Tears of the Kingdom: What Was Gained, and What Was Lost

Hey y'all. In this video, I am comparing and contrasting the newest Zelda game to its parent, Tears to Breath of the Wild, and trying to figure out what exactly it is that makes me not like Tears as much as I do BotW (I will let you know I do figure it out by the end, so this isn't a clickbait). Genuinely surprised that I did figure it out, honestly. I was just writing when I got a eureka. Anyway, hope you enjoy it! Thumbnail was created by @halishusky on twitter. He's great, he's a gamer, and he helped me out, so thanks to him. Check him out if you have interest.
Chapters:
00:00 Intro
04:55 These Games are Immersive Sims
05:55 The Powers, Old and New
09:34 Puzzles
13:06 Past the Tutorials
16:13 Tiers of the Kingdom
20:43 Story
23:28 Game Feel
24:30 The World of TotK
26:24 The World of BotW
29:42 I Realized Why I Love BotW
30:38 Conclusion
Videos mentioned:
Splatoon Rocks, and Y'all Should Try It (Me): • Splatoon Rocks, and Y'...
Prey and the Immersive Sim (also Me): • Prey and the Immersive...
Legend of Zelda: Donkey Breath: • Legend of Zelda : Donk...
Tears of the Kingdom: Master Quest: • Tears of the Kingdom :...
How Nintendo Solved Zelda's Open World Problem: • How Nintendo Solved Ze...
(Forgot to mention, but I love this video): • "Musical Main Characte...
Songs in order of Appearance:
Overworld Theme - ROOT Digital Board Game
Kakariko Village (Night) - Breath of the Wild
Rhoam's Theme - Breath of the Wild
Title - Tears of the Kingdom
Yiga Clan Base - Breath of the Wild
Sky Islands - Tears of the Kingdom
Shrine - Breath of the Wild
Shrine of Light - Tears of the Kingdom
Field (Day) - Breath of the Wild
Hyrule Field (Day) - Tears of the Kingdom
The Depths - Tears of the Kingdom
Cave (Night) - Tears of the Kingdom
Geoglyph - Tears of the Kingdom
Lookout Landing - Tears of the Kingdom
Temple of Time - Breath of the Wild
Boss Bokoblin Battle - Tears of the Kingdom
Fi's Farewell - Skyward Sword
Tarry Town (Day) - Tears of the Kingdom
The Price is Right Theme (lol)

Пікірлер: 347

  • @SpareMango
    @SpareMango11 ай бұрын

    Gaming has advanced so much that systematically committing warcrimes is now a highly advanced and sought after feature

  • @bigbird4343

    @bigbird4343

    11 ай бұрын

    Seems like a win.

  • @netweed09

    @netweed09

    11 ай бұрын

    No 'warcrimes' vs Koroks, they are under a Emotional Damage Reparations Scheme mandate.

  • @nig3ldoug1as63

    @nig3ldoug1as63

    11 ай бұрын

    I have become Link. The Destroyer of Worlds.

  • @jojstar4

    @jojstar4

    10 ай бұрын

    you were probably the autistic kid who was obsessed with the USSR 6 years ago 😊

  • @princesscadance197

    @princesscadance197

    10 ай бұрын

    Link: ‘And there’s nothin like a good ol’ atrocity to keep a war goin!’

  • @supremeoverlorde2109
    @supremeoverlorde210911 ай бұрын

    This is a really thoughtful look at both ToTK and BoTW and what sets them apart. It's easy to get caught up in how much bigger and busier ToTK feels, especially with it still being so new. But BoTW, I think, captured a certain feeling that can't be replicated. While it may seem small now compared to its sequel, it's special in its own way, owing mainly to the fact that the experience was so unique and personal for everyone it touched. After having played ToTK for a solid 90 hours or so, I'm also having a hard time deciding which game I think it's better. Maybe one doesn't HAVE to be better. Maybe they're just different.

  • @superdude10000

    @superdude10000

    11 ай бұрын

    Hit the nail on the head, mate, that's EXACTLY it

  • @klodinkediloni762

    @klodinkediloni762

    11 ай бұрын

    Botw > totk. And it's not even close. At all

  • @JD-ny3vz

    @JD-ny3vz

    11 ай бұрын

    ​@@klodinkediloni762Completely disagree I was often very bored with BOTW personally so far haven't had that feeling with TOTK. Different strokes bruh

  • @SteelxWolf

    @SteelxWolf

    11 ай бұрын

    Botw was relaxing. Totk is grinding

  • @thescorpion2758

    @thescorpion2758

    11 ай бұрын

    @@SteelxWolf BOTW only felt like it got grindy for me after 500 hours. And that was after I already did all the shrines, side quests and some medal of honors. Meanwhile ToTK started getting grindy and boring after the 15 hours or so. Breath of the Wild is my favorite game of all time meanwhile ToTK is like a 7/10 still ok but disappointing in a lot of ways.

  • @LighthoofDryden
    @LighthoofDryden11 ай бұрын

    Really loved your entire concluding section, thanks for being vulnerable and sharing-it added another layer of appreciation for me to see it through your eyes!

  • @amaraphoenix3542
    @amaraphoenix354211 ай бұрын

    I lost a close relative right before I was able to play BotW, and it became my comfort game. So your conclusion resonated with me. TotK is amazing, but BotW will always be special to me.

  • @DivineDefect
    @DivineDefect11 ай бұрын

    "The story is-" "Demon King? Secret Stone?" "Let me tell you about the Imprisoning War." I had to 😅

  • @EpsiIonEagle
    @EpsiIonEagle11 ай бұрын

    I just started Breath of the Wild and I am overwhelmed. It’s an amazing game. I can’t imagine MORE on top of this. I probably won’t be playing Tears of the Kingdom until 2028.

  • @LARKXHIN

    @LARKXHIN

    11 ай бұрын

    You and me both. I got botw in March and I can't imagine moving on quite yet.

  • @Perry_Neum

    @Perry_Neum

    11 ай бұрын

    Kudos to doing BotW first. A new Zelda game won’t be out for years. Take your time and enjoy the journey.

