Friday, May 19, 2023

Tears of the Kingdom Adventure Log, Entry 4

My experience of landing in Hyrule Kingdom couldn't have been any different from the last time, before I have reset. I was actually skydiving, and not just dropping like a rock. It was during the night, not the day. And I left the pond in a completely different direction, which had me confused for a bit if it even was the same pond.

In this post I will talk about the beginning in Hyrule Kingdom a bit, with the Lookout Landing, Hyrule Castle, the shrines around Hyrule Field, and finally a small detour to the Great Plateau. Only the latter might be a bit of spoiler territory for some.


A New Dawn

After I managed to find my bearings, the first thing I did was going back right to the Riverside Stable. I was smart enough to change the mane of my latest horse in Breath of the Wild, after I had obtained Hestu's Gift. Your customized manes will carry over (unlike the horse gear), so this was a good way of checking that I'm dealing now with my completed save data from Breath of the Wild.

Mohawk Galena approves! And right from this moment it took a load off my mind. Once I had discovered that it uses some of your save data from Breath of the Wild, I was not able to truly enjoy the game any longer, because I wasn't finished with my latest journey through the first title. It felt like nothing really matters here, because I'm picking things up from an unfinished adventure...

looking at the dawn near the Riverside Stable

Now that this got taken care of, I could finally breathe and embrace the altered Hyrule. It might appear crazy or compulsive, but to me this really mattered and it was like a switch flipped in my head. The new adventure could finally begin!

And I will take my sweet, sweet time with this. I've been rushing through Breath of the Wild in the last couple of days like a madman, but I won't be doing the same with Tears of the Kingdom. I will talk to every person, read every book, turn every stone, and look for every last Korok without the help of guides. This will take me months, probably, but I'm up for it. I still have three weeks of vacation left, but I won't be using those for the game exclusively and I won't be making any goals for this time frame, like completing all the main dungeons. I'll just do whatever I feel like and there will be no rush. Some days I will probably write more about the game than play it, where today is such a day already and I'm currently writing about my progress from yesterday evening... But that's okay.


Field of Shrines

While I could have used any of my imported horses, I still caught myself one for the experience, where I even managed to find a good one. It looks similar, if not identical, to Link's default horse in Breath of the Wild, but it has four units of stamina. I called her "Traversa".

sneaking up on horses during the night
the new horse with Kakariko in the background

With my new steed I then went around Hyrule Field a little, which is littered with the Shrines of Light, where it's easy to spot their green vortexes from a distance. And so far my impression with them is really positive, where they have a very different tone to the Sheikah Shrines from Breath of the Wild. They aren't meant as a trial to prove yourself worthy to some monk, who spends his last moments with observing how you're solving his puzzles or how you fall victim to one of his sadistic traps.

The Shrine of Lights so far have all been teachings. Teach you how to fight, teach you how to use the different Zonai abilities in different ways, and teach you how to make good use of the Zonai devices. There is even a whole lot of shrines just dedicated to the Ultrahand due to the latter. For example, I liked those stakes that stick to most surfaces, and there is so much potential with this alone. It's also interesting that the wheels don't drain your Energy Cell, so you can just go with them...

Your abilities in Tears of the Kingdom are a lot more versatile, and with this comes a much more intricate level of puzzle design than what we had in Breath of the Wild. There the abilities were more basic, but most of them also were more convenient. It was very convenient to have Bombs all the time, it was very convenient to just freeze enemies with Stasis, and it was very convenient to cross any water with Cryonis. The new abilities let you do a lot more, but you also have to be better prepared and more crafty in Tears of the Kingdom.

By the way, I like how intuitively the abilities got arranged in the ring menu. You press up to use Ascend, which makes a lot of sense. You press to the right for the Ultrahand, where Link's new arm is also his right arm. Recall gets accessed by pressing left, where a rewind feature always gets displayed as arrows to the left. And for Fuse you press down, where you usually bring stuff towards you, which also feels right. It's very easy to learn where is what, which lets me swap things much quicker.

