Well, a game isn’t good without its contradictions and mysteries. And Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is no stranger to this issue that we all could see once we started Link’s story.
One of the biggest mysteries of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has almost been solved, as director Hidemaro Fujibayashi has offered an explanation for why there is no Sheikah technology in the Nintendo Switch title, even though it was a fundamental part of Breath of the Wild.
In a new interview with The Telegraph, Eiji Aonuma (Zelda Producer), reiterated that Tears of the Kingdom will not be getting DLC.
He said the team implemented every idea they had and did everything they wanted to do.
Is it a mistake or a vague justification to create new mechanics?
In Breath of the Wild, the world of Hyrule is filled with Sheikah technology, said to have been created thousands of years before the events of the game.
From the towers in all regions, the terrifying Guardians, the enormous Divine Beasts, and Link’s sleek iPad-like device, the Sheikah Slate, there is an abundance of Sheikah technology.
However, despite Tears of the Kingdom taking place only a few years after the events of its predecessor, all these things have disappeared, without the game explaining why.
In a new interview with The Telegraph, Fujibayashi acknowledged this mystery: “They disappeared after the Calamity was defeated (sealed),” said Fujibayashi, referring to the end of Breath of the Wild.
¿Se han preguntado porque ya no hay santuarios Sheikah en el mundo de #TearsOfTheKingdom??
El director Hidemaro Fujibayashi ha confirmado que una vez que el cataclismo fue detenido, estos santuarios junto con las Bestias Divinas cumplieron su misión, por lo que desaparecieron? pic.twitter.com/YDD81T0VuJ
“All the people of Hyrule witnessed it too, but there’s no one who knows the mechanism or the reason they disappeared, and it’s considered a mystery. It’s believed that since the Calamity disappeared, they vanished too, as their role had been fulfilled,” he explained.
He went on to point out that Hyrule is no stranger to “mysterious happenings and strange phenomena.” Therefore, he suggests, it makes sense that “no one has tried to explore the matter further” in the game.
Nevertheless, I guess Link would want to know where all his selfies with the Sheikah Slate have gone.
“There are no plans to release any additional content this time, but that’s because I feel like we’ve done our best to create as much fun as possible in that world”, the Japanese producer begins by saying.
“First of all, the reason I decided to make this a sequel to the previous work was because I thought there was value in experiencing a new game in that part of Hyrule,” he justifies.
“So, if that reason is born again, I may return to the same world once more. Whether it’s a sequel or a new work, I believe it will be a completely new game, so I hope you’ll look forward to it,” Aonuma concludes with a twist we didn’t see coming.
There won’t be any DLC… but could there be a sequel?
As explained by Aonuma, it seems that Nintendo hasn’t ruled out the idea of revisiting this Hyrule and the foundation that has been established, which has proven to be quite successful. The key point is that if they do decide to revisit it, it will be in the form of a new game rather than expansions.
This is doubly surprising because the game’s predecessor, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, did receive two significant DLC packs: The Master Trials and The Champions’ Ballad.
Indeed, the first DLC, The Master Trials, added new gameplay modes, features, and items, while the second one, The Champions’ Ballad, introduced a new dungeon, story content, equipment, and challenges.
Hopefully, if Nintendo decides to release another Zelda game, it won’t take as long this time. We had to wait 6 years for this sequel, which feels a bit excessive considering that half of it was already in place.
The sequel to Breath of the Wild sold 18.5 million units in approximately one and a half months, considering that the quarter ended on June 30th and the game was released for the Nintendo Switch on May 12th.
The sales figures are not surprising considering the critical acclaim the sequel has received, with an average score of 96 on Metacritic, making it one of the highest-rated games of all time.
It’s worth noting that these sales figures do not include players who are emulating the game, as many fans are also playing The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom on PC. If we had the total numbers, we would be amazed.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has topped 18.5 million sales
Apart from The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, another contributing factor was the tremendous success of Super Mario Bros. The Movie, which boosted sales of various Mario titles.
The main beneficiary was Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, which sold an additional 1.67 million copies in the last quarter, bringing the total to 55.46 million units.
Find out how The Legend of Zelda has changed gaming history over the years.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is already a worldwide success. In just three days, the sequel to Breath of the Wild had already sold 10 million copies, an incredible number that will increase over the days, and that makes it clear that Nintendo is in enviable shape.
The most striking thing about Tears of the Kingdom, and what has made everyone want to buy it as soon as possible, is the integration of new gameplay mechanics. Beyond its gripping story and its ability to be such a vast open world, it has been the way it plays with textures and the infinite possibilities to play the way you want to play that has made it so impressive.
