While it did not seem possible, Nintendo has once again redefined the open-world genre with The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. It has taken everything that people liked about Zelda: Breath of the Wild and did it better. The world is filled with more to do, Link's new abilities breathe new life into the formula, and the story is a fun ride from beginning to end. It feels like Nintendo pulled out all the stops when it came to Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom; except for one key area.
No game is perfect, and Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is no different. While Nintendo has improved upon almost every aspect of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, the new shrines fall a bit short. What felt like challenging puzzles that would test even the most veteran of players now feel like nothing more than quick side quests. It seems like Nintendo has streamlined them to make them more approachable, and that has made the shrines feel lackluster.
Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom's Shrines Seem Easy
One of the most important features of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is the mysterious shrines that dot Hyrule. There are a total of 120 different shrines within the open-world that feature unique and challenging puzzles. Link's powers are vital to solving every single one, and players will be rewarded with Spirit Orbs after they solve them. This makes shrines Zelda: Breath of the Wild's primary form of progression, but most players will likely never solve all of them during their adventure.
Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom also features many mysterious shrines throughout Hyrule, but these shrines are completely different. There are around 152 of them, and Link's powers are once again vital to solving them. They are also still the game's primary form of progression, but they feel a bit easier this time around. While there were some easy shrines in Zelda: Breath of the Wild, it feels like most of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom's shrines are easy.
One of the main reasons that these shrines feel easier is probably because of Link's new powers. Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom replaces Link's right arm with a new powerful Zonai arm that gives him immense control over the world. Abilities like Ultrahand and Fuse can be used to create all sorts of wild contraptions and weapons, which makes Hyrule feel like the ultimate sandbox. It is one of the best things about Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom's gameplay loop, but it also means that nothing can stand in Link's way.
While Zelda: Breath of the Wild's shrine puzzles felt more limited because of Link's powerset, Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom's shrines can take on many forms. There are so many unique puzzles, and players can solve them in so many ways using their new powers. The powers in Zelda: Breath of the Wild gave players a lot of options, but these new powers take it to a whole new level. Now, players are only limited by their imagination and the blocks at their disposal. There may be a correct way to solve each one, but these powers let players solve them however they choose.
Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom's freedom is a big reason why the puzzles feel easy, and these powers were a fantastic addition to the franchise. Players will likely mess around with these unique powers for years to come, and some will probably not even notice the lack of challenging shrines. It does not ruin the game, but it would be nice if a sequel finds a better balance between challenging puzzles and exciting powers.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is available now on Switch.
