Summary
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomhas single-handedly made a name for itself as one of the best games in the series, both in terms of player freedom and its cinematic story. From the slow reveal of the truth in the Dragon’s Tears flashbacks to how players can challenge Ganondorf the instant they get the paraglider, what players experience inThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomis unlike any other entry before it.
One of the bigger things that separatesTOTKfrom the other Zelda games is just how important it makes Link’s iconic weapon,the Master Sword. In many games, the Blade of Evil’s Bane is usually a reward for completing some daunting end-game task, sitting on its pedestal until Link’s ready to claim it. However, asTears of the Kingdomtakes place afterBreath of the Wild, Link has already earned the Master Sword and starts the game with it in-hand already. to take such a powerful asset away from players, the sword is tied directly to the story.
How the Use of One Weapon Makes The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom into a Master Class of Storytelling
From the very beginning, players lose the health Link has gained duringBreath of the Wilddue to Ganondorf’s attack. As Link was brandishing the Master Sword at the time, it was also damaged rather heavily, and when Link comes to, he finds the weapon in poor shape, almost rotting away with holes across the blade. During the introductory segment of the game, a ball of light appears and takes the Master Sword away to the past. Afterward,the Light Dragon appears, which ties both Zelda and Link’s actions across time itself to save Hyrule.
In short, the Master Sword is the key to the entirety ofTears of the Kingdom’s story. Sending it to the past leads Zelda to become the Light Dragon and restore it, covering Hyrule in her tears and eventually aiding Link against the Demon Dragon. Obtaining the Master Sword is so critical, that if players manage to get to the Demon Dragon fight without obtaining it, they are met with the sequence in which Link pulls the sword from the Light Dragon before the fight begins. WhileotherZeldaentries have made the Master Sword important,Tears of the Kingdommakes it truly special and poignant, which other games should take note of.
While it’s true that the iconic weapon is part ofmany of Link’s adventures, the way the sword is treated varies from game to game. Some make obtaining a weapon an important milestone in the overall story, whereas for others, it’s only made important due to its history in the series.Tears of the Kingdom, however, proves there are still meaningful stories to tell where obtaining the sword as part of the quest and the overall story go hand-in-hand. Not everyZeldagame has to make a big deal out of the Master Sword, but bigger games certainly call for bigger scenes.
Balance is The Key To Delivering Another Good Zelda Master Sword
On the other hand, relying on the Master Sword too much might make big important moments on the same scale ofTOTK’s feel overdone. Even without the Master Sword at play, if any futureZeldaadventure aims to grip fans the same way thatBotW’s sequel did, then it should follow key principles that would help tug on fans' heartstrings.
All three of the above elements are why the Master Sword’s revival are so important, by making its value earned and worthwhile through spectacle and pushing players to ask questions until the time is right for answers. WhileTears of the Kingdom’s climactic moment will be hard to top, otherZeldagames can still reward players in unexpected ways, which is what makes the adventures worth playing at the end of the day.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
WHERE TO PLAY
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is the sequel to the beloved open-world adventure, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. This installment once again sees Link and Zelda battling to protect Hyrule from falling to Ganondorf. This new adventure takes place in the same land of Hyrule as Breath of the Wild but sees something called the Upheaval, which allows link to travel to Sky Islands, as well as deep into the Depths beneath Hyrule. Players can use special abilities to fuse together weapons, and build items to help them progress through the release.
