Pre-Release The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Pre-Release Discussion Thread

[Serif]

I wanna go to the biiiiig island

What if, hear me out, what if the sky islands are not the only thing inspired by Skyward Sword?

What if... they reuse the motherfucking timeshift stones mechanic?

What if the way the world is different, is by activating timeshift stones in certain areas?

It's not far fetched. Link has a localized time reversal ability that affects the movement of objects. There might be a 'global' version that rewinds an entire area.

It's hard to imagine the scope of this game if they include everything every one wants - skies, underground, new landmasses, underwater exploration, sea travel, past areas, etc. Gotta save something for the DLC

 

[LukasManak22]

There's definitely something more going on, going off by Death Mountain now erupting with goddamn MALICE and that massive vortex/tornado over what seems to be the Hebra region. Who knows, maybe all the major region of the previous game all have troubles again now that Ganondorf has returned. Maybe Zora Domain is frozen once more like it was in Ocarina of Time. Maybe the Gerudo Desert is experiencing unusually cold or hot temperatures, even for the region.

What happened to the Deku Tree and the Lost Woods? It's clearly missing in spots we should be otherwise able to see it. Did Ganondorf burn it to the ground, knowing the Master Sword rested there? The map might feel familiar, but I don't think in the end that it will take away anything from the game.

My thoughts exactly. I think the whole gimmick of this game will be returning to previously featured areas to discover they're completely different. Sorta a game-wide uncanny valley. Some places will have new weather conditions, some will have a lot more monsters and enemy encampments (including entire towns taken over), some will be forward or backward in time. There will be new dungeons and entrances to entirely new sections. It would still feel fresh even if it's technically the same world.

I love these ideas and I agree that it would still make the map fresh even in the same world. And I hope at least one of the region was changed completely even with a slightly different name, it was best feeling ever to heard that new location sound effect in BOTW and the sense of discovery.

 

[Phendrift]

I think raising the sky islands is also sending them back in time tbh

 

[LukasManak22]

I think raising the sky islands is also sending them back in time tbh

yep, definitely as Link is using the same reverse time statis ability he was using in E3 2021 trailer.

 

[Magic-Man]

I love these ideas and I agree that it would still make the map fresh even in the same world. And I hope at least one of the region was changed completely even with a slightly different name, it was best feeling ever to heard that new location sound effect in BOTW and the sense of discovery.

I think that's where the Sky and Underground areas come into play. We already know there's a ton of islands up top, including one that's region sized. The BOTW sense of discovery will be in those areas.

 

[Magic-Man]

Also, am I the only one who can't see underwater sections being in this game? At least sections that you can actually swim in. It just seems way too ambitious if they're reusing the same general map layout. Areas couldn't be designed with swimming in mind.

 

[Phendrift]

Also, am I the only one who can't see underwater sections being in this game? At least sections that you can actually swim in. It just seems way too ambitious if they're reusing the same general map layout. Areas couldn't be designed with swimming in mind.

Yeah I’m not predicting any underwater and I’m fine with it tbh

 

[Awesomegames23]

I think we will be able to go underwater. I never felt like there was any point to go in the water in BOTW unless i wanted to go up a waterfall. If there was a chest, we had to cryonis a platform and then retrieve it and it was honestly cumbersome. If we could just go underwater and explore new areas, and open treasure chests underwater, then there will actually be a point in swimming through a river or diving into a lake. I don't think it's too ambitious of an ask, and it will add to the exploration.

Aonuma also said the world will go beyond the sky islands and overworld. He could have referring only to underground exploration, but I'm hoping he wasn't.

 

[Jencks]

No underwater would be disappointing. Lake Hylia already had no use in the original

 

[Raviolo]

I hope they make swimming not bad this time around, at the very least.

 

[LukasManak22]

Also, am I the only one who can't see underwater sections being in this game? At least sections that you can actually swim in. It just seems way too ambitious if they're reusing the same general map layout. Areas couldn't be designed with swimming in mind.

While I know where you are coming from it's also worth noting that in the delay announcement Aonuma said that the world takes place on the ground, the skies and the "expanded world goes beyond that". And I just don't think this is PR line since this exact same wording is Nintendo using with TOTK since September after the Direct. Now, obviously it could be just a reference to the underground as we saw in the first trailer and that area was not really "announced" (they haven't talked about it, it was only in the trailer, it wasn't mentioned it any PR from Nintendo etc.) So, they are talking about underground sections here or underwater. We will see.