  • @gecfes

    @gecfes

    10 ай бұрын

    Also! When you finish the story of BotW, don't immediately move on! Make sure you do everything you want first.

  • @lw1391

    @lw1391

    10 ай бұрын

    Agree completely with @gecfes. I would also consider playing the botw DLC before starting TOTK as well. Personally I also enjoyed Age of Calamity before TOTK, but that one is probably best thought of as optional.

  • @Scotty2Hotty8682
    @Scotty2Hotty868211 ай бұрын

    I think you touched on something in your conclusion that I agree with after thinking about it. I think which one is better is really a matter of opinion. They (Nintendo) did a great job with creating another adventure in the same world. They did not create a replacement game which a lot of sequels tend to do. After finishing TOTK I went back and played BOTW. And I didn’t feel like anything was missing from the experience. I think these are 2 interchangeable great games.

  • @delphidelion
    @delphidelion11 ай бұрын

    On the geoglyphs: If done in order you'll find that they also mirror the main story quests and some of the side areas. If you do them as you go through the suggested path while following the order of the mural you will uncover Zelda's fate around the same time that you complete the main dungeons and make your way to the master sword.

  • @jollyswagman4714

    @jollyswagman4714

    11 ай бұрын

    I uncovered her fate as my final tear, and actually thought the memories might have been hard coded to play in that order at first because it was so perfect.

  • @felipe970421

    @felipe970421

    11 ай бұрын

    ​@@jollyswagman4714the final tear is only unlocked when you collect all the other ones

  • @thedingleberrybush6076

    @thedingleberrybush6076

    10 ай бұрын

    @@jollyswagman4714Unfortunately that effect was lost on me as I got the Ganon transformation as my first which sorta ruined the vibe of seeing the rest of the glyphs.

  • @notayoutuber4496

    @notayoutuber4496

    10 ай бұрын

    ​​@@thedingleberrybush6076 got the one with the master sword first so I basically spoilered the entire story for myself within the first 2 hours 🤧 Edit: I actually think hard coding them would have been better, because that experience really did ruin the story for in large portions

  • @thedingleberrybush6076

    @thedingleberrybush6076

    10 ай бұрын

    @@notayoutuber4496 Oof I feel you on that one. I did know about the master sword really early though, after visiting each npc to unlock some shrine teleports for greater future ease (in case I came upon a side quest that needed me in some village) I came upon the MS’ location right after korok forest. Let’s just say Zelda was waiting a good long while before I told everyone (and having them cluelessly lecture me on why I couldn’t enter certain locations…) made for a narrative breaking experience.

  • @sulgrave_
    @sulgrave_11 ай бұрын

    I appreciate the personal connection you made to the stories, and the lack of any black/white value judgements on which was "better". They're both great in different ways.

  • @david_03.13
    @david_03.1311 ай бұрын

    I have a lot of internal conflict when it comes to this game. I’ve heard so much people say that TOTK makes BOTW feel like a prototype and that if you haven’t played it, you should skip it and go straight to TOTK. But there’s something in BOWT that TOTK has lost. The exploration in BOTW is soooo important to what makes that game so special to me and to a lot of people, I think. Those moments where you are going from place to place simply riding your horse, walking, gliding, going through these vast hills of beautiful green grass accompanied by the nice piano themes. That simplicity in the way that you explored Hyrule in BOTW. The peacefulness, the time and space that the game gives you to take in that undeniably massive world. That’s all lost in TOTK. The game is constantly throwing things at you to skip big portions of the map. You can build your own vehicles and just go from mission to mission. And I understand why they did that. It’s the same Hyrule that in BOTW, even with the changes, it’s still really similar, so you want the player to be able to traverse it really fast. But that’s exactly the reason why I wouldn’t tell people to go directly into this game, because in doing so, you might loose the opportunity to experience the Hyrule of BOTW, one that is more simple, but so captivating. And that’s just one of the things that I’ve been conflicted about. I also think that this game has tried to do so much and has done very little perfectly. Quantity over quality. Like yeah, there are 3 layers of map, but 70% of the Sky Islands are the same “bring the green rock to this place to get a Shrine” puzzle, and the Depths, though genuinely impressive at first, you soon realize that you can see everything that you’ll find down there in 2 hours max: Light Roots, enemy camps, a new boss, repeated main bosses, and the Mines (which are so uninteresting). I just would’ve prefer to get 1 new later and have it be reeeeaaally filled with new and interesting things. I love a lot of things about this game, it is better than most games that come out every year. Like the powers are insane, and I think we sometimes we take them for granted, but the amount of work that has gone behind creating all these powers must be insane and I have huge appreciation to the programmers who worked on them. But as a pack, the overall game, I honestly don’t think that it is a 10/10.

  • @kungolaf4499

    @kungolaf4499

    11 ай бұрын

    BOTW and TOTK are separate and distinct experiences. For example I feel like I prefer the story and the cutscenes of BOTW over TOTK since they focus on the characters, their feelings and flaws as well as humanizing Zelda while TOTK cutscenes are all about the lore and the plot.

  • @carnage0685

    @carnage0685

    11 ай бұрын

    @@kungolaf4499 Cutscenes are indeed better in BOTW. Aside from like, Rauru, Mineru, and Sonia, nobody felt like an actual character. Urbosa, Daruk, and Revali all felt like real characters to me. Well, I guess it's 3 for 3, but there really wasn't any reason they couldn't have made the Sages actual characters. I also prefer Calamity Ganon over Ganondorf. Calamity Ganon was really damn unique and interesting, so hearing he was just an offshoot of Ganondorf in TOTK was really disappointing. I like to pretend that TOTK doesn't even exist sometimes for that reason, and Calamity Ganon is still what he was in 2017.

