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[Bernardougf]

I didn't like BOTW. Weapon durability killed it for me. I seen you can fuse and unfuse or w/e the call it to make weapons last longer. Still no interest in this game. I can already feel the weak console and low fps without playing the game.

Same for me ...

 

[The Cockatrice]

Im seeing the opposite. Less talk about TOTK and I've seen a few huge popular streamers drop it because it's really more or less the same as the previous but with few extra goodies. It's basically Ragnarok all over again. Good sequel but way overblown by critics and doesnt feel like a a true sequel. Limited hardware does that I guess.

 

[Edgelord79]

Sometimes I imagine what Nintendo could do with really good hardware. The game looks visually amazing considering the hardware is on.

They really are wizard at this stuff.

 

[Robb]

It’s more classic Zelda than BotW was. If you didn’t like BotW because of that (no themed dungeons, bosses etc.) this will definitely be waaaaay better. That’s how I feel at least.

The story is also a lot better and gives some cool insight into the overall lore imo.

 

[Chiggs]

So, it's almost like them admitting the weapon durability in the previous game was a bad mechanic.

I think so, yes.

 

[BlackTron]

Try looking at it in reverse. There's a Zelda game I like called Tears of the Kingdom, but I don't like the beta/early access version.

Imagine a version of OOT that gave us all the insane work in the game engine, blowing you away with Hyrule Field and playing notes on ocarina, and innovations like Z-targeting, but only had one dungeon. That's BOTW, it's a proof-of-concept Zelda framework with stuff copy/pasted all over.

Fact is Tears of the Kingdom is a masterpiece but they sold its beta 30 million times for 6 years before giving it to us. As a result you can see TOTK as "taking too much" from BOTW, actually you should be happy they finished the game and put it out before changing the formula, beause BOTW's formula absolutely deserved more.

I did put over 100 hours into BOTW but I'm glad I never tried again to finish it while waiting for this game. TOTK is a lot better if you didn't play BOTW recently, if you've never played it there is little reason to go back.

Many of us liked what BOTW had going on, really Nintendo put more work into creating the framework in BOTW than most entire games get, and their situation releasing it on dead Wii U and fledging Switch as launch title meant it was probably the right business decision to get it out the door, and use the luxury of time/profits from 30 million early access sales to finish it later.

 

[Madflavor]

Im seeing the opposite. Less talk about TOTK and I've seen a few huge popular streamers drop it because it's really more or less the same as the previous but with few extra goodies. It's basically Ragnarok all over again. Good sequel but way overblown by critics and doesnt feel like a a true sequel. Limited hardware does that I guess.

For real? Like who?

 

[PanzerCute]

BOTW gave me the feeling of a prototype with incredible systems, but not much to do with them, a big lack of variety, a bad pacing and a lot of repetitivness.

TOTK fix all that and gives you so, so much more.

So yeah, count me part of that group, Im absolutely blown away.

 

[belmarduk]

TOTK is a lot more story-driven.. and BOTW, while there was a story, you had to work to find it and piece it together.

Both great games, though.

 

[GHG]

I'm only a couple of hours in but getting the ultrahand ability in the first hour of the game makes a huge difference. That and the fact that the introduction sequence was incredible.

Will see how it holds up the further I get but so far I'm having a good time.

 

[PaintTinJr]

Here, I'll sum it up for you:

• Better enemy variety
  • And much, much better bosses.
• Better exploration, especially with the caves and
  Spoiler

  underworld.
• Neutralizing the frustration of weapon durability by adding the Fuse mechanic.
• Shrines are more fun, partially because of the new abilities.
• Better storytelling.
• Better NPCs.
• Better quests.

I thought Breath of the Wild was one of the biggest, emptiest, most overrated gaming experiences of all time...but Tears of the Kingdom is simply incredible.



Well said. I completely agree.

I own two copies of BotW (WiiU/Switch) and completed it at launch on the later - only bought the WiiU copy as one to keep for the system - doing all the extras to see the final aspect of the story ending, and if it wasn't a Zelda game, and a game by Nintendo I could have packed it away after five hours.

My main issues with BotW were as follows:
Weak soundtrack, completely generic and absent of the power and sense of story context the music brings to all the other Zelda adventures.

