The Legend of Zeldaseries is one that fans know well, spanning almost 40 years of tradition and elements that we’ve come to expect from the games. WithBreath of the Wild, however, Nintendo took the series in a somewhat new direction, opting to leave behind certain things to offer up a fresh experience.
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Though Breath of the Wild was met with overwhelming success,Tears of the Kingdomevolved the new formula even further. Expanding upon what BotW had done, TotK brought back many nostalgic and classic features to solidify this new formula as a newZeldaformula. These are just some of the things that might seem small, but are appreciated on a huge scale.
5Reliance On Items
A big aspect of the Zelda series as a whole has always been collecting items throughout your adventure, and using them in new and vital ways in order to achieve your goal. While TotK treads the same steps as BotW andgives you the majority of the abilities right awayand sets you loose, this time the dependence on using various items in new and creative ways is the star of the show.
Throw fruits with various elemental effects, attach Keese Eyeballs to your arrows to make them home in on the target, or even experiment with plants and mushrooms to inflict some unique states on your enemies. This might not be as traditional as the hookshot or mirror shield, but it works. Plus you can just stick a mirror to a shield. So yeah.
4Bomb Flowers
While on the topic of items, there is one in particular that is a clear step back to something more traditional in the series, and that’s theBomb Flower. The Zelda games have always featured bombs or bomb flowers as items that Link would carry around with him,needing to collect more if he uses them all up.
BotW gave us a magic Sheikah remote bomb, which was convenient and refreshing, but sometimes you can’t beat just absolutely chucking a little blue bomb flower towards some unsuspecting foes or a crumbling rock wall. The return of this item meant two things - room for more actual powers now that the remote bombs were gone, and more nostalgic joy as we collect as many as we can and stick them to our arrows for some devastation.
3Poe Spirits
The Depths holds all manner of secrets in Tears of the Kingdom. A dark and cruel world that lies underneath the one we know, you’ll run into dangers at every turn. However, it’s not all danger - almost, but not entirely - as you can also find the lost spirits of a Hyrule once past. These appear as floating lights called Poe, and they have been in the series many times before.
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What this means for the Depths and what exactly it is is a mystery, but collect them all up and offer them to the Bargainer Statues in order to return them to the afterlife, receiving rewards in the process. This is such a simple yet enjoyable thing to have back in the series, and adds to both the nostalgia and the thrill of uncovering these secrets.
2The Music
We can’t talk about all of this nostalgia without mentioning the most smile-inducing form of it: the music. There are many different tracks in TotK that harken back to classic songs we all know and love. From Zelda’s Lullaby to Link’s House theme,and even the Colgera Boss Musicechoing that of Dragon Roost Island and the Molgera Boss Music from The Wind Waker.
Every little bit of music, both in cinematic moments and while out in the world, make for some incredible scenes where you’re brought back to memories of beloved games in the Zelda series. There’s something for everyone, and TotK knows exactly how to incorporate just enough of that music to make you stunned in recollection.
1Temples
One of the biggest things that fans had been asking for since before a sequel to Breath of the Wild was even announced was the return of proper dungeons. BotW had Link explore each of the Divine Beasts, which were quite similar and bland when it came to what is expected of the series.Tears of the Kingdom brought back the traditional Zelda Temples.
As it is with the classics of the series, each one is devoted to the elements, and will require plenty of exploring different levels, solving puzzles, and reaching mechanisms in order to open the way to the boss. To expand on this, the bosses were also calling back to classic Zelda fights, either in reference or in the way they appeared.
While BotW had you fighting pieces of Ganon that were all very similar, just like the dungeons, TotK has bigger-than-life monsters that will instill that thrill and fear into you as you get ready to fight them. Work out their weaknesses and exploit them, bringing them down to a satisfying victory. These Temples were the biggest aspect that blended the feel of Breath of the Wild with the old-school Zelda formula.
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