The diagonal "items" might all be features of the Purah Pad, where so far it's only the map and the amiibo tool for me. And the map really feels like a waste of a slot, because you can access it with the minus button already. But the Camera Rune will most likely be added later and then there looks to be one last thing, where I have given up on the idea that the tears will provide Link with new abilities. They may still give abilities, but those are probably tied to the respective characters... I'll see, but right now it feels like your toolkit gets unfolded in pretty much the same way as in Breath of the Wild.

on a self-made ropeway

In the Susuyai Shrine (A Spinning Device), which you can see above, I did encounter a weird bug, however. I fell down into the abyss while trying to attach the wheels, but the game then placed me right above the abyss again. I just kept falling to the death and there was nothing that I can do, except for leaving the game or accept a Game Over.

And I'm also not so happy with rotating things using the Ultrahand. It's simply missing an axis, where it can be a bit annoying to rotate the object exactly the way you need it, where there is even one shrine that wants you to play something similar to one of those baby shape toys, but it wasn't as easy. Ootherwise my experience with the shrines has been quite pleasant so far, where I'm also happy to have them back, in addition to all the cave stuff.

This actually brings me back to my old Shrine Maker idea from 2018. I was a bit sad that Nintendo never has done anything like this, but of course this is a good thing now, because a Shrine Maker based on Tears of the Kingdom (or possibly even both games) would have so much more potential... But let's talk about this at a later point.


Arrival at Lookout Landing

The next part in the story wasn't entirely new to me, because I've played it a bit before returning to Breath of the Wild, just because I wanted to see what was going to happen. In Breath of the Wild it was also a good idea to follow King Rhoam's advice first, because this is how you get the additional Sheikah Slate functionality. And in this case you don't even have the Paraglider yet, where I felt very naked without one. So, my willingness to explore any further without following the story at first was limited.

riding towards a wooden fortress near Hyrule Castle

And going to Lookout Landing really leaves a good first impression of the altered Hyrule, which will immediately take away any worries about having the same game world as in Breath of the Wild. They have completely fortified the Sacred Ground Ruins, turning it into an outpost that functions as a small base in front of the ruins of Hyrule Castle Town.

It seems to be the only new "town" in the game, because there is a map there of all the other towns, but I like this place. They even have a telescope with actual functionality to look at the castle, which is very reminiscent of Majora's Mask.

But most importantly, it all feels very alive and a lot more interactive. Not to say that the other towns in Breath of the Wild didn't, but you're not some stranger any longer, who is just arriving there for the first time. You are recognized by most people. You are the princess's appointed knight and the hero of Hyrule, where the people are really appreciative of you. That's very new for a Zelda game, where usually you're just a nobody.

There were some exceptions to this in Breath of the Wild already, but here it feels a lot more like you're part of an actual society, a society that is in the process of rebuilding after the Great Calamity. Plus, in many of the other villages you will definitely be known as a hero as well, especially the ones you've saved from the Divine Beasts. And I'm very excited about this prospect, because this puts you in a very fresh position for a Zelda game. Though, some people do seem to have a hard time to remember you...

Anyway, I also got quickly excited about one thing in the storage room, or whatever that is. There is a statue for praying, which just says "Poes"... While I do enjoy having the Koroks back, I'd love to have a variety of other collectibles. The Bubbul Gems are already one, and maybe there will be Poe Souls after all? I'd be down!


The End is the Beginning

You're quickly directed towards Hyrule Castle to help Captain Hoz in his search for Princess Zelda. And I like the poetry of this, because you're starting this new adventure where the last one has ended. You land in Hyrule near the middle of Hyrule Field, where you fought Dark Beast Ganon. It's not the exact spot, but quite close, in what used to be the Bottomless Swamp. Then you're moving towards Hyrule Castle, which was the final area of the previous game. And it still might be here as well, but you're going to get a good first look of what will await you.

It's a very different atmosphere, much more spooky with all the Guardians gone and the giant chasm at the center. And the "Gloom" poses a much greater threat than the Malice did in Breath of the Wild, where I've been wondering why it was called differently in the prologue. It looks like the Malice, but it reduces your maximum health, so you can't heal, as long as you're in contact with it. The game also teaches you that this effect will be permanent within the "Depths", where already on Hyrule Field you can find one of the chasms.

These holes in the ground really look like they are going down deep and it's quite scary. It reminds me also of the hole next to the Yiga Clan Hideout in Breath of the Wild, but this time you will very likely be able to go down there. And I'm sure it's going to be pleasant, where the underground will probably offer a stark contrast to the bright sky world.