Weak and thread bare story diluted across hundreds of hours of game play like living on crumbs when every other Zelda has been a four course meal. Doing the additional quests to get the last crumbs was even more disproportionately disappointing and maybe the main reason I haven't got close to buying TotK.

Weapons breaking didn't bother me in general, although I hated the food recipe work, however making the Master Sword breakable - and not for some major story point, and generically break more than once - just fed the notion that BotW just wasn't a Zelda game, and was just a interesting gameplay open world game that had a weak Zelda story line shoehorned on to it to guarantee millions of sales.

So my main question if TotK is a great Zelda game
(TLDR)

Can the master sword be trivially broken like in BotW - taking away the important Excalibur/Sword of Omens/Sword of Grayskull/Transformer Matrix, etc story trope? (eg the Master Sword is effectively nothing, and so is the tri force and the hero of time too, for that matter).

And, Does the Zelda story drive the world's gameplay with music matching those story moments like in all the other Zelda games, or is the story shoehorned to the gameplay with generic music context like BotW?

 

[sigmaZ]

Uh. Because that's how people feel? I liked BotW but it didn't blow me away. There were lots of frustrating and cumbersome elements that prevented me from liking it as much as I could have, but the new one addresses many of these issues. I am sure it's the same with others. Good QoL goes a long way.

 

[BlackTron]

Can the master sword be trivially broken like in BotW - taking away the important Excalibur/Sword of Omens/Sword of Grayskull/Transformer Matrix, etc story trope? (eg the Master Sword is effectively nothing, and so is the tri force and the hero of time too, for that matter).

It works the same way it did in BOTW once you get it back, only now it also shatters at the very start of the game in a cutscene where Link gets the Samus treatment lol. To be fair, it's not like they didn't make a big deal out of it

 

[Hugare]

It's a huge improvement in many ways

* They fixed a little bit the weapon degradation system with Fuse. Its still annoying, just less than before.

* Traversal is much better since now you can fly. Use a tower or rewind some falling rock and glide away. Much better than running for 2 seconds before running out of stamina over and over again.

* Better sidequests (from the ones I've played)

* The start of the game after the tutorial area is much better paced and guides you way better than BOTW to your objectives.

But yeah, its pretty fucking hilarious seeing so many people call BOTW a sketch now

A game with huge design problems that sits at a 97 MC score, that I've been calling it as overrated for years.

TotK still has some huge flaws, but at least I feel vindicated watching people finally realising how overrated BOTW was.

 

[Vyse]

I struggled with BOTW trying to get into it for years. Recently went back and finished a month or so and absolutely loved it. As I have said in other threads, it was my GOTY 5 years in the making.

TOTK looks much better, I already understand the base game mechanics (ie cooking, map, inventory, etc). Just jumped in, remapped buttons, and love it so far.

Can’t wait to see where this journey goes!

 

[AlteredForms]

Because it's a way better game

Way betters deeper open world way more of a Zelda game

BOTW was just like a tutorials for TOTK

Then should BOTW have received a perfect 10 score from media outlets?

 

[93xfan]

I personally don’t mind the weapon durability since fuse adds a lot of fun back into the game.

And building stuff is so open ended and fun.

Really liked BotW, but am excited with what I’ve played of this game so far. Could far surpass BotW

 

[LakeOf9]

Then should BOTW have received a perfect 10 score from media outlets?

Yes because it was the best at the time, and TOTK is better now six years later

 

[LakeOf9]

Here, I'll sum it up for you:

• Better enemy variety
  • And much, much better bosses.
• Better exploration, especially with the caves and
  Spoiler

  underworld.
• Neutralizing the frustration of weapon durability by adding the Fuse mechanic.
• Shrines are more fun, partially because of the new abilities.
• Better storytelling.
• Better NPCs.
• Better quests.

I thought Breath of the Wild was one of the biggest, emptiest, most overrated gaming experiences of all time...but Tears of the Kingdom is simply incredible.



Well said. I completely agree.

Thank you for your reply it was very detailed and I appreciate it

Here, I'm one of them and I'll try to explain.

When BotW came out it may have revolutionized the open world formula for many but for me it was open world nonetheless and the fatigue, after the even in 2017 bazillionth Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, et al, was strong. Not to mention they now took a beloved childhood IP with strong and fond emotions attached to and made it one of the most overused gameplay design.