  • @z.amelius

    @z.amelius

    11 ай бұрын

    @@carnage0685 I dislike how every Zonai ruin is now linked to Rauru sealing Ganondorf. There's no reason for Thyphlo Ruins to be a monument to the loyalty of the sages, etc. and the insistence that everything tie back to that is strange to me. Zelda has so much less personality too. The BOTW memories established her as a very bright, enthusiastic girl crushed by the pressure placed on her to fulfill her role. She was fighting not to lose herself. Your motivation to fight Ganon in BOTW is freeing Zelda. She can handle him---she's been handling him---but you love her, and you want her to be free. In TOTK, we barely get to see her as a person in the past. She talks about Link, she learns about the secret stones (really funny name btw), but she doesn't behave like Zelda. I would've liked to see some memories of her geeking out over things in the past, snapping photos with the Purah pad, just generally being Zelda. There are a lot of things TOTK does right, but I'm not convinced Nintendo understands why BOTW's storytelling formula worked. But this is also the third major title Fujibayashi has directed in the last decade, and the pattern seems pretty clear. He can craft an amazing, operatic story on a linear track, or a minimal story with complexity implied in the world, but he can't combine the two.

  • @kit76149

    @kit76149

    11 ай бұрын

    @@z.amelius She does geek out with Mineru within in-game texts from the past. Rauru and Sonia represent parental figures she never had and according to the creators a big goal with her character in this game was her figuring out who she wants to be, her future, and learning more about herself and being a leader and we do get to see some of that. Also there was serious shit going on and she's in her 20's now, she can't be goofing off in serious cutscenes.

  • @noahsmethers9339

    @noahsmethers9339

    11 ай бұрын

    @@z.amelius Zelda shows a lot of maturity within the memories of TotK. She literally lives through an entire war, one in a world she is unfamiliar with, so she must use her powers for good, but learn what good means, how to judge someone, learning tactics and how friendships and unions prosper. While it's not as cheerful, expressive, doesn't have the pressure of being the princess, and isn't as focused on her own interests, she simultaneously is. She learns to live with Sonia and Rauru, with the two of them acting as parental figures, because she has to learn how to grow up all over again. She still has this overwhelming responsibility, but this time as a sage. She takes what she learns from being the sage and from fighting in the war, and watching her newfound parental figures sacrifice themselves for the name of the kingdom, and knowing things from the future. The deku tree tells her about the master sword, and we can see how the spirits of the champions continue to fight for the greater good long after their time. And so Zelda, like Rauru and Sonia, Link throwing himself after Zelda in the opening sequence, sacrifices herself, letting her friends carry on hope of the future, just like she was burdened with when the champions perished. She takes everything she learns across the memories, and bundles it into one message to the player, a message that conveys many feelings. And to respond to your first statement, that the Zonai ruins are repetitive, I agree. They become slightly annoying, but it has more meaning if you look into it. Rauru sacrificed himself, basically ending the race of Zonai. So the Zonai ruins to all depict Rauru makes perfect sense. It marks the end of the Zonai, the way the Zonai sacrificed themselves, their tech, advantage, and more, all within the form of King Rauru. Yes, I realize Mineru is still alive during TotK, technically Rauru is at the beginning, but they aren't anything but force ghosts. The Zonai all died with the end of the Imprisoning War

  • @poptre67
    @poptre6711 ай бұрын

    great video! im close to finishing TOTK soon so ill get back to the spoilery bits when im done. always glad to see a superdude upload!

  • @TONGANMUViiEZ
    @TONGANMUViiEZ10 ай бұрын

    This commentary was just so WHOLESOME. I loved every part of it!

  • @AudreyGalaxy
    @AudreyGalaxy10 ай бұрын

    it’s definitely reminiscent of mario galaxy and mario galaxy 2, where the sequel is technically better with more to do but it can never ever surpass the vibes

  • @isabelaldersey
    @isabelaldersey11 ай бұрын

    such a brilliant video! i love all the points you brought up and the outro was so heart-warming. thank you for all your hard work keep it up :3

  • @yomaxdog
    @yomaxdog11 ай бұрын

    I just watched the majority of your videos, I'm really loving your work! Thanks for taking the time to make these, personally even though I watched every video fully, I enjoyed the conclusions as a helpful recap to recall everything in most videos. Looking forward to your next video, take care!

  • @LighthoofDryden
    @LighthoofDryden11 ай бұрын

    Faron was one of the first towers I did, so my “solution” was to build a structure to get to the top (I forgot that thorns burn). It took me an hour and there is (obviously in retrospect) no entrance at the top.

  • @prons_gaming5083

    @prons_gaming5083

    11 ай бұрын

    I just built a structure over the thorns and used fire fruits. I didn't know you were supposed to build a structure the whole way from the cooking pot

  • @dasgammelbrot5578

    @dasgammelbrot5578

    11 ай бұрын

    Just Use a fire and a pink cone or oil

  • @jacksemporiumofstuff
    @jacksemporiumofstuff11 ай бұрын

    You have great writing chops. I thoroughly enjoyed this video. I'm also sorry to hear of your loss. Keep up the great work! You gained a subscriber.

  • @srkestel
    @srkestel11 ай бұрын

    Excellent video!! As others have said, thank you for being vulnerable and for sharing your thoughts in an authentic way. I too am nostalgic for the bird calls of my youth. I loved how you found the nuisance between the games. You made me appreciate the artistic differences and while totk is more my jam you helped me love both games even more. Stellar work and i happily subscribed to your channel! Thank you for your hard work!!

  • @gamrkidd
    @gamrkidd11 ай бұрын

    Beautiful essay I did not expect for your personal bit there at the end about the loss of your grandparents. It almost bought a tear to my eye because my mom also die of Covid in 2020 but needless to say this game is a masterpiece, undoubtedly.

  • @Zombiezay
    @Zombiezay11 ай бұрын

    Adore this video ! It helped unlock so many feelings I had felt at 16 playing BOTW for the first time! Thank you !

  • @hinkhall5291
    @hinkhall529110 ай бұрын

    This game reinforces the topic of community at all steps. Meaning, that Ganondorf is a foe beyond Link’s ken and the only way he will succeed is with the help of the great community of Hyrule and the help of the sages. It is the antithesis of BOTW which is a game about saving Hyrule pretty much all on your own.

  • @chrisfish9398

    @chrisfish9398

    10 ай бұрын

    I like this take a lot. This comment made me appreciate the new sage system more in this context.

  • @manjari9918

    @manjari9918

    7 ай бұрын

    Link has come along way since 1986. He is no longer alone.

