Current Events > Is Tears of the Kingdom now a disappointment?

(+) Yeah! (+)

I used the tickets so I got two games for 42 each. Its normally 59.99 here I think.

It is a great game but starts to get kinda repetitive after so many hours. I still maintain that it's a much better game than BotW, but I will admit BotW's world felt more organic. TotK feels like a giant toy box with all the vehicles, building shit, gloom etc

Yep. It's just BotW again, with even more grinding.

It's Zelda though, so it'll still win GotY.

Angel_XBlaze posted...

Yep. It's just BotW again, with even more grinding.

It's Zelda though, so it'll still win GotY.

I claim that they should have kept BotW in development and TotK be the only game of the two to be released.

For me, TotK highlights the flaws and misgivings I had about BotW originally. I actually didnt play much of BotW as I didnt really enjoy it but I do love TotK.

Disappointed cause it felt too similar. On one hand thats not a bad thing, I absolutely loved botw but was hoping it felt different to separate the two, other than the new powers you get. I wonder if it couldve been dlc instead of a whole new game. I wasnt a fan of building shit tho.

I just got TotK last week, but I'm having a blast with it. That said, it is absolutely derivative of BotW and is basically glorified DLC (which, to be fair, it did start out as before becoming too big), and the basic setup is a blatant rehash of BotW as well. The Zonai powers are cool but can also be rather annoying, and the game is even more grindier than BotW was. Also, someone else ITT brought up a great point of Hyrule losing a lot of the beautiful luster it had in BotW due to the chasms and debris everywhere.

Objectively, it is a better game than BotW, but BotW was absolutely more revolutionary and made a much stronger impression. TotK is essentially just more of the same, which isn't bad, but isn't the leap some expected it to be. Especially since Nintendo is charging $70 for it.

No it's still great.

But I've finished and I'm moving on to other games.

It's been a busy year.

As someone who hasn't played a Zelda game since Twilight Princess... Holy crap has it really been like 17 years since I've played a Zelda game??? Where does the time go!

Anyway, should I play Skyward Sword, Breath of the Wild, or Tears of the Kingdom? Are all 3 worth playing now, or just 2 (I see people saying TotK "replaces" BotW, so is BotW not worth playing now?), and in which order?

EvilTrash posted...

As someone who hasn't played a Zelda game since Twilight Princess... Holy crap has it really been like 17 years since I've played a Zelda game??? Where does the time go!

Anyway, should I play Skyward Sword, Breath of the Wild, or Tears of the Kingdom? Are all 3 worth playing now, or just 2 (I see people saying TotK "replaces" BotW, so is BotW not worth playing now?), and in which order?

If you haven't played any of them, I would go for TotK at this point. Both games have their own quirks and unique aspects, but TotK is just a bigger game with more to do in it (some would say too much to do).

Honestly, I would stay far away from Skyward Sword. It's not bad, but it's very lackluster in comparison, and also has forced motion controls.

I liked it. Obviously not as new and exciting as the last one but it's a fun time

EvilTrash posted...

As someone who hasn't played a Zelda game since Twilight Princess... Holy crap has it really been like 17 years since I've played a Zelda game??? Where does the time go!

Anyway, should I play Skyward Sword, Breath of the Wild, or Tears of the Kingdom? Are all 3 worth playing now, or just 2 (I see people saying TotK "replaces" BotW, so is BotW not worth playing now?), and in which order?

Do not play Skyward Sword. There is a big reason why BOTW was a complete reinvention of the series. Go with TOTK and skip BOTW and SS.

It wasn't a disappointment to me. I was disappointed when I heard they were reusing the same map and I wasn't into it when they revealed the building mechanic. But then I played the game and neither of those things bothered me.

I actually had a lot of fun traveling to familiar places and seeing how they changed. Almost none of the familiar towns or landmarks offered the same quests I was expecting to find again from the first game. And the side quests were more interesting than botw's "bring me five mushrooms and I'll give you rupees." People actually want you to do different things and go different places for them. Even when the rewards weren't interesting, the characters and quests were.

The building takes some getting used to, but one you figure it out, it's a blast. You haphazardly throw together a shitty bridge or vehicle and pray to the goddesses it works. Either it works out surprisingly well or it goes down in flames just as hilariously as the first time you blew yourself up in botw.

It really is like an expansion pack or recontextualization of botw, but that's fine by me. Both games just make it super fun to explore and experiment.

EvilTrash posted...

As someone who hasn't played a Zelda game since Twilight Princess... Holy crap has it really been like 17 years since I've played a Zelda game??? Where does the time go!

Anyway, should I play Skyward Sword, Breath of the Wild, or Tears of the Kingdom? Are all 3 worth playing now, or just 2 (I see people saying TotK "replaces" BotW, so is BotW not worth playing now?), and in which order?

BotW gets my vote. I disagree with the assertion that you should skip it in favor of TotK, because imo that's looking at it through the lens of someone who's already experienced BotW once. And the first-time experience of BotW is a big chunk of what makes it a masterpiece - being a lone wanderer in the wilderness, free to chart your own path and explore as much or as little of the vast, beautiful landscape as your heart desires.

