Breath of the Wild and the Beauty of Simplicity

My appreciation for Breath of the Wild's distinct identity has only grown over the past 7 years, and I wanted to try and put into words what's so special about it. I've completed every single shrine in Breath of the Wild twice, but Tears of the Kingdom was never able to keep my attention in the same way. Why is that? Well, I tried to figure it out by making this video.
Music Used (In Order of Appearance):
-Mount Hylia
-Riding - Day
-Kakariko Village - Day
-Vah Medoh
-Divine Trial
-Hateno Village - Day
-Hateno Village - Night
-Korok Forest - Day
-Rito Village - Day
-Revali's Theme
Twitter: / nintendo_hero
Discord: / discord
#BreathoftheWild #TearsoftheKingdom #Zelda

[@MarcelSOLDIER]

I don’t think it’s just nostalgia, I finished my replay of Breath of the Wild for the first time just last week and the atmosphere and emotions it brought out of me are going to stick with me for a long time. Even though people claim “TOTK replaced it” that’s not going to have me discredit how unique this game still is and what it accomplished. Very well done video

[@HTMangaka]

Agreed. Oddly enough, I went back and played BoTW again after beating Ganon in ToTK, but then after beating BoTW again, I went ahead to ToTK. Coming back to ToTK for a second playthrough, I realized something: ToTK has made me nostalgic for it in a COMPLETELY different way than BoTW did for it. O_O

[@Bojangles657]

​@@HTMangakaBotW and TotK do different things. I have nostalgia for both and TotK is only a year old. I prefer TotK as a game but I love both equally for different reasons

[@Hi-cool]

Totk is more of the gameplay, and botw is more story which makes it nostalgic

[@Kohana64]

I agree with this sentiment hard. The emphasis BOTW places on its world as a storytelling device was something TOTK failed to capture, and I will probably always prefer BOTW as a result. TOTK may beat it out in terms of gameplay mechanics and freedom, but I will never forget the feeling I got when exploring BOTW's hyrule for the first time.

[@joshuachang5210]

That being said, having king rhoam and impa do expositions are kind of underwhelming. There’s also a good suggestion out there about how the castle could work as a 5th dungeon by placing checkpoints to visit, and unlocking rhoam’s ghost after that sounds like a good idea. While it might be harder for players to get a sense of objective, merely hearing Zelda’s voice and the canon infesting castle scene should be enough to see the core plot device comes from within the castle. If extra help is needed, Zoras who lived to see the calamity should be enough, especially how according to lots of players they often stumble into vah Ruta quest first.

[@user-nz8mx9ok9t]

TotK doesn't beat BotW in freedom. You can do any of the main quest levels in any order on BotW. The quest in the castle and the quest to the zonai level are locked behind gates on TotK. TotK beats it out in quantity of content, not freedom. BotW beats TotK in quality of content and freedom.

[@Kruegernator123]

@@joshuachang5210 Hyrule Castle is absolutely the fifth dungeon in BotW, but definitely less so in TotK.

[@joshuachang5210]

@@Kruegernator123 Its structure already is, but there is nothing in place to enforce the exploration of it despite it being the most exploration-worthy.

[@yaboihere494]

In art, negative space, or blank space is essential for the sake of contrast. The exciting moments of BotW are made all the more impactful by the quietness surrounding them. Blank space leaves room for the player/viewer to breathe, and to imagine. A blank canvas can technically turn into anything, and an empty forest is ripe with the potential for storytelling. However, if you put a cardboard sign man in that same forest who needs help putting up a sign, those infinite possibilities are truncated, and now the only story in that forest is a guy that needs help putting up a sign. Sign guys are all over TotK Hyrule (and I'm not just talking about the literal sign guys). Every quiet moment has been filled with an activity, and sometimes those activities are simply inferior to a player alone in nature with their thoughts. In terms of potential and possibility, nothing will always beat out something. And one thing for sure is that BotW does "nothing" right.

[@Tiwill]

Incredibly good comment.

[@sharkgam3z592]

damn this is worded beautifully

[@Pichu441]

yes, holy shit, you nailed it.

[@cmtocco]

yes I just made a late comment about my opinions and this also adds onto my thoughts

[@augieottie6403]

This comment literally encapsulates my main gripe with totk. Wow

[@lordneeko]

That first time leaving the shrine of resurrection will NEVER be recreated. I love TOTK, but it'll never replace BOTW

[@apocalyptictoaster1757]

I agree with your points on how both games encapsulate the themes of loneliness and community respectively, both in the designs of their worlds and their stories. I too, preferred the unique atmosphere of BotW; that experience of traversing and exploring a ravaged Hyrule overtaken by nature for the first time was truly magical.

[@voyan38]

Glad to hear some counter-arguments to the "TOTK made BOTW obsolete" claims. If anything, TOTK just made me more hungry to revisit the world of BOTW, and its simplicity is one of the many charms to be appreciated upon revisiting.

