The SPICIEST Zelda Hot Takes

[@othenio]

Happy New Year to you! I am just going to stay in my corner of the internet and simp for Revali 💙 :>

[@ShadowWizard224]

Hot Take: Divine Beasts were better than TOTK dungeons.

[@Lamby2509]

Omg I do agree with you. Botw is way better than totk. I’ve 100% botw about 4 times and I haven’t touched totk since I beat it last May. Divine beasts over totk dungeons any day. Same with story and cut scenes as well.

[@ummidk757]

I 100% agree atleast the divine beasts had okay mechanics like moving the divine beast around and also it felt more like a actual dungeon then the dungeons in totk did. the dungeons in totk just looked cool and that’s about it and you could cheese ever single one of them so easily I do admit the bosses in totk were alot better design wise but they were pretty easy compared to the blights

[@davidchen2324]

Many people hate on the Divine Beasts, saying that BotW is “not a traditional Zelda game.” My response: 1) the Divine Beasts are just fine. They fit the story perfectly. 2) Why do new Zelda games have to be just like all of the other ones to be “good?” Where’s the innovation in that?

[@ReaperAngel666]

Barely 50 seconds in and this is already my favourite video on the internet

[@davidchen2324]

Completely agree with your final hot take. I literally applauded after finishing your video. This video deserves way more views than it’s got.

[@MaxM210]

FINALLY. Somebody is willing to talk about how People ascribed so much meaning to two lines of Ganondorf's Dialogue in Wind Waker. It has always, ALWAYS annoyed me the way people acted like Wind Waker Ganondorf was some tragic anti-villain, just because he had two lines of Dialogue in WW that we know didn't actually reflect the person we know he was OOT. Ganondorf in OOt could not have cared less about anybody but himself, especially not the Gerudo. If anything WW Ganondorf is lying to himself because all those years later he didn't want to have to accept just how bad a person he a really was. And honestly, I really disagree with the idea that Ganondorf should be some kind of Nuanced or complex character. Ganondorf is supposed be what power looks like without Wisdom or Courage to Support it. He's smart but not Wise, if he was, he wouldn't be so arrogant to assume he had the right to rule the world. He's strong, but not brave, is he was, he wouldn't have waited for a ten year old to open the way to the Triforce for him, and he wouldn't always let monsters and magic do the work for him. The point of Ganondorf is that he's a bad man who does bad things for bad reasons, because thats what power for power's sake does to somebody. Ganondorf has no cause, no morals, no crusade. He just hates the idea that there could be anyone, even a god above him. That's why he works, That's why he's iconic. And Totk masterfully portrays that idea, better than the others before him. Unlike previous Ganondorf's his plan isn't to just sit around once he rules the world. TOTk Ganon is using the dungeon monsters and puppet Zelda as a distraction while he rejuvenates his body. He makes it clear that the minute he's rehydrated, he plans to personally ravage the world in a bloody hellfire the likes of which no one could even imagine. totk, more than any Ganon is a Warlord. He hates the world of peace, because its a world where the weak can thrive. He hates Rauru for holding god-like power and only using it for stability and peace. Ganondorf was a warrior in a world with no war. Totk is the first Zelda game to really show Ganondorf as an embodiment of power. Also, I just really dislike how the Zelda community is so quick to hype up the series as these masterful works of art, but then what the actual artists that make them, say they're creatively unsatisfied with the way they used to work, and have found far more creative ambition and massive success working in this new way, the fans lose their minds. Like guys, if Zelda games are art, then Aonuma as the artist should be allowed to make art in a way he finds creatively fulfilling. If not, then Zelda isn't art, it's a toy. If you want Zelda to be a toy, that only gives you exactly what you want, you don't get to call it art.