  • @Xenado22
    @Xenado2211 ай бұрын

    Absolutely fantastic video, i'm sorry for your loss, instantly subscribed.

  • @HighReMarksss
    @HighReMarksss11 ай бұрын

    Such an incredible video you made. Keep up the great work

  • @fairyeater
    @fairyeater10 ай бұрын

    absolutely agreed. fantastic review! love the segment at the end about the whippoorwill - unrelated but a lot of finer details like bird calls and temperature variations throughout biomes are missing in totk. as someone who feels the same way about the totk/botw complex you really articulated so many thoughts i haven’t heard in the nearly endless hype surrounding this game… so thanks!

  • @jtroy486
    @jtroy48611 ай бұрын

    Brilliant analysis. Very well-spoken. I don’t hear many pointing out that what each game seeks to accomplish thematically is very different, so thank you for pointing that out!

  • @thebluerodriguez4085

    @thebluerodriguez4085

    11 ай бұрын

    It could be resumed in breath of the wild being a revolution of the open world and exploration, and totk is a golden egg chicken roasted trying to get all the money possible from the hard fans who waited six years just to get a titanic farm simulator below Hyrule and desertic islands in the sky.

  • @joelallee235
    @joelallee23511 ай бұрын

    This was the first video of yours I’ve watched. It. Was. FANTASTIC. *chef’s kiss* immediately subscribed.

  • @Claego
    @Claego11 ай бұрын

    Great vid! It revealed some things about Tears I hadn't thought about yet. Subbed!

  • @Netheraw
    @Netheraw10 ай бұрын

    i think you summed up my thoughts perfectly on why even though Totk is just inherently a game that accomplishes so much more; breath of the wild itches my brain in a way that tears just cannot. No other game I’ve played, and especially other zelda game, has built such an implicitly emotional environment. Breath of the wild’s world in some ways seems more alive than tears of the kingdom’s world ever could. Really shows how the small things in game design and worldbuilding make or break the experience.

  • @KC-xf5zd
    @KC-xf5zd11 ай бұрын

    Great video man! Its always a good day when i find another quality video essay channel to add to my watch list. Subscribed 🤘

  • @masonangel7794
    @masonangel779410 ай бұрын

    This video is awesome and actually made me think a lot about the connections to breath and tears! Absolutely beautiful from beginning to end

  • @Wyevern
    @Wyevern11 ай бұрын

    Insane video man! I just finished TOTK myself and while I do agree with your points, my biggest problem was the ending itself. Without going into detail for any people who have yet to finish the game, it is the same as the original in that you are placed at an autosave just before the final boss. To me this diminishes the impact of the boss fight, as it has no impact on the world itself and while I understand from a development and gameplay point that people will still want to play and that changing too much would effect the gameplay loop in a big way, I still feel cheated in a way. Thanks for taking the time to read this if you have and keep up the great vids!

  • @superdude10000

    @superdude10000

    11 ай бұрын

    You know, I've grown up playing Zelda games, and they all do this thing you're criticizing, so I didn't even really consider the option for the game to end cleanly as you suggest. I do like when media is confident enough to end, and Zelda tries to have its cake and eat it too by showing you a neat little ending and then... just putting you back there. It would be pretty interesting to play in a "boring" Hyrule, or at least be able to walk around in the aftermath.

  • @Wyevern

    @Wyevern

    11 ай бұрын

    @@superdude10000 I feel like the best thing they could do is have a separate ending that occurs if you've done everything e.g. all quests,shrines,armor etc. I imagine that the only reason I thought of ending cleanly is because I haven't finished any zelda games other than TOTK and BOTW, although now that I think about it a majority of games do allow you to continue, so I'm not sure why it's these two that bother me specifically lol.

  • @superdude10000

    @superdude10000

    11 ай бұрын

    @@Wyevern probably because those other games are more linear experiences. You kind of consume those worlds and solve a lot of the world's problems, but in BotW, there is a very real sense that there's more to be done, and more to discover. It doesnt feel like that it should end there, perhaps?

  • @Wyevern

    @Wyevern

    11 ай бұрын

    @@superdude10000 that's probably it yeah. Being so open ended definitely helps in the long run cause it means everyone plays more!

  • @noahsmethers9339

    @noahsmethers9339

    11 ай бұрын

    @@superdude10000 Maybe have no saving, because it would be interesting, but would definitely get boring. No monsters, no Gloom, the depths become utterly abandoned at that point, and most overworld quests wouldn't make sense. It would be interesting but I'm not sure how long it would stay fun. Still, I'd love to see it

  • @Korren-ht6mi
    @Korren-ht6mi7 ай бұрын

    Dang, this was such a good video. I'm glad that this was the first video of yours that I've seen.

  • @Rui_Garcia
    @Rui_Garcia11 ай бұрын

    Superdude,I want to tell you sorry for your loss. I hope the memories you had with your grandparents are still with you and I hope you succeed in your dreams.

  • @StuCheeks
    @StuCheeks11 ай бұрын

    One of the best video essays about this game. Well done.

  • @ericworwa68
    @ericworwa6811 ай бұрын

    Don’t think I’d ever watched your stuff before but this was a great video Condolences on your grandparents

  • @lienep7917
    @lienep791711 ай бұрын

    Hell yeah ! Finally, a great video providing some actual unique thoughts on botw and totk without just repeating whatwhat everybody has already said a thousand times before, good job !

  • @FabioBrachtPlus
    @FabioBrachtPlus11 ай бұрын

    I loved this video so much. I have so much to say, but I don’t even know where to begin, and no one reads long YT comments, so I’ll just say two things: 1. you got my like and sub; 2. it was so surreal seeing Root, of all games, being mentioned en passant like that. I LOVE Root.

  • @kylespevak6781
    @kylespevak678111 ай бұрын

    As somebody who's never played Breath of the Wild it sounds like this is a crazy good game

  • @noahsmethers9339

    @noahsmethers9339

    11 ай бұрын

    I played it when it first came out, and I was too young to be good at it, appreciate it, and sink time into it. I really need to go back and play it, and actually finish the game!