[@_Wakaz_]

Voyan, I salute you brother. As always, brilliantly said. You, Nintendo Hero, TheBitBlock, etc. are the best KZbinrs in the Nintendo community as you aren't afraid to be critical and speak your minds - truth to power! God bless you :)

[@girahimar2122]

Totk didnt make botw obsolete because totk didnt improve in any way anything from botw

[@giangeegibb]

Really great video! I really liked your takeaway about hoping that future Zelda games surprise you emotionally, rather than just making you feel the same way Breath of the Wild did.

[@tfor1396]

I like Tears of the Kingdom more than Breath of the Wild but i've had a great time with both games and that's what really matters :)

[@shadow2210k]

Same

[@Blazethh]

I started playing BotW the same year I was a freshman biology major, and I think your points about exploring the nature really resonate with me. TotK was never able to recapture those vibes, though I do like the sky islands a lot more than some people for similar reasons. Great video love your content

[@B-ot2xx]

I’m glad the takeaway wasn’t just “TotK is just BotW with Minecraft tacked on” its more of a “they are both amazing in their own way kinda deal” and that’s what I love watching you for, someone who gets it! 😊 Edit: This got me to restart (and finish) Breath of the Wild! It’s so much more different than what I remember. Overall, I’d say that both games are absolute masterpieces, and I have a hard time personally comparing the two, since they give me such different vibes, and gameplay experiences. Edit 2: My heart has been taken from me, and my comments have been deleted… I hit a nerve.

[@chooongusbug724]

Yet the person who made this video goes around and heart reacts all the comments saying exactly that about TotK. I think the nostalgia blind crowd is quite annoying and most of these videos comparing these two games are very lukewarm

[@_Wakaz_]

TOTK is literally BOTW with Minecraft tacked on.

[@_Wakaz_]

I think you and other Nintendo fanboys are just blinded by hype and wanted TOTK to be the best game possible and therefore are still stuck in absolute denial that TOTK really was quite a disappointment considering the 5+ years' wait.

[@_Wakaz_]

​​@@chooongusbug724I think the Nintendo fanboys are equally if not more blind and should be more critically minded when approaching the media they consume, especially considering when the media costs $70 for a Sequel which honestly does not feel warranted considering the contents of it. Nintendo fanboys are far more annoying in their attempts to shut down any criticism people who aren't fans of TOTK offer because they can't accept that Nintendo is an imperfect development company. The videos praising TOTK blindly without looking at the bigger picture are far more lukewarm, at least these videos make attempts to draw an analysis of why TOTK feels lacking as a sequel. Videos that really go into detailed critique of the sequel - videos you clearly have not seen - without any nostalgia blindness, are by far the best videos reviewing TOTK, and the best example is Nerrel's review of the game, which I implore you to watch with an open mind.

[@chooongusbug724]

@@_Wakaz_ the old good, new bad Zelda fanboys crying because Nintendo isn't listening to them. Nintendo sucks, for sure...But no need to cry anymore over them not listening to what you zoomers want. I realized they weren't gonna listen when they released the shit OoT knock off that was Twilight Princess. So, seethe 😘

[@Tiwill]

Thank you so much for making a video on this. I couldn't really get into Tears, and you've perfectly encapsulated why, while remaining fair to the game. 9:54 When you said this, I thought I was hearing myself talk... I agree so much with this. This will seem a bit unrelated, and some of it probably will be, but bear with me. In the last couple of years, I've gone back to play a lot of PS1 games I had never played growing up, and through this process, I've come to realize that my love for video games really comes from the feeling of immersion I get while playing them. If I can easily suspend my disbelief while playing a game, there's a much higher chance I'll fall in love with it. On the PS1, most role-playing games and horror games had pre-rendered backgrounds and static camera angles. Some say these techniques are now dated by modern standards, but I never understood why, as they were used to strengthen the atmosphere and immersion of the games. Even tank controls had a reason to be: they let you move the character in a straight line across multiple scenes, no matter where the camera was situated in each scene. What I'm trying to convey is that the best games from that generation had a cohesive vision, and every aspect of the game's design existed to support that vision. Perhaps I should say "my favorite games" rather than "the best games", as it is subjective, but the concept of a good game having a clear vision is something I strongly believe in, even if tastes will differ. When I think about Breath of the Wild, my memories of the game are very pure and vivid, because I was wholly immersed while playing it. That moment of total immersion never happened with Tears, and I think it's because it's a much more complex and chaotic game. It demands much more creativity and mechanical finesse from the player, yet presents much less elegance and substance in return, as you've touched on in the video. It's clear the two games were not trying to do the same thing, but to be honest, I never fully grasped what Tears was trying to accomplish. I understand that building vehicles and contraptions is entertaining, but when every other aspect of the game suffers for it, was it worth it? To some it was, and it's good that the game exists to please them, but speaking for myself, the game was too messy for me to get immersed, and when that happens, I'm too mentally checked out to care about anything in it. Hopefully that wasn't too harsh towards Tears. I enjoyed that this video was more about praising the beauty of Breath of the Wild's design, rather than ragging on Tears for not being the same. But those were my honest thoughts. This was a very inspiring video and it felt quite validating, as I share your love for simplicity in games and I'm happy to know others feel that way too.

[@repingers9777]

I can't get over how flippin beautiful botw looks.