[@Cattensu]

I agree on the Tears of the Kingdom take. I really enjoyed the story, and put it up their with Twilight Princess, and Breath of the Wild. Of my top favorite Zelda stories. I avoided the Zelda community to avoided spoilers for TotK for a year. And when I came back after beating the game, I was shocked at all the hate the game was getting. And yeah, like with Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, Skyward Sword, and Breath of the Wild, after 5-10 years the people that are hating on the game now, will be singing it's prises. Which will be annoying.

[@Zacian2.0]

Zelda fans trying to decide between loving OoT or hating Navi and saying it made the game terrible is the most funny thing ever. I still stand by my top two zelda games being BotW with Windwaker as a close second. Sorry to say, but TotK is third. I got thousands of hours in BotW. You might be able to tell how that ruined my experience when playing TotK.

[@ProjectionProjects2.7182]

Honestly TOTK is my least favorite Zelda game and BOTW is definitely not my favorite and I would argue that SS was better.

[@Flynnisthename]

I wish ganondorf was a more well rounded villain in all of his appearances but you’re absolutely right

[@rtysdfgh2103]

Nah, some of these are actually pretty good points. Like, as much as i love Ganon, he is kinda just... not all that.

[@Xedefenseform]

The thing with the Zelda series is that its a fairly innovative/experimental series. Which really just means that its fairly unlikely that a new entry would be every old fan's cup of tea. Even when zelda iterates upon its gameplay, it still introduces enough experimental ideas (at least for a AAA game). Because of this, you won't find a zelda game that is particulary super polished in both gameplay, story and execution.

[@ummidk757]

Hot take: Botw story was superior to totk in a few ways

[@imadeadgoat8252]

the DO BETTER part is so real

[@jackoyster1270]

I’m here to defend Ganondorf! I understand the issues people have with twilight Princess’ ganon, but to me it seemed to work pretty well. It’s shown halfway through the game, around arbiters grounds, that ganon, after killing the sage of water, was sealed to the twilight realm. It sets the seed of his presence in the story early on, as it’s also shown that he’s in possession of the triforce of power, leading the audience to assume that he’ll show up later. Then we get the whole thing with zant and Ganondorfs manipulation of him to take over both the twilight realm and hyrule. It is somewhat thin, but it is spread throughout the story so that Ganons appearance at the end feels justified. Also, my two cents on the totk story is that like the dungeons, it seems the Zelda team caved to peoples demands of better story, but only did it half heartedly and didn’t want to stray from the precedent set in botw. It lacks elements of conventional story structure like the third act low point, because link has nothing to do the entire story and also doesn’t build any meaningful relationships with new characters, or even with returning ones. Zelda’s sacrifice makes it seem like it’s super emotional, but compared to botw and the fate of the champions, it feels hollow. Great video though! Love me some hot takes! ❤

[@owenbyrne9850]

I agree that ganondorf is good as he is. these days people just appear to hate villain that "are evil because they just are evil" and want sympathetic villains(that can be great if done right). I agree that only oot and totk show ganondorf as a real threat but remember the ludicrous amount of crap that tp ganondorf takes before dying. Regarding totk's story, I think its good but not as good as Skyward sword or botw(amazing story). I have done multiple playthroughs with the memories completed before doing regional phenomena and it does bug me that Link plays along with phantom Zelda's antics. It is worth it though for the superb boss fight and intro cutscene with Phantom Ganon in the restored throne room. The prologue is easily the best part of totk's story by a long shot though and Zelda's heartbreaking sacrifice is a very close second.