  • @manuelgarciajr5308

    @manuelgarciajr5308

    11 ай бұрын

    Well. I agree that it is pretty simple in comparison to ToTK. However, the beauty of it is the sense of discovery. Especially if you are an old fan as its what Miyamoto wanted to be able to create in the first title. A game where freedom, discovery and exploration brought that semse of wonder to the player. It surely succeds at that.

  • @Eyes-Scream0213
    @Eyes-Scream021311 ай бұрын

    I love the video. Great review and the conclusion is understandable. I always believe that BOTW is a very depressing game that captures your heart especially unlocking all the memories. It’s like walking into a beautiful world that was destroyed and you are all alone. On the other hand TOTK is a contrast giving you everything for the first time and letting you feel that you are not alone anymore.

  • @PlusUltraAdrian
    @PlusUltraAdrian11 ай бұрын

    I'm sorry for your loss. I hope you're doing okay. Great video essay.

  • @elkanj3716
    @elkanj371611 ай бұрын

    Fantastic video. This really sums up how i feel about this duology, and i think i like botw more than its sequel. It feels like home

  • @saxoman1
    @saxoman111 ай бұрын

    You put into words the FEELING I was having my entire playthrough TOTK. While I enjoyed the game, I couldn't help but feel like it wasn't the same profound experience that I had with BOTW. In that game, everything was fresh and new, and full of WONDER, but the world was super cohesive (no ugly geometry in the sky for example haha). And, yes, more peaceful and willing to take its time. Yet I've ALWAYS SAID that I'd never replay it, because that's the perfect one time experience for me. In TOTK, I used vehicles to rush through previously explored areas (which there was WAY too much of) and the new areas were just lacking in variety. The focus on building was more a distraction from the fact that "you've seen it all before". Totk is a good game! But not in the top 3 zeldas for me like BOTW is.

  • @tumultuousv

    @tumultuousv

    10 ай бұрын

    what do you mean the same areas??... it's literally the same map, what did you expect

  • @saxoman1

    @saxoman1

    10 ай бұрын

    @@tumultuousv Well, just as a background. I'm one of those Zelda players that typically tries to avoid spoilers as much as possible. I knew of the reused map and recall/ultrahand only because I needed some kind of hook to spent $70 on a game with thr same map. After that demonstration i was satisfied, and so I avoided all trailers and had faith that they'd make it sufficiently different for me. Basically, I was hoping for more significant changes to the map, topographically, climate-wise, etc. It was minimal imo. And I would have been okay with that had the sky islands and depth been more substantive. I still enjoyed the hell out of the game though! Just not as much as BOTW, for the several reasons. What was your experience?

  • @NathanCundiff
    @NathanCundiff11 ай бұрын

    Entered the depths on the back of Farosh before I got my glider 😊

  • @CliveAtFive
    @CliveAtFive11 ай бұрын

    Really great video, and I couldn't agree more. TotK added SO, SO much. I'm still not sure if what it added was of consequence.

  • @MULTIPLANGOD
    @MULTIPLANGOD11 ай бұрын

    TOTK NEEDED MORE TOWNS AND ARMOR SOLD AT STORES THE ARMOR REALLY LET ME DOWN

  • @your_pal_cujo
    @your_pal_cujo10 ай бұрын

    That's a really powerful conclusion, it makes me think about how games have really affected our lives a lot more then they can get credit for. Really hope life is treating you well man, this is a great video!!

  • @kanakanaka
    @kanakanaka11 ай бұрын

    I think the puzzle problem doesn't really accounting the fact that because the game is a sandbox, it is, in fact, not a *puzzle* in the traditional sense. It is a sandbox for you (the players) to play instead. If the devs want to make a single solution puzzle, they would (like what happened in previous entries) but now they're trying to tackle it differently

  • @puffmain3276
    @puffmain327610 ай бұрын

    I'm tired of people saying that TotK is just better BotW, when they really accomplish different things. BotW had a much more realistic feel of exploration. You couldn't just strap some fans to a steering stick and fly over everything, you had to get everywhere on your own two feet, or maybe those of your trusty horse. This made exploration just so much more fun, as even if along the way there isn't much to do, you're taking in the landscape and searching for chests or korok seeds. I honestly think TotK's story is garbage against BotW's. One problem is that the memories all boil down to (spoilers): Ganon is evil (which we already knew), Sonia dies, and Zelda becomes a dragon. In BotW, you slowly learn more and more about Link's old life, about the people he knew, and importantly, about Zelda. TotK's memories just feel redundant, telling you the same thing over and over (demon king, secret stone? lol)

  • @MarielGoldOfficial
    @MarielGoldOfficial11 ай бұрын

    Thank you for sharing!!!

  • @FelisImpurrator
    @FelisImpurrator11 ай бұрын

    Well, jokes aside, this video is actually pretty fantastic. Very interesting perspective, and quite different from a fairly common opinion I've heard stating that the sequel makes the first game obsolete. From a mechanical perspective certainly, but in a metatextual sense... It's a silly question to ask which is "better", I think.

  • @StormsparkPegasus
    @StormsparkPegasus11 ай бұрын

    TOTK is definitely better than BOTW. BUT...that doesn't make BOTW a worse game. I know that doesn't make sense, but that's the best I can do. It's hard to describe. Ultimately, even though the games feature the same world (even though things have changed a lot in TOTK), the "feel" is dramatically different. BOTW is post-apocolyptic. Hyrule is gone, with nothing but ruins. TOTK is a kingdom in the midst of rebuilding.

  • @Cometstarlight

    @Cometstarlight

    10 ай бұрын

    No, that does make sense. Just because you think Tears is better, it doesn’t mean Breath is lesser for it. If anything, playing both gives me a greater appreciation for the other. They both invoke different feelings and themes. Breath feels more lonely as you wake up in a world where very little people know you and you (as Link) don’t remember anything. Tears feels more connected in that people know you and are super concerned for you when you go missing. I think you hit the nail on the head with saying Breath is post apocalyptic and Tears is during reconstruction. Completely different vibes from the people.

  • @ZoteboatIsReal
    @ZoteboatIsReal10 ай бұрын

    This video perfectly encapsulates the feel of both games. One doesn't have to be better, they're provide different experiences in their own ways.

