So, rather than getting to the core of our favorite quests, characters, and story beats just yet, we decided to discuss our initial impressions of the game and the standout moments of the game’s opening hours. Feel free to tell us what you enjoyed most about the introduction to TOTK in the survey at the bottom. Also, feel free to visit the comments and discuss anything I’ve ignored below. — But only for the first few hours!
The beginning of “going home” and the door of the shrine
black screen. Continuing slowly, the following words disappear in small white letters…
gift from nintendo
legend of zelda
tears of the kingdom
Woof! Pure dignity and confidence that opening It was stunning. No spinning logos, tricks, or bull puppies.just please.
Beyond that elegant opening, what struck me most was the the feeling of coming home. I spent a lot of time on the Great Sky Island, just hanging out and admiring the luscious golden grass and foliage and its general comfort. Listening to birds, cooking, and relaxing for a while.
Having heard how huge this game was while Alana worked on her excellent review, I had some idea of the enormity of the adventure that lay ahead. But the first moment, the moment of anticipation, was the one I cherished as much as I could. Oh look! pigeon. Yes, I’m home.
Oh, and Tardis-like effect from shrine entrance. I can’t get enough of it. – Gavin Lane
Voice Actors and Hyrule’s Transformation
The first thing I noticed in Tears of the Kingdom was pure production value Demonstrated within the opening sequence. Sure, Breath of the Wild had a voiceover job, but for the most part it felt like it was assigned to moments that needed a little explanation.
When Zelda and Link meet that mummy in the opening of TotK (and we’re pretty sure we know who it is), the hoarse voice emanating from the living corpse A chill ran down my spine. All at once, TotK felt like the most dramatic Zelda series to date. It was great content.
If that’s not enough, I’m surprised How Nintendo managed to make the land of Hyrule feel so alien to me.When I first fell from the sky to the ground, I thought “Yes, no problem. I know exactly where I am and where I should go.”but when I landed, I really felt completely disoriented.
I don’t know if it was due to the fact that I was dropped in a place I rarely ventured into in Breath of the Wild, or because certain landmarks were altered by cataclysms, or a combination of both. Needless to say, I had to take a closer look at my surroundings before figuring out my orientation. – Olly Reynolds
structure
When you first encounter a Construct in Tears of the Kingdom, it’s trying to hurt you. The next time you meet a construct, you wake it from its long sleep. And unlike previous robotic creatures, they make friendly beeps and beeps and offer to help you.
yes, i love the construct steward. It is inevitable. Ozorashima’s warm palette of yellows, golds, whites, and pastels combined with the friendly and terrifying robots bring the studio’s Ghibli vibe back to perfection. The friendly construct made me smile from the moment I met the first construct. And every subsequent construct, its routine, its role, and its terrifying reaction every time I tried to ultrahand something next to it, made me love it even more.
The building blocks are common throughout TOTK (both good and bad), but they all serve as reminders of the past. They are relics of a lost age, just awakened after a long absence. My favorite of the Tutorial Islands is the Cooking Mushrooms Island. Although I admit that I do not have a digestive system. Are you doing it to enjoy cooking? Or does it just exist to give Link advice? I’d like to think it’s doing it as a reminder of a past life, a purpose prior to the events of TOTK. Their presence makes the world more alive and it’s a real pleasure to meet and interact with them each time. – Alana Haigs
leap of faith
Remember the first time you saw Link running from the Temple of Resurrection to the Great Plateau in Breath of the Wild? Wait, aren’t we all? Okay…). There’s a reason this goes down as one of his most iconic moments in gaming. Well, Tears of the Kingdom is doing it again.
Leaving the awakening room with nothing but a jagged master sword and ill-fitting sandals, Link’s first leap from Sky Island at the beginning It has all the greatness of BOTW’s predecessor, but with the addition of “and you thought this was just going to be DLCOnce again, I had a few tears in my eyes and a cheek-to-cheek radiant smile when the title appeared on the screen. It was really great.
I’m only about 5 hours into the game at this point, but so far I’m getting the same response with every dive animation. Jim will be happy for hours to come. – Jim Norman
These are just a handful of the moments and elements that stood out to us, but what was the most memorable moment or element in the first hour or two of the game? Or let me know if there’s anything else that completely made you smile.