[@ThomasEditz]

I completely get what you're saying, very well said. I loved Tears of the Kingdom and said it was above BOTW right after playing it, even a few months later. But now, it's not that I like it more or less than BOTW, but I'm personally feeling more of an appreciation and respect for BOTW that I overlooked previously. This video captures what I appreciate more about BOTW, alongside the amount of memories I had with that when it came out. It was so impactful, and there being less in the game made all in it even more memorable. Even though areas are different and expanded upon in TOTK, my memories with this world and map was in BOTW. That being said too, it's hard to exactly pin point the reasoning but BOTW has a more comforting and inviting tone to the whole world and atmosphere compared to TOTK? Either way I love and appreciate both, but further as time has gone on, I lowkey like BOTW just as much and don't want to put one above the other. Even Age of Calamity I enjoy and appreciate. Any who, great video again (: thoroughly enjoy your channel.

[@victoriawinthropadams]

You’re not wrong! I love TOTK but it’s a game that has so much going on in every moment that it makes the player prone to one ADHD moment after another. It’s often hard to stay on task because you’re pulled in a million directions. And it breeds a need to complete SO many tasks and quests that it easily drowns out the rest. There’s something quietly lovely about BOTW, with less bells and whistles, and I’ll always adore it.

[@Erifire]

I honestly have never considered immersion to be the most important factor of enjoying a game as it never crossed my mind, but looking back I realized that all my favorite games had the most immersion. BoTW felt more immersive with it's characters, story, and world, and that's why I was sort of disappointed in ToTK. Great video, really helped me appreciate something new!

[@JoacoLuis]

You know what I did in my 2nd run of TotK? I skipped the machine building (fun as it may be) and I purposefully downright ignored fast travel or teleportation. Yes, I WALKED 😅 it made Hyrule feel HUGE. I've never felt a video game world so alive. You should try it some time! 😊 Great video, by the way! ❤

[@ritzboo9490]

Did the same thing with totk and in comparison to botw I completely went in blind with nothing but the trailers as my general knowledge. That’s why I felt as though totk felt more special. However, I just started playing in master mode of botw and I feel a new sense of appreciation for both games due to it.

[@zachbaker9325]

You put into words what I've been feeling about the 2 games, but haven't really been able to articulate. Awesome video

[@noot4954]

Honestly, I find myself appreciating botw more than totk. I mean totk is great and has a lot of freedom; it was really fun to play, but I felt not much reason to play it after beating it. This happens a lot with certain games, where there seems to be little reason to play after beating them, but with totk, the content, for me, just seemed too busy at times and kind of just more distractions from the main game. It didn't feel like it was really revolutionising or innovating the game concept and design itself, just more subtle ideas that the team thought of adding to pad for time and more content. Botw didn't really have this issue for me, as its whole design was that emptiness and natural atmosphere to the world of hyrule. It felt like it all flowed together and that the side content - especially post game content - felt like interesting and genuinely cool mysteries for the player to solve if they chose to. Totk to me felt more like a chore to get everything I had on my list done, but with little purpose to do so, as I was already familiar with my surroundings and a lot of other aspects of the game, due to botw. I mean as well, the glitches in botw were way more interesting, challenging and fun for me than compared to totk: I enjoy cool things like movement tech and neat little mechanics that weren't intended in games. The glitches in totk are mainly either patched or very fiddly and based off of stuff with items and zonai tech, which is a downside for me since I don't really like "non-renewable" glitches. That's kind of besides the point though, since that's not the actual game design, just a personal reason. Just wanted to comment to let you know there is no ridiculousness in your view, I think it's crazy to think two completely different releases can compare to replacing or being better than one another. It happens all the times with games: remasters, remakes, spiritual sequels, etc. People have their phases of idolising tunnel visions views for a brief moment then after a few decades they move on to their actual beliefs. Totk and botw have their downsides and upsides, that's just it. Love the video.

[@NintendoHero]

I agree with everything you said. And yeah whistle sprinting and wind bombing were such fun glitches/exploits in Botw, really missed them in Totk

[@Kiddo311]

Nintendo threw everything at Tears of the Kingdom. Other companies would probably have made five or six games from the mountain of ideas, mechanics, etc. It's a fantastic game and a great expansion of Breath of the Wild. But they are both different beasts. There is such beauty in the simplicity and serenity of Breath of the Wild, it's almost perfect. It's hard to describe. You did it well.

[@beegusburger]

Another great point and video. Your videos are so calming and fit whatever game you cover in tone perfectly!

[@mkjjoe]

Really on point, nice to see others appreciate this notion of simplicity 👍 Same experience for me

[@Matewoo_LKB]

Man, I love the vibes of your videos! So relaxing

[@danielhart779]

Always happy to see a Nintendo Hero video.

[@PGReviews_]

Great video dude. Breath of the Wild’s simplicity is something I’ve only come to appreciate more with time.

[@julianjuez]

I feel you. I'm almost 50 and BOTW made me a different person for the exact same reasons you mention.

[@rayscotchcoulton]

Great video, with keen observations about nostalgia and expectations. I think it put into words a lot of thoughts I've had about the two games over the last year but never put into words. They absolutely have different goals, each with their own merits and flaws. I'm just glad we live in a time where we get to play both! Cheers.

