How Tears of the Kingdom Rebuilds 3D Zelda
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 3 มิ.ย. 2024
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Exploring the ways in which Tears of the Kingdom makes sense of the rubble Breath of the Wild left behind.
0:00 Reprise
5:00 Recycle
17:23 Remix
24:52 Rediscover
35:38 Restrict
46:23 Retell
1:02:02 Rebuild
Thumbnail by hotcyder: hotcyder.carrd.co/
Liam Triforce (first voiceover): / @liamtriforce
JebTube (second voiceover): / @jebzone
Channel Icon by:
/ whaddupnico
Script: docs.google.com/document/d/19...
Patreon: / kingdomklannad
Twitter: / kingklonoa
Twitch: / thekingklonoa
Last Life: last-life.net/
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Sources
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Aonuma on player creativity: www.theverge.com/23721063/zel...
Ultrahand creations: • Zelda TotK Best Highli...
Fujibayashi talking about haunted houses: www.npr.org/2023/09/13/119930...
Interview about the Sheikah tech: kotaku.com/legend-zelda-tears....
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#kingk #zelda #review - เกม
I did like the dialogue that acknowledge when you sequence break, I did it with the spirit temple, so when I finished the others Pura was like "hmmm, you need to find another temple... What you already did it?!"
Or one time I defeated a monster base at random before talking to the team, even came from the other side, one of the pirate ships, and then went to the team and they were like "wait, you already defeated the monsters all by yourself? That why you the legendary swardman I guess"
Same! I found the spirit temple completely on accident and had all five sages before I went to the castle. It was so funny for Purah and the sages to be like : "Ok, well go defeat Ganon now I guess!"
Those moments we're funny as hell, Made me laugh a lot
@@Joee003 Very cool. The Spirit Temple was one of my favorite parts of the game, maybe next time I'll try doing it out of sequence.
Damn you almost sound like a reaI woman
I think it’s good actually that this video took so long. There were way too many people giving knee-jerk hot takes a few days or weeks after the game came out. Waiting a few months gives time for those initial impressions to settle makes for a more nuanced and balanced analysis.
Eh. Everybody feels their own way about the game and Breath of the Wild. Ceave and Nerrel made really good videos about Tears of the Kingdom.
How I feel about them hasn't really changed for the better anyway. I've been replaying Breath of the Wild, and it just feels so bland in comparison to Tears of the Kingdom. I've said a number of times that Tears of the Kingdom is the Zelda game that Breath of the Wild should have been, and I still am not particularly happy with Tears of the Kingdom. I already had ill feelings for Breath of the Wild, and those carried over to Tears of the Kingdom.
I think it’s just the Zelda Cycle in full swing. I’ve seen a lot of gamers going through their messy divorce with the game and calling it “the worst Zelda story yet,” which is exactly what they said about Skyward Sword and BOTW (which they now say have good stories).
@@SpirrwellHonestly bro… I’d lowkey say that Breath Of The Wild is better than TOTK, even though it is OBJECTIVELY worse (in most ways)
@@GeneralOlde yeah, I agree. That plays into the knee jerk reactions and all that. Nerrel's video (since that was mentioned) was riddled with trivial points that were more so skill issues with the game than actual issues with the game outside of the menus. Dude just seemed angry for the sake of being angry the game wasn't MM or OoT. Look up TotK is a frustrating 10/10, that's a solid review of TotK, it's issues and what it does right. That and KingK's video on TotK are probably the best I've seen due to them not really having a knee jerk reaction, giving themselves time to sit with the game and actually learn it's mechanics and how it's different from BotW
@@RNGuiceTotK suffers from not having that same ‘first playthrough’ effect that BoTW did. It’s a weird catch 22 to be in, as the game only really benefits players who have already seen the sights and sounds of the original Hyrule and contrasting that with what’s changed, while also already being a place veterans are too familiar with. I think the fact the depths were just a big empty map of light switches really felt like a missed opportunity for them to truly make a new map that felt fresh and new and not one that played on expectations entirely. Playing on them can be a good thing but not when it’s overdone imo like ToTK was.
My favorite youtube channel hands down. You're so down to earth and you talk about artistry like an artist. You're vulnerable and open and I fully respect and look up to that
Well said.
There were many times during my TOTK run that I said something like "Wouldn't it be cool if it worked this way" or "Why can't it work like this" and every single time without fail the game would turn out to be like I wanted it to. It felt like I was a student learning from a very wise teacher who always taught me, but not necessarily at the pace or in the way that I wanted to be taught. The game exudes a confidence about itself that it can leave you wanting for answers to "what happened with this plotline" or "how do I use this item," but not worry that these temporary frustrations will make you turn the game off. And that confidence is well deserved, because I put in over 100 hours. This is to say that TOTK is clearly made by incredibly talented and intelligent people who know how to play on your curiosity. Aonuma is clearly a master of his craft, with the skill and vision that few in the gaming industry can match. I admire TOTK in the same way that I admire the architecture of gothic cathedrals. It is the highest form of art, and I defy the Roger Eberts of the world to say that video games can't be art.
ToTK is a very unique game which is probably one the few games that can survive the goldfish attention span generation of modern gamers, it is very creative and I think the way they simplify every single thing about 3D open world games will help it stay relevant for a long time. And anyone who says videogames aren't art belong in the same category as people who said that the Internet is a fad.