 

[hk-rara]

Thinking about that time reversal ability in Link's arm mixed with how they could make the map feel fresh. What if in a lot of areas there are quite a number of items/parts that could be brought back to its "original location". Maybe after doing that you unlock new areas to explore that were hidden underneath the rubble so to speak. The most extreme version I can think of is the Akkala Citadel Ruins. I just have a feeling that we might be able to actually explore the interior of it this time around. Other smaller ruins may just open up smaller areas or could potentially work as a restoring old towns type mechanic as well

 

[Awesomegames23]

Thinking about that time reversal ability in Link's arm mixed with how they could make the map feel fresh. What if in a lot of areas there are quite a number of items/parts that could be brought back to its "original location". Maybe after doing that you unlock new areas to explore that were hidden underneath the rubble so to speak. The most extreme version I can think of is the Akkala Citadel Ruins. I just have a feeling that we might be able to actually explore the interior of it this time around. Other smaller ruins may just open up smaller areas or could potentially work as a restoring old towns type mechanic as well

I'm dreaming that, if Zelda is playable, structures that were underground before Ganondorf emerged rose to the overworld. We could use the time reversal ability to send them back underground, allowing Zelda to access new areas.

 

[maidhhc]

I don't know if anyone remembers but there was a 'leak' a long while ago, I think someone posted it from Gameover Jesse or something like that. It claimed that the beginning of the game would be much more linear than BotW, and that one feature of the game would be clearing Ganandorf's malice from certain parts of the map with a new power, after which the areas would be different.

People don't seem to put much stock in those guys but maybe this one holds water. This was well before the last trailer.

 

[maidhhc]

I'm dreaming that, if Zelda is playable, structures that were underground before Ganondorf emerged rose to the overworld. We could use the time reversal ability to send them back underground, allowing Zelda to access new areas.

I like the idea of Zelda working underground to make changes in the overworld / sky area for Link.

 

[Serif]

Someone's trying to brute force a translation of the Zonai script from the stone carvings. They made a doc.
Tougher work since it's not a straightforward Latin transliteration like Shiekah script.

Some choice quotes:

The hand(s) of calamity, the burn of the bond, the time of the boar’s misfortune (or death)

The birth of a disaster, the reign of the gods, the sky, the salvation of the world…

When Calamity rises, the reign ends, and the sky empties.

Cycle of blood and suffering

The reign of the devil who devours

I'm fascinated that 'boar' popped up here, since the boar represents power in Zonai imagery.

 

[Awesomegames23]

Someone's trying to brute force a translation of the Zonai script from the stone carvings. They made a doc.
Tougher work since it's not a straightforward Latin transliteration like Shiekah script.

Some choice quotes:

The hand(s) of calamity, the burn of the bond, the time of the boar’s misfortune (or death)

The birth of a disaster, the reign of the gods, the sky, the salvation of the world…

When Calamity rises, the reign ends, and the sky empties.

Cycle of blood and suffering

The reign of the devil who devours

I'm fascinated that 'boar' popped up here, since the boar represents power in Zonai imagery.

That's a lot of new info to digest, but it seems like it describes the general plot of a Zelda game at the same time.

 

[Magic-Man]

Someone's trying to brute force a translation of the Zonai script from the stone carvings. They made a doc.
Tougher work since it's not a straightforward Latin transliteration like Shiekah script.

Some choice quotes:

The hand(s) of calamity, the burn of the bond, the time of the boar’s misfortune (or death)

The birth of a disaster, the reign of the gods, the sky, the salvation of the world…

When Calamity rises, the reign ends, and the sky empties.

Cycle of blood and suffering

The reign of the devil who devours

I'm fascinated that 'boar' popped up here, since the boar represents power in Zonai imagery.

Ganon rises and the gods abandon the sky? That's what I'm getting from this.

 

[Awesomegames23]

Someone's trying to brute force a translation of the Zonai script from the stone carvings. They made a doc.
Tougher work since it's not a straightforward Latin transliteration like Shiekah script.

Some choice quotes:

The hand(s) of calamity, the burn of the bond, the time of the boar’s misfortune (or death)

The birth of a disaster, the reign of the gods, the sky, the salvation of the world…

When Calamity rises, the reign ends, and the sky empties.

Cycle of blood and suffering

The reign of the devil who devours

I'm fascinated that 'boar' popped up here, since the boar represents power in Zonai imagery.