[@fishygobrrrrr493]

Woooo! Gotta love it when you see hero upload!

[@pendulumandraven9338]

Totk is absolutely phenomenal but botw is like an old friend to me. When I'm done with work and studies and have some free time, mostly i just walk across the woods in botw or ride my horse slowly through them.... Or i just roam mindlessly... It feels so so good Tho what i love to do most is tagging along with a dragon (its hard to keep up), totk elevated them to another level...

[@jasonpeterson3860]

Spot on assessment of both games. Thanks you!

[@saxoman1]

Bold! But you're not wrong! BOTW is one of my favorites of all time, TOTK was... okay to me. I think as time passes more people will come to a similar conclusion. Thanks for this VERY NEEDED video!

[@sweetdreams1028]

I believe the reason why I prefer BotW over TotK is that it was a completely new experience for the Zelda franchise. That’s probably why I’ve barely gone back to play TotK, as opposed to BotW where I couldn’t stop playing after I was already done. Because, TotK missed what made BotW so special, because it was a completely new experience. Hearing Aonuma say he can’t see why fans want some sorta return to the more linear format makes me concerned for the future of Zelda as while open world Zelda’s been fun and different, it’s not automatically better and could get stale pretty fast.

[@octodoggo6182]

I felt the same emotions that I did with breath of the wild when I was playing through the great sky island for the first time. I wish totk was just more botw but I can see what they wanted to do. I also felt like they were trying to force stuff to fit into totk that didn’t go well with what botw made before it. If they wanted all the stuff they put into totk, I feel like it shouldn’t have been a sequel to botw. It’s just too different.

[@cmtocco]

(sorry I'm late) I came back to botw about a month ago and I just love the quiet and peaceful world of botw while in totk it had boss bokos where there were no enemies before, same with villages and settlements along with the champion. now don't get me wrong, I love the totk bosses and sages (mainly the new ones) but as my friend once said "I feel as though the blights in botw feel more connected to calamity ganon, yet in totk, I feel minimal connection from, say colgera to ganondorf" and honestly I love the botw blights too. and finally, nothing can remake my first experience with botw, accidentally winding up in hate while trying to go to kakariko, wondering what's in the colosseum with that purple-ish stuff, wow look at that giant city in the dust cloud (it was actually Naboris because I was dumb) why is there a purple ring around me (Naboris's shock attack cause I'm dumb 2.0) honestly just to sum it all up, I find myself coming back to botw more and just re... enjoying lets say, the bits of the world and relaxing to the peacefulness and not being tempted to activate turned-off sages in my inventory. (also an extra thought, I just liked the sheikah story more than the zonai in which we only really interact with two while we see hundreds of sheikah and learn a lot more about their thriving age than the zonai's)

[@thomazplays9305]

This is the first time I see someone criticizing a game in such a wholesome and honest way. Well done nintendo hero.

[@dosneygaming]

Your videos are so good 👍

[@landlighterfirestar5550]

I truly adore both games, and I appreciate this video, because I was in the camp of thinking that TotK made BotW obsolete, and I realize that's not the case. BotW created a massive largely empty space, which lent itself to players experiencing the world however they wanted. This feeling was lost in TotK, but players' ability to experience the world however they wanted was preserved through the incredibly powerful and creative abilities that Link has. BotW is a masterpiece of simplicity. TotK is a masterpiece of complexity. To pick a favorite out of the two would be like choosing whether you want to read a book or attend a party. In other words, comparing the two based on enjoyability very much depends on the person

[@Gogopowerandy]

One of the most memorable things about BOTW is seeing Hyrule Castle from the Great Plateau in the midst of a sprawling (seemingly) empty green field. There’s just something so dreamlike about it, it’s so beautiful. It’s almost like you’re playing an 80s Dark Fantasy movie.

[@Kondase]

I loved hearing your thoughts. Thank you for expressing them here. I wish I could add to the conversation but I have trouble putting my thoughts into words.

[@CrimsonMey]

Exploring BotW felt special even if it was slow and I loved just parking Link's ass on some cliff and looking around. I just started TotK and I was able to get to most of towers in just a few days by gliding to the nearest island with a shrine&zonai gacha then getting catapulted over to the next segment. And a lot of times I drop from the sky, there's a dragon right below me ready to be harvested. Those things used to feel special.

[@bugfreezer]

Ocarina of Time was the first glimmer of brilliance that eventually led to BOTW and TOTK because of the use of space. Until it’s clutch time in-game, it’s relaxing to take a leisurely walk through the countryside. I like them both. Haven’t replayed either yet. Good insights!

