2017's Breath of the Wild is widely considered to be one of the best open world games ever made, but it's not without its fair share of criticism. In trying to do something new it sometimes neglects series staples that people have come to love since the very first game launched in 1987. Breaking pots to recover hearts has become a thing of the past, as well as heart container pieces, Link's iconic green tunic, and finding essential items like the hook shot and boomerang in a dungeon. 2023's The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom had to live up to its predecessor while also trying to keep older fans happy.
It's safe to say it succeeded, as The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom feels like a huge development on the ideas that Breath of the Wild had, but it draws some inspiration from the past to elevate its spectacle. The dungeons are great, and while they can be completed in any order, the Wind Temple is where most players will go first. It sets the bar very high, both figuratively and literally, as its epic scale shows the full capability not just of the Nintendo Switch, but also of the gameplay philosophy that Nintendo seems to be sticking with for the current generation of Zelda games.
Breath of the Wild's Divine Beasts Were Disappointing
If there's any consistent complaint about Breath of the Wild, it's that the Divine Beasts left much to be desired. They were that game's take on dungeons, integrated into the world alongside its 120 shrines. They each looked similar inside, and while the puzzles could be tricky, the time it took to finish the dungeon paled in comparison to what came before. This was a noticeable area that Tears of the Kingdom had to improve on.
Though it's still not as elaborate and multifaceted as dungeons in previous games, the Wind Temple takes fundamental ideas forged in other games and implements them in a way that matches the gameplay and level design that Breath of the Wild started. The Wind Temple is a great example that both new fans and returning players can be catered for. The dungeon felt more focused, but didn't lose the element of letting players solve their problems in inventive ways.
Tears of the Kingdom's Wind Temple Fuses New and Old
Having players navigate their way into the storm was reminiscent of battling through the Gerudo Desert to get to Arbiter's Grounds in Twilight Princess or crossing the high seas en route to Tower of the Gods in The Wind Waker. It was a smart way to give players something more linear on the way to the dungeon, locking them into the task until the boss is defeated.
The fight with Colgera is immense, in large part because it takes skill and intuition to overcome, rather than the typical gameplay loop of finding the right item in the dungeon and then using it to bring the big baddy down. Taking advantage of skyward gusts to perfectly time arrow shots was great, and using inventory items with appropriate armor to give Link a fighting chance in the air combines the conventional dungeon format of past Zelda games with the freedom and trial-and-error of Breath of the Wild. The Wind Temple in Tears of the Kingdom literally ups the stakes with a fierce battle and tough puzzle in the sky, but perhaps more impressive is that it's a big indicator that the spirit of classic dungeons doesn't have to be lost as Zelda goes in a new direction.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is available now on Nintendo Switch.
