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

[TreIII]

That’s what I think is going to be the primary goal of the game. But getting rid of Demise’s Curse/hatred for good would also very likely have a side effect of “getting rid” of Link and Zelda for good, as well. With evil now fully vanquished, there’s no need for them to be reincarnated/reborn anymore. So here’s what I previously theorized in a recent post:

I think by destroying the malice for good, this will completely abolish Demise and his hatred into literally nothing. He will no longer exist… at all. So no more resurrections, no more reincarnations, nothing. This effectively brings Hyrule to peace and free of Demise/Ganondorf forever. However, this also has another profound effect: no more resurrections, no more reincarnations, no more anything for Link or Zelda either. As evil has now been vanquished from the world, there is no longer a need for the goddess Hylia to be reborn in the world and no need for Link to be reborn to save it. Thus the cycle of Life, Death, and Reincarnation effectively ends. So this would essentially be the last Link, Zelda, and Demise/Ganondorf of this particular timeline (whichever timeline it falls on).

Honestly, even if by the end of Tears, you obtain the best result: Demise, the Demon, is destroyed forever, Ganondorf, the Man, is finally freed from the former's Curse (and maybe takes his rightful place as Link and Zelda's "Groose", once again, in the next age?), and Hyrule will never have to endure the threat of a a Calamity ever again...there's nothing that says Link and Zelda's jobs have to be done, either. Between the way that non-Ganon threats have certainly cropped up throughout Hyrule's history, let alone if they really follow through with the likes of friggin' ALIENS because I STILL think there's more to Majora's "Ghosts" than they let on? You have plenty of good reason for the Goddess, her Hero, and perhaps their big, red-headed himbo friend to keep reincarnating in new ages to save Hyrule and protect the Triforce.

I mentioned the Castlevania series and its follies earlier, and I still think its example applies even to a possibility like this. In the end, IGA and his crew seemed ill-prepared to continue on after major events in its lore prevented the usage of their series' main Big Bad any longer after a certain point in the timeline. I would hope that Aonuma, Fujibayashi and company would have had much more time to think this through. Especially after all that talk about "Rethinking the Zelda series' conventions" some time ago!

I'm never going to stop reading TotK as TikTok, aren't I?

On that note: My phone auto-correcting "TotK" to "TikTok" one time too many is actually why I've gotten more acclimated to just writing "Tears", instead!

 

[Deleted member 341]

can't wait to hear this masterpiece again:

 

[BY2K]

I hope TotK is more liberal when it comes to re-using old themes.

 

[LukasManak22]

I swear that am watching the new trailer at least 2 times everyday lol

 

[balgajo]

I hope TotK is more liberal when it comes to re-using old themes.

I wanted to see a new rendition of Kakariko's Village OG song. Love how peaceful it sounds.

I like BOTW music and I also agree with the idea of not having an overworld music playing all the time but one thing that was a missed opportunity imo is having a hyrule field theme in that specific small area called Hyrule Field of the map.

 

[Awesomegames23]

I swear that am watching the new trailer at least 2 times everyday lol

The trailer has 4.5 million views but it's really 10,000 Zelda fans watching it over and over again

 

[JoRu]

Overbearing overworld music is not what this game needs, but I do hope that the area you are in has a bigger impact on the music playing. There is specific music for certain biomes in BotW, but they're not distinct enough and there are too few types of areas with its own music.

I hope TotK is more liberal when it comes to re-using old themes.

Eh, I think BotW has a well-balanced mix already; unless the game includes a lot of areas and characters one may be able to relate to an old theme, then sure, but otherwise I don't want it. Old themes can be put where they make sense, and should be omitted in all other circumstances in favor of new themes.

 

[Deleted member 2181]

Overbearing overworld music is not what this game needs, but I do hope that the area you are in has a bigger impact on the music playing. There is specific music for certain biomes in BotW, but they're not distinct enough and there are too few types of areas with its own music.

I feel they really did it right with the Temple of Time theme. It's still sparse piano... But it's different, unique. Would be cool to have that level of very minimalist music tailored to different locations. Not even entire regions, but like, the Ranch Ruins or whatever.

 

[YolkFolk]

I hope TotK is more liberal when it comes to re-using old themes.