This is phrased so perfectly well done 👏
Its amazing how despite everyone being able to see bigger issues in the game (like a lack of expanded enemy variety), when looking at what we'd change its largely nitpicks on things that are already amazing.
Tears of the Kingdom is a very fun game to play, while the storytelling in the middle finds some of the same pitfalls as BotW based on the nature of how the game is structured (though I would argue it is still a big improvment) I will say the opening and closing acts of the game hold some of my favorite moments in the entire series
Short rant, I think some of the pitfalls in Tears are even worse than they were in BotW. They double down on a formula that was heartfelt but middling, they lock all the interesting stuff behind memories so we can't interact with the story, they give the Zonai barely any development or dimension, they make every single Sage narrative(both the past and present sages) carbon copies of each other, completely delete the sheikah tech and effects of the Calamity outright with little mention(and this is from someone who dislikes BotW's take on the Sheikah), while incorporating other things from the first game. Like, Link has max hearts in the intro, implying he did all the shrine quests, but has apparently never met Hestu or done any of the shrine quests with stories like the Seven Heroines? Tarrey Town was so good and then they pulled stuff like this that really diminished TotK's concept as a sequel lol
I like this game, but it still ended up being my least favorite Zelda for a reason.
Re: Shiekah tech disappearing - I don't think you can just handwave that as "well the older games don't really fit into this context either" because this isn't just a new Zelda haphazardly being smashed into the timeline, this is a direct sequel to Breath of the Wild. Shiekah tech was everywhere and now a few years later it's like it never existed. I can accept that the towers and shrines went back into the ground when the mission was completed and Calamity Ganon was defeated, but what about everything else? There were guardians EVERYWHERE and there were entire labs dedicated to studying Sheikah tech and now suddenly it's like none of it ever existed.
Edit to clarify: This didn't ruin my experience with the game or anything I just thought it was notable that all Shiekah tech seemingly vanished without a trace and nobody seemed to notice or care.
And twilight princess is a direct sequel to OOT in the same hyrule which is the point he brought up.
Zelda lore inconsistencies have been going on since OOT and to make it such a big deal when it comes to TOTK is just trivial
@@ExperimentaProgdjent 1) not making a big deal about it, just thought it was notable. It doesn't ruin the game or anything like that.
2) Twilight Princess is absolutely not a direct sequel to OoT in the same way that TotK is to BotW. These are the literal same characters and same places as the last game, not some vague same hyrule but in a way different time where nothing is remotely the same as in the previous game.
@@ExperimentaProgdjentTP is at least multiple generations away from OoT, they are not even remotely the same.
The headcanon that we came up in our household was basically... they just recycled all of it? Like, Purah and the team went out, gathered the guardians and whatnot to study and ended up repurposing the tech.
@@Kirkklan yeah, either it all simply lost power as the shiekah who built it had a grasp of how long the seal beneath the castle would hold and was then recycled or just as easily it all vanished entirely like the monks themselves.
If breath of the Wild reminded me of the beauty that lies in stopping and smelling the roses, then Tears showed me what unshakeable power lies in the combination of creativity and courage, both for a game like this, and for the world at large. God I love this franchise
I only figured this out while watching this video, but the Champions are your new dungeon items, in a way that your Zonai abilities aren’t. One is tied to each of the four main dungeons, and you have to get them to solve all the puzzles. Tulin is your Korok Leaf/Blower, Yunobo is your Ball & Chain, and the other two are also similarly useful.
Maybe Im just a knucklehead but I didnt really see the use of Rito and Sidon outside of combat
I assume they meant Riju, to which she functions as your electricity puzzle tool/din's fire if you really need a comparison
how is tulin only useful in combat. he is almost exclusively for traversal. @@Zockanumber1
@@PlayPodOGTulin can push enemies off cliffs with his wind gusts and he's always hitting those head shots the with bow
Yeah but they’re shit and you don’t get them during a real dungeon. I want real items and power ups that are genuinely useful that I don’t get in the first 10 minutes of the game.
What an amazing year:
ToTK, Mario Wonder, Spider Man 2, Resident Evil 4 remake, Starfield, Baldur's Gate 3, Metroid Prime Remastered and Pikmin 4
THE GAMING YEAR!
You forgot Hi-Fi Rush. The Star Ocean 2 remake is also looking incredible.
Dead Space Remake, Alan Wake 2, Armored Core VI, Super Mario RPG Remake, FF XVI, Sea of Stars...
This year's GOTY nomination list won't have any place holders, that's for damn sure.
And Xenoblade 3 Future Redeemed.
I agree with all of those except baldurs gate 3, that game is overrated garbage
I haven't played it, but it's on the list cuz everyone is saying it's good@@fgclash454
Thank you for taking the time to do this your own way and just be you, enjoying art the way you want at your own pace.
I had the EXACT same reaction to seeing Colgera in the Depths. I had defeated the Wind Temple first and had no idea those bosses would appear. Pants-shittingly horrifying as I sprinted in the other direction.
Fantastic video. 🌟
I remember walking near one of the lavafalls in the Hebra Depths and barely seeing it to my left, then looking over to realize it was pretty much right next to me. It felt like something straight out of Subnautica. 🤣
I've seen people try to say that seeing the bosses underground ruined them and called it repeat content. Listen I'm as mixed on totk as the next guy, but I was just happy to re-fight the bosses. Everything regarding game critique discussions nowadays feels like it lacks nuance y'know? Like dissecting the games quantifiable content exhaustively isn't the way that 99% players will play.
