Games have to change to fit what's popular and what the current generation demands, if BoTW wasnt open world sandbox do you think it would of sold the amount it did? UltimateOtaku91 the thing is .... is going open-world an excuse to sacrifice everything else? Or are we delluding oursevles and being blinded by fanboyism and fanatism? But it’s in the scenarios where Nintendo forgoes its usual subtle nudges in favor of a viselike grip that I heave the heaviest sighs. The central story quest, which brings Link to the four “main” dungeons, leads you to some of Tears of the Kingdom’s worst sequences, where the developers interrupt the organic experimentation process to reassert a guiding hand. Immediately after one cutscene that presented me with the spectacle of a towering boss, a companion shouted, “How are we going to take that thing down?” before the camera panned over to show the exact vehicle (which had not been there before) that I would need to take that thing down. Furthermore, my Sage companions can’t help but overexplain my objective each time I start a new temple. At least with BOTW, It's more simple, and "Grounded" so to speak. If I ever finish TOTK, just know that I finished it because I wanted to get it over with, and that's not fun, and exciting for a gamer unlike BOTW where the sense of exploration, and discovery left a lasting impression. (I'm sure had the entire surface map of TOTK was different...had most of the surface had been nuked/destroyed to the point where the surface looked like the grand cannon, or some desolated ruined world, and you can pretty much see the underground area, and caves by simpling walking then who knows, I would have loved to invest in it.) In other words, if it was purely sky area or purely underground...and no surface...I would have love TOTK. In true Breath of the Wild fashion, you learn the fundamentals of Link’s new abilities in a contained environment: in this case, a sky archipelago populated by the remaining robot helpers of an ancient civilization known as the Zonai. These sky dwellers utilize technology that Link, Zelda, and most Hyruleans might consider magic. To you and me, though, they’re basically cheat codes — ones that Nintendo hands you 10 minutes into the game.

Other points of interest include the ongoing success of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild in the wake of its direct sequel, a healthy boost for Metroid Prime Remastered, and the continued downfall of Minecraft for the Switch. We suspect this is largely due to Minecraft Legends, which is currently sitting at number eleven with 87% of its total boxed sales on the Switch. An epic adventure across the land and skies of Hyrule awaits in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Embark on a perilous quest to find the missing princess and unravel the truth behind a cataclysmic event that has sent the kingdom into turmoil. You’ll decide your own path through the sprawling landscapes of Hyrule and the mysterious islands floating in the vast skies above. Harness the power of Link’s new abilities to craft and construct fantastic weapons and vehicles! This Link (Tears of the Kingdom) amiibo will launch alongside the game on May 12th. By tapping this amiibo, you can receive weapons and materials, as well as a special fabric for Link’s paraglider. If you scan an amiibo from The Legend of Zelda series, you can receive helpful materials, weapons or a paraglider fabric based on the amiibo you scanned. FEATURES Hours into my playthrough, I had to give up on the idea that there was a “correct” way to play this game, and just revel in the absurdity and exhilaration of it all

Compatible with amiibo

Cia Skyrim has a better world, better story, more towns and actual places to go, multiple playstyles, a skill tree, magic, weapons that don't break, can own multiple houses, can forge weapons and armor(I have no clue why this isn't in BoTW, especially when you can mine metals), and yes it has better sidequests. You excused Breath Of The Wild having crappy rewards for sidequests because they're an afterthought, really? I'd think the sidequests should be more important than goofy korok seeds. I admitted Breath Of The Wild had good climbing and gliding, but it doesn't do enough with that. Neither Breath Of The Wild or Skyrim have particularly good graphics, so there's nothing really to compare there. I'm not even particularly into Skyrim, I just think it's better and more focused than BoTW. It's a good game engine with its physics and what not, it's just not living up remotely to its potential. BoTW should have been under development for another year or two, so they could have created some proper dungeons, cave systems and castles that give you substantial rewards like new runes, permanent exploration based equipment like hookshots, grappling hooks, gauntlets, ladders, lanterns, etc., unbreakable weapons or resources to make your favorite weapons unbreakable. The bulk of the game being korok seeds, which are some of the lamest puzzles I've ever seen, is a joke. These are moments where I’m gently reminded that true player freedom is, of course, a fallacy. Nintendo created this world, and I inhabit it. Weeks, months, or years from now, I may affect it in ways its creators didn’t intend, but still — I will be using the tools they provided. The brilliance of Tears of the Kingdom lies in how well it imparts the fantasy of player freedom. Sure, Nintendo shakes me out of the daydream every now and then, and in those moments, I see flashes of its old rigid self. But no matter: At some point, I’ll fully escape its watchful gaze. In 2023, Polygon is embarking on a Zeldathon. Join us on our journey through The Legend of Zelda series, from the original 1986 game to the release of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and beyond. Divine beasts are mostly the same, and generic. There's barely any puzzles, there's barely any new mechanics for abilities akin to the ones provided by masks and new items you obtain in the dungeon. I think I remember that there weren’t even enemies in the divine beasts…. Could be wrong though. Even the Blights are mostly the same, hit sponges, barely any strategy and their design is pretty much the same among the 4 of them. Whereas in MM you have 4 completely different things with different mechanics ... a weird masked giant, a bull, a piranha and 2 giant worms. As for " Skyrim has more places to go", this is vague and I have no idea what you mean by places in addition to towns. Caves? Well, BotW have shrines and Divine Beasts. In both games the areas look similar with each other.