I think there will be more of the usual Zelda style music in this one. BotW was focused more on the ‘wild’ after all and the sound design felt much more in tune with the nature of the world.

 

[N75]

We'll get a piano arrangement of this when gliding/flying through the sky.

 

[Rareware]

Honestly, even if by the end of Tears, you obtain the best result: Demise, the Demon, is destroyed forever, Ganondorf, the Man, is finally freed from the former's Curse (and maybe takes his rightful place as Link and Zelda's "Groose", once again, in the next age?), and Hyrule will never have to endure the threat of a a Calamity ever again...there's nothing that says Link and Zelda's jobs have to be done, either. Between the way that non-Ganon threats have certainly cropped up throughout Hyrule's history, let alone if they really follow through with the likes of friggin' ALIENS because I STILL think there's more to Majora's "Ghosts" than they let on? You have plenty of good reason for the Goddess, her Hero, and perhaps their big, red-headed himbo friend to keep reincarnating in new ages to save Hyrule and protect the Triforce.

I mentioned the Castlevania series and its follies earlier, and I still think its example applies even to a possibility like this. In the end, IGA and his crew seemed ill-prepared to continue on after major events in its lore prevented the usage of their series' main Big Bad any longer after a certain point in the timeline. I would hope that Aonuma, Fujibayashi and company would have had much more time to think this through. Especially after all that talk about "Rethinking the Zelda series' conventions" some time ago!

I suppose you’re right. I just thought it interesting that it could just close this never ending cycle for each of them forever. That the spirits of Link and Zelda could finally have true peace and no longer be in service of having to save the world from the hatred and curse of Demise with him permanently vanquished.

 

[Dark Cloud]

I feel like falling from the sky will take some time especially with Nintendo giving you the ability to fight in the air. You’ll need time in the sky to fight

 

[BY2K]

I feel like falling from the sky will take some time especially with Nintendo giving you the ability to fight in the air. You’ll need time in the sky to fight

There will be a boss fight that will be 100% in the sky. There has to be.

Shit, bring back Helmaroc King for it, why not.

 

[Awesomegames23]

There will be a boss fight that will be 100% in the sky. There has to be.

Shit, bring back Helmaroc King for it, why not.

A giant bat boss would be cool, it could be another nocturnal boss.

 

[Serif]

There will be a boss fight that will be 100% in the sky. There has to be.

I'm going to 100% bet on this considering the patents show straight up aerial bow and arrow combat.
The coolness factor of this will be tremendous.

Backward falling aiming up at an enemy ... woof

 

[chocolate_supra]

I'm going to 100% bet on this considering the patents show straight up aerial bow and arrow combat.
The coolness factor of this will be tremendous.

Backward falling aiming up at an enemy ... woof

Link's Crossbow Training X-treme

 

[Irene]

What do y'all make of this? I thought it was a pretty good video.

 

[Yavga]

I'm going to 100% bet on this considering the patents show straight up aerial bow and arrow combat.
The coolness factor of this will be tremendous.

Backward falling aiming up at an enemy ... woof

To me this shows we will go much higher than the trailers suggest, based on the trailers the islands aren't THAT high that there would be enough time for a fight or a multiple enemy fight during the fall. So to have enough space between the islands and the surface the islands should be much higher up.

Unless they thought of a different novel way to make it work.

 

[Serif]

To me this shows we will go much higher than the trailers suggest, based on the trailers the islands aren't THAT high that there would be enough time for a fight or a multiple enemy fight during the fall. So to have enough space between the islands and the surface the islands should be much higher up.

Unless they thought of a different novel way to make it work.

I think we'll be going nosebleedingly high.

 

[Stinky Horse]

To me this shows we will go much higher than the trailers suggest, based on the trailers the islands aren't THAT high that there would be enough time for a fight or a multiple enemy fight during the fall. So to have enough space between the islands and the surface the islands should be much higher up.

Unless they thought of a different novel way to make it work.

Like slow motion aiming if you use the bow in mid air

Seriously though, what if Link gets the power to reverse time on himself, not just other objects, then he could fly up and down!

 

[Smaggledaggle]

Don't know if the video has been posted here yet but its an excellent find/theory.