[@MANOfruit]

Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom are both amazing games. They are all time classics in their genre and will be remembered for years to come as some of the greatest games of all time. Tears of the Kingdom has one real flaw and that flaw to me is the reason for any other flaws that I’ve found in the game. That flaw is that the game takes place in Breath of the Wilds Hyrule. As you run through Tears of the Kingdom it constantly brings back memories of playing through Breath of the Wild. This makes it so you are constantly comparing the two games as you play instead of just enjoying what Tears has to offer. And Tears of the Kingdom has so much to offer. The other side of the coin is that for a lot of people Tears made them appreciate Breath of the Wilds simplicity. There’s so much going on in Tears. It’s what makes the game so great. But Breath of the Wilds simplicity is what makes it so good. Exploring the vast landscapes of Hyrule and just soaking in the atmosphere. Climbing a mountain and then just gazing off at the landscape for a while, taking it all in. Running through the grass on your way to who knows where, seeing the wildlife, listening to the breathtaking composed music, and just relaxing. This is why I love Breath of the Wild. I’ve never had this feeling in any other game. So when people say that Breath of the Wild doesn’t have a place in their library now that we have Tears of the Kingdom, it makes me sad. Both games are remarkable in their own right and deserve praise. Tears of the Kingdom and Breath of the Wild are my two favorite games and I wouldn’t give them up for anything.

[@jonathanpease115]

I’m glad to see some comments that agree that these are both great games that just have different goals and purposes! There’s parts of both games that I find are wonderful strengths that the other doesn’t have and I think that’s great. I’ve been replaying BOTW recently and was surprised how much more walking around and exploring I’m doing compared to in TOTK. The other day I noticed the northern lights up in Hebra that I never noticed in my first play through nor in TOTK. I literally stoped and stared at them as I explored the mountains. It really is a slower and more explorative game. At the end of the day, I love these two games and I’m so glad they are what they are!

[@blueboytube]

Not only do I think Tears of the Kingdom can’t replace Breath of the Wild, I actually think Breath of the Wild is the better game period. I mean TotK is a good game but I still prefer BotW

[@christophernash8166]

Beautiful video!

[@eddielin1997]

I've always thought about this. Reminds me of Fumito Ueda's design by subtraction basis. Botw has a much stronger focus on exploration. I finished both games and I usually boot up botw over totk just to get my exploration kick in

[@mikesamillion27]

Botw feels like a world totk feels like a sandbox. I also feel like totk feels more like a tech demo because it’s full of features they didn’t use for botw. Both games are great but botw is more special to me and I think I’m the only person who preferred the Devine beasts 😂

[@moomanchu608]

Pretty much agree with everything you said. I finally learned to like botw a month before TotK and i fell in love with the atmosphere. It has a very artistic design that is reminiscent of studio ghibli and a calm track that lets a person sink into the environment. There is just a calming aspect of just roaming around hyrule with you trusty steed

[@shwoopi]

i 100 % agree. although, i think we will definitely look back on the sky islands and the depths and appreciate how they made us feel for the first time too

[@CaptainWumbo]

TotK constantly reminds me there are other people in the world. Especially the graffiti like crop circles are just so ugly, you can't look in any direction and feel like you're in nature. That was a big disappointment for me. Then the towers trivialize travel of the overworld, so it's like they don't want you to spend time there and the only thing left are the endless underground that's all one texture and set of enemies, and the tiny number of sky islands that mostly feel copy pasted. It's weird to say that the tutorial was the strongest part of TotK, and the first couple hours or so I deliberately didn't go where the game told me so I didn't have the sail and had to go on foot. But so many shrine puzzles needed the sail that I went and got it and then the whole puzzle of traversing the surface disappeared. Can I choose not to use it? Can I choose to turn off companions? Sure, but then I'm hardly engaging with the games mechanics at all. The game was orignally just going to be a DLC and it shows. As a dlc I might have been okay with it, 3 years ago.

[@michaelkaduck1915]

I agree with a lot of this. As amazing of a time I had in Tears of the Kingdom, nothing can replace that sense of truly exploring the beauty of Hyrule's nature in Breath of the Wild, learning about its past, and there truly feeling like the world was your oyster.

[@katertran1718]

I totally agree that TOTK just feels like a smaller map than BOTW because you can move so much faster. Tbh playing BOTW always reminded me of games like fallout new vegas, because the emptiness is kind of the point and it makes the game what it is.

[@amok8938]

I recently replayed botw and it was just as great as i remembered it. It has this feeling to it that I cant really explain. I also tried replaying totk but without building vehicles and it made the map feel massive. I also tried walking a lot rather than using fast travel.

[@friendlynightmares]

I feel glad that people see BOTW has its own game still. For me personally, TOTK felt bloated to me, it added so many many things but it just felt tacked on, not like it was actually developing a new world.

[@raspberrygamer9675]

Tok just can't replace botw for me

[@QnjtGWonQNqVsbYyzjx4]

Yeah, I am playing Tears first and fells off without breath’s experience.

[@MrHeller55]

Love the take here. I think totk is a better game but nothing will replace the way I felt playing BOTW. A new map. A new type of zelda. I watched a ton of videos before launch and I still was amazed with all the stuff I was finding and figuring out. Totk I already knew what to expect don't get me wrong it still surprised me a bunch but botw was always a surprise. Totk is more beautiful due to the better color choices and the even more amazing lighting system. Both are excellent. Totk does dethrone botw as my favorite game of all time but botw will always have a special place in my heart that will never be taken away.