@@imhaddanitattaxx4172 That's so true. Most people are just gonna see the big bad monster, have a blast taking it down and leave it at that. Personally I was worried about the rematches lessening the impact of the original fights, but in hindsight it works fine since the Depths are essentially Hyrule's hell and the bosses return for the final battle anyway.
@@imhaddanitattaxx4172 It's a really weird complaint to have in general in respect to having the option to refight prior bosses anyway. Several prior Zelda games ALSO had some method of rematching prior bosses one way or another, yet aside from the boss gauntlet in Wind Waker's final dungeon I have never seen these previous instances complained about, so doing so now feels blatantly hypocritical.
@@OsnosisBones I feel like elden ring has a case I can understand. There is an optional boss you can possibly fight *before* the main story one, lessening the hype of the story boss cause you fought it elsewhere. The ones in totk fall under "optional/boss rush" and since they are only able to be fought after I just don't see how it ruins the boss retroactively.
36:03 this cracked me up 😄 Link stumbles upon an ancient trial, goes head first and collapses, then casually goes back to goof around with makeshift vehicles carrying a korok on the roof, while pondering what could be behind that door
Your voice, vocabulary and presentation in these videos are absolutely top tier. Your retrospective analysis videos are perfect to listen to while I’m working on monotonous tasks at my job. Hearing about things i enjoy in, the way that you present them takes my mind off the monotony. Needless to say, this video did not disappoint.Thank you for doing what you do!
Side note: are you planning on continuing the Final Fantasy series? I’m looking forward to your take on 4 and beyond.
This review has now become my favorite one because it capture the exact things I felt while playing this game, sure it isn't perfect but it's just an amazing experience, really love this video.
Seeing a video that's positive around Tears of the Kingdom in the Zelda community is surprisingly hard to find atm amidst all the lore hiccups, so I'm really thankful that this exists. Current Zelda titles are unlike anything in the modern gaming landscape, there are games that give you freedom, but they usually go by the tried and true ubisoft formula, and while botw and totk fall into that a little bit... They offer TRUE player driven experiences, if you don't wanna do some of the stuff in these games, you don't have to.
Tears of the Kingdom is such a breath of fresh air in a year with FANTASTIC games, that are mostly (with a couple exceptions) tailored games that everyone will experience in a linear order, Zelda breaks away from that, I just think it's really unique.
I see more videos praising the game than bashing it TBH. It's mostly lore nerds and old good/new bad people getting in a hissy that TotK isn't OoT 4.0
its like waves of the ocean, i kinda ignore the community and just enjoy the series.
@@chooongusbug724 oh for sure but I'm too far deep in the community to go back at this point and it's tough haha
Yeah, from a lore perspective, I feel TOTK is pretty messy and riddled with missed opportunities, but from a gameplay perspective, it deserves all the praise in the world! It's so fun to unleash one's creativity and the only people that bash this, are the ones who dislike player driven experiences!
@@sethfeldpausch4337 Definitely, at launch everyone was praising the game, but over time the cracks have shown for a lotta people, and while I see the cracks for SURE, it's still one of my favourite games of all time, it just expands on all the stuff I liked or disliked about botw
It's been great seeing you not only improve, but challenge all of us watching as well. This series of Zelda vids has been an excellent look at not just the franchise, but how we digest and critique our favorite art.
Most of TOTK’s main issues stem from it being too open. Restriction is valuable.
I disagree personally. The reason why elden ring will never beat open world zelda for me is simply its restrictions.
I don't think Tears needed restrictions, I just think it needed it's sequence breaks to be harder to achieve and more rewarding. Cheesing puzzles for example is not a problem for me at all. It becomes a problem when the cheese strat is repeated over and over and over. These strats are basically four things: Hoverbike, rocketshield, bomb arrow and ultrahand-to-recall. The recall one I can forgive. However the other ones are just so horrendous. The hoverbike solves 100% of the Fire Temple. The bomb arrows solves almost every single target shrine, and the rocket shield skips any shrine puzzle that requires you to get to a higher place. It bypasses the puzzle in a way that you cheat yourself out of the clever design in front of you. It doesn't feel rewarding at all. Navigate through this labyrinth of ultrahand puzzles, or use one rocket shield and skip directly to the end without effort.
TOTK needed better soft locks, not hard locks like classic Zelda games. It bypassing a puzzle should be both harder and faster than the straight forward way.
wrong. Its issues stem from it not having valuable rewards for your exploration, which was the same problem BOTW had.
@@viktorthevictor6240 that’s a good point. At least with BotW cheesing puzzles pushed you to really think outside of the box. In this game, the tools at hand are almost designed for cheesing. Hoverbike and Ascend just offer easy access to cheese any puzzle.
@@TheRealNintendoKid ill agree that the rewards aren’t the best, the game is too big for its own good. But I really think adding in more linearity would provide the player a more unique and curated experience.
This was the best video you've ever made. Your ability to put thoughts into words is unparalleled. Nearly everything you said in this video resonated perfectly with my own experiences with this game. And it honestly couldn't have come at a better time. I just put down the game in order to pick up Super Mario Wonder, so everything felt perfectly fresh in my head. Thank you for sharing this with the world.
Agreed, this was a lovely video to watch
WAKE UP BABE NEW KINGK VID JUST DROPPED
I literally woke up to this notification 😍
WAKE UP BABE A NEW ORIGINAL COMMENT JUST DROPPED
Heuheuheu.