When I started BotW I immediately loved the art style but the controls where complex for a Zelda game and required learning to do things intuitively. While the open world approach wasn't new at its core it was kind of overwhelming. Guidance is there but not as strong as in your typical open world game and definitely a lot less than in previous Zelda games. After reaching the first main quest checkpoints I was soon lost and wandered about, finding things that would break after a few times using and felt underwhelmed by exploration's rewards.

The story and a strong bond to characters and their stories and conflicts and locations weren't as strong as in previous Zeldas. Mainly because it could take 10 hours to proceed meaningful instead of cooking the 100th recipe or scaling the 100th mountain to find not what I was looking for.

Then add the mini dungeons that had no real connection to the world but teleported you somewhere that could have been anywhere. If you compared that to old Zelda dungeons which were distinctive to their locations you've find them in, this felt quickly like busy work. Mechanically clever but busy work nonetheless.

After 10 hours I put it away and never turned back. Too weak was the pace of the story, too far away was my mindset from what it needed to be to enjoy this game.

Now, after replaying older titles in the mean time I realised how the old formula overstayed its welcome. Having to find that ONE solution to a puzzle, having to do everything in a very specific order, being maybe hours in a location you don't find exciting but need to be in to solve the puzzle. The all-repeating mechanics like finding these little ghost/souls things as wolf Link in Twilight Princess's shadow world. Urgh. It's cool one time or maybe two times but not like what, seven times? And you can't solve it cleverly, creatively or any other way. It's okay when you have fun and like, but having no shortcuts if it's not fun is... annoying.

Then I started to think that maybe BotW idea was right but its execution not good enough for me or not fully understood. I don't know if the pace would have gotten better by playing BotW differently; the price you pay with open world, as it is not as sharply told as it is usually with linear experiences. But the narrative in previous Zelda games, with one outlyer, was always the strongest only with the first three dungeons. After that only rarely something happens in the narrative. After traveling to the future in OoT and reaching the forest temple, there's barely happening something and you go on to a multitude of dungeons and by the look of the world you couldn't tell if I'm at the second or sixth dungeon. It doesn't matter except for my items.

I learned to let that go and if I wanted that again I can always play the old titles or new Zelda clones. Now enter TotK.

After getting used to the weapon breaking mechanics and that I don't have to fight every enemy (in previous Zelda games there was very little to nothing to gain from it anyways), the loot became more and more rewarding because I needed it or I would have something just in case. For example I'm soon be running out of fire fruits because I often use them for survival mechanics (but I could also use flintstones, which is cool, so there's not one only way) but for combat, too. Now a chest or locations with them would feel really rewarding to me.

After I used all my bows for one giant enemy I was happy to find a new one the next enemy has dropped after beating him.

There's so much I could write about the mechanics, so many examples. The main gist is that I don't have to be crafting vehicles and other stuff all the time which I'm not a fan of (I don't care what people on YouTube will build with the ultra hand) but to have so many different solutions or maybe it's like in a traditional puzzle and you only have that one solution but you try out so many different things that it makes sense to try out because the world is reactive, interactive and allows for many things. It has set rules that are always applied (with one exception that you can't climb in mini dungeons). There's no scripted interactivity, something that only works in that instance, like climbing In Horizon where the devs want you to climb.

One last example: I wanted to reach that bird village to the North west. I already thought that climbing wouldn't be possible because of the ice that I'd needed to scale. I tried anyways, used a potions that was supposed to give me better purchase on wet and slippery surfaces after rain, and it didn't work, as I anticipated because it was raw ice and not just a wet rock. I reloaded a save game, listened again to that dialogue of that woman before the collapsed bridge and then found the way to cross said bridge and reach the village. It feels very cool.

Now to the story. The opening alone is much more interesting to me than in BotW. I'm a sucker for character interaction and that's why I rarely play games where there's no or too little interaction. After completing the prologue sky area and coming to the ground I've met Purah and that other little girl, I've met Impa and several other characters that were just fun to talk to or help getting something. It is lighthearted interaction and after roaming the wild for an hour, finding a hut with people to talk to, that even have a little quest, just feels great.

I'm naturally guided to the next encounter in a way I wasn't in BotW. Maybe because I've read the world wrong and now have a better understanding where designers want me to go. Maybe because TotK is better in that regard. I'm not sure.

