It's been more than a month since Tears of the Kingdom came out. Since the game is roughly 90835 hours long, I assume right around now, everyone who got it at launch should be finishing it, so this is the best time to ask: which of the BOTW duology do you like more, and why? Breath of the Wild obviously has the impact of being the great reinvention that it was, and it also has a great focus and atmosphere, but TOTK beats it on almost everything else. These are both among my favorite games ever but if you could only pick one, which would it be and why?
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1+ month later, which do you think is better: BOTW or TOTK?
- Thread starter LakeOf9
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DownLikeBCPowder
Member
Personally after beating TotK I feel like it's better.
I don't discount that one day I might revisit breath of the wild but if I were to replay either one of them right now it would be Tears of the Kingdom.
It just adds a lot more mobility and verticality that's hard to go back from but Breath of the Wild does have its own charm.
I think in the end the Divine beasts were honestly better than the dungeons we got in tears of the kingdom, but overall the experience of getting to and doing the dungeons wasn't too bad it was okay maybe a step in the right direction but if I had to choose between the two I would prefer the overall experience of the Divine beast being a little bit more in depth of a dungeon though in future entries I would like to see much more in depth dungeons.
What I would really like to see is more puzzle elements into the overworld as well as more deep dungeons. The shrines were a bit weaker in some respects for Tears of the Kingdom which is a shame as I expected them to be kicked up majorly. But they were still enjoyable for the most part but there are just too many again.
Overall though, TotK was great despite some complaints.
I don't discount that one day I might revisit breath of the wild but if I were to replay either one of them right now it would be Tears of the Kingdom.
It just adds a lot more mobility and verticality that's hard to go back from but Breath of the Wild does have its own charm.
I think in the end the Divine beasts were honestly better than the dungeons we got in tears of the kingdom, but overall the experience of getting to and doing the dungeons wasn't too bad it was okay maybe a step in the right direction but if I had to choose between the two I would prefer the overall experience of the Divine beast being a little bit more in depth of a dungeon though in future entries I would like to see much more in depth dungeons.
What I would really like to see is more puzzle elements into the overworld as well as more deep dungeons. The shrines were a bit weaker in some respects for Tears of the Kingdom which is a shame as I expected them to be kicked up majorly. But they were still enjoyable for the most part but there are just too many again.
Overall though, TotK was great despite some complaints.
Robb
Gold Member
Initially I was thinking it’d be a Super Mario Galaxy 1/2 situation, where 1 would still be my favorite despite 2 being better in every way.
But TotK is just something else. I honestly can’t believe how much better it is. I finished it a while ago but just talking about it now makes me want to jump back in again.
But TotK is just something else. I honestly can’t believe how much better it is. I finished it a while ago but just talking about it now makes me want to jump back in again.
Chukhopops
Member
I haven’t finished TotK yet but so far I prefer BotW, I’m just not entirely sure why to be honest.
The only thing I can think of is I don’t really like the new powers and the game feels like a ROM hack in some parts (like the completely random floating platforms to go to some temples) when BotW had this perfect organic world feel.
The caves and sky islands feel very same-ish once you’ve done 10 of each. The depths is really cool and fun but that’s it.
The only thing I can think of is I don’t really like the new powers and the game feels like a ROM hack in some parts (like the completely random floating platforms to go to some temples) when BotW had this perfect organic world feel.
The caves and sky islands feel very same-ish once you’ve done 10 of each. The depths is really cool and fun but that’s it.
Ulysses 31
Member
TOTK provided you don't cheese most of the fun out it.
semiconscious
Member
imo, aside from throwing in the assembly mechanics & the 2 additional areas (one of which is just horrifically ugly), neither of which 'additions' i really enjoyed, totk simply re-arranges the deck chairs on the one & only original good ship lollipop (botw). & i personally prefer the way that they already were arranged...
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For me, the freshness came with BOTW. I'm not sure better is the right word, but it felt more impactful for me. There was something more beautiful in BotW, the plot of the champions, the exploration of the world, and Kass. I really missed Kass in this TotK.