[@SakuraHime10]

With all due respect (not meaning to be rude), you're literally doing the same thing you're complaining that others in the community do. I, for one, will still keep talking about it and be consistent about my views in the future. (No, I won't suddenly say TotK's story is "good" years down the road.) TotK's story being good is the majority opinion, and those of us who have the minority opinion have the right to point out what TotK didn't do right and could have done better. Its story is poorly executed, making the story (AS IT WAS TOLD TO US) not good either. A poor execution leads to a poor outcome; that's just a fact. OoT is my favorite game in the franchise and of all-time, but I will READILY admit that it is by no means perfect and it is a product of its time, making it not age as well as WW, TP, and others. But if we're gonna harp on OoT for aging poorly, then let's not kid ourselves by saying TotK didn’t do significant things wrong in the *present*. OoT's story may be "safe", but it is executed far better than Totk's, because it is consistent in its progression. Meanwhile, TotK's story is disjointed with unnecessary "plot twists" that don't make sense if Link, and by extension the player, have already seen Zelda turning into the Light Dragon (one such plot twist - albeit a gorgeous and powerful cutscene). Why the hell doesn’t Link tell ANYONE that he knows where Zelda is and that the "Zelda" currently popping in and out in Hyrule isn't the real one? (I don't wanna hear "He's a silent protag" bs. He can still talk, he's not literally mute.) Link spends the entire game going around Hyrule to solve a "mystery" that we already have since solved. And everyone's still like, "I wonder where Zelda is?" "We still gotta find Zelda!" "Link, do you know where Zelda is? It's still a mystery!" The point of Link going to the four regions is to investigate the strange phenomena from the Upheaval, but he's also trying to figure out where Zelda is because everyone keeps seeing "Zelda" pop up in every region. Again, that can be discovered way early on if the player seeks out the Geoglyphs, which reveal all of these plot twists that destory the "mystery" on Link's part of the story. This wouldn’t be a problem if the Geoglyphs *couldn’t* be accessed at any point, at any time, by the player if they so choose. But the problem is that TotK wants to have its cake and eat it too. It wants to allow the player to explore the game freely and in a non-linear fashion as they could in BotW (and thus go through the story at any point, at any time, in any order) AND tell a more linear story through the Geoglyph memories. I won't debate on this point: Because the Geoglyph memories are meant to be viewed in a specific order for them to make sense, that makes the story that they tell *linear*. Yet TotK is a non-linear open-world game, meaning not only can you see the memories at any point, at any time, you can accidentally view them out of order if the player didn't go to the Forgotten Temple first. The reason this WORKS in BotW (and not TotK) is because Link's memories are *non-linear* in BotW, meaning they can be viewed at any point, at any time, and still have them make sense and have them not interfere with the story itself and its progression. A non-linear story for a non-linear game. OoT (and other traditional 3D Zelda games) forces the player to progress through each area in a mostly linear fashion, only progressing them further through the story once they've obtained certain abilities, weapons, etc. This is formulaic and standard, but it allows for a consistent, (mostly) clean story. TotK's story wanted to be "something more" (a mystery with plot twists that make it "more interesting"), but by doing so, it became a jumbled mess. You're allowed to like a "messy but fun" story from an otherwise great game, but that doesn’t make TotK's story "good," just messy.

[@TheHyruleArchives]

Yeah the story of TotK is just fine, it's just terribly told

[@hyperturbofox17]

Oh the Zelda Fanbase even I love Zelda but I can't the Fanbase at times especially with Skyward Sword, Phantom Hourglass & Spirit Tracks.

[@ProjectionProjects2.7182]

The three most underrated Zelda's and with the former being the most over hated. The Zelda fanbase definitely gives these games WAY to much hate.

[@RezaQin]

Just emulate Twilight Princess on Dolphin.

[@benjthewhite]

Honestly I agree with all these lol

[@cofteaamsr1717]

very interestign and beautiful hot takes!!

[@Lamby2509]

As for Gannondorf, the reason people are disappointed in him in totk is the fact he has no reason to do what he does. In other games, (wind waker/twilight) he wants to take revenge on the hero of time and hyrule after he is defeated, and in all three older games he appears in he wants the triforce. In totk, why was he trying to invade hyrule? He was already trying to take over before he discovered the secret stones. Was it the triforce, if so then where the hell is it in botw or totk?