The gloom has another effect: it made all the weapons decay, which is why they break more easily, but this has also reduced their damage output. I like that they've came up with a story excuse here for breaking weapons, but it comes one game too late. The weapons in Breath of the Wild didn't have this decayed state, but they still broke quickly... Plus, it doesn't explain why the Zonai weapons break, which you can find on the sky islands or inside the shrines. So, this whole weapon decay thing feels a bit contrived at this point, but I still appreciate that they are trying to give some in-game explanation this time, because this is really something that you have to get used to in Breath of the Wild.

Anyway, at Hyrule Castle I found a Korok on the exact same spot as in Breath of the Wild, even though it was a different looking Korok, where this was one of the last couple that I had been missing in my recent playthrough... But so far this has been the exception, where it's quite refreshing to find them in new places.

I also tried to explore the underground of the castle a bit, where I went into the Dining Hall. But I didn't get too far, because I ran into stronger variants of the new "Horriblin" enemy. I've already seen the basic variant in a cave below Hateno, but here I couldn't put a dent into them, so I had to run. It was the same with the Electric Wizzrobe outside, where I still have to get used to how weak I am currently. In Breath of the Wild I was at the point of being an unstoppable force, but here I still can get one-shotted left and right, where the game is making good use of enemies as obstacles.

Ultimately, I died when I walked onto some balcony that then broke off... And this was the sign that I should really return and at least get that Paraglider. Still, on my way there I've spotted a spooky looking enemy cave...

cave entrance with skull above

It was also filled with Horriblins, but the basic red variant, so I could take them on and clear it. And this was really satisfying, where I also love the classic Zelda feel that these caves emit. Having all these holes into the underground already makes the world of Breath of the Wild so much more interesting to explore, where I also love how the wells now all lead underground, instead of just being filled with dirt to the top...


Skyview

Back to Lookout Landing, it now showed you the real heart of this new place: there has been a bunker below the Sacred Grounds all this time! And here you meet many more people, including Robbie's wife, Jerrin. I suppose, you could actually enter this place even earlier, because the well leads below it and you can just enter it from there via Ascend. I will give this a try next time.

Now, this is the part where you finally get the Paraglider and are introduced to thew new Sheikah Towers, which couldn't possibly any more different from the ones in Breath of the Wild. They shoot you up into the air and you have to scan the landscape manually with your Purah Pad.

They are called "Skyview Towers", as a nice throwback to the Skyview Temple from Skyward Sword. And this is a lot of fun and potentially even a way of reaching certain sky islands. Still, at the time I was still struggling with the air controls, because I've been playing with the Pro HUD all the time, and couldn't figure out the button that lets you skydive. After I activated the new Paraglider there was no going back for me and I had to be careful not to drop to my death again... So, my first experiences with moving through the air have been quite painful and I'm actually afraid of heights in real life, where this has only added to the discomfort. But now I should be good to go, I hope...

And the game really wants you to go to Rito Village next, where everyone in Lookout Landing talks about the situation there and you're told to check out the new stable there for clues. I suppose that there might be an intended order of the main dungeons, where Lookout Landing will direct you similar to Navi in Ocarina of Time or the meetings of the Resistance in Twilight Princess, but you are still free to go to wherever you like. It would be great if this resulted in some actual difficulty levels between the areas, where in Breath of the Wild only the desert really stood out...

There is also talk of Kakariko and how it got hit by Zonai ruins, and I also want to go to Robbie in Hateno to upgrade my Purah Pad, so I'm inclined to head there first. Speaking of, there is something wrong with Purah. She checked the Purah Pad and didn't even notice that the camera app is missing, even though this was her favorite thing in Breath of the Wild... I do like her new looks, though.

It was also good to see Karson outside and I love this crazy character who tries to keep up a sign of Hudson, where you can seemingly meet him in many different places. I want to help him with the Ultrahand somehow, but I haven't found anything with the right size yet to support the sign.


Hyrule Warrior

Well, I was torn between going either east or west, so I simply went south, where I met Captain Hoz again. His role has certainly seen an upgrade over Breath of the Wild, where you only meet him briefly in Akkala and have to show him a picture of Kilton. Now he leads the "monster-control squad", which are just made out of these random characters, who use whatever they can find for protection and weapons. He asks you to join them in taking out an enemy camp and this is where the fun begins...

