Hi all! When I first played Tears of the Kingdom, I remember that I really didn't like it that much, even though I absolutely adore Breath of the Wild. I didn't even finish TOTK. That surprised me, since I have 900 hours in Breath of the Wild.

That said, lately I've been considering giving TOTK another chance. If it's okay, I would like to discuss some of the criticisms that I remember having of the game, and see if I'm being fair to the game or not. I'm not trying to tear down anybody's favorite game - honest. I want to like it, and I'm wanting to discuss these criticisms in the hopes that maybe getting some external input about them will help me enjoy the game more on a second chance. I also have been known to get strongly attached to games I like and then overreact to changes, so maybe this is just a case of "me not liking change". If you think that's the case, maybe being called out would help.

So, without further ado:

1: I felt like Nintendo didn't respect its own continuity

To me, the world of Tears of the Kingdom felt like it doesn't fully acknowledge and respect the events of Breath of the Wild. The biggest instance of this comes with the apparent disappearance of Sheikah technology. The shrines and the towers are both gone, and I find that deeply frustrating. Obviously, we have new towers and shrines as far as gameplay goes, but the fact that the old ones have apparently just up and vanished is baffling to me. Where did they go? It feels like Nintendo just got rid of them because they weren't needed for gameplay anymore and didn't give it any more thought. The least you could have done was make them all ruined and desolate - heck, maybe put an entrance to the Underdark (I forget what it's actually called) where each one used to be, considering that the actual trials were underground. Then, we could maybe find the collapsed ruins of a shrine at the bottom of those chasms. That would at least tell us something.

I know that one of the developers said that the shrines disappeared when their purpose was complete. But quite frankly, I don't think that was said anywhere in the game. If that was always the intention, then it should have been mentioned in the game (if it was, I didn't find it). If not, then all I can assume is that it was a retcon somebody made up to fill a huge gap in the worldbuilding that they had overlooked.

On a separate but related note, I feel like the NPCs don't have enough memories of Link. My memories on this one are pretty fuzzy, so forgive me if I'm misremembering this, but I feel like some pretty important NPCs in the last game just...didn't remember I existed in TOTK. I remember Hudson didn't recognize me, even though I built a whole town for him, and I feel like I should have been recognized by Trasi, since she's literally a journalist. There's no way someone like that wouldn't know who Link is, but I don't remember her ever acknowledging it.

On a personal note, one of the most important things for me in a game like this is immersion. I love to be immersed in a fictional world and to really feel like I'm a part of it. However, it feels like TOTK didn't acknowledge my deeds from BOTW and their effect on the world...which really makes it difficult to feel immersed. That alone immediately kills one of the best parts of the game for me.

I recognize that Nintendo has always been pretty fast and loose with Zelda's continuity, but I do not believe that is a valid defense for Tears of the Kingdom. TOTK is more intimately connected with its predecessors than any other game in the whole series, meaning that its lore and story is going to both inform and be informed by its predecessor, and I felt like Nintendo just didn't understand that - or didn't care.

2: TOTK cut some of my favorite parts of BOTW

There's very little that Tears of the Kingdom didn't carry over from Breath of the Wild, admittedly. But they did cut a few things. And, unfortunately, some of what they did cut just so happened to be some of my favorite parts of BOTW.

2a: Let's start with Wolf Link. Wolf Link is an integral part of the experience for me. I do not play the game without my Wolf Link amiibo. I love having a teammate to travel with. Wolf Link is cute, fun, and has a lot of personality. Most importantly, however, is the fact that he can also get hurt just like you, meaning you have to watch each other's backs. Playing the game with Wolf Link at my side really makes me feel like I have a partner to adventure with, and I absolutely love it.

I know that you get the sage spirits after each dungeon, and that they function in a similar role. But honestly, they just didn't hit the same for me. It just felt like a summon or something, and not like I had an actual living, breathing companion to fight with. It also doesn't help that you're essentially fighting with just a Green Lantern construct resembling your friends, rather than your actual friend (outside of the dungeons, at least). It just feels like a new item, not like a partner and companion.