Something like this already happened withBreath of the Wild. In 2016, the video game with which The Legend of Zelda debuted on Nintendo Switch. It is one of the titles that have revolutionized the modern history of video games, thanks to its open world and the infinite possibility of its mechanics. Its aesthetics made people believe that a different way of making video games was possible. And, in addition, it served to give the starting signal to the console worldwide.
But these phenomena, as historic and unrepeatable as they may seem, are not entirely surprising in the saga. Since its origins in 1986, The Legend of Zelda has left an indelible mark on the video game industry. And yes, it has revolutionized the industry on several occasions.
Freedom: the greatest goal of the Zelda
One of the most prominent aspects of The Legend of Zelda series has always been its focus on exploration and freedom, something that grew to explode in Tears of the Kingdom. Unlike many games of the time, which were set in linear levels, Zelda games offered vast open worlds that invited players to explore at their own pace.
Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of the series, once expressed his intention to recreate the sense of adventure he felt when exploring forests and caves in his childhood. This vision was realized in the first Zelda game, dating back to 1986, in which players could freely roam the kingdom of Hyrule, discovering hidden secrets and overcoming challenges along the way. Although there was a story to follow, the player was free to move as they wished.
The introduction of non-linear gameplay mechanics in The Legend of Zelda was revolutionary at the time. Players could choose their own path and decide which areas to explore and in what order. This was a radical departure from linear games where players were limited to following a predetermined route. As Miyamoto noted in a1986 interview, “I wanted players to have the feeling that they could do anything and that the game world was theirs to explore.”
Another important innovation introduced by The Legend of Zelda was the inclusion of puzzle elements in an action-adventure game, something that was not so common to date. Already in the first title of the saga, puzzles and challenges that required wit and skill were the law, and it is something that has increased throughout the following games. Moreover, it was something that perfectly matched the intended freedom: players have all the weight of how to move forward.
The Ocarina of Time revolution
But if there is one game that forever changed the way we play and feel the industry, it was The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Released in 1998 for the Nintendo 64 console, Ocarina of Time was the first Zelda game to feature 3D graphics and fully three-dimensional gameplay. This allowed players to further immerse themselves in the world of Hyrule and experience an unprecedented sense of immersion.
The game, in fact, also introduced the concept of age shifting, where the protagonist, Link, could travel through time and alter the course of events. This time game mechanic opened up new possibilities and challenges, making it a milestone in the history of video games. The mechanic began to be used in more and more games, and today it is commonplace in RPGs.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time’s impacton the industry was undeniable. It was widely praised for its epic narrative, innovative gameplay and immersive world. Many critics and gamers consider Ocarina of Time to have set a new standard for 3D adventure games, and it certainly set the trend for everything that would follow; including its sequel Majora’s Mask.
Instead of going for what would have been obvious, an optimized version of Ocarina of Time, they decided to make a completely different game, and thanks to that they re-incurred how people saw video games. Suddenly, a horror story with a time trial and time as the main enemy made sense, a title that gave you freedom while imprisoning you, and that put narrative above all else.
In a similar way, it is something like what happened with Tears of the Kingdom with respect to Breath of the Wild. But, despite the great innovations of this new title, it has not been as groundbreaking as you might expect.
Changing the course of video games
Beyond Ocarina of Time, other games in the Zelda saga have also introduced innovations that have influenced the video game industry. For example, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, released in 1991, introduced the concept of the parallel world. Players could travel between the world of light and the dark world, which added an additional layer of complexity and exploration to the game. This was historic at the time, and a feature that many other RPGs would later explore.
The series has also pioneered the use of musical elements as an integral part of the gameplay experience. In games such as The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask, players could play songs on an ocarina to solve puzzles and unlock new areas. This unique mechanic served to add an emotional dimension to the gameplay, as well as create a deeper connection between players and the game world.
The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, originally released in 1993 for the Game Boy console, was also notable in its innovations, and despite being one of the first portable Zelda games, this didn’t make it any more humble than the rest, but it made an effort to compensate with its narrative and mechanics.
Link’s Awakening, for example, introduced the concept of interconnected dungeons, in which players had to solve puzzles and collect key items to progress through the game. This interconnected dungeon approach has subsequently been used in other games in the series and has been appreciated for its ingenious design. It also gave rise to something that was explored with the Game Boy Advance games: cooperation between multiple players.
Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages offered a unique experience by allowing players to exchange data between the two games. These games take place in two different realms and feature unique challenges and dungeons. However, upon completing one of the games, players could use a link code to transfer their progress and continue the adventure in the other game.