[@neardark77]

BOTW felt like I was on an adventure. I prefer it a lot more and started replaying it straight after finishing TOTK. Although still awesome, TOTK felt like I was doing activities and checking off puzzles without the unknown and discovery of the first.

[@angelo8606]

I'm starting to see that my experience with TOTK was very different from most players. I unintentionally played in a very optimized way. Because I knew this world like the back of my hand, and because I wanted to see what was new, I explored every region meticulously. But I wasn't rushing anything, in fact I was kind of slow. It took me a few days before I even left Hyrule Field and headed west to continue the main quest. A fun thing is that when I reached the first temple, I maxed out on arrows. That stock lasted me the entire game. Because of the way I explored I never felt the need to fast travel, I must have done it only a handful of time in this game. It was just me and my horse traveling in Hyrule. And the only times when I made vehicles with ultrahand was when I needed to move a Korok. Or for a quest or something. And that was enough for me. It might be hard to believe, but I was just as immersed in this world as in BOTW, if not more. It never felt like I was running from one piece of content to the next even if in practice it was kind of what I was doing. But I think I played this game in the best way possible, so I never had this feeling. It was just a journey. What you said at 9:54 is exactly how I think, but I didn't feel this way playing TOTK. It's not often when completing a game 100% doesn't feel like a chore, but for TOTK it went so smoothly for me. I was even able to do everything before I finished the game. Whereas in BOTW I came back to it after the end to 100% it. Looking back, I love TOTK more and more. Probably just as much I as love BOTW.

[@kokalombia]

I like to think about. Botw/Totk as the two sides of a coin. Botw is about Hyrule, and how link bonds with the world he lives in. Totk is about collaboration and creativity. The bond this time is with characters and the gameplay is about your own creativity being put to test

[@the___hush]

Completely agree with all of the points you maid in this video. I was quite disappointed when totk didn't quite hit the same spot that botw did all the way back when It first came out, and I think that's because the world didn't feel as new and fresh as it did in botw. I didn't know anyone else shared the same opinion so thanks for making this video!

[@VitorMerschmann]

BoTW and ToTK are different games not only because of the gameplay, but in purpose, and I think people fail to understand that when playing. BoTW, as the title says perfectly, is more contemplative and calm. The world is recovering from a calamity and little action has been seen in 100 years. There is some monsters here and there, but they are almost part of the nature now. ToTK goes in a total new direction. Now that you know this map, it's time for an adventure. I'm not sure if that completely worked for me, mostly due to the story, but I find hard to compare both games. Nintendo always try something new and I knew that I would revisit that place, but it wouldn't be in the same pace as the previous title. Overall, BoTW has a permanent place in my heart because it's more my type of game than ToTK is, which probably is not the same for other people, because they probably have other preferences. (and that's fine)

[@doraemonyoung]

I wish I could experience the BOTW for the first time again. For some reason I didn’t realise there’s a fast travel system until I was 12 hours into the game. But honestly that’s the best mistake I’ve ever made playing a video game cause it helped me to fully immerse myself into this lonely but beautiful world. I returned to gaming because of the BOTW and since then I never experienced another game that gave me the same feeling and emotion as the BOTW.

[@davidaitken8503]

I think some of you are just approaching TotK the wrong way. Think of BotW as your first exploration of Hyrule in Ocarina of Time. When you re-explore Hyrule seven years later upon emerging from the Temple of Time you already have basic knowledge of the layout of Hyrule so the sense of wonder of discovering something new has been replaced with the sense of wonder of seeing how the world has changed. TotK isn't supposed to replace BotW any more than the future version of Hyrule in OoT is supposed to replace the past version.

[@graysonmcdonald8]

Really good video.

[@seekingsolutions7078]

I loved both games but what BOTW has that TOTK doesn’t is that wow factor and the satisfaction of discovering a new area. I also love the idea of waking up after 100 years without any memory of what had happen; so you go out into the world to rediscover your memories.

[@StiffAftermath]

Breath of the Wild made my jaw drop because of the serene of the landscape and sense of exploration. Tears of the Kingdom made my jaw drop because of the sheer vastness and variety of the world. Both are mind-blowingly amazing. Tears is my personal favorite world in any game, even over Elden Ring. Wow!

[@SihyungLee-tm1uc]

Zelda is veautyfully well-evolved.... thanks and good luck ....

[@unblairable]

what i find interesting about the tech demo comparison is that tears of the kingdom feels just as much like a tech demo to me as breath of the wild does. both games explored uncharted waters in game design in their own ways, and they both feel like they’re the product of a dev team focused on laying the foundation for the future of the franchise. botw and totk both feel like games that encapsulate the phrase ‘limitless potential’, and in a way that almost gets me more excited for what’s to come than what we’ve already been given

[@NicTube]

I feel so understood by this video, seriously. I'm a sucker for atmosphere, story, immersion and lore as well. Friends of mine always said how much they love this game over BotW, but I just never totally got the same feeling. Everytime I played it was because.. "it's the sequel to BotW, of course I need to know and play it". Problem is, I really loved the beginning and most new and unique areas of TotK. The Great Sky Island is basically my dream BotW2 come true - the Fire Temple + Gorondia, the Lightning and Wind Temples are also very close to what I expected/wanted from a BotW sequel. The Construct Factory + Spirit Temple have been amazing to me as well. It really mostly comes down to "What of this is an actually new location?". The same Hyrule just felt stale to me. Especially with the lack of new lore/story. And the Sky should have had a visible cloud border between it and the surface, similar to Skyward Sword; like in TotK it just felt like some randomly placed islands in the middle of nothing, in my opinion. Fantastic video! :)

[@Scramblefred2399]

BOTW is like your first love. You can move on, get married, and even have a better relationship. But that first love will always always stay with you.