Basically what the person (Wolf Link's Shadow) says is that the bell that's plays when the title is revealed might be the same bell that plays when Link goes to the Silent Realm in Skyward Sword. Wolf Link's Shadow also claims that the little glass tubes Link is carrying where the Sheikah Slate would be could be a parallel to the Spirit Vessel item in Skyward Sword

 

[Awesomegames23]

Don't know if the video has been posted here yet but its an excellent find/theory.

Basically what the person (Wolf Link's Shadow) says is that the bell that's plays when the title is revealed might be the same bell that plays when Link goes to the Silent Realm in Skyward Sword. Wolf Link's Shadow also claims that the little glass tubes Link is carrying where the Sheikah Slate would be could be a parallel to the Spirit Vessel item in Skyward Sword

There's a noticable bell or broom on the green, stone golem/creature in the E3 2021 trailer.

 

[taptaps]

I wanted to see a new rendition of Kakariko's Village OG song. Love how peaceful it sounds.

I like BOTW music and I also agree with the idea of not having an overworld music playing all the time but one thing that was a missed opportunity imo is having a hyrule field theme in that specific small area called Hyrule Field of the map.

omg imagine a melancholic take on Hyrule Field that progressively grows more heroic and bombastic as you free the four champions and drive back Ganon's influence on Hyrule

 

[LukasManak22]

I guess that Tears of the Kingdom will be first ever Nintendo first party title that will be using 32GB game card.

 

[Klax0nKlax0ff]

It’s too bad that we’re unlikely to get much of a re-established Castle Town or to see much of a restored castle given it’s quickly ripped from the ground. Would have liked to see how it’s changed.

I wonder if we’ll see a big settlement arise on The Great Plateau. If there’s a repaired path up, that seems like a decent candidate for a changed area. Not TONS of potential combat/exploration, although Nintendo could certainly cook up a surprise.

 

[Rareware]

It’s too bad that we’re unlikely to get much of a re-established Castle Town or to see much of a restored castle given it’s quickly ripped from the ground. Would have liked to see how it’s changed.

I wonder if we’ll see a big settlement arise on The Great Plateau. If there’s a repaired path up, that seems like a decent candidate for a changed area. Not TONS of potential combat/exploration, although Nintendo could certainly cook up a surprise.

I really, really wish we could just permanently clear out an area and then rebuild it like Tarrey Town. Literally restore Hyrule to its former glory by rebuilding everything. That’s my honest to goodness hope, though I know it is extremely unlikely.

 

[taptaps]

I really, really wish we could just permanently clear out an area and then rebuild it like Tarrey Town. Literally restore Hyrule to its former glory by rebuilding everything. That’s my honest to goodness hope, though I know it is extremely unlikely.

This comment made me think of Majora's Mask and how finishing every temple in that game really brought its corresponding area back to life. By comparison, clearing the Divine Beasts doesn't change all that much aside from opening up new sidequests. Majora's Mask made me feel like I was really improving the lives of everyone in Termina in a way that BotW couldn't really replicate. Of course MM had the huge advantage of only having to take a three day cycle into account, but still, that game was so ahead of its time. I wish BotW could've done a little more in that regard, but the game is so huge that I can't blame the devs at all here.

 

[Magic-Man]

This comment made me think of Majora's Mask and how finishing every temple in that game really brought its corresponding area back to life. By comparison, clearing the Divine Beasts doesn't change all that much aside from opening up new sidequests. Majora's Mask made me feel like I was really improving the lives of everyone in Termina in a way that BotW couldn't really replicate. Of course MM had the huge advantage of only having to take a three day cycle into account, but still, that game was so ahead of its time. I wish BotW could've done a little more in that regard, but the game is so huge that I can't blame the devs at all here.

Apparently the world/quest design for BOTW2 is going to take inspiration from Red Dead Redemption 2, so things should be improved at least.

 

[ReyVGM]

I really, really wish we could just permanently clear out an area and then rebuild it like Tarrey Town. Literally restore Hyrule to its former glory by rebuilding everything. That’s my honest to goodness hope, though I know it is extremely unlikely.

That would be AMAZING!!

 

[Nickle]

What do y'all make of this? I thought it was a pretty good video.