Maybe I'd like BotW now more than before because I've set my expectations now differently and accordingly.

Anyways, regardless if this makes sense or not, I'm having a blast with TotK.

This as well! Thank you! These are the kinds of breakdowns I was looking for, I appreciate you taking the time to type this out

 

[Heimdall_Xtreme]

Hype?

 

[Madflavor]

Yes because it was the best at the time, and TOTK is better now six years later

Yeah but even for it’s time plenty of people called it out for it’s problems, while journalists kept calling it the greatest video game ever created.

Breath of the Wild really only shines when you’re exploring and interacting with the world. But even then I’d hesitate to call it Top Tier Open World. The enemy variety wasn’t nearly enough to compliment how vast the Open World was, and most exploration rewarded you shrines with the same aesthetic. Then more importantly, when you do anything tied to the Main Story, it’s some of the weakest content in the whole series.

It’s still a great game, but it definitely gets more praise than it actually deserves. I mean it’s literally praised as The Best Game Ever Made.

 

[LakeOf9]

Yeah but even for it’s time plenty of people called it out for it’s problems, while journalists kept calling it the greatest video game ever created.

Breath of the Wild really only shines when you’re exploring and interacting with the world. But even then I’d hesitate to call it Top Tier Open World. The enemy variety wasn’t nearly enough to compliment how vast the Open World was, and most exploration rewarded you shrines with the same aesthetic. Then more importantly, when you do anything tied to the Main Story, it’s some of the weakest content in the whole series.

It’s still a great game, but it definitely gets more praise than it actually deserves. I mean it’s literally praised as The Best Game Ever Made.

I dont think we can say that, the people who call it the best game ever made(which is a lot of people) think that it is the best game ever made, and that what you think are problems dont stand out for them as much (or in some cases aren't even problems to them, like I know a lot of people love the shrines and the weapon durability which a lot of people like to call flaws)

It gets the praise it does because it is that loved by that many people. TOTK is just building on it to bring in the people BOTW couldn't convert by addressing some of its most common complaints

 

[Deerock71]

- 2-3 bigger than BotW
- New traversal mechanics.
- Minecraft-level DIY projects.
- Dark Souls-esque Underneath.

You:

 

[Days like these...]

It's an easy way to not eat crow for all the haters. "But but but this changes EVERYTHING! This is so much better than the crapfest that was Breath of The Wild!"

 

[EverydayBeast]

You owe it to yourself to play tears of the kingdom, breath of the wild was pretty deep, empty your exploration tank, the new quests, weapons it’s just a home run for Nintendo.

 

[amigastar]

New toy syndrome? Idk

 

[PaintTinJr]

It works the same way it did in BOTW once you get it back, only now it also shatters at the very start of the game in a cutscene where Link gets the Samus treatment lol. To be fair, it's not like they didn't make a big deal out of it

Sounds like I'm not going to be someone that the OP is talking about if they haven't got that cornerstone failing in the BotW fixed and have repeated the mistake and even brought attention to it in TotK

For me the issue about repeatedly breaking the Master Sword told me that Miyamoto was no longer Nintendo's creative director at that point, as the proverbial tea table wouldn't have been righted until that design flaw was fixed IMO.

 

[The Cockatrice]

For real? Like who?

Cohh

 

[Danjin44]

For me I highly enjoyed BotW and enjoying TotK even more, the sense of adventure and exploration is unmatched.

 

[ShadyAcshuns]

This title is probably making people realize they shouldn't have ignored or quit playing BotW.

 

[kunonabi]

Sounds like I'm not going to be someone that the OP is talking about if they haven't got that cornerstone failing in the BotW fixed and have repeated the mistake and even brought attention to it in TotK

For me the issue about repeatedly breaking the Master Sword told me that Miyamoto was no longer Nintendo's creative director at that point, as the proverbial tea table wouldn't have been righted until that design flaw was fixed IMO.

The Master Sword is the most confounding thing. I'll begrudgingly accept a weakened master sword assuming it could be fixed but despite multiple quests to power it up in BotW it still breaks. It's just so pointless since by the end of the game you're swimming in weapons anyway and the Master Sword isnt going to "break the game's progression" either. Now we have TotK where the Master Sword being unbreakable is even less of an issue since you can balance it out by making it incapable of fusing. If the Master Sword still breaks in TotK after being fully restored there's a good chance I'll drop the game then and there.