@@FluffyMustacheoath man. Goodness me. People being excited about the Switch Zelda games is depressing enough as it is.
WAKE UP BAB-
I'm single
So great to see another video from you and loved seeing Liam and Jeb make appearances!
Hey about the "Restrict" part of the video, there is an awesome video from called "A Story Analysis of Tears of the Kingdom" from FatBrett that can provide a good explanation of what the devs were seeking while making those additions
This might just be my favourite video of yours. The way that these videos are now both a review of the game and also a look back on your personal experiences with it has really inspired me to be more subjective and confident with my own opinions. Doing TH-cam has been a dream of mine for a while now, and one I'm attempting to work towards. If I ever get to where I want to be with that, I hope I can be even half as good of a creator as you. It's been an absolute fuck of a year, but this video activated some of the best memories I have from it, my time with Tears of the Kingdom. Thanks for reminding me of why this is my favourite game of all time.
I'll share this story on every KingK video, but I still remember running into you during a POTD run in FFXIV during Shadowbringers era. Was so neat to talk to you in the chatbox and help you through those ten floors.
Crazy how it’s never been tried to just give the player a set of tools and tell them to figure out a problem. Not having a predetermined solution is the heart and soul of this game.
I’ve beat Ganon three times. Not once did I think to hit his projectiles back.
so many of the people I watch on here criticize this game because it wasn’t what they wanted this game to be, you’re the first person I’ve watched that is talking about the game on what it is
you’re the first person I’ve watching that i think really get this game :) it makes me really happy hehe
I honestly wish I could have this mindset. I sincerely wanna think of totk more fondly man :(
@@imhaddanitattaxx4172 Give it time and come back to it when you're ready
I feel like you telling yourself u wanna like it means there's a lot there to like it's just hard for you to see.
@@bemblobyou might just have to accept that people don't feel the same way you do
@@FirstRecords204 there’s no hostility here! really! It was an observation I saw, many people had a specific idea of what this game would be in their heads, due to marketing / what they wanted the game to be. Of course some people just don’t like this game, it’s only natural! some people will just not like this game, but some people will almost definitely come around on this game! just wait and see! :)
In no ways am i calling those who don’t like this game stupid, or trying to make myself seem like i know better, sorry if it came off that way. Hope you have a great day bro :3
I thought the entire intro was referencing TotK development time. Only after reading the comments did it occur to me that it may also refer to your period of creation of this video. In both cases, I think the quality of the work is worth any additional time crafting the work. Keep up the high quality analyses.
This video is so beautiful and legitimate so well written. I’m in awe and tears at the end. You nailed it on this one!
This is my single favorite review of this game, and in the time since it dropped, I've found myself recommending it to more and more people. This is how a review *should* be; it's not empty praise or nitpicks, or just slapping a score onto something, either. It's a detailed lens that helped me both understand and appreciate this wonderful game even more than I already did. You provide a perspective that contextualizes and explains your individual understanding of the game perfectly, and it helped me put into words exactly what was special about it for me too because I was feeling similarly but couldn't explain it as well.
Love this review, love this channel, love this game. Thanks for all the amazing work!
What a beautiful video! Very thankful for all the work you do.
Thank you for this video, it actually helped voice some of the thoughts I had but that I didn't quite know how to put into words
I have a story to share, about the restriction you mention and similar to you discovering the Construct factory and the leadup to the Lightning Temple. The first time I ever discovered the Wind Temple was by exploring, not part of the main quest. I didn't have any Zonai devices yet, and I think I still had just 4 hearts as well. I believe I flew into the rising island chain from a tower, but I'm not sure. But the discovery of this giant string of sky islands in the snow, and all these platforming challenges (which were challenges without Tulin or devices but always doable, you just had to plan your route from what you saw ahead) was probably the most magical time in the entire game for me. You could never see extremely far ahead, but you could always see far enough to plan your next few steps. Everything was organized in a way so that if you planned your route, between jumping off high points, using Ascend, and small ledges, you could always JUST make it to the top of the next platform to continue. Making my way through floating between the various floating platforms, discovering the floating trampoline ships without any context, making it above the clouds, discovering a giant airship in the middle, and seeing that title card for "Wind Temple - The Legendary Stormwind Ark" without having any idea what that meant because I hadn't gone to Rito Village yet was... again, for lack of a better word, magical. There was so much wonder in what I found, so much beauty. I wandered around in the temple, trying to find a way to proceed. I killed as many enemies as I could, I discovered the little wind turbines and tried to make them move to no avail, and explored the entire Ark, feeling increasingly confused the entire time.
This was also like 2 days before release (I managed to get a copy early), so embargoes were in place and there would be no official guides, but I googled it anyway out of sheer desperation, where I found exactly ONE other person had asked about it on Reddit, who had done the same thing as me. They got some incredulous comments on the fact they made it there without Tulin, who I had to piece together would be with you as part of a story quest. So, dejected, I left, and went to go do that quest. I had to go back through the entire section again with Tulin by my side, in order to do the Temple. That restriction turned what should have been an amazing, magical discovery into a repetitious slog, and honestly, it really soured how I felt about the game for a while. I understand how it's important, but I see no reason why I couldn't have been allowed to turn the turbines with a Deku Leaf, and simply get Tulin's sage ghost afterward. That would have felt incredible to me, to save Rito Village from a problem I didn't even know they had yet, while also getting such a reward as a Sage ghost, but instead, I ended up having to replay so much and backtrack so much that the entire experience soured. It was simultaneously my favorite, and least favorite, part of the entire game.