[@ummidk757]

He did say why he did what he did he wanted to reshape hyrule into what he wants it to be it’s at the final boss fight

[@MaxM210]

That description of Ganondorf seems off. As far as he was concerned the hero of time was long dead in TP and WW. And those Ganondorf's are just older OOt Ganondorf. Why that he want the triforce and to rule Hyrule? OOt never gives him some deep reason to do what he does. He just wants to rule the world, because thats what he wants to do and the triforce woudl let him do that. The implication in OOt is that he hates living under the rule of Hyrule's King, after said King united the land after the last war and Ganon desired to be king, buts that's never really said aloud. In Totk he wants to rule the world for basically the same reason, he hates Rauru and his world of peace. He wants a world of perpetual war, and hates that the godlike Zonai used their power for order and stability rather than conquest and chaos. The secret stones, like the Triforce are just a means to an end.

[@fatdinosaurfood8059]

I mean I think he is going for the triforce to bring the world back to its primordial state with demons roaming around. Why would he be under a seemingly random location. Hyrule castle wasn’t even built. Unless, he was after a certain triangle seemingly hidden by gods

[@chelwinters8732]

Hot take number 1: furry detected lmao. Jokes aside, I can agree with that take, it's part of what makes Twilight Princess unique. Also, 100% agree with your entire Ganondorf section. Actually there really isn't a point of your video I disagree with, so that's cool. TotK had a great story and OoT, despite being precious to me and my first game, really didn't age that well. Personally though, TotK may be my favorite Zelda in terms of story. And it also revealed that the Ancient Hero from the First Calamity was a furry, so I have to give praise for that (even if their in-game model is a little odd).

[@trueyoshigamerthetrueone5798]

Actually, yeah i agree on every take of yours, or more like i can understand them xD. Since i was one of those people who started witz BotW, i havent really played the rest of the Zelda games myself so i cant really make much hot takes. But personally, about your rant at the end, inagree with the frustration. I like BotW and TotK and if i ever go to the past and try an older zelda game, im sure id like it too. I dont see anything wrong with wanting the linear or open structure. Id just like more people too see all the good stuff of them both. Yean neither game is perfect and i dont want to spread forced and toxic positivity, but i think we should focus a little more on the good stuff of a game rather than completely destroying it because flaws exist.

[@RhettoeRaven]

Here’s a red hot take: Sidon is overrated.

[@ummidk757]

He was sorta boring in totk but in botw he was alot more interesting

[@RULERZREACHF4N6146]

I agree with most of these. I don’t know if that is a good thing

[@ProjectionProjects2.7182]

The only one I disagree with (But can kind of understand) is the second take. The rest Im indifferent towards.

[@sweetdreams1028]

Good video, though I hardcore disagree on your saying that TotK has a good story but bad execution. Because the execution is what makes the story turn out as it does. If you said “The ideas were good but the execution was bad.” Then that would make a lot more sense. Because I do love the way TotK was set up. Zelda and Link finding Ganondorf and all of the mysteries, particularly the Zonai stuff got me real hooked, but once I saw how it all played out afterwards, it ruined my appreciation for this story, especially since it was hyped up ever since the game’s announcement. Remember when BotW mainly marketed the game around exploration instead of the story until the final trailer? It’s because they understood that they were more focused on the gameplay rather than story and integrated it into the trailers, whereas TotK made it seem like the game was gonna be far more vocal than in BotW, when that’s not true.

[@llliwwille]

Damn this video some hot garbage 🔥 🔥🔥🔥

[@antonchesse]

It DOES have a good story, but the game itself is bad

[@isaiahjolin7178]

Hello Linkedwolf my name is Isaiah and I have something important to say to you. God loves you and like any father he wants to help you and keep you safe especially from the devil. But I am not just speaking to you about this I am also talking to your fans about this. God loves you all and especially in the times we our living in we are in need of him more than ever. But the choice is ultimately yours have a nice day Shalom Shalom.