 

[PaintTinJr]

The Master Sword is the most confounding thing. I'll begrudgingly accept a weakened master sword assuming it could be fixed but despite multiple quests to power it up in BotW it still breaks. It's just so pointless since by the end of the game you're swimming in weapons anyway and the Master Sword isnt going to "break the game's progression" either. Now we have TotK where the Master Sword being unbreakable is even less of an issue since you can balance it out by making it incapable of fusing. If the Master Sword still breaks in TotK after being fully restored there's a good chance I'll drop the game then and there.

Feel free to let me know if you drop the game or if a fully restored Master Sword lives up to its name.

 

[MagnesD3]

Right now I'm digging the new abilities (obviously the shine could wear off in 100 hours) but that has alot to do with it. Weapon breaking isn't as bad and that made a big difference too, I really like the sky jazzy music. And yeah I'm curious about what's going in with the story, there also seems to be something to do around every corner idk I'm having alot of fun. I never hated BOTW I just hated certain aspects of it, miss old 3d Zelda, and couldn't stand the hyperbole of people calling it the best game ever. I still have my gripes with certain BoTW mechanics but I'm into it right now. Hopefully it won't feel like a chore around the 50-100 hour mark because I'll be doing every shrine like last time.

 

[MagnesD3]

Banjo Kazooie Nuts and bolts was hated on for that.

Nintendo do it and now it's amazing?

That game was hated for destroying the franchise with the greatest 3d platformer of all time..

 

[K2D]

Don't know OP, but it's more difficult and unforgiving than BotW right off the bat. There also seems to be more creative aspects at the very start of the game.

 

[ShadyAcshuns]

Then should BOTW have received a perfect 10 score from media outlets?

Yes because it was the best at the time, and TotK just builds upon that.

 

[BlackTron]

Sounds like I'm not going to be someone that the OP is talking about if they haven't got that cornerstone failing in the BotW fixed and have repeated the mistake and even brought attention to it in TotK

For me the issue about repeatedly breaking the Master Sword told me that Miyamoto was no longer Nintendo's creative director at that point, as the proverbial tea table wouldn't have been righted until that design flaw was fixed IMO.

I'm not crazy about the Master Sword shattering or "running out of energy" stuff but I don't think it's the stamp of whether a game has merit either. Whether weapon durability is a good idea is an entire other conversation, but as long as it's in there, I don't see how they give you the Master Sword without making the entire durability system pointless. You could just ignore every other weapon and spam it.

For example if Miyamoto was going to flip the proverbial table, what would he do? Take out the entire weapon durability system because the Master Sword isn't compatible with it?

 

[Werewolf Jones]

Fraud soy hype probably. Give it a few months and the real opinions will come out.

 

[MagnesD3]

Fraud soy hype probably. Give it a few months and the real opinions will come out.

It will take me a few months to finish it probably lol, it's pretty damn big.

 

[PaintTinJr]

I'm not crazy about the Master Sword shattering or "running out of energy" stuff but I don't think it's the stamp of whether a game has merit either. Whether weapon durability is a good idea is an entire other conversation, but as long as it's in there, I don't see how they give you the Master Sword without making the entire durability system pointless. You could just ignore every other weapon and spam it.

For example if Miyamoto was going to flip the proverbial table, what would he do? Take out the entire weapon durability system because the Master Sword isn't compatible with it?

IMO they should have made it that the master sword would always be incomplete in BotW - even if you only discover that when you think you've fully restored it. A false quest with story expose being superior to a pointless quest for a weapon that has zero uniqueness in BotW.

Equally they could have made it that you never get the sword until the finale battle, or some other reason that the sword can not work according to expectation.

The whole series is tied to the uniqueness and power of the Master Sword, which in turn is tied to Zelda, the legend of the Hero and the Tri Force. To make one redundant- the master sword in this case - makes them all redundant IMO and for it to be just another piece of semi powerful equipment that breaks to satisfy game mechanics really starts eroding the foundation of the series' story and ignites the question, is this even a Zelda game - when it is so inconsistent with the series?

If I'd wanted Miyamoto to retcon the complete mistake from BotW, I might have hoped he'd gone further and made it that the Link you play as in BotW - and TotK - is actually not human, and is an elaborate Royal robot representation of the Hero of legend, and the reason the Sword didn't work and breaks, was because it doesn't work for robots, and by the end of TotK a real Hero of legend has come of age to wield the sword in an unbreakable form.