LESS GOOO! I’ve been waiting for you to make a video on TotK for a long time, can’t wait to watch this!
I really like your take on this. I didn’t like how the story was told in Tears of the Kingdom, and I had no idea what we were going to get ones the game came out; but I love how thoughtful and realistic you were about this game which is appreciated. No knee jerk reaction, or impulsive ernotional response.
Honestly, I think most of my issues with how Tears of the Kingdom uses the memory system would be fixed if A Master Sword in Time didn't show Mineru's statement about becoming a dragon. At that point, Zelda saying she'll be forever changed could make it more believable why she's acting weird in the present.
Just finished rewatching this masterpiece of a video, and it’s easily been cemented as one of my favourites you’ve ever made. You’re one of my favourite creators simply due to the honesty and passion you have for what you talk about, and this video is one of the best examples of that. Thanks King.
I was recently able to finish TOTK and I think your video really solidified everything I experienced. I waited so long for this game and to say I had expectations is an understatement. I was truly a child again exploring the great sea and with so many tools to aid my distraction I got lost. To me the biggest issue with BoTW was how distraction felt like it had a cost - Zelda was waiting and here you are running about. ToTK really builds up to how you are supposed to find Zelda and helping people is what leads you to clues. Exploration and distraction build on the story and gives you context for the world you are about to save. I have such an appreciation for how these games have influenced me as a person and am happy you were able to encapsulate those feelings in a video.
One of if not the best video I’ve seen on this game. Quintessential. Liked and subbed
I’ve been watching your channel for years, and the whole time watching THIS video I kept feeling like you’d evolved, like your videos were always good but it felt like something was missing until now. Like you pointed out, it’s as if your styling has reached maturity, and that’s been an epic journey to watch
Tears of the Kingdom has such a weird place in my heart. I played it for well over a hundred hours, and really felt strongly during the high points of the game, but it's hard not to see a lot of those points as just being driven by nostalgia or my desire for a good Zelda game. There was so much narrative dissonance between this and Breath of the Wild, and even further with the rest of the series, that I never really felt immersed in it like I did with Breath of the Wild or earlier entries, and I think the game really suffered for that.
If it were up to me, and I only got to choose between the story we were given and no new story at all using the exact same world and gameplay, I almost think I would've gone with none. The game overexplains some of its mysteries in ways that make them seem incredibly lame (The zonai were such a letdown) and with what remains, I feel like my time as a consumer of their story just wasn't respected at all. The repeated verbage made me feel like 0 effort went into narrative worldbuilding as the game progressed, what few times the game addressed breaks in continuity that are inevitable in an open world like this were just tongue in cheek and did nothing to actually advance the story. A lot of it felt like the NPCs just saying "Go to A, do B... you did B?! Wow!!" which just... I dunno, it doesn't feel very human.
Breath of the Wild was so enjoyable narratively in spite of its flaws from repetitive albeit fun gameplay because it left so much to the imagination, and I wonder if Nintendo just felt too pressured from the success that they felt they needed to create exact explanations for certain things, or if they were planning on going this direction with the narrative to begin with. It truly feels like there was so much they could work with, but instead of creating a world of wonder, they just created a pop up book meant for 3 year olds and expected me to be totally invested. That concept then makes me think on the high points of the story, and makes me question if a lot of it was actually melodrama which didn't really have the buildup which deserves that level of an emotional grip. Maybe I'm just getting old, or maybe I'm gaining too much of an appreciation for good storytelling which respects me enough to have intrigue while also remaining consistent, stories like this are beginning to break games and worlds which I would otherwise greatly enjoy. Happens all the time in anime and a lot of modern adapted shows as well, sign of the times.
I really appreciate your positivity however KingK. There's not much reason for me to scream into the void and try to detract from yours or others enjoyment, I know. However, I also know that at one point I loved Zelda as a series, so much that I've built a little shrine of sorts to my favorite game franchise, and I just can't help but critique what I find to be unforgivably bad narration and lore. I just hope that Nintendo does what I expected after BotW, and learns to improve the good and fix the bad before the next game arrives after my midlife crisis!
Rather than accounting for when you sequence break, the game acts like you didn't sequence break at all until the end of the dialogue, then they go "Oh wow!!! You already did the thing!! Cool!" and just continues on normally.
Absolutely incredible video. Thank you for making this.
This was your best video my King. Massive props
Always love to see a new KingK video, great content!
I love the callback to the intro of the video, at the end. It’s really good
These new 3D Zelda videos are incredible. I've always loved your content, and I've been a fan of yours ever since you first started your Zelda marathon way back when. You got me more interested in longform analysis videos before they even blew up, and I've seen your perspectives shift from judging how close to perfection a game can get to your more laid back, appreciative role that you are today. As someone who turns 30 next year, I can relate to getting more somber and less harsh as you grew older. I too would always try to tear apart every little detail of games and films I loved until they met my criteria for perfection, whatever that was. Nowadays, while I still hold a high standard, I still try to meet things where they are, as it were. I try to empathize with the artist who created the thing I enjoy to critique so much. I try to find value in everything I play/see, and it's helped me enjoy life as a whole a lot more than I did in my early 20s/late teens. Enjoying things is based, actually.
I don't comment on these much because I usually just like to watch and listen to your voice, but I adore your videos, Mr K, and I look forward to having some well-deserved fun today. Keep being you, man.
