The Legend of Zeldais a series steeped in tradition, but one that also prides itself on innovation. Each new game is different from the last, and while some will only move the needle slightly, others will turn the franchise on its head in favor of something completely new.Zelda:Tears of the Kingdomrests more in the former category, beinga positive revision and improvement onBreath of the Wildby introducing new devices to experiment with, more layers to the open world (literally), and a story that compliments the setting, never feeling like a hindrance or distraction.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomundoubtedly takes the most cues from its direct predecessor, but by including outfits, items, and locations that hearken back to older entries, it feels like a celebration of the series at large. It could have leaned further into another title that found a home on the Nintendo Switch, however, asLink’s Awakeningboasts some gorgeous cutscenes in an anime-esque style thatTears of the Kingdomcould have used to separate its diverging story paths and give the game even more visual improvements.
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Link’s Awakening’s Anime Cutscenes are Few, but Memorable
The much-needed and well-receivedremake of 1993’sLink’s Awakeningwas a wonderful recreation of a classic. Its toy-ish art style during gameplay was unique and effective, the gameplay was reminiscent of old while feeling intuitive, and the music score was a powerful punch of nostalgia, but held up beautifully in the modern day, The opening and closing cutscenes of Link at sea were drastically different to the rest of the game’s visuals to better adhere to the game’s well-documented final twist, but they were also pretty enough to be used again in the future.
Link’s adventure could have been documented with a more conventional art style, withPrincess Zelda’s involvement with Rauru and Soniabeing told using the gorgeous anime style thatLink’s Awakeningused to great effect. This would not only have implemented a presentation that should not be isolated toLink’s Awakening, but it also could have excellently differentiated the two journeys, which each take place in different time periods.
Tears of the Kingdom has More Emphasis on Story
Breath of the Wildis a game that puts user-generated amusement at the forefront, allowing players to mess around with the game’s physics while getting side-tracked with optional collectibles or satisfying other curiosities in the expansive open world. This comes at the cost of storytelling, however, as the most substantial narrative beats are told through memories that can be found scattered across Hyrule, but only if the player knows how to find them. The tale is far too fleeting as a result, andTears of the Kingdomdoes well to remedy the issuewith a story that is both easier to follow naturally and far more weighty.
It’s no longer a tale told in hindsight, but rather one that sheds light on the past, Zelda’s present, and Link’s ever-evolving quest to find the Princess and finally put a stop toGanondorf’s overbearing threat. Because of this change, it’s slightly disappointing to see the presentation has carried over fromBreath of the Wild, as more story this time around could have been a good opportunity to mix it up and use a different visual style, at least with certain parts of the narrative.Link’s Awakening’s anime cutscenes are arguably too beautiful to stay isolated on one product, andTears of the Kingdomcould have been the perfect opportunity to employ them once again.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomis available on Nintendo Switch.
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