Link riding in the middle of a soldier squad towards a Bokoblin camp

I loved this part. It just all felt so alive and dynamic. I'm sure it's all scripted and you're even told where to find them next (Fort Hateno), but in this moment it really seemed like I just happened to run into a battle and join the fight. And never before in a Zelda game I felt as much like a hero like I did during this sequence. You do most of the work, of course, but that's part of the charm. I was jumping down from the walls and delivering headshots to Bokoblins left and right, and it just was so cool. The funniest part was at the end, where only one Bokoblin was left and everyone was ganging up on him. Poor guy.

While we have the Hyrule Warriors games for similar action, this is quite different, because each member of the squad is a unique character who actually contributes to the battle. They are not just copy-pasted soldiers who don't do anything at all, where these battles seem a lot more "realistic" than what you get in the spin-off games. But it might also be an inspiration for the next Hyrule Warriors.


In a Different Light

Truth be told, I wasn't going south randomly, because I had a clear destination, other than what the game has suggested. And I only wanted to go there to take a brief look: the Great Plateau. With the idea that you're essentially starting your new adventure in Hyrule at the places where the last one ended, I was curious what has happened to the place where it all began.

The trailers have shown that this might even be where the new Imprisoning War took place, so there will be some importance to the plateau for sure. I even thought that it might become the stage for the final battle, where I will get greeted by a heavily fortified area. Well, it's somewhere in the middle, where it's not Ganondorf's base of death, but also not the simple early-game area it once was. You can easily climb it via Ascend, but you may have to avoid some stronger enemies once you're on top.

at the cliff from the beginning of BotW, looking into the distant night

On my way to the Shrine of Resurrection I was overcome with nostalgia, which really speaks for Tears of the Kingdom that it can make me feel this way about a game already, which is only six years old and which I've only recently played through. And while not much has changed, there is a very different tone to it. It looks much darker, much more eerie...

There is actually a physical reason for this and one that I had noticed very soon: the sun and moon are  now actually shining from the south. In Breath of the Wild they went around the north, where I always thought it was odd and my only explanation was that this was purely an artistic choice, because it looked better for the beginning of the Breath of the Wild, where you are looking north when you first leave the Shrine of Resurrection. And since the game now starts in a different way, the developers were able to "fix" the sun and make it go in the same way as in our world and every other Zelda game.

the Temple of Time from a distance

But this also puts the Great Plateau in the shadow of Mount Hylia most of the time, causing a different look and feel to the whole place. I wonder if this will ever get explained within the ingame lore, but I very much doubt it...

And of course it's not just the lighting that has changed in this place, where it now became home to some Yiga. They are probably the easiest to fight here, though, next to the new Aerocudas, the flying enemies we saw in the second major trailer. But I also saw some new armored monster, where I didn't want to engage. I really need the Camera Rune next, so I can check out what everything is called... Otherwise you will only learn it from the material drops.

gliding towards the peak of Mount Hylia

Another major difference of the Great Plateau is that there are no shrines to be found, ate least not on first glance. This another contrast to Breath of the Wild, which had eight here in total... But I really wanted to find one to have a teleport point to go back there. Ultimately, I managed to discover the Riogok Shrine, which was hidden will from sight. However, I don't think I will teleport back there anytime soon. It's close to the Forest of Spirits, which may now be called the "Forest of Horrors"... Once I got closer to the woods I was greeted by a group of monsters where I don't need to find out their names via the Purah Pad:

gloom hands with eyes

Freaking Floormasters! And not only are they based on the creepy design from The Wind Waker, they are super fast and made out of the new Gloom stuff. I was just terrified and tried to ran, but to no avail. Once one grabbed me, I was just dead. I couldn't escape and it just burnt my health away... Game Over.

Well, I thought that this a pretty good game, but my journey through the new Hyrule ends here. Thank you for reading!

I'm joking, of course, I love how they brought back actual scary enemies. Well, the Guardians in Breath of the Wild could be a bit scary at first, but once you had the Master Sword you almost had to feel sorry for them. These new Floormasters are the stuff from nightmares, however, where I can't wait to see what they did with the Redeads... Well, no, I actually can wait, because after this encounter I'm not too eager to find out so soon.

There is a lot more to talk about, but I will be saving this for later or else I truly won't be playing today at all... Until next time!


Progress:

  • Shrines: 12
  • Korok Seeds: 31
  • Bubbuls:6

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