Hello there! I hope you’re doing well!
I’ve been playing Tears of the Kingdom recently after borrowing my boyfriend’s copy. It’s a lot of fun – Breath of the Wild is one of my favourite games, and I wanted to delve back into the same world with the same feel but with new things to do, so it’s pretty perfect for me right now. I wanted to share some thoughts, and a few pictures from my recent adventures, if you would like to peruse. :] Without further ado, here’s a little glimpse into my experience forty-or-so hours into The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
I’m really enjoying it so far, for many reasons; the mechanics and controls feel good to use and experiencing the world feels smooth and comfortable because of the path Breath of the Wild paved for this game. At the same time, the new abilities Link gains and the geographical changes around the Kingdom add freshness and a sense of still wanting to explore even though this is the same Hyrule I already know and love. I didn’t find the intro to be too tedious like some did and I thought it did a good job of telling me what it wanted me to know without dragging on. I know some people get tired of lengthy dialogue and exposition, which is very understandable in certain games, but given how awesome (and crucial) the lore and story of Zelda is, I can’t help but feel you’d be missing out if you skipped through it all without really taking it in. The storytelling is, in my opinion, quite fantastic and Zelda’s voice acting is lovely. :]
The Great Sky Island was a little iffy and felt, to me, like it lacked a clear sense of direction, so I think I spent longer on it than I should have just trying to get my bearings and stop running in circles. However, the Steward Constructs made me super happy, so I didn’t mind spending a little more time with them, and I did still enjoy looking around; I just got a tad stuck doing so.
I think so much of why I fell in love with Breath of the Wild, and therefore why I’m enjoying Tears of the Kingdom, is the characters I get to meet and admire. There’s a massive array of people of all different backgrounds for me to get to know, help, follow around and be entertained by. For me, these games do a great job of getting me to care about and form attachments to characters – like Trissa, the elderly Sheikah woman running the general store in Kakariko Village – that other players might not really look twice at, or that other games might not really intend for you to look twice at.
Every single character feels like a living, breathing, unique soul and I think that’s a wonderful feat. This means that I’m finding it very exciting to return to Hyrule and once again see these characters that I’m very fond of, and feel like I’m catching up with them and finding out what they’re doing now.
I will say, I’ve struggled somewhat with a couple of the core aspects of Tears of the Kingdom, for example… the caves. I don’t like them, I don’t want to go in them, and I really don’t want to run into the new monsters dwelling inside. I love fighting monsters, but there’s something very unnerving about not being able to see what I’m walking into ahead of time. Above ground, it’s a far more comfortable experience – I can spot a Lynel a long way away, and figure out what I want to do. I don’t get that luxury when I’m entering into a dark, gloomy cave. My first experience with a Horriblin was (as the name warned me) unpleasant and I really dislike them.
None of this is helped by the fact that I dislike the dark – in real life and in videogames. The creepy, ape-like cries from around the corner of a damp, dark cavern… the sound of monsters running in my direction across the ceiling, echoing through the cave as they scramble over the rock towards me… why would I suffer there, when I could float in turquoise hot springs in Eldin?
I know that, much like with Breath of the Wild, I will only get braver as I play more. I think it’ll take me a little longer to feel confident sauntering into caves (let alone the Depths – I still haven’t gone to help Robbie yet…) but even though I’m nervous, I’m also excited. I can’t wait to feel powerful and strong in new, fantastic ways.
Mentioning Robbie, I’m reminded of the first time I met him at Lookout Landing. This was my first settlement and I was so so excited to find it! Settlements are my absolute favourite places to explore around Hyrule, with my two favourite settlements being Hateno Village and Gerudo Town. I love getting to know the individual customs, lifestyles and traditions of the different races. Even among Hylians, there’s so much individuality that separates the Sheikah of Kakariko, the people of Lurelin, and the villagers in Hateno, so it goes without saying that the same is true to an even further extent for Rito, Zora, Gerudo and Gorons. I can’t get enough information about the different races and civilisations in Zelda (especially the Gerudo – they’re my favourite race because I feel they’re the most fleshed-out, interesting race in terms of distinguishable culture). I was very excited to get back to re-exploring these areas in Tears of the Kingdom and helping to free them all of their respective plights.
I must say right now – if my boyfriend is reading this, stop this instant! I’m about to talk a little about what is happening for each of the four non-Hylian races in Tears of the Kingdom, starting with the Rito, and I don’t want to spoil anything.
I was of course expecting there to be some kind of problem to solve for the different races, and they’re all quite interesting. Rito Village is experiencing heavy snowfall making it hard to find food, so the adults have had to leave to help out. Seeing the village so empty made me a little sad, but to be honest, the frustration of trying to complete the resulting Sky Islands quest left me feeling less sad and more like I just wanted to get the heck out of there and go do something else (which is exactly what I did).
The Zora are dealing with waterways polluted with sludge and it’s causing them injury and sickness. It’s also damaging and dirtying their beautiful, normally immaculate Domain which again, made me sad. While Zora’s Domain isn’t my favourite area because it doesn’t feel like there’s much to do, it’s probably the most aesthetically beautiful settlement so I guess throwing a load of ugly gloop at it was a pretty effective way of making the entire Domain feel troubled and diseased.
The Gorons have potentially the silliest issue, in that they’ve discovered the Goron equivalent of an addictive illicit substance, and it doesn’t really seem so sad at first. They’re all munching away on this new delicacy constantly, which is a little annoying when you want to speak to them or use their services that they now could not care less about. It’s clearly problematic, but I didn’t feel sad in the same way I did with the Rito or Zora – and then I talked to the little Goron children. Axyl pulled on my heartstrings very hard.
He just wants the adults to get back to normality and start work again on the theme park that he was promised! :[ This singlehandedly made me care way more about helping Goron City, because poor Axyl looks so upset and disappointed and I can’t stand it!
Then we get to my favourite race in Hyrule – the Gerudo. I didn’t really know what would be plaguing them but I was dismayed to see the state the desert was in, disturbed discovering the Gibdos, and devastated when I finally walked into the town. Instead of the vibrant, bustling, colourful place I love, I found an empty, dull, largely destroyed square that was totally devoid of people, colour or life. I had to pause for a moment because it felt genuinely heart-breaking to me. I was comforted to find them safely underground in a shelter that was still vibrant, cosy and warm-feeling, with lots of fun characters making it feel more like what I’m used to, but knowing that they’re having to take refuge underground fills me with concern and I want to help them first before anyone else.
Alas, I can’t do this, because I found out the hard way that if I just do whatever I want in whatever order I want, I could spoil the game for myself. I already did this slightly by accidentally unlocking my first three geoglyph memories out of order, so some things – like Gerudo Town – will have to wait while I help the Rito and then the others. I don’t want to talk too much more about the Gerudo because I actually think I might make a separate post about my favourite powerful female figures in videogames and TV shows, and the Gerudo would definitely be a large part of that. :]
For now, I think this is all I really have to say about Tears of the Kingdom, and I’ll leave you with this pleasant screenshot I took in Hateno Village. I’m still early on in the game, and I have so much to explore and tackle. I might make more posts about it as I play more of the game and I’m sure I’ll have more great screenshots to share.
For now, thanks for reading, and I’ll see you later! :]💧
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