TotK gave me moments, revisiting familiar places can feel so cozy and warm in this game. You're connected to them and you care.
I think they are both at the same level for me. I do feel like the crafting of TotK is nice, but it does feel like busy work sometimes and I wish the traversal stuff were powers I could use like flying.
TotK gave me moments, revisiting familiar places can feel so cozy and warm in this game. You're connected to them and you care.
I think they are both at the same level for me. I do feel like the crafting of TotK is nice, but it does feel like busy work sometimes and I wish the traversal stuff were powers I could use like flying.
Aldric
Member
Breath of the Wild and I don't think it's close.
I've enjoyed TotK a lot and I think it's better than 90% of other games released nowadays but I have no idea why people keep parroting the notion it "fixed BotW" or that it's a much better version of the original. It's not. It's not BotW but better, it's BotW but more. It lacks the coherence, purity and uniqueness of the original. The feeling of discovery isn't there, not just in terms of the environments but also mechanically, these moments of pure wonder when you realized the possibilities offered by that new Zelda formula.
Breath of the Wild is one of the greatest video games of all time, Tears of the Kingdom is "only" a very good game.
I've enjoyed TotK a lot and I think it's better than 90% of other games released nowadays but I have no idea why people keep parroting the notion it "fixed BotW" or that it's a much better version of the original. It's not. It's not BotW but better, it's BotW but more. It lacks the coherence, purity and uniqueness of the original. The feeling of discovery isn't there, not just in terms of the environments but also mechanically, these moments of pure wonder when you realized the possibilities offered by that new Zelda formula.
Breath of the Wild is one of the greatest video games of all time, Tears of the Kingdom is "only" a very good game.
Honestly i don't know, but BoTW has a hundred times more merit than ToTK, no doubt about it.
Level design wise everything that's added in ToTK is very forgettable. It has the new powers but barely exploits them in a meaningful way.
I almost want to say BoTW is the best game because half of the things in ToTK feel very out of place, a lot of absurdity in this game, while i didn't feel that way in BoTW.
Level design wise everything that's added in ToTK is very forgettable. It has the new powers but barely exploits them in a meaningful way.
I almost want to say BoTW is the best game because half of the things in ToTK feel very out of place, a lot of absurdity in this game, while i didn't feel that way in BoTW.
kunonabi
Member
BotW's setups for things felt a lot more organic than TotK. You can tell they really struggled with coming up plot explanations for having to redo all the same shit from botw. It comes off as very forced and nonsensical much of the time.
I think the biggest juxtaposition is that Zonai ruins don't look at all like anything Zonai in the sky and such, so there's a big design disconnect for me. If you chose it as a race in Hyrule that apparently had owls and dragons monoliths, why is that not present in any of the designs in the sky? or Depths?
Yeah, I agree that BotW felt more cohesive and organic.
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01011001
Banned
Breath of the Wild, very clearly IMO.
better dungeons, better shrines, better sense of adventure, less clutter, abilities are way more fun to use, and due to their more interesting use cases they are the reason why imo the shrines and dungeons were better than in TotK.
I don't really understand why people think TotK is the better game... sure it has more stuff in it, but honestly that's part of what makes it worse imo.
better dungeons, better shrines, better sense of adventure, less clutter, abilities are way more fun to use, and due to their more interesting use cases they are the reason why imo the shrines and dungeons were better than in TotK.
I don't really understand why people think TotK is the better game... sure it has more stuff in it, but honestly that's part of what makes it worse imo.
Banjo64
cumsessed
Goes to show that there is no wrong or right answer. Personally I hated the shrines in BotW. I felt like every one was dejavu. In TotK they truly feel like little separate puzzles IMO. I love them in TotK.
Robb
Gold Member
I think it’s just a case of disagreeing with everything you wrote. Every single point you mention is better in TotK to me, and it’s not even remotely close.
