Summary
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomis the latest installment in Nintendo’s iconic fantasy franchise.Tears of the Kingdomtakes after its predecessor, 2017’sBreath of the Wild, which completely reformatted theZeldaformula for an open-world 3D adventure. As a result, it has become known as one of the greatest video games ever made, a feat its sequel surpasses.
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Despite its loyalty toBreath of the Wild,Tears of the Kingdomalso contains allusions even further to the franchise’s past. Many elements of the game, from unlockable outfits to elements of the gameplay new to this entry, will be familiar to fans of Zelda’s 2D origins. These six parts ofTears of the Kingdomare among those elements that recall these games.
6Gleeoks
One new miniboss that appears inTears of the Kingdomis the Gleeok, a three-headed dragon thatcan be found roaming the lands of Hyrule. It comes in four forms varying in elemental abilities and is a devastating challenge to even the toughest players. However, these monsters weren’t any less threatening in prior installments of the franchise.
Gleeoks first appeared inThe Legend of Zeldafor NES, playing a similar role as mini-bosses in some of the game’s dungeons, although here they only sported two heads. More recently, a Gleeok also appeared as the boss of the Ice Temple inThe Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglassfor the Nintendo DS, which introduced the monster’s variety of elemental attacks.
5Mask Of Awakening
Fans of the 2DThe Legend of Zeldagames were delighted when Nintendo remadeLink’s Awakeningfor the Nintendo Switch, complete with a new graphical design. As an homage to this Nintendo Switch title,Tears of the Kingdomcontains an unlockable outfit known as the Awakening set which gives Link the same head as his design fromLink’s Awakening HD.
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The outfit can be obtained inTears of the Kingdomby completingthe trio of side quests titled “Misko’s Treasure of Awakening,“which rewards players with each piece of the armor set. The set may also be unlocked by touching the amiibo of Link fromLink’s Awakening HDto the Nintendo Switch.
4Armor Of The Wild
One armor set that was obtainable inBreath of the Wild,but returns inTears of the Kingdom, is known as the Armor of the Wild. The pieces of the armor set can be found by exploring the Depths, and when combined will give Link a quite familiar appearance to longtimeThe Legend of Zeldafans, donning a green tunic with orange sleeves and shorts.
Forthe dedicatedThe Legend of Zeldafanatics, they’ll recognize this armor set’s design and color scheme as reminiscent of Link’s original design from the original manual forThe Legend of Zeldaon NES. The only thing that Link would be missing to complete the look is a shield with a cross on it, though there are plenty of well-designed alternatives.
3Koholit Rock
The names oftowns and locations on the map of HyruleinTears of the Kingdomare no accidents. Some are familiar with theZeldafranchise, including Kakariko Village, the Temple of Time, and Death Mountain. However, others have names that reference characters or locations from previous games, albeit with some slight alterations.
One of which is Koholi Rock, a plateau on Eventide Island, located off the east coast of Hyrule’s central continent. The location, notably, has a similar name to Koholint Island, the primary setting ofLink’s Awakening. Furthermore, the Shrine Quest of Eventide Island challenges Link by stripping his weapons and armor, mimicking the start of the 2D title.
2Hidden Cave Entrances
One new element ofTears of the Kingdomthat sets it apart fromBreath of the Wildis its reintroduction of caves into theZeldafranchise. All across Hyrule’s overworld, entrances to caves can be discovered by blowing them up with bombs or swinging heavy weapons at them. Some of them even reveal unique enemies and treasures awaiting discovery.
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This is an iconic part of theZeldafranchise dating back to its first entry on NES. Manyimportant secrets to discover throughout the game, some of which are necessary for completion, require players to use their bombs on mountain walls to expose secret caves. This is just one of many waysTears of the Kingdomtakes the franchise back to its roots.
1The Dark World
ManyThe Legend of Zeldagames have containedalternate dimensions and versions of Hyrulethat are sinister in nature. The concept of Dark Worlds originated with the SNES titleA Link to the Pastand has recurred in 2DZeldatitles including the Twilight Realm inTwilight Princessor Lorule inA Link to the Past’s sequel,A Link Between Worlds.
InTears of the Kingdom, this concept recurs yet again in the form of the Depths, an expansive underworld of Hyrule that doublesBreath of the Wild’s map. It’s a true negative version of Hyrule, as its layout is nearly identical to the overworld.The location of Lightroot Seeds that light the Depthsis also parallel to the location of Shrines in Hyrule.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomis currently available on Nintendo Switch.