At first, this level of freedom was fairly overwhelming. I’ve been playing “immersive sims” my whole life, and I enjoy when a developer lets me solve problems with an array of possible solutions. But I’ve never seen this sort of agency on this kind of scale, and with this general level of polish. In this sprawling world, everything is a tutorial for something else. It took me dozens of hours to learn how to use certain Zonai items, but if you stumble on the right shrine, you might become an expert early on. Hours into my playthrough, I had to give up on the idea that there was a “correct” way to play this game, and just revel in the absurdity and exhilaration of it all. I couldn't with other open-world games such as GTA V, and Red Dead 2, those games from the first few hours left me so overwhelmed by how open-world sandbox the games are, and left me not playing those games anymore. I am getting this same impression with TOTK that it's waymore overwhelming with the infinate customization that for me because I'm always going to feel like I will miss out on things within that world.) Any letters and symbols not used with prepaid codes (i.e. O, I, Z, commas, hyphens, etc.) will be disabled from the on-screen keyboard. I consider what you are saying ironic. Sure, no game should be excent from criticism but your argument about fanatism works both ways. What if you hold too hard to nostalgia and don't see how it's the same franchise, just evolving? What if you are too close minded to changes? What if even with said changes, it's still faithful to the concept? What if you aren't critical enough of old Zelda games? I don't see this game missing anything that the others games had, and while I may not pronounce myself as a "hardcore Zelda fan" I think that playing most entries through decades of gaming give me enough experience to know what I'm talking about and have a valid perspective.As for Skyrim having a better story... well, I can't say BotW's story was the best, but it was still better than Skyrim's. Seriously, can we agree they're both quite barebones: Skyrim: Kill a dragon. BotW: Kill Calamity Ganon.

Now, what does Skyrim have over BotW. Maybe the sidequests are a bit better? But then again, sidequests are just an afterthought in BotW, not the main meat. The crappy rewards pretty much proves the point. If, as with music, movies, TV, or books, we can look at Tears of the Kingdom as a dialogue between creator and audience, then Nintendo has effectively changed the conversation. Historically, when Zelda players asked Nintendo, “Can I do this?” the answer was usually “no” or “not yet.” Breath of the Wild often answered in the affirmative, but Tears of the Kingdom takes that response one step further: When pressed as to whether something is possible in this enormous, absurd, mysterious world, Nintendo doesn’t just try to say “yes.” It strains to say “yes, but also...” YoshiF2 All I'm gonna say is that it's quite presumptuous to talk about an opinion as if it's a fact. Since you directed your reply to me and another user, a lot of what you said doesn't fit with what I said and doesn't offer a counter argument. You are also throwing percentages that I'd bet that they are pretty far from being accurate. Sure, it's your experience, but then again, people usually attract peole that think alike so there's nothing weird or revealing about that. In the meantime its just another open-world with sandbox elements on it with the Zelda name slapped on top catering to youtubers and the Minecraft generation.Lastly, there’s Ultrahand. If each Zelda game can be said to have a core mechanical conceit — Wind Waker’s sailing, the time loop in Majora’s Mask, or Oracle of Seasons’ weather manipulation — then this ability, with which Nintendo has ceded the most control to the player, is undoubtedly Tears of the Kingdom’s calling card. By connecting a litany of different Zonai items and natural objects, you can create wagons, defensive structures, scaffolding, elevators, catapults, bridges, ramps, hot air balloons, flame turrets, fighter planes, or gondolas. At one point, rather than renting a Sand Seal to traverse Gerudo Desert, I made a fan-propelled desert skiff. Shortly afterward, I came across a Molduga, whose hulking, hungry body slithered toward me beneath the sand. Gold Points are awarded based on the amount you pay (excluding tax and any points or discounts used) and have no cash value. A Nintendo Account is required to receive and redeem My Nintendo points. Terms apply. https://accounts.nintendo.com/term_point. These popular franchises have changed and have all gone on to sell even better since they changed as well, the more powerful consoles get developers will see how far they can push their games and make them better and bigger and like or not right now open world design is the "in thing". I loved Zelda for some 35+ years and this became something so detached from what it was before that it’s usually the newcomers disguised as old fans who enjoy and praise BOTW and TotK. YoshiF2 I'm not saying you're wrong as I've also played all the zelda games and yes they have changed drastically to become BoTW/TOTK but I would just call that evolution.

Tears of the Kingdom is a sequel that knows how to present new things and adds more lore to the incredible universe of Zelda. Islands with a sense of freedom, exciting game, and twists from start to finish will make you play for countless hours in this game and its immensity. -IGN Brasil LikelySatan for the most part I think we agree. I love BotW I think the game is incredible!! But, there were a few elements I wish the game carried over from the previous game like a few of the staple dungeon items (hookshot/clawshot being one that I missed the most) as well as a more tailored dungeon experiences. The dungeons were a major sore spot as they did feel a bit like an afterthought and the Blight Ganon fights got a bit old by the 3rd one. For other thing, I have pretty much many arguments as to why I consider it a vanilla Zelda experience. A proof of concept as some people call BOTW. You say Skyrim has "more towns and actual places to go." First of all there are not that many towns in Skyrim either, and they all look almost the same. You couldn't argue BotW's towns look or even feel similar without lying. LikelySatan Do BotW have special design in each other? Or are they the same with barely anything to differentiate them apart?Nintendo Switch Online members can buy a pair of Nintendo Switch Game Vouchers* and redeem each one for any game in the voucher catalog—including The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Game Info I wish Im wrong with TotK … believe me. I want to enjoy the game as much as you. And I enjoyed BOTW for what it’s worth when it released. It was only some years down the line that I realized there was something missing from my experience with it.