I'm probably being overly harsh because the BotW (and TotK) clearly took major inspiration from the Thundercats reboot - from many years back - and such a parallel with the Sword of Omens, which is so integral to the Thundercats story requires the prop of such a powerful sword to be as expected for the story to work IMO.

 

[OCL]

I loved everything about BOTW


I hate TOTK, like i really really hate it

 

[Hero_Select]

Weapon Durability while still present in the game is so much better. Fusing items/weapons together is amazingly fun and creative. The story is much more pronounced this time, the world is even more dense than before and the enemy variety is so so much better.

Basically, TotK took almost every criticism someone might have had for botw and "fixed" it. Idk how many hours I put into the game so far but my god. This game feels almost impossible. In a AAA setting where games are glitchy buggy messed, TotK (and botw) are mind-blowingly polished.

Easily GOTY contender.

 

[BlackTron]

IMO they should have made it that the master sword would always be incomplete in BotW - even if you only discover that when you think you've fully restored it. A false quest with story expose being superior to a pointless quest for a weapon that has zero uniqueness in BotW.

Equally they could have made it that you never get the sword until the finale battle, or some other reason that the sword can not work according to expectation.

The whole series is tied to the uniqueness and power of the Master Sword, which in turn is tied to Zelda, the legend of the Hero and the Tri Force. To make one redundant- the master sword in this case - makes them all redundant IMO and for it to be just another piece of semi powerful equipment that breaks to satisfy game mechanics really starts eroding the foundation of the series' story and ignites the question, is this even a Zelda game - when it is so inconsistent with the series?

If I'd wanted Miyamoto to retcon the complete mistake from BotW, I might have hoped he'd gone further and made it that the Link you play as in BotW - and TotK - is actually not human, and is an elaborate Royal robot representation of the Hero of legend, and the reason the Sword didn't work and breaks, was because it doesn't work for robots, and by the end of TotK a real Hero of legend has come of age to wield the sword in an unbreakable form.

I'm probably being overly harsh because the BotW (and TotK) clearly took major inspiration from the Thundercats reboot - from many years back - and such a parallel with the Sword of Omens, which is so integral to the Thundercats story requires the prop of such a powerful sword to be as expected for the story to work IMO.

I do hear where you're coming from, but there are a lot of Zelda games that stayed in the same lanes and when they decided to start over from scratch with a disruptive entry, I don't think they were about to be hampered by story conventions while designing gameplay systems.

I can tell you I can't imagine Miyamoto saying "this idea works great for the game, but the story won't allow it". Whether he ever thought weapon durability was great to begin with I have no idea, but if he thought it made the game better, story would be no barrier.

By the way, the Master Sword doesn't actually break in BOTW, it just gets "low on energy" if you use it too much, to encourage you to switch up weapons often as durability intended. People use it for whacking ore deposits because it never breaks. I mean, in a game where you are worried about literally every weapon breaking, when you get the Master Sword it actually does seem special that you can use it as much as you want and never worry about losing it. If you spam it too much it will just need a "rest" for a bit making you grab a different weapon. I also considered other solutions like not letting you have it until the final battle. But BOTW is completely non-linear, and even if it was, I think people would be even more upset about never getting it until the very end. I think they just know an integral part of Zelda is finding this sword somewhere like a forest meadow, and making you cycle it out after too much use is better than withholding it completely for a story/lore reason.

On the topic of the sword breaking in the beginning of TOTK. I'm not deep enough into the game to see where they really go with this, but I see the idea. Link walked in with a ton of hearts and a Master Sword fresh from the last adventure. He took a hit so bad he was knocked back to 3 hearts, even though the sword took the brunt of the attack. It was their way of explaining "expand your hearts and find the Master Sword even though you already did with the same Link in this direct sequel. Get him BACK to health! RESTORE the decayed Master Sword!" Also you don't just swing by a blacksmith, Zelda has the sword and it's clear something serious will have to happen.

So the sword never actually broke in BOTW, and in TOTK it "decays" in a big deal cutscene that messes up Link so bad he has to have his sword arm replaced (yes, he loses it). While technically yeah, the sword doesn't seem as OP as old games/lore would imply, it's not like they don't make a big deal out of it. The one time we see it actually break, Link gets annihilated and needs a limb replaced.