Some runes in BotW were fantastic like stasis and magnesis. But you had two different runes for round and square bombs and that ice rune which was useless 90% of the time. Magnesis is just replaced by ultra hand (which is more versatile anyway). I’m baffled anyone would prefer BotW’s runes to the abilities in TotK.
And the shrines are soooooo much better in TotK as well. There were way too many ‘test of strength’ shrines in BotW, not to mention the horrible gyroscope shrines that were barely playable.
The temples in TotK are infinitely better as well. The divine beast were some of the worst copy-paste temples the series has ever seen.
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01011001
Banned
I think I already did like 6 or 7 naked survival shrines, and 1 shrine for literally every basic ability like throwing stuff... blocking stuff... parry stuff... shoot arrow at stuff... doging attacks... and so on.
and then the actual puzzle shrines are usually just layed out for you. often you're supposed to build something very specific, or it's already fully build for you and you just fly across some gap or something.
there are some good ones, but IMO not even remotely on the level and with the same amount of interesting ideas as in BotW
and how were the gyroscope shrines barely playable? wtf? is your controller broken?
The only remotely interesting one was the fire temple. the other ones were even simpler and less mechanically interesting than any of BotW's beasts.
I did like the path to the temples more than the temples themselves as well. and those were good additions compared to BotW. but imo those are also the only thing I think is an improvement.
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Robb
Gold Member
The Eventide-island shrines are way better than the combat shrines in BotW imo. Forces you to be resourceful and think about the environment.
Tutorial shrines were in BotW as well. So I guess that’d be equally bad in both, if you consider those bad. But even those are more varied in TotK as they don’t just re-use the same enemy type over and over (Guardians).
Not sure what to tell you. If you enjoyed the gyro shrines in BotW i would bet you are in a vast minority. Can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to re-adjust the gyro and everything just goes crazy.
I’d disagree with you there as well. Fire temple was probably my least favorite of them all.
Once you’ve done one beast in BotW you’ve pretty experienced them all. It’s the same gimmick and then with the same boss in the end.
Imo TotK is so much better it’s not even funny. Not perfect by any means, but compared to BotW it’s not even a competition to me.
darrylgorn
Member
Can a game really be any better than itself?
01011001
Banned
they do? then I must have hallucinated doing all of them practically the same way. go in, take weapons, run at enemy, dodge, spam attacked, repeat with all enemies.
the fire temple was at thr very least more intricate. the other temples were almost identical in nature/design to the beasts on BotW, just without the the manipulatable body parts of the beasts.
the fire temple was the only one that could be compared to classic Zelda temples.
Guerilla Munch
Member
I'm about 60 hours in and TotK feels like a gargantuan expansion pack and collectathon, which I'm fine with. There's an endless amount of stuff to do and collect, so I'll probably be coming back to this over the next couple years to chip away away 100%.
That being said, I think BotW is still Nintendo's premier masterpiece. The building and fusing in TotK is a marvel of software engineering but those abilities have cheapened the exploration for me because I can cheesedick my way through any obstacle the game throws at me. BotW just felt like a more cohesive and grounded world.
That being said, I think BotW is still Nintendo's premier masterpiece. The building and fusing in TotK is a marvel of software engineering but those abilities have cheapened the exploration for me because I can cheesedick my way through any obstacle the game throws at me. BotW just felt like a more cohesive and grounded world.
Hudo
Member
I think Tears of the Kingdom is more refined in how Hyrule is designed. I am also a sucker for big-ass underground areas. However, I would love their take at gameplay with Zelda as a permanent companion in a future game. Or make a spiritual successor to Wind Waker and have Link also acquire a submarine or something.
Robb
Gold Member
If that’s how you want to approach them more power to you. I’ve been building robots that fight alongside me, sneaking around killing the enemies from behind, fusing all kinds of stuff together to get an idea of what works best etc.
But then again Eventide was a highlight in BotW for me, so I enjoy these a lot.
Even if you don’t though, I’m not sure how they can be worse than the combat shrines in BotW. These are more varied, allow for way more experimentation (even if you yourself may not choose to experiment) etc.
