Two major Game of the Year contenders have been released after years of fan anticipation, and now that Diablo 4 and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom are finally available, fans are finding that the two games have more in common than one might expect. Although Diablo 4 and Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom are completely different genres and very different tonally, they share several distinct gameplay elements. As two open-world games, the side content shared between these two titles comprises a remarkably similar gameplay loop.
Most games that feature an open world include content aside from the main story scattered around the map to entice players to explore everything the world has to offer. Zelda: Breath of the Wild and now Tears of the Kingdom redefined how this concept is implemented by tucking meaningful side content into almost every corner of the map. It's clear how these games have influenced open-world design within the gaming industry, and with Diablo 4 featuring an open world for the first time in the series, it's no surprise to see parallels between its side content and Tears of the Kingdom's.
Diablo 4's Dungeons and Cellars Have a Lot in Common with Tears of the Kingdom's Shrines
Dungeons have been a staple of the Diablo series since the original and make up the core of the series' gameplay loop. Historically, in the more linear entries, players would need to complete dungeons in a specific order to advance the main quest making them an essential part of the Diablo experience.
Some entries like Diablo 3 contain small optional areas like The Cave Under the Well found in Old Tristram Road in Act 1 that usually contain a few enemies and some sort of loot to collect, but Diablo 4 takes these types of areas to the next level and establishes the cellars located throughout Sanctuary as a consistent source of side content.
As players explore Diablo 4's vast map, they will likely come across optional dungeons and cellars inviting them in to explore. Most of these side areas offer some type of reward for completing a specific task while inside them, making them worth the player's time since they can often yield valuable items for the curious player. Dungeons are typically more lucrative for players as they feature better loot like legendary aspects but require more effort, while cellars are shorter experiences with the expectation of less valuable loot.
Similar to these optional areas are Tears of the Kingdom's shrines which can be found hidden throughout Hyrule. These shrines differ from Diablo 4's side content in that they usually require the player to complete some kind of puzzle utilizing the game's unique physics with Link's abilities, but both present players with the opportunity to claim useful rewards.
Tears of the Kingdom's shrines offer more consistently helpful rewards in the form Lights of Blessing which are used to upgrade Link's Health and Stamina, alongside the optional treasure chests containing various items. Meanwhile, Diablo 4 dungeon rewards are much more variable aside from the ones with a guaranteed legendary aspect.
While Tears of the Kingdom's shrines are more in line with Diablo 4's dungeons in terms of the scope of their content, Tears of the Kingdom does contain a counterpart to Diablo 4's cellars in the form of wells. These underground areas can be found throughout Hyrule, but in far fewer numbers than shrines with minimal puzzle-solving required and usually less interesting rewards. However, like Diablo 4, Tears of the Kingdom's shrines and wells are both essential to the gameplay loop of exploring areas for rewards to upgrade the player's character and make future exploration more manageable, as well as help the player progress further into the game.
Diablo 4 is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
