While Nintendo has advertisedThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomas being anopen-world action-adventure game, many players have noted how unforgivingTears of the Kingdomactually can be, especially in the first few hours, which means Link must focus much more on actually surviving first and foremost before he can set out to reunite with Princess Zelda.
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Breath of the Wildundoubtedly featured a few innovative mechanics which gave it a very grounded and immersive feeling where the player would need to rely on their instincts to keep Link alive, but inTears of the Kingdom, Nintendo has taken this a step further by implementing new features which ramp up the difficult tremendously, making survival far less of a guarantee than it was in previousZeldatitles.
Luckily, as Link journeys deeper into Hyrule and reunites withsome old allies, he will become much more capable of dealing with the enemies and terrors that surround him but doesn’t mean that players can completely forget about finding ways to keep Link alive since there is always a new challenge around every corner.
7Difficult Enemy Encounters
Enemies inTears of the Kingdomare designed in a way so that they always pose a serious challenge to Link, meaning no matter how strong the player becomes and as many legendary weapons as they acquire, Link will always feel like the underdog, especially against bigger swarms and groups of Bokoblins, Moblins, and other lanky creatures that threaten the life of the hero of Hyrule from the moment he takes his first step inTears of the Kingdom.
At the beginning ofTears of the Kingdom, players are granted far less guidance than they were inBreath of the Wild, so they are forced to use their newfound abilities toconjure up weaponsand structures to protect themselves from the evil menaces that roam Hyrule. Added to this, more advanced enemies will also appear once Link hits a certain threshold, such as blue Moblins who will replace the red ones, for example, so enemies will always pose a significant threat no matter how well-prepared Link is. Each area holds different enemies of a challenging variety, and players will have to use their heads and their weapons to take them out effectively and avoid the Game Over screen.
6Blood Moon
The Blood Moon mechanic first introduced inBreath of the Wildmakes a return inTears of the Kingdom, with it occurring every 168 minutes in real-time, which is three days in-game. Despite the harrowing cutscene that playswhen the Blood Moon first appears, it can act as more of a lifeline for players, granting them the opportunity to stock up on items and ingredients while they can, although they should watch out for the threat of enemies will rise once more.
When the Blood Moon rises over Hyrule, all enemies,ore deposits, and weapons will be completely reset, which can be both bad and good for players. While the respawned enemies can make navigating around Hyrule very difficult, especially when they’ve also been buffed by the Blood Moon event, the Blood Moon does also mean players can farm gemstones and acquire nutritious food if they know where to find it, with the phenomenon emphasizing the feeling of survival that is baked intoTears of the Kingdom. What makes the Blood Moon feel even more like a mechanic from a survival game is the buffs and horrors that lurk in the new red night that players will want to avoid and survive in.
5Expensive Armor
Once players finally reach one of the many towns in Hyrule and begin browsing at what armor could keep them safe while continuing their adventure, they will quickly realize that many of theworthwhile armor setsinTears of the Kingdomare extremely expensive, especially if they can protect Link from the weather. Many of these armor sets will surely bankrupt Link thanks to the Rupees price, and players will be smashing more pots than the pottery makers of Hyrule can ever make.
In Goron City, for example, players must acquire theFlamebreaker Armorto keep them safe from the extreme heat that surrounds the area, but the issue is that buying the whole set will cost 3,300 Rupees altogether. For even more defensive armor which will help mitigate enemy damage, such as the Radiant Armor set, this will cost a staggering 15,000 Rupees, with these just being a few examples of how challenging it can be to raise Link’s defense against enemies and the elements of the world, thus proving the importance of exploration and Rupee hunting.
4The Importance Of Cooking
The cooking system was already a core mechanic of theBreath of the Wildgameplay experience, but with the greater roster of deadly enemies that Link must come up against during his travels this time around, it now means that cooking is more essential than ever for acquiring buffs and staying alive.
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Despite there beingover 200 recipesinTears of the Kingdom, players can only learn about the specific benefits each one provides by actually making them which can lead to a lot of trial-and-error, and may even result in a few inedible meals that will make Link feel rather sick for what he has just been fed. Therefore, players will be spending a lot of time searching for ingredients to bring back to a fire pit just to be able to make it to the next checkpoint, almost like they are managing a hunger bar which is found in other survival games likeFalloutandMinecraft.
3Limited Map Details
Many open-world games will automatically mark points of interest on the player’s map either as a way to help guide them, or to notify them that they are near an important location, butTears of the Kingdomdisplays almost nothing to the player until they can finally start usingthe Skyview Towersto scout out more of the map.
However, even when areas are scanned, this will only display the geographical outline of the area itself along with only a handful of key areas, making it very easy for players to wander into a dangerous cave or a Moblin base. This is also why markers tend to be the player’s best friend while moving between destinations inTears of the Kingdomsince they can at least provide some sort of guidance during Link’s travels.
2Low Base Health
When Link vaults off the Great Sky Island and into Hyrule near the beginning ofTears of the Kingdom, he will only have 4 hearts, which is barely enough to keep him alive from a single swing from a Lizalfos or a Soldier Construct. To grant Link more hearts so that he stands a better chance in encounters, players will need to complete four shrines, and then present the Light of Blessings they have acquired to aGoddess Statue, who will then grant Link a Heart Container.
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This is already a challenge in and of itself considering how brutally difficult many of the shrines inTears of the Kingdomcan be. However, even when players get to the statue, they will still need to choose between either improving Link’s health or their stamina, meaning it can take a long while until he is in a position where he can confidently travel Hyrule without worrying about the dangerous enemies patrolling the fields around him.
1Lack Of Ability Guidance
It would be hard to find anyone who would argue thatTears of the Kingdomisn’t a massive improvement on the general mechanics and gameplay featured inBreath of the Wild, especially regarding the newphysics-based abilitieswhich players must use to complete shrines, upgrade weapons, and defeat bosses.
However, while players will receive these abilities very early on inTears of the Kingdom, other than the very short tutorial shrines found on the Great Sky Island,Tears of the Kingdomdoesn’t provide any other guidance on how to make use of Recall, Masterhand, Fuse, and other abilities once they are set free, leaving it all up to the player’s imagination. The key to surviving inTears of the Kingdomis being able to use these abilities in quick succession, introducing a system where the player must think up ways to ensure their own survival thanks to the limitless potential offered by these new features.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomis available on Nintendo Switch.
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