Summary
The Legend of Zelda : Tears of the Kingdomgenerally did a fine occupation of spread out onBreath of the Wild , but one of its most shocking new improver was a letdown . TOTKadded many new features to the fundament laid byBOTW , tacking Sky Islands and fallen outcroppings onto the existing map , adding Modern powers and abilities for Link , and improve the variety and shop mechanic of its dungeons . All in all , it managed to strike a near - gross counterpoise between a fitting follow - up and a unique standalone championship .
Many were able-bodied to foretell a muckle aboutTOTKbefore its vent , but thanks to selective revelation in trailers and previews , Nintendo was able to keep more than a few surprises under wraps until the game add up out . Some were right on the money about keep melioration , building mechanics , and prison term travel plot full stop , only to find thatTOTKstill had the power to astound in multiple ways . unluckily , its biggest surprisal is also its self-aggrandizing disappointment .
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Zelda: TOTK’s Depths Are Boring
TOTK ’s cloak-and-dagger areas are huge , but they lack … deepness . It ’s awfully dissatisfactory to conceive just how monolithic these so - called Depths are , encompassing what ’s efficaciously a whole second Hyrule , only to bring in that it ’s full of the same few landmarks and edit out - and - paste enemy outposts the whole way through . The more fourth dimension spend in the Depths , the more it becomes apparent that , aside from a few side quests and special emplacement , there ’s really nothing of any pursuit down there .
The obtuseness of the Depths is only worsened by the almost complete deficiency of any reference of them in promotional textile . TOTKtrailers built up the Sky Islands as the game ’s most prominent , and by skip , seemingly only major change toBOTW ’s pre - existent single-valued function . That advertizement strategy create a lot of anticipation for Sky Island geographic expedition , but paradoxically , keeping quiet about the Depths created even more . That first honkytonk into a chasm evokes so much dread and anticipation , and the first looking at the map of the Depths demo just how much more progress there is to be made .
But with that progress quickly comes boredom . Every single new country of the Depths is exactly the same as the last one , and the gameplay grommet is repetitious and unrewarding . unhorse the area up , flak or evade an enemy group , find the next Lightroot , rinse , and repetition .
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Regular horses are n’t usable , and there are few building materials , so traveling is sorely slow . If they ’re prosperous , the player might ascertain one ofthe tough pristine weapons inTOTKor farm a good haul of Brightblooms , but unless they were down there for a especial pursuit or goal , time in the Depths just feels neutralise . It ’s rare to come up out of them with any peculiarly utilitarian loot , or having had a unco unique experience .
Particularly in the early plot , the Depths are even more frustrating than they are boring . foe impose Gloom , which can quickly shatter the few Heart Containers Link has at that item . Even with the Switch ’s luminance setting zigzag up to its upper limit , the Depths demand constant use of Brightblooms to light up the darkness . While there ’s plenty of opportunity to hoard these , it ’s hard to realize just how crucial they are in the former game , so most are n’t potential to go looking for them before their first few Depths excursions . There are style tomake the Depths easier to explore inTOTK , but those do n’t become available until much afterwards .
Zelda: TOTK’s Depths Just Don’t Have Enough Variety
Exploring the surface and Sky Islands inTOTKreveals any routine of distinct biomes , each with their own alone feature that make the particulars of navigating them different . Sweltering volcanic slopes , parky pile acme , dense timberland , bucket along rivers , tranquil lakes , and off-white - juiceless deserts are just a few of the different natural phenomena available for read in . By contrast , the Depths have none of that . There ’s only one biome down there , and it ’s full of duskiness and Gloom . One field might only differ from another in placement of its landmarks and opposition , so reckon just a small slice of the Depths is the same as seeing it all .
opine if the Depths even had a fraction of the biodiversity of Hyrule above . radical - dark cloak-and-dagger forests full of monsters , vast subterraneous bodies of water where Depths - single fish lurk , or even just a few peaks and valley would improve the experience vastly .
A good modeling for how this might look isTOTK ’s expansive cave organization . While these do n’t vary in terminal figure of landscape as much as the airfoil , they ’re all different . Some are bounteous , some are humble , some have lava , some have Gloom , some have pee , and some are ironic . Exploring even the smallest cave is a unique experience that ca n’t be replicated elsewhere , which think each one feels unique and fresh . Plus , the rewards , likeMisko ’s gem inTOTK , are far better .
Zelda: TOTK’s Depths Have A Few Bright Spots
There are a few exceptions to the general boringness of the Depths . Since the Depths ' problem is that they ’re so repetitive , those exceptions are the few places that they offer something unlike . The initial statue - following quest " A Mystery in the Depths " involves a unique , navigational puzzle , and provide a practical reward inunlockingTOTK ’s Autobuildability . The Depths then take a backseat until the Fire Temple section of the " Regional Phenomena " pursuit . This is one of the few places that the Depths actually look different , boast a giant , maze - like , lava - spewing dungeon to explore . The quest also grants another utilitarian reward in the Vow of Yunobo Sage power .
As the game progresses , there are many further unknown little details about the Depths to be noticed . Some small areas , like the Lost Woods and Hyrule ’s multiple labyrinths , are mirrored in the Depths . take a closer tone at Lightroots reveals that they ’re aligned with the Zonai shrine on the open , and their figure are the same as the shrine names spelled backwards . By the terminal , it ’s out of the question to avoid the realization that the whole matter mirrors Hyrule above . It ’s a shocking divine revelation and a fascinating concept , but at long last , it does n’t do much to make exploring the Depths more interesting .
The Depths have a heap of potential , but a lot of that is ravage . There ’s just so little to do besides walk around , fight enemies , and ascertain Lightroots , and there ’s no variety to speak of . As it stands , exploring the subway feel more like a job than a fun side activity , but there ’s potential drop for that to change in a Depths - expanding DLC forThe Legend of Zelda : Tears of the Kingdom .