Assuming these lines are accurately translated, do we know if they are in order?

Also, here is my interpretation of 2 things, “When Calamity rises, the reign ends, and the sky empties.” This could mean that the skies rain, since this game is called Tears of the Kingdom, maybe “...the sky empties” means the tears fall from the sky down to Hyrule.

“The reign of the devil who devours” The devil must be Ganondorf, the devil is often depicted with a trident, and in the first trailer Ganondorf is depicted on the wall with a trident.

 

[SMALLVILLE BOY]

I wonder if Nintendo will make again a Happy Hollydays video with Zelda footage like in 2016.

 

[LukasManak22]

I wonder if Nintendo will make again a Happy Hollydays video with Zelda footage like in 2016.

Or they should do some artwork on the new year (I still remember that when Zelda U was delayed in 2016 they gave us artwork of Link), just something small, or Happy new year with TOTK artowrk, how Splatoon devs are doing it.

 

[BlueSpirit20]

I made some online digging and found the "new" footage that was present in the E3 2021 trailer. It's basically nothing, just the extended scenes for couple of seconds that Nintendo cut out from the trailer but I feel like it's worth posting so I uploaded them here with the comparison to E3 2021 trailer.

E3 2021 trailer footage:




Extended scene:




E3 2021 trailer footage:




Extended scene that was cut from the trailer:






Will try to find the scenes from the newest one, that could be interesting, we could get better look at the thing Link is flying on or when he is going high into the sky with that rock.

Oh come on this is really scraping the barrel.

 

[BY2K]

The footage is barely a second or two longer and there's nothing new lol

 

[Hermii]

The footage is barely a second or two longer and there's nothing new lol

That's what happens when people are desperate.

 

[Serif]

Assuming these lines are accurately translated, do we know if they are in order?

Also, here is my interpretation of 2 things, “When Calamity rises, the reign ends, and the sky empties.” This could mean that the skies rain, since this game is called Tears of the Kingdom, maybe “...the sky empties” means the tears fall from the sky down to Hyrule.

“The reign of the devil who devours” The devil must be Ganondorf, the devil is often depicted with a trident, and in the first trailer Ganondorf is depicted on the wall with a trident.

Fun fact, Ganon/dorf has had a trident since ALttP. Appropriate considering he is essentially the devil, and his obsession with the Triforce.

As for the translation, it is in order, had separate translations for each of the three lines on the bottom left, and the entire paragraph. I assume that's because of how Japanese works (I know nothing, lol).

One possible (raw) translation of the entire text here is "The birth of a disaster, the reign of the gods, the sky, the salvation of the world"

There are multiple possible translations for each line when taken separately, I picked three random ones:
Line 1: Outbreak of calamity
Line 2: The gap between earth and sky
Line 3: The reign of the devil who devours

Yeah that all makes sense, lol. I assumed this entity helped defeat Ganon/dorf in the past.

As for the accuracy of the translations - well, I think this person is definitely getting somewhere, even if it's trying to piece together something from so little. I'm looking forward to how they translate the other lines.

 

[Awesomegames23]

Yeah that all makes sense, lol. I assumed this entity helped defeat Ganon/dorf in the past.

As for the accuracy of the translations - well, I think this person is definitely getting somewhere, even if it's trying to piece together something from so little. I'm looking forward to how they translate the other lines.

Good to know the translation is in order, I think we'll get another trailer by the tome someone makes real sense of it though.

Also, I'm beginning to believe this mysterious figure is the person the magic arm Link combines with use to be, and that she might be some kind of oracle/seer.

The oracle of delphi is often depicted with her hands/arms stretched out in the way this person/being has hers stretched out, and this figure seems to have a closed 3rd eye of her helmet, which possibly symbolizes the idea that she can see the through time.

 

[Awesomegames23]

The Nintendo.Uk website states TotK is rated PEGI-12 (provisional rating) is this new info or was this shown in the Korea rating of the game?

BoTW was rated PEGI-12 too.

Explore the land – and skies – of Hyrule

An epic adventure across the land and skies of Hyrule awaits in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom for Nintendo Switch.

www.nintendo.co.uk

From an article, "Provisional ratings by PEGI are given by having the developer/publisher of a game fill out a content assessment, detailing what graphic content will be in the game".

Neat

 

[BY2K]

The Nintendo.Uk website states TotK is rated PEGI-12 (provisional rating) is this new info or was this shown in the Korea rating of the game?