This innovative cross-game connectivity feature offered a richer and longer experience, as players could enjoy a broader story and unlock additional content by connecting the two titles. It was one of the first times this connection mechanic was implemented in the series and laid the groundwork for future interconnected experiences in video games.
The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap featured a unique mechanic based on size and object manipulation. In this game, Link could use a magical cap to reduce his size and explore the world on a tiny scale. This ability allowed him to access hidden areas and solve puzzles that would otherwise be inaccessible.
In addition, The Minish Cap introduced the item fusion mechanic, where Link could combine items to create new tools and abilities. This is something we’ve seen very recently in Tears of the Kingdom, but which many other games reused before.
Undoubtedly, The Legend of Zelda has been and is one of the most important franchises in the history of videogames. And not only because of its sales or its stories, but because, in each new release, developers have racked their brains to see how they could innovate in mechanics and gameplay. And they have always hit the nail on the head.
Taking advantage of the fact that The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is already on sale, we review the best fights against bosses in the saga.
The day has finally come. The prophecies were fulfilled, and Link has returned once again to face the darkness and save the kingdom of Hyrule. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is already in the markets, and right now there are thousands and thousands of fans around the world rushing to their favorite video game stores, waiting at home for it to arrive while nervously biting their nails or playing the game like there’s no tomorrow.
Previously we already made a top with the best video games of The Legend of Zelda according to our point of view. Today, on the occasion of the release of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, we want to review which are the best boss fights of the saga. Yes, surely you have your favorites, but we have selected the ones that marked us the most. These are:
Ganondorf – The Wind Waker
Let’s start with this writer’s favorite game. The Wind Waker was quite an experience at the time; with a GameCube that had been on the market for a short time, the game of “Toon Link” (as the main character Link was popularly known) completely enamored a whole generation of players who were looking forward to a new great The Legend of Zelda after Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask. And the game’s villain could not be left behind.
Considered by many as the best Ganondorf created to date, both in design and character construction, before facing the classic TLOZ villain we must face several of his “puppet” versions, which will not make it easy. Once defeated, and after several events in the story that we will not talk about for not spoiling too much, we will face him.
In battle, we will have the support of Zelda, who will shoot arrows of light that will leave him stunned, but most of the time we will have to calculate very well when to dodge his lethal attacks and attack him only when necessary. Oh, and the battle music is a real marvel.
Gyorg – The Minish Cap
The Minish Cap is one of those games that has shined with its own light. Despite not enjoying the same popularity as the TLOZ games on desktop consoles, the Game Boy Advance game was a pleasant surprise for those of us who had Nintendo’s portable console and wanted to play a 2D TLOZ again after enjoying the remaster of A link to the Past for GBA and the wonderful Oracles of Ages/Seasons for Game Boy Color.
While several of the boss fights in this game are great, this humble editor’s favorite is the one that takes place in the Palace of the Winds against the Gyorg, giant manta rays with many eyes and a lot of evil slime. A fight that tests your precision with the Roc Cloak (which allows you to jump and float) and whose scenario is literally the boss itself (well, and the sky). Possibly the most original combat in the game.
Cegatox – A Link to the Past
A Link to the Past was a game that marked two different generations. Both in its release for the classic Super Nintendo and Game Boy Advance, A Link to the Past hooked us all from the second one, and allowed us to explore both our world, the World of Light, and the World of Darkness. And it is just in the latter world, which we will explore when we have advanced far enough in the game, where we can meet a very peculiar boss.
In the Cave of the Bandits, we will meet what seems to be one of the Seven Maidens, who is imprisoned by the boss of the dungeon. After asking you to rescue her, we will advance to the boss room, where the “maiden”, after touching a sunbeam, ends up revealing herself as Cegatox, the boss of the Cave of Bandits. While the boss fight is simple, it’s the way we encounter it that makes it memorable.
Dark Link – Ocarina of Time
What can we say about Ocarina of Time, right? The Nintendo 64 title was not only the big step of The Legend of Zelda saga to 3D, but, to this day, it is considered by many people as one of the best videogames ever. A very well constructed plot, full of iconic characters and moments, and a soundtrack that includes some of the most recognizable musical themes of the saga.
And it is in this masterful game where we can face one of the most memorable bosses of the saga: Dark Link. This boss (actually miniboss) can be considered one of the most difficult fights that we will have in the game for a very simple reason: it is a reflection of you. His movements and attacks are the same as yours, so you’ll have to do your best if you don’t want to end up skewered by your own Master Sword.
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