TotK builds heavily on this initial experience, not just in plot but in more subtle areas of game design - it expects the player to already be familiar enough with the Hyrule map that you delight in finding new things in old locations (or are simply more incentivized to breeze across a mountain range on a flying machine because you've already seen it in the last game).

masterpug53 posted...

BotW gets my vote. I disagree with the assertion that you should skip it in favor of TotK, because imo that's looking at it through the lens of someone who's already experienced BotW once. And the first-time experience of BotW is a big chunk of what makes it a masterpiece - being a lone wanderer in the wilderness, free to chart your own path and explore as much or as little of the vast, beautiful landscape as your heart desires.

Yeah, I would start with BotW. TotK is basically the same game with a LOT more to do, but BotW is an incredible experience that shouldn't be missed.

I agree, playing botw first is better. Totk certainly builds cool new shit on it, but it plays a bit off your expectations from the first game. And of course the story continues from botw's story, even if it kinda retcons some things. There's just a lot more to appreciate in totk if you've also played botw. Also personally I think botw has a more interesting story, though people will disagree and also complain about the way it's told.

What BotW had is something that TotK can never replicate, and thats the not the games fault.

You, right along Link, enter the game and have no fucking idea whats going on nor what you are capable of. This applied to even hardcore Zelda fans cause Nintendo changed how we approach a Zelda game. We were all in this together learning this new world.

You cannot replicate that with a direct sequel, and like I said thats not TotKs fault at all. Its just human nature.

Hambo posted...

I agree, playing botw first is better. Totk certainly builds cool new shit on it, but it plays a bit off your expectations from the first game. And of course the story continues from botw's story, even if it kinda retcons some things. There's just a lot more to appreciate in totk if you've also played botw. Also personally I think botw has a more interesting story, though people will disagree and also complain about the way it's told.

BotW's story ultimately failed to pay off, but I've never been invested in a Zelda story quite like I was with BotW at the beginning: you / Link failed so hard that all your best friends got killed, the princess disappeared, and the world was plunged into ruin for 100 years while you slept off your epic ass-whupping. Right around the second Divine Beast it started sinking in that your friends' deaths didn't mean all that much - since their spirits are perfectly capable of both communicating with you and piloting the Beasts against Ganon - and the final battle and ending were bog-standard and disappointing. But still, the melancholy air that the early-to-mid game cultivated was something I never expected a Zelda game to accomplish so effectively.

I'm not a Zelda fanboy and it's easily one of the best games on Switch

Thanks for the opinions everybody.

Quick question about Skyward Sword HD for the Switch, does it also have forced motion controls, or did they implement a full standard controller scheme for this one for the remake?

masterpug53 posted...

BotW's story ultimately failed to pay off, but I've never been invested in a Zelda story quite like I was with BotW at the beginning: you / Link failed so hard that all your best friends got killed, the princess disappeared, and the world was plunged into ruin for 100 years while you slept off your epic ass-whupping. Right around the second Divine Beast it started sinking in that your friends' deaths didn't mean all that much - since their spirits are perfectly capable of both communicating with you and piloting the Beasts against Ganon - and the final battle and ending were bog-standard and disappointing. But still, the melancholy air that the early-to-mid game cultivated was something I never expected a Zelda game to accomplish so effectively.

You're not wrong about any of that. Really what I like is Zelda's story. The memories paint her as such a tragic character. She's surrounded by the greatest warriors and mages in the land and supposedly holds even greater potential herself, but the divine power snubs her all her life. So she turns to ancient tech as a backup plan for Ganon, but then that backfires catastrophically. The kingdom falls and all her friends are trapped and killed. Then in the final memory, she finally gets the power running and immediately springs into action; setting up Link's revival, planting the sword, and containing Ganon. With all the ups and downs, she's a way better character than Link. It also made me more inclined to head to the castle and help her finally get a win.

EvilTrash posted...

Thanks for the opinions everybody.

Quick question about Skyward Sword HD for the Switch, does it also have forced motion controls, or did they implement a full standard controller scheme for this one for the remake?

There's an option to use the sticks instead of motion controls. It still sounds awkward to me, but I haven't played either version of the game, so I can't judge.

It goat

Yeah the same open world was an issue for me but pretty much everything else blew me away.

Seriously how the hell did they get Ultra Hand and Ascend to work as well as they do.

EvilTrash posted...

Thanks for the opinions everybody.

Quick question about Skyward Sword HD for the Switch, does it also have forced motion controls, or did they implement a full standard controller scheme for this one for the remake?

The HD version does have an option for more standard controls. They change it so that the sword is controlled with the right stick.

I'm one of the people who didn't really hate Skyward Sword. I thought it was pretty good, mostly because I didn't have an issues with the motion controls not working. One of the weaker titles in the franchise, but still worth playing, IMO.

BakonBitz posted...

I'm one of the people who didn't really hate Skyward Sword. I thought it was pretty good, mostly because I didn't have an issues with the motion controls not working. One of the weaker titles in the franchise, but still worth playing, IMO.