The only thing I can think of that’s identical between the temples in TotK is the way you progress by pushing/pulling five levers.
In one temple you play with wind and use trampolines as traversal. In the next you’re riding and fighting on minecarts. After that you’re solving puzzles using light/reflections and then you’re making your way through black goo while solving puzzles in anti-gravity.
It’s infinitely more varied than any divine beast in BotW ever was imo.
FunkMiller
Gold Member
TOTK basically makes BOTW feel like a tech demo of the concept.
Shifty1897
Member
It's definitely the one that felt most like a dungeon from an older Zelda game like Twilight Princess or Ocarina of Time.
Personally prefered BotW. While I absolutely loved TotK, it obviously didn't have the same impact 6 years later as BotW did in 2017. Also, the biggest improvement compared to BotW was the whole 'create anything' aspect. And while I appreciate all the wacky, weird creations people make and I like watching YouTube video's of them, I'm not creative enough to do that myself. So I ended up just making the standard 3-4 flying machines for anything I needed.
But yeah, I loved exploring the underworld, and I love the story and all the characters. Between Breath of the Wild, Age of Calamity and Tears of the Kingdom, this was an experience I'll not soon forget.
That being said, for the new Zelda, I hope they do something new again.
But yeah, I loved exploring the underworld, and I love the story and all the characters. Between Breath of the Wild, Age of Calamity and Tears of the Kingdom, this was an experience I'll not soon forget.
That being said, for the new Zelda, I hope they do something new again.
Portugeezer
Member
TOTK is better
BOTW felt more special.
BOTW felt more special.
Kataploom
Gold Member
Both play way too different imo.
You can try playing TOTK like BOTW, but it won't feel like BOTW that much, it doesn't let you lose your mind so easily while going from point to point with all the events, quests, etc. Going on.
Some complained about BOTW being empty, but that was one of the game strengths rather than a weakness. Also it's not actually "empty" in the sense that there's nothing to do, it is in the sense you are not bombarded by events in the map or right in front of you every 40 second but rather you see the distance and can opt in or ignore them.
TOTK has that but also in more frequency and variety, and the new traversal mechanics make it pointless to play like BOTW, it's more straightforward, you can just reach any place easily by going to the sky and plan a fall travel.
They're just different, I liked TOTK a lot but I feel it's not a substitute for BOTW. Of course, nor it's otherwise.
You can try playing TOTK like BOTW, but it won't feel like BOTW that much, it doesn't let you lose your mind so easily while going from point to point with all the events, quests, etc. Going on.
Some complained about BOTW being empty, but that was one of the game strengths rather than a weakness. Also it's not actually "empty" in the sense that there's nothing to do, it is in the sense you are not bombarded by events in the map or right in front of you every 40 second but rather you see the distance and can opt in or ignore them.
TOTK has that but also in more frequency and variety, and the new traversal mechanics make it pointless to play like BOTW, it's more straightforward, you can just reach any place easily by going to the sky and plan a fall travel.
They're just different, I liked TOTK a lot but I feel it's not a substitute for BOTW. Of course, nor it's otherwise.
Men_in_Boxes
Snake Oil Salesman
How much of that is due to TotK coming after BotW and how much of it is due to superior design?
I personally felt TotK was the better game but I could only play 10 hours of it before boredom forced me out. I got 20+ hours of fun from BotW before hitting the wall.
Danjin44
The nicest person on this forum
I guessing you have more fun if it had PVP? Or if it was GaaS game?
Men_in_Boxes
Snake Oil Salesman
I just felt the rewards weren't that interesting and the punishments failed to create compelling moments.
Early on I enjoyed solving 4, 8, or 12 shrines but you realize pretty quickly how dull upgrading Link actually is. Then you're stuck with the fact that your solving puzzles designed for children...which doesn't give much satisfaction.
gokurho
Member
This.
kvltus lvlzvs
Member
Botw by a country mile IMHO.
Im always curious about this, why did Tears work for you when BOTW didnt? Was it any one big thing, or just all the smaller changes TOTK makes coming together to make you like it more?
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