[@BLSFL_HAZE]

I actually played TotK first, and I absolutely ADORED it. That being said, I have EVERY intention to play BotW, and I'm EXTREMELY excited to do so.

[@shiao3990]

ToTK is my first Zelda game. I don't know what it feels like going backwards to BOTW. But I do enjoy a number of places in TOTK where it's absolute peacefulness. So I get what you mean.

[@CZsWorld]

It seems like most people prefer Breath of the Wild to TotK, myself included.

[@goombatrooper8824]

The grasslands of hyrule all the green makes me feel cold that there’s always a cold breeze going around lol

[@scubasteve2189]

Person who JUST spent $70 for TOTK: “It’s such a great game, it’s perfect, and everything about it is better than BOTW!” 3 months later, when the sunk cost fades away: “Okay, actually it kind of sucks.” 🤷🏻‍♂️😂

[@jakedodge7]

I did a few play sessions of Totk when it first came out and haven’t played since. This may be because I’d spend the few months before playing botw and I didn’t feel like I was done yet but it just didn’t feel as polished. The fight in zoras domain felt kinda buggy to me and I feel there was just way too much too do. Botw had 4 pings on the map but totk had quite a few and I think it was just overwhelming. The first time I played botw I also quit after the great plateau then came back a year later and now it’s one of my favourite games ever so maybe the same will happen!

[@MiniBeas]

It's like vanilla WoW versus current. Wow! And I think that's a good thing.

[@Cadialvaro]

Well, I believe we’ve all been blessed to enjoy Zelda’s Era of the Wild as a whole. This is one of the reasons I’m glad to have been born in this period. I was struggling with depression so badly, it worsened in 2017, roughly two years since my grandma had passed away. I just couldn’t get over it, but when I decided to get over my obsessions with not spending money, I jumping to the Switch to enjoy Zelda again. I was speechless, some landscapes merged and beautifully captured my imagination and love with nature ever since I was a child. Even some places reminded me of me spending quality time with her in the Wild when we did little explorations. Breath of the Wild made me recall those wonderful memories, so did Tears of the kingdom. I can’t be thankful enough to these geniuses of creativity. I’ve usually complained about life being unfair to me so far, but I didn’t know how mistaken I was. :’)

[@zakzerak7191]

best take. totk makes botw stand on its own in a good way.

[@guidogos6031]

I am one of the few that is at this point still playing his first Zelda game. I played Final Fantasy 7 on my PS1, Final Fantasy X, X2, XII and FF13. As FF is going more towards battle over time I really like the slow pace of BOTW. I am also 50+, perhaps there is a reason also in there. On my PS I compare BOTW with HZD.

[@tristangruener9571]

I agree completely, nothing can compare to that first play through of botw. The exploration and experiencing the world for the first time is something irreplaceable

[@ShadowWizard224]

My top 10 Zelda games: 🛡️ #10 A Link To The Past #9 Link’s Awakening #8 Skyward Sword #7 Minish Cap #6 A Link Between Worlds #5 Breath of the Wild #4 Twilight Princess #3 Majora’s Mask #2 Wind Waker #1 Ocarina of Time 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

[@danielward4868]

I'm (slowly) playing through Tears of the Kingdom right now. My favourite parts of the game is taking my time exploring the map without zonai devices or teleporting where I can and completing different side quests in each village. I would like to go back to BoTW eventually and start new because I prefer the tutorial by a long way.

[@arkotk]

Personally I agree with you. I find BotW the better game for me. TotK is to overwhelming due to all the building materials spread across Hyrule. It just never feels as a finished game, but more as a work in progress with always more things to do. BotW gives you the possibilty to do nothing else than exploring. As an ex-WoW vanilla player I love this aspect about BotW. Watching the sun go down or just finding a cozy place for the night. BotW gives me that same feeling of nostalgia and I still think of that moments. TotK does not give me that same feeling. Simplicity of BotW rules indeed.