 

[pennythoughts]

I like BOTW but it's never held my attention the way TOTK has. The map verticality, traversal, fuse system, powers, QOL improvements and aesthetic changes have sucked me in. I don't really get starstruck seeing new environments in games the way some people seem to but being rewarded for being clever with mechanics is a huge win in my book.

 

[Chiggs]

Fraud soy hype probably.

 

[Forth]

I like BOTW but it's never held my attention the way TOTK has. The map verticality, traversal, fuse system, powers, QOL improvements and aesthetic changes have sucked me in. I don't really get starstruck seeing new environments in games the way some people seem to but being rewarded for being clever with mechanics is a huge win in my book.

This so much.

 

[Sweden85]

Haven't tried this yet, but anything has to be better than BOTW. BOTW was the emptiest open-world I ever played.

 

[MMaRsu]

Better story, more interactivity, fun quests, nice worldbuilding, cool mechanics.

 

[PaintTinJr]

I do hear where you're coming from, but there are a lot of Zelda games that stayed in the same lanes and when they decided to start over from scratch with a disruptive entry, I don't think they were about to be hampered by story conventions while designing gameplay systems.

I can tell you I can't imagine Miyamoto saying "this idea works great for the game, but the story won't allow it". Whether he ever thought weapon durability was great to begin with I have no idea, but if he thought it made the game better, story would be no barrier.

By the way, the Master Sword doesn't actually break in BOTW, it just gets "low on energy" if you use it too much, to encourage you to switch up weapons often as durability intended. People use it for whacking ore deposits because it never breaks. I mean, in a game where you are worried about literally every weapon breaking, when you get the Master Sword it actually does seem special that you can use it as much as you want and never worry about losing it. If you spam it too much it will just need a "rest" for a bit making you grab a different weapon. I also considered other solutions like not letting you have it until the final battle. But BOTW is completely non-linear, and even if it was, I think people would be even more upset about never getting it until the very end. I think they just know an integral part of Zelda is finding this sword somewhere like a forest meadow, and making you cycle it out after too much use is better than withholding it completely for a story/lore reason.

On the topic of the sword breaking in the beginning of TOTK. I'm not deep enough into the game to see where they really go with this, but I see the idea. Link walked in with a ton of hearts and a Master Sword fresh from the last adventure. He took a hit so bad he was knocked back to 3 hearts, even though the sword took the brunt of the attack. It was their way of explaining "expand your hearts and find the Master Sword even though you already did with the same Link in this direct sequel. Get him BACK to health! RESTORE the decayed Master Sword!" Also you don't just swing by a blacksmith, Zelda has the sword and it's clear something serious will have to happen.

So the sword never actually broke in BOTW, and in TOTK it "decays" in a big deal cutscene that messes up Link so bad he has to have his sword arm replaced (yes, he loses it). While technically yeah, the sword doesn't seem as OP as old games/lore would imply, it's not like they don't make a big deal out of it. The one time we see it actually break, Link gets annihilated and needs a limb replaced.

I thought the sword that becomes the master sword in botw can be broken before it is fully restored, but it is a long time since I've played the game so might be remembering that wrong.

All I know from years of playing Nintendo games with Miyamoto and Iwata at the helm of gaming decisions, is that they would never send a Zelda game out the door that would leave the gamer feeling cheated and irritated after over 100hrs of playtime because the story was so weak and so incoherent with expectation of Zelda lore to accommodate a game mechanic around a major Zelda lore trope.

By the end of BotW the Master Sword doesn't even feel like the best weapon in the game(IMHO) and completely pointless when it can't be used to handle generic hordes without a 10min cool down.

I'm hoping TotK does fix that major issue, because if things are greatly improved and they've fixed that, I might be persuaded to buy a copy after my nephew showcases in a few weeks time, although after passing on the DLC for BotW, I'm pretty sure I'm done with this style of Zelda game, just like I am with MK, because it has been poor IMHO after the excellent Double Dash and the DS versions.

 

[PillsOff]

Cos it is a better execution of it's core concepts?

It's pretty simple answer.

Gameplay of BOTW never truly tapped into potential of it's concept all that often.

This one does.