Tears of the Kingdom
Apr. 19th, 2026 07:43 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rynlingI also started a new game of Tears of the Kingdom!
My deep dark fandom confession is that, while I understand and agree with the (many) criticisms of this game, I’ve actually really come to love it. A lot of the big-picture story ideas are poorly considered, but most of the smaller game design choices are brilliant.
To give an example of what I’m talking about, the game’s prologue is fun, but it raises questions. Why, after the events of Breath of the Wild, does Zelda not know (or remember) anything about Ganon? When Rauru’s seal is broken, why does Ganondorf use his power to raise Hyrule Castle into the sky? If he has that sort of magic, why doesn’t he at least try to kill Link and Zelda when he has the chance?* When Rauru rescues Link, why does he transport him to the Great Sky Island of all places? I’m sure you can come up with answers if you speculate, but it would be nice if the story acknowledged that these are legitimate questions to begin with.
But you’re not thinking about any of that, because the Great Sky Island is visually gorgeous and filled with amazingly framed vistas that showcase a unique aesthetic; and meanwhile, Link can phase through walls. Link can phase through walls!! He can control time with a snap of his fingers, and also there are caves in this game? Filled with ferns and moss and beautiful light-emitting lotus flowers????? Also there are ceramic robots up there, and they make fun sounds and have dialog that’s full of character and interesting to read. What’s not to love?
* My answer to any and all questions concerning Ganondorf is that he’s a dramatic little bitch, so it's best just to sit back and enjoy the show. He raised an entire castle into the sky for fun! Are you not entertained? Give the man his flowers.
My deep dark fandom confession is that, while I understand and agree with the (many) criticisms of this game, I’ve actually really come to love it. A lot of the big-picture story ideas are poorly considered, but most of the smaller game design choices are brilliant.
To give an example of what I’m talking about, the game’s prologue is fun, but it raises questions. Why, after the events of Breath of the Wild, does Zelda not know (or remember) anything about Ganon? When Rauru’s seal is broken, why does Ganondorf use his power to raise Hyrule Castle into the sky? If he has that sort of magic, why doesn’t he at least try to kill Link and Zelda when he has the chance?* When Rauru rescues Link, why does he transport him to the Great Sky Island of all places? I’m sure you can come up with answers if you speculate, but it would be nice if the story acknowledged that these are legitimate questions to begin with.
But you’re not thinking about any of that, because the Great Sky Island is visually gorgeous and filled with amazingly framed vistas that showcase a unique aesthetic; and meanwhile, Link can phase through walls. Link can phase through walls!! He can control time with a snap of his fingers, and also there are caves in this game? Filled with ferns and moss and beautiful light-emitting lotus flowers????? Also there are ceramic robots up there, and they make fun sounds and have dialog that’s full of character and interesting to read. What’s not to love?
* My answer to any and all questions concerning Ganondorf is that he’s a dramatic little bitch, so it's best just to sit back and enjoy the show. He raised an entire castle into the sky for fun! Are you not entertained? Give the man his flowers.