Great video as per usual! Love seeing that your used items when fusing to a bow were literally exactly the same as mine!
Wooh love the video king! It’s always great listening to you talk on games.
Damn good video. Makes me sad that I'm ultimately not creative enough and can't find enjoyment out of TotK just like how (oddly enough that you brought it up in the video lol) I can't with Minecraft since there are so many things you can create that my brain just shuts down from all the options (prolly adhd tbh). Banger video tho KingK, I've always enjoyed your stuff and you're recent "growth" doesn't diminish your past stuff but I def see a positive shift in your mindset on content creation. Can't wait for the next one.
Great video as always, King. You probably hear this a lot, but your writing style is so mesmerizing and your videos are a joy to watch!
I'm getting close to 400 hours in and still haven't explored 75% of the depths and need to finish the main story still. I spent over 5 months goofing off hours every day and loving it
This game was so satisfying to rediscover. I appreciated the mention of the Climbing Gear and Barbarian set, as those were my favorites from BotW. As soon as I discovered caves had armor the entire game changed. It took a long time but eventually I managed to track down both sets basically by accident or with the clues from passing fashionistas. It was one of the most satisfying video game experiences of my life, and it was just getting something I’d already played with. It says a lot about TotK that the game can give you such joy in rediscovery.
Tears of the Kingdom really takes advantage of the reused world to do things that wouldn't have been possible with a brand new world. Hyrule Castle feels so calm and desolate now without Ganon there, so having the player explore it at the beginning is a great decision. They were also able to transform the towns much more for the Regional Phenomena and then give you a sense of familiarity once you save them. Where hearing the Rito Village theme would normally have me going "looks like I returned this place to normal, nice", it instead has me going "ah, there's the Rito Village I know and love". I also love how after Breath of the Wild put an armor piece capable of disguising you from any enemy a minute's worth of travel away from the tutorial area, Tears of the Kingdom locks it behind a battle against 5 of that game's infamous unkillable god enemy. 😂
You hit my exact feelings spot on, great video man :)
incredible work KingK! i hope to see your thoughts on the 3D pokemon games one day. keep creating and following your passion!
Ocarina of Time: Construction
Breath of the Wild: Deconstruction
Tears of the Kingdom: Reconstruction
If i need to clear my head, this is my go to youtube channel
I had so much fun watching this! Funny, I used to be that connoisseur; jaded, wishing things were like the old days with books, games, etc. Now I try to meet the art without expectation, and viola! The magic was there just waiting to be discovered all over again :)
I've been trying to do the same since the negative shift in Zeldatube's views on the game. It can make it hard to remember why I hold it in such high regard, but videos like this remind me. It wasn't necessarily what I expected, but once I put aside all the pre-release speculation and just looked at it as the next Zelda game, I really appreciated what it pulled off. I didn't even skip the damn cutscenes for the Shrines and Lightroots.
I love how you can go from being hyper critical of one game to bucking the trend and unabashedly loving another. Great video, and makes me want to get back to diving into Tears.
19:07 Thank you for the kind words; have a great day as well! ^_^ And thanks for for giving us another awesome video! Especially one so beefy and on what will probably end up being my favorite game of 2023, and perhaps of the Switch's life :)
KingK.. I love your work. Please keep inspiring people like me. Thank you from the bottom of my heart man. Really love how your content can connect so deeply to my inner child which guides me in how I see/shape my world throughout life with the lens of gaming. 💜
Hell yeah, something to get me through 1/8th of my work day
Me and you both
LOL fr
Ayyyy
Damn man I was just waiting for another Zelda video from you last night. I put on the ocarina one and fell asleep to it. All these thumbnails are clean man
That outro though. Wonderfully done my man👏. I love this game.
Wow well done KingK. Finally -- an actual sober, fair, interesting, clear, fleshed out and nuanced review. This video belongs in a hall of fame. Bravo!
I've been watching since the Zelda Retrospective days, partly because the opinion of someone holding a game I don't particularly like in Twilight Princess over a revered game like Breath Of The Wild was something interesting enough to me that I followed your channel. These last three videos have been the best stuff you've put out, cumulatively, and it's really great to see how you've matured in your reviewing process over the years. Cheers to your next video, whatever it is.
This is by far the best Tears of the Kingdom video I have seen. You presented your thoughts in such an elegant way. I consider this game to be one of my favorite things ever put together. It did so many things I dreamed of Zelda doing and also things I would’ve never thought of. From the moment it was announced and onward, everything just clicked for me. Anyways, I’m definitely subscribing and tuning in to more of your stuff. Cheers! 🥂
Let’s be honest, Tears of the Kingdom is just Breath of the Wild Definitive Edition.
Nope, it is so much more.
Fr. It’s pretty much a dlc for BotW
@@lotrfan4237Bullshit!
I wish this video could resonate with me more. I wish I could keep my expectations in check and let the Zelda team just do what they want without being disappointed that it's not what I wanted it to be.
I love Open Air Zelda, but the Open Air Zelda game that lives in my head rent-free sadly doesn't exist yet. The one with tons of dungeons to find randomly across the map, the one without shrines or koroks, the one where rewards I find in a chest MEAN something. All I can do now is wait for them to make it, or be forever disappointed whenever they make a game that isn't that.
Like you say, expectations can be poisonous, and while I can realize that, it's far more difficult to just let go.