Yeah, Skyward Sword on Switch is fine. It's low tier as far as Zelda games, but it's not bad.

BakonBitz posted...

The HD version does have an option for more standard controls. They change it so that the sword is controlled with the right stick.

I'm one of the people who didn't really hate Skyward Sword. I thought it was pretty good, mostly because I didn't have an issues with the motion controls not working. One of the weaker titles in the franchise, but still worth playing, IMO.

My only issues with the motion controls were the Loftwing controls... having to flick up then down to go faster was annoying, especially since that obviously will cause you to change directions while doing so. I liked the swordplay though, at least up until the enemies started getting electrified weapons and could block faster than the motion controls could react to your swing.

It's a great game and a fine second act to BotW, but I think it's time to move on from it as it's run its course.

What's a shame is that BotW/TotK are now the highest selling Zelda games by a country mile so I think we can expect to see the next game be just like them.

I'm still playing TotK but I think a trilogy would be great.

On new hardware, a Dark World (like alttp) would be totally feasible.

Always has been

EvilTrash posted...

Thanks for the opinions everybody.

Quick question about Skyward Sword HD for the Switch, does it also have forced motion controls, or did they implement a full standard controller scheme for this one for the remake?

They add controls so you dont have to use motion controls, but Im not sure how good it is I just used the motion controls since they seemed to work fine Seems a little confusing to use to me, but others might like it better

BakonBitz posted...

I'm one of the people who didn't really hate Skyward Sword. I thought it was pretty good, mostly because I didn't have an issues with the motion controls not working. One of the weaker titles in the franchise, but still worth playing, IMO.

I agree

Will_VIIII posted...

I'm still playing TotK but I think a trilogy would be great.

On new hardware, a Dark World (like alttp) would be totally feasible.

The Legend of Zelda: Curse of the Seas

Yeah baby!

doshindude posted...

It's a great game and a fine second act to BotW, but I think it's time to move on from it as it's run its course.

What's a shame is that BotW/TotK are now the highest selling Zelda games by a country mile so I think we can expect to see the next game be just like them.

Nintendo has already stated such, or at least it will remain open world. The only chance at a "traditional" Zelda anytime in the foreseeable future is in the 2D realm.

voldothegr8 posted...

Nintendo has already stated such, or at least it will remain open world. The only chance at a "traditional" Zelda anytime in the foreseeable future is in the 2D realm.

Yeah, I wouldn't mind it keeping this formula, but doing smaller scale games in the classic style.

voldothegr8 posted...

Nintendo has already stated such, or at least it will remain open world. The only chance at a "traditional" Zelda anytime in the foreseeable future is in the 2D realm.

I've got faith in the Zelda team to be able to iterate on the new formula in interesting and wildly unique ways. They've always managed to do it with the OoT/LttP formula in my eyes, so I'm kinda interested to see what they'll be doing next. It's probably not gonna be for another 4 or 5 years though...bleh.

Hambo posted...

There's an option to use the sticks instead of motion controls. It still sounds awkward to me, but I haven't played either version of the game, so I can't judge.

The button controls option for Skyward Sword is fine. It's a bit awkward but not unmanageable. It makes some things easier than motion controls, and some things harder.

I would say to anyone interested in Skyward Sword should give it a shot with both, see what works, what doesn't, and decide from there.
Though, one of things made easier with buttons over motion is flying and skydiving. Like significantly so. It removed like 70% of the difficulty of a skydiving minigame.

Not at all, it's a masterpiece and I'm extremely excited for the direction of the 3D franchise.

It will win GOTY unfortunately unless Starfield is amazing

I don't get why some people praise the dungeons in TOTK. The only good one was the Lightning Temple, which would be a bog standard dungeon in most other 3D Zelda games. The Wind Temple was ok. The other dungeons weren't that good at all.

I know I'm in a huge minority, but the divine beasts in BOTW were great since they just oozed with atmosphere. BOTW's final dungeon (Hyrule Castle) is also is the best in the whole series.

YellowSUV posted...

I don't get why some people praise the dungeons in TOTK. The only good one was the Lightning Temple, which would be a bog standard dungeon in most other 3D Zelda games. The Wind Temple was ok. The other dungeons weren't that good at all.

I know I'm in a huge minority, but the divine beasts in BOTW were great since they just oozed with atmosphere. BOTW's final dungeon (Hyrule Castle) is also is the best in the whole series.

Because they were so starved for a proper dungeon in BotW that they were willing to accept the bare minimum. I know I was pretty stoked for the dungeons even though if I compare the dungeons to pre-BotW they were not the best.

I didn't like the dungeons all that much because of how limited they felt compared to everything else and how much a couple of them dragged lol. It actually proved to me more that I don't care that they're less of a focus.

The lead up to the dungeons were more fun than the actual dungeons themselves.

YellowSUV posted...

BOTW's final dungeon (Hyrule Castle) is also is the best in the whole series.

Insolence! Stone Tower Temple is the best dungeon in the series!

Metal_Gear_Raxis posted...

Insolence! Stone Tower Temple is the best dungeon in the series!

Lol, that's my second favorite dungeon in the series.