  • @roseallai
    @roseallai11 ай бұрын

    Oh this channel is sooooo going to take off. Keep it up!

  • @Irish_Enderman
    @Irish_Enderman10 ай бұрын

    It's not something I thought I'd say before release but TotK makes the combat and abilities in BotW feel like a tech demo the shrines are a massive upgrade in my opinion too It's quickly become one of my favourite games of all time and beat BotW in that very quickly

  • @0ne1nfinity
    @0ne1nfinity11 ай бұрын

    Great video. Thanks for sharing your opinions

  • @lil_jalapeno2661
    @lil_jalapeno266111 ай бұрын

    This whole vid was so good I can’t even describe how it made me feel

  • @Candy-8448
    @Candy-84486 ай бұрын

    You explained why i love breath of the wild more so perfectly and put it into words way better than i ever could

  • @Russman25123
    @Russman2512311 ай бұрын

    You are loved. Sorry for your loss.

  • @EPMTUNES
    @EPMTUNES11 ай бұрын

    Awesome video. I feel like you've just barely scratched the surface of what you feel about this game. Nonetheless, great review!

  • @noahsmethers9339

    @noahsmethers9339

    11 ай бұрын

    In some ways I agree, others I don't. I feel like it's addressed within the video that the story's structure changes as you get older or different things happen. TotK shows learning from loss, and not the full feeling of it. BotW shows more of that.

  • @MisutoMyst
    @MisutoMyst11 ай бұрын

    Biggest loss is the desert Vai set

  • @nikifallen93
    @nikifallen9311 ай бұрын

    I loved your fiancée’s outfit. First time I’ve seen someone wear Cece’s hat well. During my pink play-through, I didn’t even bother trying the hat on. Foolish! I’m dyed white this time, but I may have to go pink again just for that. Also, I felt like the themes of both really hit me hard. I’m almost 50 and we’ve been losing relatives at an alarming pace. I lost my father Christmas 2021 and I’m still devastated, but yeah, it’s getting better very slowly. My father-in-law passed last year, my grandmother this year, and while BotW’s melancholy fit well, TotK’s themes of sacrifice and support hit me even harder. I mean, Zelda! The very end was a little iffy for me (post final boss), but I basically just ignore it. Everything up through the final boss is just perfect, storywise. The rest, I’ll need a few hundred more hours to really know. BotW lasted over 1500 hours for me. TotK I’ve only played about 390. I haven’t even played it glitchless yet. So far, it seems really unbalanced and grindy without glitches, but after I’ve beaten the game 4-5 times, I’ll hopefully be able to slow down. I need to get comfortable, first. Anyway, first time seeing your channel and enjoyed the vid, so I left a loooong comment. :D

  • @rockowlgamer631
    @rockowlgamer63111 ай бұрын

    I feel like the game would've been better if we had fought with Zelda instead of watching more memories........again.

  • @alejodavies
    @alejodavies7 ай бұрын

    I've yet to meet a challenge in this game that cant be overcome by welding 23 trees end to end and lining it up or dropping it on something. It never gets old either.

  • @aedanthenerd
    @aedanthenerd10 ай бұрын

    I absolutely hate when people say that Breath of the Wild i just a "beta" or "tech demo" of Tears of the Kingdom like wtf, Breath of the Wild was amazing when it came out, and it still holds up today. While totk may have many new features and enhancements, BotW still has a few unique things that give it a slight edge imo. Calling botw a beta or tech demo is just absolutely unhinged and complete slander against the game. People just seem to have forgotten botw and say they'll never go back to it when tears exist. But i could give a whole list of reasons to go back to botw, one of the biggest things it does best being story. Totk's sages are a joke and the main plot beats are all copypasted from botw, though I must say the ending of totk is incredible. Honestly the only thing i prefer about totk's world is that it feels less empty and more alive. But it also feels really cluttered and grindy.

  • @TheBBCSlurpee

    @TheBBCSlurpee

    10 ай бұрын

    Botw is OOT and totk is definitely not MM

  • @Lorentz_Driver
    @Lorentz_Driver10 ай бұрын

    Ultrahand is cool. Making it the ONLY mechanic for 90% of puzzles got tedious real quick.

  • @googiegress7459

    @googiegress7459

    9 ай бұрын

    Ultrahand is the manipulation of all objects, and construction. Saying using Ultrahand is tedious is like saying using your hands is tedious.

  • @A-RonHubbard
    @A-RonHubbard9 ай бұрын

    I'm not sure what you mean by Totk having only one save file. You just create a new switch account. BotW understandably had 2 slots, but only because there was master mode. If you select "New Game" on either Botw or TotK, it will immediately ask if you want to overwrite data.

  • @Rogue_Rouge
    @Rogue_Rouge11 ай бұрын

    12:33 that makeshift hallway was cool but i thought the intended solution was to just place a long roof on top of the two roofs beside the tower then flame arrow the spikes really shows how many different solutions different people can have

  • @renley5778
    @renley577811 ай бұрын

    I've been having a hard time articulating why I still favor botw over totk and I think this explanation matches my feelings exactly, thanks for putting it into words!

  • @sarcasm-aplenty
    @sarcasm-aplenty11 ай бұрын

    I solved that lurin "tower puzzle" by just camping until the rain stopped, but you could also use pinecone oil and fire too

  • @christophernash8166
    @christophernash816611 ай бұрын

    I believe to feel as much as possible with great experiences, it's good to play BOTW first. They are both different games, but it's hard to go back to BOTW after Tears. Luckily, we can just play BOTW on Master Mode to prevent possible boredom. I still enjoy the Divine Beasts though.

  • @bazla123
    @bazla12310 ай бұрын

    19:27 the resources for expanding your battery are not only found in the depths. The great sky island's mining cave has all of this.

  • @perfishfan
    @perfishfan11 ай бұрын

    For my first 10 hours in the game i thought they removed the paraglider. I never imagined that you would have to play the quest to get one of your basic tools.