BoTW was rated PEGI-12 too.

Explore the land – and skies – of Hyrule

An epic adventure across the land and skies of Hyrule awaits in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom for Nintendo Switch.

www.nintendo.co.uk

From an article, "Provisional ratings by PEGI are given by having the developer/publisher of a game fill out a content assessment, detailing what graphic content will be in the game".

Neat

I believe the PEGI 12 was there from the start.

 

[Awesomegames23]

I believe the PEGI 12 was there from the start.

Maybe

 

[Salamiaddict]

Also, I'm beginning to believe this mysterious figure is the person the magic arm Link combines with use to be, and that she might be some kind of oracle/seer.

I think it looks like Ravio

 

[Awesomegames23]

I think it looks like Ravio

The long ears resemble Ravio, but the hair?

 

[Raviolo]

Booted up BotW for the first time in years as a palette cleanser after the turd that was Pokémon and man does it still look amazing. I hope TotK will be even better.

 

[Aether]

Booted up BotW for the first time in years as a palette cleanser after the turd that was Pokémon and man does it still look amazing. I hope TotK will be even better.

over the years i thought it did not hold up well (low res textures, shimmering, pop ins,..) but then i had to play a handfull of more open games...and yeah. from the start it just already pushed what the switch can do. I want to see what BotWs artstyle would look like on potent hardware that can keep up.

its just way above pokemon. all of them.

 

[balgajo]

over the years i thought it did not hold up well (low res textures, shimmering, pop ins,..) but then i had to play a handfull of more open games...and yeah. from the start it just already pushed what the switch can do. I want to see what BotWs artstyle would look like on potent hardware that can keep up.

its just way above pokemon. all of them.

It always bothered me since release date. Some locations are really beautiful and some others looks so bad to the point of being immersion breaking. The main offender being one area near Central Hyrule covered with green ground and some tree trunks. I remember how I felt disconnected of the the game immediately after stepping on this area for the first time. Pop-in of stuff right under you nose was also really distracting. I was also worried about the rock textures after TGA first look but in the end they fixed it. It doesn’t look great but also not that bad.

Most people won’t agree with me on this but I also think that the colors of that game are washed. Not sure if it’s a saturation issue.

I’d love to see how the game looked like in the E3 2014 build.

 

[Aether]

It always bothered me since release date. Some locations are really beautiful and some others looks so bad to the point of being immersion breaking. The main offender being one area near Central Hyrule covered with green ground and some tree trunks. I remember how I felt disconnected of the the game immediately after stepping on this area for the first time. Pop-in of stuff right under you nose was also really distracting. I was also worried about the rock textures after TGA first look but in the end they fixed it. It doesn’t look great but also not that bad.

Most people won’t agree with me on this but I also think that the colors of that game are washed. Not sure if it’s a saturation issue.

I’d love to see how the game looked like in the E3 2014 build.

Oh, i would be interested in the 2014 build...but i think that never really worked.

In regards to washed out... partially, with a reason. you have moments and scenes where the colors pop, but most is slightly hazy...and thats there for a reason, to convey scale. it really seem as if that mountian is far away, with atmospheric blue tint and all.

Does not mean that there where not scenes where it tended slightly to the desaturated side without adding much. from the trailers i feel like they will correct that slight. just don't remove it totally, or we get stuff like Pokemon... (the world in SV is big...but it feels tiny...

Oh, and what could help this artstyle even more? HDR. some of those shadings could gain much depth.
and stuff like shrines, malice etc could pop even more.

 

[aus89]

Thinking about that time reversal ability in Link's arm mixed with how they could make the map feel fresh. What if in a lot of areas there are quite a number of items/parts that could be brought back to its "original location". Maybe after doing that you unlock new areas to explore that were hidden underneath the rubble so to speak. The most extreme version I can think of is the Akkala Citadel Ruins. I just have a feeling that we might be able to actually explore the interior of it this time around. Other smaller ruins may just open up smaller areas or could potentially work as a restoring old towns type mechanic as well

I think it might be kinda the other way around/both - you send the pieces of the fallen Sky kingdom back in time/back to the sky opening new sky islands and areas to explore (and potentially there are secrets under some of the pieces)

 

[balgajo]

Oh, i would be interested in the 2014 build...but i think that never really worked.

In regards to washed out... partially, with a reason. you have moments and scenes where the colors pop, but most is slightly hazy...and thats there for a reason, to convey scale. it really seem as if that mountian is far away, with atmospheric blue tint and all.