2b: Another cut thing I can't get over: Kass. Kass was easily my favorite character in the whole of the first game. Unironically, when I think of BOTW, Kass is the first thing that comes to mind. I loved his arc, I loved how he was kind and empathetic while still being conflicted and making some questionable decisions, and I adored his little puzzles. I know we basically got a whole DLC about him at the end of BOTW, but that doesn't excuse his complete absence in Tears of the Kingdom. I'm not saying we need a major part for him, but just a reappearance alongside a few side quests would be nice. Maybe he could be in the village, using his music to help keep morale up among the Rito when the snowstorms blow in? Or maybe he can use his experience out in the wilds and set up a camp that the Rito can evacuate to if the snowstorm got too bad? There's ways to give him a smaller role so he can still be in the game - removing him entirely was just not okay with me.

I'll give the game some credit in that it added some new features that helped smooth out parts I disliked about BOTW, but I just felt like it wasn't worth what they took away in the process.

3: I don't think weapon fusing is fun

This one's kind of personal preference, I think, but I'll say it anyway: I dislike the weapon fusing mechanic. A lot of what I tried with it either wasn't practical or just made the weapon stronger/do more damage. The only thing I remember being particularly enthused with was when I found out you could make a whip with a Lizalfos tail. Beyond that, it just felt like I was throwing a bunch of garbled junk onto a bunch of different weapons, and ending up with a kit that just looked kind of ridiculous. This is on top of all the really cool-looking swords from the last game being nerfed and looking rusty and gross, unless you find the pristine versions in the Depths. It was a cool idea and I can see how other people would love it, but for me, I prefer just having a good, cool-looking Soldier's Broadsword or something.

4: The new areas to explore just didn't feel worth it

The major new areas that we're given are the Depths and the Sky. I...wasn't a super big fan of either of them.

To start with the Depths, I remember that I didn't feel like they had enough diversity. Something that I always liked about Breath of the Wild was that each region was very different. There's no possible way that Tebra could be mistaken for Necluda, for example. The biomes look and feel very different from each other in a very interesting way. In fact, I remember one of my favorite things to do was to try and find the spots featured in the trailers - and I was able to do that because each area had such a strong identity. The Depths are not that. If I'm remembering correctly, everything in the depths is pretty much identical slate-gray, with only a few areas that are notably different (like there being lava underneath Death Mountain). That just didn't make it nearly as much fun to explore - especially when there's so few interesting NPCs down there.

On a personal note, I also just don't like the "massive, world-spanning caverns that create a parallel world" trope. It's a trope I feel like I should really love, but I consistently dislike it. I didn't like the Underdark in Baldur's Gate 3, I didn't like Blackreach in Skyrim, and I just don't like the Depths in Tears of the Kingdom. I know that's 100% personal taste, but it's just how I feel.

I was much more enthused by the sky. In the same way that I personally dislike the cavern world trope, I love floating islands. Not to mention, I love flying in games, so it was fun to build planes and such. However, since those materials are comparatively rare and expensive, it makes it very difficult to actually consistently explore up there, which I found to be frustrating.

To give the game some credit, however, I love the caves in the main overworld a lot. I always wished BOTW itself had some actual caves, and I'm so happy that TOTK filled that gap.

In Conclusion:

I found Tears of the Kingdom to be a much less immersive and much more frustrating experience than Breath of the Wild, due in large part to the removal of some of my favorite things in the original game, and the fact that the new features didn't do enough to make up for it. When it came out, I beat two of the dungeons, and then just...never picked it back up again.

However, I'm interested in giving it a second chance.

Are my problems with the game valid, or am I just resisting change?

Is it worth giving the game another shot, or should I just say it's not my cup of tea and move on?

If I do give it another chance, what would you suggest I do in order to not dwell on the above and make the game worse for myself?