  • @robertmcdonald1245

    @robertmcdonald1245

    11 ай бұрын

    I ran around Hyrule solving shrines and exploring old haunts for a good few hours after the tutorial without the Paraglider. It was definitely a challenge 😂

  • @waitingpatiently

    @waitingpatiently

    11 ай бұрын

    @@robertmcdonald1245oh my god same! I took “not doing the main quest” way too hard

  • @cherubin7th
    @cherubin7th8 ай бұрын

    OK I will watch later when I finished

  • @nomMascot
    @nomMascot10 ай бұрын

    Really good video

  • @Nathouuuutheone
    @Nathouuuutheone11 ай бұрын

    I saw the glyphs, decided to avoid them until I knew what they were, eventually got the Impa quest, and did all the memories in order all at once, because I obviously knew where they all were. It felt like the narrative importance wasn't reflected by mechanics

  • @drewbabe
    @drewbabe11 ай бұрын

    I would like to say I appreciate you pointing out the problem with ultrahand being so slow making puzzles a bit tedious sometimes, or actually, very frequently. And actually, the reason why you thought the sky island starting area was bigger than the great plateau was mostly actually because of that tedium-yes it is technically bigger in terms of pure "volume" because of the added verticality, but ground area-wise, it's actually about the same size, with a lot of it just kind of being full of nothing. There are several huge ponds that do nothing except serve as slow, boring traversal "puzzles" (BotW had only 1 of these; TotK has 2, arguably 3 if you count the area near the temple of time, and in TotK, when you have to cross a long body of water, you have to do it the sloooooow way.) Ceave Perspective pointed out the problem as being a problem of time taken to implement the solution you have already come up with in your head. But I do disagree with you on the open-ended puzzle design in shrines being good and I agree with Joseph for the most part. While I don't think that multiple solutions are bad, I like my puzzles to be relatively challenging, requiring careful thought: whether that be predicting what a rube goldberg machine is going to do and setting it up so that the proverbial dominos fall in the right way I want, or reasoning about a three-dimensional-space to traverse or manipulate it to remove obstacles, or perform some task under restrictive conditions that force me to come up with a new solution besides the ones i've been using to perform that same task, or even just figuring out the right combination to a very elaborate lock, I like all these kinds of Zelda puzzles and I want those puzzles to be challenging and rewarding to solve. I don't like when there's an obvious intended solution, I don't like when it's easy to think of ways to circumvent the solution and trivialize the content (which makes it highly forgettable: I have completed every shrine in this game and don't remember around half of the puzzle ones because why would I, it was too easy to just bypass the actual puzzle. I see people's footage of their playthroughs and sometimes I swear I've never seen the shrine they're in before in my life.) The overworld puzzles were often more challenging and rewarding to solve than the shrine puzzles in this game, and you can tell that's by intention because most shrine puzzles are just tutorials about particular Zonai devices and how they interact with your abilities. Plus about half of the shrines are either tutorials about your literal controls (I got the one about headshots like 40+ hours into the game...) or just blessings. Loading in and out of shrines has been sped up from BotW which is nice but it's still an interruption to my adventure in the great land of Hyrule to go do some shitty, low-effort puzzle or to literally do nothing at all. The best shrines were the ones that were like mini-Eventide Isles, which Joseph called out as one of the best parts of BotW and I agree with him. Constraints breed creativity and ingenuity, complex puzzles are rewarding to solve, and when you combine the two you get some amazing stuff. At least BotW's shrines had some constraints. The only constraints in TotK shrines are that you can't take Zonai devices out of their capsules when you're in the shrine already. (Oh, and _sometimes_ you can't just rocket shield your way to the end.) At least in BotW when the puzzles were pissbaby easy, they were also done fast. In TotK, the puzzles that are easy but can't just be rocket shielded over, or cheese with bomb explosions or bullet time dazzlefruits, take minutes to execute without glitches even if you already know the solution. It's no wonder when the guy streamed the game he just kept sighing and then collecting himself and trying to be positive, saying "well maybe it'll get better later on" and it never did.

  • @gtabro1337
    @gtabro133710 ай бұрын

    Just passing by to say thank for clearly marking the spoilers

  • @thesis-and-nieces6722
    @thesis-and-nieces672210 ай бұрын

    Thats funny! There is a million ways to solve the same problem. The faron tower, i just put 2 boards across the already established scaffolding. I never thought to make a run way path from camp fire.

  • @cooldude6175
    @cooldude617511 ай бұрын

    The memories at least for me were much better in Totk, as someone that tries to play both games as much as possible without looking things up I only ever got 1 memory in Botw. I must have missed that part where all I had to do was look at pictures. I can see how massive glowing beacons may have not been the best way to point towards key info, but it’s a reminder incase people like me forget about something brought up early and not again. (Unless I missed more dialogues about it 😅)

  • @gabrieljordan7209
    @gabrieljordan720910 ай бұрын

    Great video

  • @stormcutter59
    @stormcutter5910 ай бұрын

    Ive recently re-observed my perspective on Breath of the Wild and your take on it is a lot like mine. I have this strange appreciation of how that game can be.......boring. And on one hand its something that constantly makes me want to put the game down but at the same time its also kind of the source of its identity. I dont know another game like that that can feel like it feels whenever i went to the forest with my brother and father just to witness....silence. That silence that is so desperately needed in todays world. Where nature and the sounds of Gods creations is all you can hear and nothing but the beats of your own heart and mind are left to distract you. Silence is such a key reason why Breath is so damn memorable and beautiful and despite this being a double edged sword in terms of gameplay and enjoyability, i appreciate it more now than ever. I still maintain the story could have definitely been better done, despite my more fond memory towards it nowadays, but it certainly needed to be more like the older titles in that regard. I see no reason not to integrate the more classic Zelda elements we know and love into a larger world. Even if that world isnt as big as this game. Even if it is Hyrule or not. Great take and i appreciate your perspectives on these two giant influences in the open world genre.

  • @kayloiio
    @kayloiio8 ай бұрын

    I feel like I had correlating life circumstances somehow correlating between when I played botw and totk. Started botw during the worst time of my life. And then I had finished it comepletely about a month before totk came out. Me and hyrule was goin thru it together 😂 botw cannot be skipped in my opinion for that reason. You gotta have full context

  • @Kackle
    @Kackle11 ай бұрын

    hands down this was the best video essay on this subject. no contest.