You said "I was never disappointed whenever I revisited an old place to see what had changed" and... I wish I could share the sentiment. The FIRST thing I did in Tears of the Kingdom was go back to Akkala Citadel Ruins, I expected it to finally be able to enter it, I expected to find an entire dungeon inside of it, one that would reward me with an item or anything worthwhile. Instead, all I got was a lousy cave. "This is fine" I told myself "Forgotten Temple is next, and surely now..." nope, still no dungeon, this time, it was just a lore room. Again, this is on me and my skewed expectations, but why that, I already knew TOTK wasn't the Open Air Zelda game I dreamed it'd be.
Your expectations are NOT unreasonable. Totk falls flat and it's ok to be critical of it.
That speech at the start at the end of the video is absolutely true, it left me thinking a lot about it thank you for that
Excellent video! It’ll be hard for me to go back to BOTW after playing TOTK since it now feels like a rough draft for TOTK. I found it really endearing and sweet the way the game highlights Zelda’s importance not just to Link but to Hyrule; she’s basically the beating heart of her kingdom, and I love how everyone in Hyrule is either awaiting her return or actively looking for her.
Also, I must admit I teared up at TOTK’s ending; it drives home the fact that these iterations of Link and Zelda are completely ride or die for each other, and Zelda’s final line to Link was so heartwarming. Plus, they went above and beyond with the musical score, especially in the post-final boss scene. I have no idea how the Zelda dev team will top this game.
Very glad I found this channel, beautiful stuff.
I love this game so much. My favorite moment was the lead up to the wind temple. I went up there before going to the Rito village, and I made my way up there without the power. It was the most fun I’ve had in video games in a long time. I agree with your point that it is a shame we cannot interact with the temple before meeting the sage.
finally! someonee else who went through the storm blind! stumbling upon everything there was so so cool
Those cork puzzles were so fun! I usually just put them far down in water and then the force of it bobbing back to the surface would pull itself out
You gave me proper goosebumps at 45:43.
King, the future will hold exactly what you need it to. Thank you for this video and all your hard work over the years.
One of my favorite moments in this game was successfully pulling off the msg and using it off and on through the whole playthrough. I know it wasn't intentional, but I loved being able to pull off multiple glitches successfully
Really well made video!!! Great work!!!
Thanks for reminding me about all the reasons I love this game and love Zelda as a whole. Overly Sarcastic Productions has a detailed diatribe I recommend you watch as they discuss the sky in TotK and it gave me a whole different perspective on it and made me love it even more. I think you would enjoy their video.
My favorite Zelda game. Maybe favorite game in general. Just a masterpiece. Thanks for the great review. Had to wait until I beat the game to watch.
Man that poem you wrote at the beginning was genuinely beautiful, well done.
I agree with your points on totk's story, but it is so pathetically obvious that they couldn't think of interesting characters to be the ancient sages, so they had them tell you the literal exact same story four times in a row with no actual character.
I get why they didn't wanna make the Ancient Sages into full characters since they wouldn't have much of a role in the story outside of just being the Ancient Sages. What they should've done with them imo is have them be a representation of their race as a whole. Instead of just re-telling the Imprisoning War, use that opportunity to show how each race was impacted by the Demon King's rise, and how they ultimately joined Rauru in his attempt to stop him.
@@speedude0164 Yeah, even that would have been much better
The wait is definitely going to be worth
KingK video with a surprise LiamTriforce feature?!? I'm in!!
Zelda lived a thousand lifetimes to save the person she loves most - and she gave us the perfect Zelda ending.
Outstanding video.
Literally, perfect timing. You have no idea.
I also have no idea
It IS perfect timing season
I would like an idea. I really wanna know the lore now.
Man, I find it interesting how much of this I agree with but in the end I just didn't enjoy the game as much as I would have liked. It seems like for every incredible thing this game achieves, there's something equally ridiculous or annoying to bring it back down. It felt like the game constantly bounced between a 13/10 and 7/10 experience, which ultimately averaged to a 10/10 that I'm just not very satisfied with. Which is a very strange feeling.
I feel so too. I really want to love and enjoy the game, but, without any real reason I can't grab it. It just didn't clicked enough :/
The game was strange for me where I'd always dread booting it up due to how overwhelmed I'd feel, but once I started, I was hooked for the whole day. The overwhelmed bit was probably my own fault too since I felt the pressure to cover all ground and stockpile as many materials as I could for my 100% file, which definitely isn't how the game is meant to be played.
I loved the sky islands, but it's probably because as soon as i got the glider and was let loose, sky is why i did for at least 30+ hours. I would get as far on them as i could, and then when I wanted to get to the next set of them, i would venture out on land to find the next tower to let me get at the next set of sky Islands. It honestly was a magical experience for me.
I could see if someone waited to go explore up there when they were already powerful and have discovered the hoverbike, it would probably be a lot less interesting. But when you barely have any gear, batteries or hearts, its a thrilling experience
Outstanding video. I've only played a few Zelda games overall but I really enjoyed BOTW. I love the open world concept. I heard a lot of negative reviews about TOTK so when I finally decided to play it consistently, I wasn't sure what to except. I just finished it finally after nearly 3 months of daily play and wow I'm so amazed and I'm glad you were able to feel similarly about this game. It was amazing and your video helped explain a lot of my feelings and thoughts too.
I really wanted to like this game. But it only disappointed me at every turn. It's great to see others truly love this game. But not me:/
Is it actually great to see others enjoying something bad? That only means more people will buy bad stuff and bad stuff will replace good stuff.
