It’s easy to compare because the BotW overworld bosses return in Tears, but it’s so funny how much better Tears’ new ones are. Like comparing Talus’ to Gleeoks, the latter are so much more imposing, complex and much more of a spectacle. I guess they both fill their own niche as Talus are more suited to being plentiful, and it feels special and like a big event running into a Gleeok, but yeah.
But even Flux Constructs though, which are pretty plentiful as well, are a step up for me. They feel close to a classic puzzle boss with how there’s viable ways to use Ultrahand, Ascend AND Recall to fight them.
And that’s before getting to the dungeon bosses, which are also a massive step up. Colgera is super easy but one of my favorite fights in the series. I enjoy every refight with it.
Difficulty isn’t really something I look for in Zelda bosses, just something that has me use my abilities typically suited for puzzles or travel context of battling is what I need.
Gleeok feels way more like a boss... but also rather limited. Talus was used in more diverse scenarios.
Gleeoks felt more like lines/guardians as a "ok, now you're at the endgame, here's an enemy to still have something to do", and since where so much more capable it needed to be more imposing.
Flux construct: what really left me wanting more is again theming (i know, based on zonai tech, but at least give them like a worn moss texture, an almost melted one in hot areas) and that by design their areas had to be flat circles, so the environment was removed as a factor from the battles
The boss fights where really fune, some to easy maybe. I think the blights where not that much behind, only the design was a step down, but thunder blight had a completly different gameplay then waterblight for example, or wind blight.
Was thinking about Skyward Sword and its implementation of the Sky compared to TotK, and how Fujibiyashi was so passionate about the concept, and I think I can confidently say that he should be proud, and that I totally now get what he was going for.
I understand (and agreed with) the disappointment about how small it was compared to what it seemed like in the marketing, but I’ve come at the conclusion that, for me, it was an absolutely stellar addition in the end
First of all, the atmosphere of the whole area has stuck with me. The whole sky map just feels so Zen. Even just doing the crystal shrines is fun to me because it’s so relaxing just being there. Then throw in some awesome unique mini dungeons like Starview Island, Zonaite Forge Island and Lightcast Isle. The Zero gravity labyrinths. Then you’ve got the main story areas that up the atmosphere even more like the blizzard in the Rising Island Chain/Wind Temple, the serene flowing waterfalls and unique architecture of Wellspring Island/Water Temple. The isolated, ancient, foreboding yet peaceful feel of Thunderhead and Dragonhead Island. And just general stuff like the feel of the weightless zero gravity areas and glowing blue particles that add even more zen, how sunsets and sunrises look even more gorgeous in the sky somehow, the golden foliage, the views of other sky islands in the distance. It’s all so mystical.
So yes I’ve come to absolutely love the stuff up in the sky, and it’s beautiful audiovisual presentation. but what really matters is how well they nailed the concept. The verticality. The seamless connection to the surface. How skydiving just never gets old. How well it changes, yet fits right in line with and expands BotW’s exploration loop and syncs up with the paraglider. How when playing it you can just tell that this was what Skyward Sword started as before it had to get whittled down to what it eventually became, but how amazing it is that we get to see the concept realized in this new style of Zelda that’s somehow perfectly suited for it.
Even before the game came out I had the inkling that the Sky would be a one-off thing for Tears, but really thinking on it, I wouldn’t mind at if future games in the series retained it and kept iterating on it, as a gameplay and world design concept I finally see the vision of the Sky-Surface connection and I absolutely love it.
I always got it, even if i really disliked SS, i GOT the idea, i just thought the implementation was ...meh.
Link falling was pointless outside of the sky barrier portals, there was little to do, the sky barrier made it all look so...sandy.
TotKs implementation of sky traversal is waaay more like it. I do still see a handful of missed oportunities, like only 1 real sky battle, and even thats dependent on a seperate mechanic.
I think i would have loved it more if it would have been: ok, new place, forget old hyrule, game takes place only in the sky, but way more islands and on multiple levels.
-----------------------------
Im currently thinking of restarting the game after new year, but... im also kinda affraid.
With the first one, i had 5 ideas how i want to play it. With this one, im not sure if if will
already feel tedious, since i found the base game at the start to feel slightly tedious.
What are your self decided challenges? I know i tried richt after finishing how a gliderless
run would work and have to say, it works, but its not fun to me. that was an afternoon.
In the first one i made an archer / stealth run, but that will be just to easy/broken here
with the new status items from the depth.
