ofBOTW’s world and characters while blatantly disregarding the events and defining moments that made it so special. It makes for an adventure that, while certainly thrilling and action-packed, can also feel disjointed and awkward as it overlooks the important context established inBOTW.
Majora’s Mask Felt More Like A Standalone Adventure
TOTKis not the onlyZeldatitle that’s faced this issue. The series has had a number of ‘direct’ sequels that have wrestled with its connections to its predecessor while establishing an identity of its own. The mostfamous example of this would beMajora’s Maskwhich, despite directly following the events ofOcarina of Time, makes little reference to its events and instead heads in a different direction.
The key difference between this game andTOTKis howMajora’s Maskgoes much further in crafting its own identity, benefiting the title overall. While it may useOcarina of Time’s engine and assets,Majora’s Maskis set in a different world with an almost entirely fresh cast of characters while adapting a darker, more harrowing tone to its predecessor. From the very beginning,Majora’s Maskmakes it clear to the audience that, while it may borrow elements fromOcarina of Time, the game is a standalone adventure, and it revels in its own identity.
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In comparison,TOTK’s reuse ofBOTW’s characters and setting results in a story that feels like wasted potential. Rarely in theZeldaseries are players able to revisit the same world and characters from a previous title. This grantedTOTKthe opportunity to expand on the themes and messages that its predecessor established and take its own story in an interesting direction. Yet,TOTKtreats the connection to its predecessor as more of an anchor than as a tool, and its attempts to distance itself fromBOTW’s narrative prevent the story from being as ambitious as it could have been.
How TOTK Could Have Felt More BOTW
The Game Would Have Benefited With More Connections To BOTW
There are many ways in whichTOTKcould have usedBOTW’s narrative to elevate its own story, especially when it comes to character development. For example,Princess Zelda’s journey to fulfilling her destiny and becoming a strong leader for her kingdom was a defining part ofBOTW’s story thatTOTKfailed to truly build upon. While she proves to be a valuable aide during her time stuck in the past, Zelda never gets to show her leadership or agency, wasting an opportunity forTOTKto build upon whatBOTWestablished.
With the game using the same world and mechanics ofBOTW, it presented a risk ofTOTKbecoming a mere retread rather than a step forward for theZeldaseries.
Moreover,TOTKcould have usedBOTWas a point of comparison to make the game’s antagonist an even more intimidating threat. The destruction caused by The Upheaval at the beginning of the game would have been a great way to explain the absence of the Divine Beasts, having been demolished in the ensuing chaos. Not only does this provide the necessary context thatTOTKwas severely lacking, but destroying the weapons that were crucial todefeating Calamity Ganonwould have clearly demonstrated to players the much larger threat that Ganondorf presented to Hyrule.
It’s understandable that Nintendo would want to find ways to separateTOTKfrom its predecessor. With the game using the same world and mechanics ofBOTW, it presented a risk ofTOTKbecoming a mere retread rather than a step forward for theZeldaseries. That being said,Tears of the Kingdom’s initial premise as aBOTWsequel gave the game an opportunity to utilize its predecessor to create its own ambitious narrative. Its refusal to do so resulted in a generally entertaining story that just misses its full potential.