  • @MrKyleA
    @MrKyleA10 ай бұрын

    i found that i MUCH prefered the geoglyphs in tears than the meory photos in wild. when ii played the wild i just never thought about pulling up the photos and searching them out, i much prefer the glygh as they really pulled me in. The photos felt just tacked on and part vs being a main part. i think i really only did 1 or 2 photos in wild and dont think ill go back to finish them.

  • @starshapedwings3582
    @starshapedwings358211 ай бұрын

    I finished the game today and realized that I could finally watch this without fear of being spoiled LOL but for real, botw was my first Zelda game and it's always going to be special to me so hearing you say what you said was heartwarming. Thank you for sharing and opening up about your past. I honestly haven't seen anyone else so near perfectly capture my thoughts on botw vs totk, but you did! Thanks Super.

  • @Dicetarien
    @Dicetarien11 ай бұрын

    when I heard you call your opinions on the game a miasma, that reminded me that what Gloom is called in japanese and many other languages translates either directly or very similarly to miasma, which sounds so much cooler then gloom anyways random fun fact aside fantastic video keep up the great work

  • @Maplestarknight
    @Maplestarknight11 ай бұрын

    Very good video, but I will say as someone who Has finished botw like 3 times and is on my second playthrough of totk, you can make a new user on your switch for a fresh save. And still have your completed game

  • @superdude10000

    @superdude10000

    11 ай бұрын

    I learned that like 10 minutes after realizing my terrible crime.

  • @Jokerxeno1
    @Jokerxeno111 ай бұрын

    I dislike when totk fans constantly disrespect botw saying it’s just a “tech demo”. Totk is good but also a lot of fluff imo, quantity over quality, while also mixed with a lot of quality(the abilities, the dungeons, the story… somewhat😅(don’t know why it takes so long for link and zelda to embrace), a lot of the missions like with the newpaper bird, and some more stuff, but all that aside, it can’t beat the simplistic beauty that was botw. It feels like taking a beautiful painting and scribbling on it to try to make it better, it doesn’t necessarily make it bad but I think the original painting is just something timeless

  • @timothygriffith2740
    @timothygriffith274010 ай бұрын

    I would have much preferred 4 or 5 dungeons that when beat, lit up a large chunk of the map. Having 150 ish light roots that are solely there to unlock the map is literally just busy work. It's why the depths FEEL like they have so much material. When in actuality, there's just a ton of running around lighting lightroot after Lightroot after Lightroot and then, "oh hey here's a mine! Fight the yiga clan....again". It would have made so much more sense to have the mines connected to the light/map of the depths. Have the locations to them be found all throughout the other 2 maps through small quests, word of mouth, hidden maps ect. Hell even have the mines more region specific so you need to get certain items or gear from the surface (like the fire temple) to be able to go beat the dungeon. Cus as it stands right now, the light roots serve no real purpose other than making traversing the depths a bit easier. But if you didn't do any Lightroots, nothing changes

  • @SWatchik
    @SWatchik10 ай бұрын

    I love TOTK for what it is by I can't help but feel dissapointed by what it isn't. It's not really sequel enough, it's almost just an alternative version of BOTW that competing developers had in their mind. I wish they truly expanded on the first one, and delved deeper into thr Ancient tech and sheikah, rather than uproot it completely without acknowledgement and switch to this Zonai. Plus I miss the ancient weapons so much.

  • @Festus84
    @Festus8410 ай бұрын

    without botw the deep impact of totk canot happen, because you grow to like this world and the people here.

  • @the_duckzilla5521
    @the_duckzilla552111 ай бұрын

    I was not expecting a Signalis screenshot in the totk video

  • @jacobwhitecotton
    @jacobwhitecotton10 ай бұрын

    this video perfectly captures my thoughts. i love totk, its probably better than botw, but botw will always mean more to me personally

  • @lucastheguy4452
    @lucastheguy445210 ай бұрын

    I shield grinded on that rail puzzle he said many people had problems with.

  • @thegreatBarbossa
    @thegreatBarbossa10 ай бұрын

    I couldn't really bring myself to complete totk like I did with botw. In the latter I went out of my way to do all the shrines, beat all the overworld bosses and explore the whole map. The game kept me hooked for weeks and I replayed it two more times. Once when master mode came out and later on again with very legal pc software and mods. I remember spending hours in Hebra and Faron in order to see everything even if there wasn't any main story there. totk just didn't grip me as much, I loved the main story a lot but once I was done with it, I just went to ganon and beat the game. The more linear story, in a way, distracted me from the open world. I messed around on the sky islands a bit during and after the Rito questline but after that just sorta followed to road. The underground, while cool at first didn't really interest me after the first few hours of being there, because everything just looks the same. Ultimately my biggest problem with totk isn't that it's too big, but rather that exploring its full scope didn't feel worth it to me after I finished the story.

  • @peterskrobola8753
    @peterskrobola875311 ай бұрын

    Fuse is great, I thought it would be a gimmick. “Haha really big stick” but it’s the weapon system and it makes fighting enemies way more rewarding.

  • @bringforthtruth
    @bringforthtruth11 ай бұрын

    I just saw the geoglyphs as a lazy way to fill in the massive overworld.

  • @theisheep2676
    @theisheep26769 ай бұрын

    BOTW was truly heavenly when it first came out. Whilst TOTK is the ultimate improvement, with the reused map and world, it just doesn't hit as big as botw did. Whilst I can only really see myself enjoying TOTK over BOTW for the years to come, botw will always be remembered for its nostalgia and how melancholic that game was with its story, mood and atmosphere !

  • @linkle17
    @linkle178 ай бұрын

    that was beautiful

  • @atsumu5875
    @atsumu587510 ай бұрын

    loved your take on these games. personally i prefer botw simply because i had more fun playing it. i got to learn and experience so many new things in a way i couldn’t with totk. the more quiet and peaceful environment made me want to explore and see more without worrying about being attacked every two seconds. i personally find totk to be a little overwhelming. especially at first because there’s SO MUCH to do whereas in botw you kinda just did whatever you wanted with occasional direction