Nintendo has given players a massive sandbox to explore in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Its vast plains are beautiful, its mountaintops are fantastic, and its people are fascinating. There is so much to discover and do within the confines of Hyrule, and players will likely get lost within its open world for years to come. It is an impressive game world, but The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom's Hyrule does not feel like an actual kingdom.
Just like with Pokemon ScarletandViolet before it, the world that Nintendo has crafted for Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom feels kind of barren. There are a ton of things to explore during Link's journey, but the Kingdom of Hyrule falls short when it comes to its actual density. It feels more like a vast, empty world with buildings here and there, rather than a vast kingdom that needs to be saved, and that needs to be rectified in a potential sequel.
Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom's World Hardly Feels Like a Kingdom
Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom wants players to believe that they are in a massive kingdom besieged by the powerful Ganondorf. While there are bad guys to kill and citizens to help, the open world does not really feel like a kingdom. There are large stretches of empty space, and only a few signs of civilization dot the landscape. While Hyrule's size would likely be affected by present dangers, it should still feel bigger than it actually is.
As far as a civilization in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom goes, there really is not much there. Hyrule Castle plays a prominent role, and a base camp has been built just outside its massive gates. A couple of towns are featured in the main story, including Zora's Domain and Rito Village, but they are spread out and tiny. There are also various stables and fabricated structures dotting the landscape, but the majority of the kingdom is just empty nature.
The Zelda franchise's Kingdom of Hyrule is one of the most iconic locales in gaming, and it is supposed to be this massive kingdom that is constantly under threat. While Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom definitely got the 'massive' part down, it does not really capture the lived-in kingdom aspect. There are not many citizens roaming around, for example, and there are only a few towns. It is an impressive open world, but it needs to feel more alive than it currently does.
The lack of life is most apparent around Hyrule Castle and at the various stables throughout the world. Realistically, there should be a city surrounding the castle, but instead, there is simply a small outpost. The outpost also isn't filled with dozens of citizens fleeing the castle's ruins. Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom's stables should have smaller towns nearby, but many of them are in the middle of nowhere. It would not make sense to build a stable in a random part of the world as they tend to serve a purpose, and that purpose would tend to be very useful for actual towns.
Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom's Hyrule does not need to be a massive urban city, but it should have a bit more life. Therefore, while Nintendo may not go back and change it now, it would be nice if the next Zelda game gave the kingdom more of a lively presence. There needs to be more villages dotting the landscape and more citizens going about their daily lives. Otherwise, it feels like Zelda is the princess of nothing.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is available now on Switch.