[@jos3ph.d]

good video

[@chris_1988]

My take on this: The impression these games had on me was heavily influenced by what came before. BotW was preceded by Skyward Sword, the most restrictive and hand-holdy Zelda game ever. This caused tons of concern regarding the future of the series. And then BotW released and there was nothing but jaw-dropping freedom from start to finish. It absolutely blew my mind that the same company who had "just" released the 20h tutorial that is Skyward Sword now trusted players to brave this expansive open world full of dangers and possibilities. BotW was the first game to ever dethrone my all-time favorite OoT. Now, TotK launches to universal and justified praise. However, *it* was preceded by BotW, not SS. All this mind-blowing amount of freedom was not new anymore. It was expected. TotK delivered on that front and then some. However, nothing it did could ever wow me again the way BotW managed to. They went above and beyond to, since they're gonna reuse BotW's map, make damn sure it won't be a simple retreading of old grounds and I absolutely respect this decision. And yet, with TotK sharing so many similarities with BotW, the combined 7 to 8 years of interacting with these worlds leads to old flaws becoming more and more aggravating as time passes. Why is upgrading armor still such a tedious process with tons of dialog and a (albeit skippable) cutscene for each level of each piece of clothing? Why are we still searching for hundreds of Koroks with the same types of puzzles? Why do areas like snowy mountains or stables still use the same (boring / grating) music as before? Why are most rewards still useless consumables? Why is voice-acting still reserved for about 0.5 % of all the dialog in the entire game? Why can I still not pick up collectibles while riding a horse? Why is the almighty Master Sword still a fragile little stick? Why is taking pictures of small birds or insects for the collectopedia still such a janky mess? I could go on, but I think this illustrates my point sufficiently. Most of these are issues that were present in BotW and could have easily been fixed. Now, they're starting to wear on me, after years of dealing with them. This doesn't mean I don't like TotK, I just want to explain why the game didn't leave as much of an expression on me as BotW did. If both games came out at the same time, TotK might be the better experience in total. However, with SS preceding BotW and with BotW preceding TotK, I will forever cherish BotW as a monumental landmark in my personal gaming history while TotK will live in its shadow as the more polished yet far less impactful sequel.

[@giggymuun]

I did a permadeath master mode run, and it really made me realize that this game is just good. Most people complaining either hated the formula changing or had genuine reasons to dislike it, otherwise, it’s a masterpiece.

[@Matthew_Murray]

I fully agree with all your points, even post TotK, BotW is still one of my favorite games of all time and I always love going back to explore its version of Hyrule.

[@Kimoxdo]

I get so emotional hearing the Botw soundtrack while playing

[@Xenunt1]

BOTW changed everything and holds a place in my gaming history that no game will ever replace. TOTK did an amazing job of improving the GAME, but BOTW beats it in feel and love.

[@galaxystarroad]

I personally think BOTW is way better than TOTK.

[@higurashikai09]

I love how TotK upgraded combat to be much more enjoyable for me. BotW's combat was still pretty fun but I would avoid it if the weapons the enemies had weren't good enough to replace what I was carrying-I thought it was a waste. TotK's fuse mechanic makes pretty much any enemy encounter worth while because I can make weapons better, so I didn't feel the need to hoard weapons like I did in BotW However I did miss BotW's more chill atmosphere at times. TotK has a lot of chores to do ehich require you to go between maps a lot: get zonite, convert that zonite to crystalized shards in the Depths, convert crystalized shards on the surface or sky into batteries for instance or get zonai parts, travel to convert those parts into zonai orb things at designated dispensers. BotW by comparison was easy to just leasurely explore. I did get pretty fed up with climbing in BotW though. I found that I much prefered to take my horse which was unfortunate in places like Zora's Domain where the horse was banned. TotK's Ascend ability is definitely a favourite of mine. All in all, each game has it's strengths and weaknesses. While TotK improved on parts of BotW, I don't think it replaces BotW because BotW was still a unique experience with a particularly calm atmosphere.

[@bonz6481]

I agree completely. Totk is awesome but Im 42 and have played games my whole life and botw took me to a place I’ve never been with a video game.

[@jordangonzalez4658]

Idk I was one of those that loved tears of the kingdom but after I finished it on switch I was like ughh I think Botw had a bigger impact on me and the game made me cry because I was happy to be alive playing it. And fast forward till recently and I tried replaying Botw on my pc with 60 fps and it was beautiful until I got up to the water dungeon and it was super super easy and fast. I got bored quickly and then decided to switch to tears of the kingdom on pc at 60 fps and I am having a better time. Not bored at all and playing with the pro hud etc.

[@TheMikepatota]

I love TOTK but I think I agree with you on BOTW. In fact when TOTK first came out, the more I liked it, the more I missed BOTW which was a weird feeling on a first playthrough that I was enjoying.

[@tommasoos849]

totally agreed 100/100

[@painuchiha2694]

I love totk but I miss the sense of wonder and exploration I had with botw. The next Zelda game will surely capture that again hopefully

[@Adventureruler]

Dude im literally doing a second playthrough of Botw after I tried out Tears of the Kingdom for a bit. Its fun! :D i missed out on alot of side-quests i never encountered my first playthrough! 👍🏽

[@BhargavN10]

Totk can never replace Botw. Even though It's a direct sequel to Botw. The environment and excitement is different. I always feel alone in Botw no matter how many times I've replayed it

[@Blockvard]

Botw made me feel at piece. Tears world made me feel that I didn't accomplish much when I took a break. And so many things distracted you from just soaking the world in. Great game but it tried too hard.

[@Kyler360]

I do prefer TOTK to BOTW don't get me wrong, but I'm so glad you brought up how the champion system is just a straight downgrade. Genuinely the biggest thing keeping it from being a 10/10 for me