I posted a theory that was something like this a few days ago, but in all honesty I don't think TotK will have a "do 3 dungeons to unlock the rest" structure. That sort of linearity only works if the world is closed off for the first half of the game, and there aren't any natural boundaries in BotW's Hyrule that would keep the player from exploring outside the starting area. The Sky Islands would be a nice starting area for maybe a single dungeon, but the player won't like being constricted to the sky for three dungeons worth of game time (plus we've already seen that traveling between the sky islands and the surface is a key game mechanic).

If his theory about the first 3 dungeons being related to the 3 Dragons was true, there would be 2 dungeons that are on the opposite ends of the map from each other, which is a really long distance for the player to naturally explore. If the player isn't purposefully running from dungeon to dungeon, they could easily take 30-40 hours just to complete the first 3 dungeons. During this 30-40 hours, the player wouldn't be able to access any of the late game dungeons, so they would need to go back to previously explored areas just to beat the new dungeon that pops up.

Perhaps the 3 starting dungeons could be right next to whatever area you start in. But problems would still arise if the player prefers to go somewhere completely different instead, because they wouldn't be able to complete dungeons in those areas.

I think it's most likely that there will be 7-10 dungeons that you beat in any order, just like the Divine Beasts. But if there do happen to be 3 starting and 4-7 late game dungeons in TotK, the late game dungeons will still be accessible from the start of the game. Perhaps the story ends up making more sense if you beat the first 3 dungeons at the start of the game, or maybe the first 3 dungeons have important abilities/items in them.

 

[Irene]

There's a noticable bell or broom on the green, stone golem/creature in the E3 2021 trailer.

That is a great find! The "bell" (or broom) on the stone golem's front has eluded me for a long time, and it might indeed be linked to the sound in the trailer.

Apparently the world/quest design for BOTW2 is going to take inspiration from Red Dead Redemption 2, so things should be improved at least.

I've entertained an idea for TotK for a long time - to have a string of multiple quests tied to a specific person or location. In RDR2, there's, say, a spot on the map saying "Sadie wants to talk to you". Then you do her quest, and later, another quest comes up concerning her, and builds upon the previous quest.. etc. Like Tarrey Town, but tied to people, and their personal development.

 

[BY2K]

What's the quest design in Red Dead 2 like? Never played it.

 

[Rareware]

This comment made me think of Majora's Mask and how finishing every temple in that game really brought its corresponding area back to life. By comparison, clearing the Divine Beasts doesn't change all that much aside from opening up new sidequests. Majora's Mask made me feel like I was really improving the lives of everyone in Termina in a way that BotW couldn't really replicate. Of course MM had the huge advantage of only having to take a three day cycle into account, but still, that game was so ahead of its time. I wish BotW could've done a little more in that regard, but the game is so huge that I can't blame the devs at all here.

Yes. I’d love for there be a much more noticeable difference when saving a place. Definitely something we don’t see quite often. Majora’s Mask as you said did it pretty well. Remember how beautiful the snowy area looked after it all melted upon defeating the dungeon? One of my favorite post-dungeon results.

 

[HockeyBird]

Apparently the world/quest design for BOTW2 is going to take inspiration from Red Dead Redemption 2, so things should be improved at least.

"Zelda producer Eiji Aonuma revealed this information in an interview with IGN. When asked what games the younger staff on the Zelda team were playing, specifically what inspired them, Aonuma replied “[Something] I did hear that a lot of people were playing was Red Dead Redemption 2."

Breath of the Wild Sequel Team Drew Inspiration From Red Dead Redemption 2 - E3 2019 - IGN

The younger members of the team working on the Breath of the Wild sequel have notably been inspired by Red Dead Redemption 2.

www.ign.com

I don't see any mention of world and quest design. IGN just asked Aonuma what games were inspiring the young staff and he just says that they were playing a lot of Red Dead 2 which just came out a few months prior to this interview.

 

[HockeyBird]

I'm becoming the "What did Nintendo actually say" guy in this thread. I feel like a lot of people take quotes out of context, they morph into something else, and because many Youtubers and article writers don't bother to put in 2 minutes of basic research, the misinformation spreads and people assume that it's real.

 

[Erimgard]

I'm becoming the "What did Nintendo actually say" guy in this thread. I feel like a lot of people take quotes out of context, they morph into something else, and because many Youtubers and article writers don't bother to put in 2 minutes of basic research, the misinformation spreads and people assume that it's real.