Dude, I'm seeing more and more people finally admit that Totk was a disappointment. Youre not alone
@@RoflcrabsTotk is everything but bad.
This is just what I needed to muse me during my move!
That was the best segue into an ad I've ever seen
This is the deepest analysis I've seen of the game so far.
Bravo.
The temples are specifically via Lore tied to the sages because they’re meant to be places for the ancient sages to pass on the secret stone to the present day sages. Hence why they need to be with you.
I know why they need to be with you. I said as much in the video. I simply feel it is limiting.
This may be one of my favorite videos about my favorite video game.
Searching the depths gave me a feeling of curiosity and dread like no other Zelda game. Twilight Princess will always be my favorite, but this game still gave me something entirely new and magical. I remember seeing Colgera in the Depths for the first time, and like you I was scared shitless for a second. It gave me the same feeling of dread I get when seeing man made things underwater. Seeing and fighting Colgera in the wind temple feels entirely different than in the Depths. It feels natural to see her in the wind temple, it’s thematically fitting and feels almost safer, yet in the Depths it feels unnatural and horrifying.
On another note I didn’t even know about the giant statues underneath the goddess statues until I saw your video, and I got every single light root. Even when I thought I was familiar with the Depths there’s still things like this that unsettle me and make my skin crawl. Even just seeing it in your video it gave me that same feeling Colgera gave me. It’s so cool to feel that way playing a Zelda game, I’m really happy with this game for so many reasons, but the Depths has to be at the top of the list for me.
TOTK ending is definitely the best in the series.
And that sword pull is also definitely the best in the series.
I get why they played the imprisoning war after each dungeon but like, it's like 1 single line of code to say "if this isn't the first dungeon you've beat, don't show the imprisoning war cutscene"
This game definitely has some high highs.
I think they should've used the Ancient Sage meetings to flesh out the races of the era of Hyrule's founding a bit by telling us how they were impacted by the Imprisoning War and how their leader ultimately joined Rauru, only using the final battle as the conclusion of the flashback. They don't need to show us more than tiny glimpses of the past, just enough to allow the cutscenes to feel more unique. Mineru would then be the one to really go in depth about how that final battle went.
man, i wish i felt the same way about the ending. it's 4 deus ex machinas stacked on top of each other
@@FirstRecords204 I don't know what you're referring to outside of the draconification reversal, but I have a theory I'm super confident in. Zelda says at the end that she had been sleeping, but was woken up when she felt something like a warm, loving embrace. I dunno about you, but that sounds an awful lot like what happened with her power in Breath of the Wild, only this time it's her spirit dormant within a body born of her light power. Since her spirit is made up of light and time power, Rauru and Sonia were able to use their own light and time power to create a bridge for Link to reach Zelda, and because of the deep bond they share, it reawakened her. This isn't exactly conveyed perfectly, but I feel it makes the most sense of anything I've seen based on the in-game explanations, and it's actually really narratively satisfying.
One thing that i would love to see on a switch 2 port of TOTK would be seamless transitions into the shrines themselves, imagine simply walking into a shrine, the contents of which you can see from outside of it, with no loading screen or downtime of any sort
Why? The shrines were boring and incredibly easy to solve
Unexpected birthday gift to have a new Kingk video
I wish I could love this game like you do. But I never could get into it. For every one thing I liked, there was something that annoyed me to no end. Ultimately, I grew tired of the annoyances, and re-used content, and clunky menues, and irritating grinding, and I left the game. Maybe one day I'll come back to it.
when BOTW was announced, I was hooked, to the point I consumed just about every bit of media related to it. from people analyzing the trailers and giving ideas on what could happen, to binge watching the trailers in order on repeat. The excitement I had for that game was beyond anything I've experienced for any game since. When it came out, i was so disappointed in how much I spoiled the game for myself. Most of the secrets to various puzzles and things I already knew. I would watch people play the game on twitch and literally scream at my screen at frustration on how they'd get some puzzle so obvious wrong. It took me a while to realize that it was my own obsession with the game that led to me taking this rigid view of it. They wanted us to experiment in BOTW, yet I already knew the answer cause i saw it in some clip or video before I ever got a chance to experiment on my own. When the DLC came out, I finally understood what it meant to go in blind, and found myself loving that even more. I regretted how much I obsessed over the game.
So when TOTK was announced, I allowed myself to watch each trailer exactly once. I swiped past every video or article that suggested it knew what was coming. I had to contain my excitement, and the only way I knew to do that was to appear far less interested than I knew in my heart I was. But it was worth it, playing TOTK for the first time, was incredible. My first time falling into the depths my jaw dropped. I almost couldn't believe they made something so huge, there's no way right? but they really did. Time and time again, the game showed me what it meant to let yourself be truly surprised. Finding out zelda was a dragon, finding out there's a 5th temple, the wind temple climb, the depths, hell just activating the first map tower made me laugh, gloom hands, all of it was meant to be experienced, not just seen.
All of this to say, I appreciated this video so much, because after I took my time beating the game, much of what people said early on was guarded, they didn't want to spoil the game, but having experienced all of it, I wanted to talk about those spoilers! I wanted to talk about Dragon Zelda, I wanted to talk about the Gannon fight, anyway, thanks for making this. It was truly fantastic to hear your thoughts on this game in such a cohesive way.
I find it very impressive how they managed to create this large map with no loading screens. That's quite insane, when you think about how weak the Switch actually is.
Compare that to the extreme amounts of loading screens in Starfield... That alone proves the dedication of Nintendo.