Does not mean that there where not scenes where it tended slightly to the desaturated side without adding much. from the trailers i feel like they will correct that slight. just don't remove it totally, or we get stuff like Pokemon... (the world in SV is big...but it feels tiny...

Oh, and what could help this artstyle even more? HDR. some of those shadings could gain much depth.
and stuff like shrines, malice etc could pop even more.

Dying to see how different the game will be running in the new device. HDR would be really great.

 

[SMALLVILLE BOY]

BoTW is one of the best looking games on Switch and its basically a Wii U game, ToTK will look even better, no concerns for the graphics of the game.

 

[Jencks]

I still don't understand what immersion is and especially how graphics are directly tied to it, unless the game is trying to look realistic

 

[MusicProposition]

I still don't understand what immersion is and especially how graphics are directly tied to it, unless the game is trying to look realistic

pop-ins for example can break the immersion. Pokémon didn’t have a realistic art style and stuff like this always reminds you that the environment is artificial

 

[Deleted member 2181]

Breath of the Wild did have a washed out look. Even with close range objects. The sequel does look like it's addressing that.

And I'm distraught! The soft, hazy palette of Breath of the Wild is perfection. Whenever I see these videos of the game running in emulation with even the slightest change to the shaders, the whole thing looks wrong.

 

[SMALLVILLE BOY]

The secret of why BoTW looks so good its how the game perfectly merge cartoonish with realistic graphics.

 

[chocolate_supra]

The soft, hazy palette of Breath of the Wild is perfection. Whenever I see these videos of the game running in emulation with even the slightest change to the shaders, the whole thing looks wrong.

Agreeeeee
Even bumping it up to 60fps makes it look weird to me. I love that it looks like a Ghibli film, and Ghibli films aren't made in HFR!

 

[Awesomegames23]

I wonder if we might be getting some region locked rewards in TotK.

That bird Link is flying on (in the September trailer) is at the very border of the Hebra and Tabantha region. It also seems like something that could be a good reward for doing some dungeon equivalent or maybe all the shrine equivalent puzzles in Tabantha or Hebra. A large, flying or gliding stone bird seems like an appropriate reward for that region since it’s close to the Rito.

 

[balgajo]

The secret of why BoTW looks so good its how the game perfectly merge cartoonish with realistic graphics.

I like how the environment looks depending on the weather condition. But I really dislike the use of cel shaded characters. This mix doesn't work for me, my brain is always telling me that something is off. I made a thread about this sometime ago but it feels a bit like those 90's movie that mixed cartoon characters with real humans. As I a child I couldn't handle it....XD

Despite of not being a fan I have to say that BOTW approach is really good when compared to, for example, Fire Emblem: Three Houses.

I'm saying that as someone who really like both TP and WW artstyles but not this in between.

 

[Jencks]

The secret of why BoTW looks so good its how the game perfectly merge cartoonish with realistic graphics.

Dragon Quest XI did it better but yeah I generally agree

 

[Nickle]

I know Nintendo fans are used to shitty resolutions and framerates, but BotW with high framerates/resolution on an emulator looks insanely good. If Switch 2 can at least get TotK to 60fps, people are going to be in for a real treat.

 

[Awesomegames23]

OG Power Rangers
- Villain gets freed after 10000 years
-a group of 5 teenagers are assembled to fight it
-they wield weapons such as a bow, sword, and trident.
-they have giant, advanced mechanical animals to fight giant beasts.

BOTW
- Villain gets freed after 10000 years
-a group of 5 champions are assembled to fight it
- they wield weapons such as a bow, sword, and trident.
-they have giant (except link), advanced mechanical animals to fight the giant beast.


Most importantly, someone on youtube made this

 

[brainchild]

I still don't understand what immersion is and especially how graphics are directly tied to it, unless the game is trying to look realistic

I was going to answer directly, but since I've been amusing myself with ChatGPT recently, I decided to ask for its opinion, and thought it was pretty good:

 

[NabiscoFelt]

I was going to answer directly, but since I've been amusing myself with ChatGPT recently, I decided to ask for its opinion, and thought it was pretty good:

I honestly feel more immersed when a game isn't realistic looking. I guess the more removed something is from reality the easier it is for me to accept any other deviations from reality, or something like that. I'm also used to immersing myself in books, which generally have pretty poor graphics (and like, terrible framerate)

I also just have a weird distaste for realistic graphics in video games in general though