I was always amazed at how "Zelda games tend to give tiny hints about the story in their title" morphed into "Breath of the Wild 2's name is a huge spoiler Nintendo has to keep a secret." Or how "What we've shown you today [the first trailer] was a bit darker" morphed into "Breath of the Wild 2 is darker than Majora's Mask"

 

[Rareware]

How in the world is this “Trial of the Master Sword” in BotW even possible? 54 floors and I was wiped out at the 7th lol

 

[chocolate_supra]

How in the world is this “Trial of the Master Sword” in BotW even possible? 54 floors and I was wiped out at the 7th lol

git gud
and by that I mean: damn, me too

 

[Rareware]

git gud
and by that I mean: damn, me too

It’s those darn water lizalfos and their on-point bow shots. The moment I fell in the water right at the beginning I knew I was done for.

 

[Starphanluke]

How in the world is this “Trial of the Master Sword” in BotW even possible? 54 floors and I was wiped out at the 7th lol

Lowkey I've never been able to finish it. 100%-ed the game otherwise, but can't finish the trial lmao

 

[chocolate_supra]

It’s those darn water lizalfos and their on-point bow shots. The moment I fell in the water right at the beginning I knew I was done for.

My problem was that I kept running out of weapons. So I have to start just bombing everything, but their health regenerates, so..

 

[Rareware]

Lowkey I've never been able to finish it. 100%-ed the game otherwise, but can't finish the trial lmao

Should have been a little more generous with the check points. 13 floors for the first one… this Link is not the Hero Fi has been waiting for.

My problem was that I kept running out of weapons. So I have to start just bombing everything, but their health regenerates, so..

I didn’t even notice the health regeneration

 

[chocolate_supra]

Should have been a little more generous with the check points. 13 floors for the first one… this Link is not the Hero Fi has been waiting for.



I didn’t even notice the health regeneration

Yeah if you don't attack an enemy for however many seconds their health bar starts flashing and it regenerates. So when I ran out of weapons all I could do is pick away at their health with bombs, back off, then watch as their health eventually fills back up full.
It was quite discouraging

 

[Rareware]

Yeah if you don't attack an enemy for however many seconds their health bar starts flashing and it regenerates. So when I ran out of weapons all I could do is pick away at their health with bombs, back off, then watch as their health eventually fills back up full.
It was quite discouraging

Here I was thinking this second playthrough was going to be incredibly easy as I was going to be Super Hero Link decimating everything with a strong Master Sword with unlimited power. Jokes on me.

 

[Marizza Pia Spiritto]

How in the world is this “Trial of the Master Sword” in BotW even possible? 54 floors and I was wiped out at the 7th lol

I remember once I woke up like 4 am to finish the last set of floors because I was so pumped up and couldn't sleep. The trial took me the entire week, and I played it all the time. It was peak COVID-19 era though so I had the time

 

[chocolate_supra]

Here I was thinking this second playthrough was going to be incredibly easy as I was going to be Super Hero Link decimating everything with a strong Master Sword with unlimited power. Jokes on me.

Link is no superhero
He is forever a feral child
Hellbent on terrorizing pottery and spreading chaos
Hot chaos

 

[balgajo]

What's the quest design in Red Dead 2 like? Never played it.

The one that if you diverge from the desired path a little bit you get a failed message and return to one of the quest checkpoints. Imo it really holds the game from being an incredible experience. It's the same approach of GTA games.

Though it also worth mentioning that the more organic quests work really well.

 

[SpaceGodzilla]

i beat the trials on my first try by cutting down every tree and then cooking the wood

 

[HockeyBird]

I haven't played Red Dead 2 but the Rockstar style of missions is the antithesis of the game philosophy of BOTW. Rockstar missions, while technically taking place in the open world, are more like scripted instances. Once you are start, you are locked into that mission. You can't drift too far from the main narrative path and what happens during the missions usually is only confined to that mission. Once the mission is over, the game then puts back into the normal open world where you can free roam again. The missions are also the primary vehicles for moving the story forward. You have to them in a set order.

 

[Awesomegames23]

Maybe we can cut down a tree, roll the log far away, and use the time reversal mechanic to make it going flying back.