For this week’s critical play, I will be discussing The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. The game was directed by Hidemaro Fujibayashi and produced by Eiji Aonuma. It was released May 12th, 2023 and is available to play on the Nintendo Switch. Tears of the Kingdom is recommended for ages 10 and up and can thus be played by a majority of the population. I honestly think the reason why it may not be suited for younger children is because some of the puzzles may be too complex for kids under 10. More specifically, the game includes over 100 shrines throughout the map that players can complete to upgrade their stamina and health. These shrines serve as trials, which contain a series of puzzles, that players must overcome by using the abilities they earn during the game. And, admittedly, I have gotten stumped by several of these shrines before and had to Google the answer… So yeah, I imagine (at least hope) that younger kids would have trouble completing such an essential part of the gameplay.
As alluded to earlier, the main formal elements of the game would be the abilities that players can use as they travel around the map. For instance, the Ultrahand ability allows players to stick objects together that can then be used to access new areas. One of the earlier shrines, shown below, illustrates how the player can stick a hook and a platform together to travel across a chasm.
Furthermore, the player has the ability Ascend, which allows them to travel through to the top of any object that they are beneath. Here I have included a couple of images showing how the player works through a shrine puzzle by correctly using their Ascend ability. Since the bottom platform is moving, the play must wait patiently until it is the right time to first ascend to the first platform, and then again onto the top platform.
One last ability I want to discuss is Recall, which lets players reverse any object through time. In the image I have featured below, I used Recall to get to the top of a waterfall. I did this by performing Recall on a platform that has fallen down the waterfall, which makes it travel through time and rise back up.
As can be seen here, the mechanics of the player’s abilities play a huge factor in their completion of the shrines’ puzzles. Additionally, these shrines (and the puzzles within them) aid the game’s central goal to have the player explore more of the world. The puzzles often offer new insights into how players can use their powers, which they will carry with them while exploring the game’s map. In turn, players will be able to reach more shrines and learn more skills, which creates a loop. Therefore, Tears of the Kingdom successfully encourages the discovery, fantasy, and challenge types of fun.
So far I only have one little critique of the game. During the Recall ability, I wish I could speed up the object as it moves back in time. But since I haven’t beaten the game, maybe this option becomes available later. Still, I am having a great experience!
