The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was a stellar title that sold millions of Nintendo Switches for its shareholders. Many gamers love to believe that this game is far better than its predecessor, which isn’t true. There are some aspects in which The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild does better than its sequel because it began the whole tradition. To be fair, Player.com enjoyed being able to fly. However, compared to the original storyline, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom still has big shoes to fill.
Also Read: Winning Formulas: The Secrets Behind The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Explained
8 Ways The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Is Superior to Its Sequel
We drop gems regularly and below, you’ll find a couple of features that distinguish The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild from its sequel. It doesn’t include characters’ backstories and side quests, but actual features. Hopefully, the sequel to the last game will be launched with the Nintendo Switch.
Link from The Legend of Zelda games is a master swordsman. Image Source: Nintendo.
#1: The Gameplay Is More Laid Back
Sure, the gameplay in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild has a slight learning curve. However, once you understand the combat mechanics such as parrying enemies, you can breeze through the campaign. In The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, the gameplay is much more unforgiving. Instead of giving you a long parrying window, you’re thrust into a Soulslike experience where bosses are larger than life. Yes, there are more weapons and unique abilities to make up for the bigger enemies. Still, beginners will love this game more.
#2: Shrine Trials Are Better in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Shrine Trials reward players with either more health or stamina. Sometimes, you could win a Spirit Orb or Blessing of Light, but you would always have to beat a puzzle to get your reward. However, for a game that prizes itself on better shrines than its predecessors, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom doesn’t have many mind-tingling puzzles. Its prequel had trickier puzzles and there were fewer tutorials for the puzzles online. Instead, the Nintendo Switch and its exclusives, such as The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, are more popular now than ever.
#3: More Elemental Weapon Variety
Another highlight of this game is that it offered more Elemental Weapons than its sequel. In The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, all types of arrows come from the same quiver. Also, you could fuse different items, such as Fire Fruit, to your arrows to cause elemental damage. However, it’s not as powerful as the effects of the elemental arrows.
Having said that, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild instead categorises arrows into Normal, Fire, Shock, Bomb, Ice, and Ancient quivers. Besides that, there are not as many boss weapons to pick up, so don’t expect to get the Thunderspear as easily as before. On the bright side, you can also fuse your melee weapons with any item to gain an elemental edge during fights.
#4: It’s Easier to Farm for Rupees in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Kingdom
Earning Rupees in this game is tough, but players could get by; All they had to do was mine Amber Ore and sell it. However, the price of Ore has been nerfed by the studio. So, mining for Amber Ore isn’t as pleasurable in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom as its predecessor.
@craigmhgg How to earn Rupees FAST in Zelda BOTW (THOUSANDS) #breathofthewild #tips ♬ original sound – CraigMhgg
Also, the drop rate of Ores such as Diamonds and Sapphires stinks! It wasn’t increased and in fact, many gamers feel like it was reduced. It’s sort of like Elden Ring; Levelling up in later stages is a nightmare that’s forcing many players to seek out money glitches.
#5: The Sheikah Slate Offers More Variety
The Sheikah Slate offered more variety than Link’s abilities in this game. In the prequel, players could use a variety of abilities, including Bombs, Magensis, Stasis, and Cryonis. These four abilities were equally as versatile as the likes of Fuse, Ascend, and Ultrahand. Bombs in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom would have been perfect for exploring paths and caves that are blocked by breakables.
A Sheikah Slate in all its glory. Image Source: Nintendo.
It would be nice to see some of these abilities return in a DLC but Nintendo is still riding the wave of its success. Nevertheless, Fuse and Ultrahand have been super useful throughout the campaign. We love the Ascend ability that lets you soar through the sky as if you’re riding an elevator.
#6: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Lets You Channel the Champion’s Power Directly
In The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, you were given each Champion’s power after freeing them from the Diving Beasts. These powers were Revali’s Gale, Mipha’s Grace, Urbosa’s Fury, and Daruk’s Protection and players could use them however they saw fit. It opened tons of opportunities during combat and exploration so it’s sad to see them gone.
On the other hand, the sequel instead summons the Champions’ spirits to aid you in combat. That’s not versatile in the least; Especially as your summons rush off to face the enemies without your say-so. Sometimes you need them by your side, not wasting precious seconds fighting the small fries.
#7: No More Wolf Link Amiibo
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is a big game and the lack of a companion for Link is disappointing. Link could summon a wolf in the prequel that didn’t only help gamers out in combat, but could also sniff out any item that the Sheikah Sensor detects. Instead, the Amiibo only brings you meat in the sequel.
#8: Novelty
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom simply lacks the novelty of its prequel. When The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was released, critics and fans alike loved the level of freedom it offered. Also, the different beasts and magical creatures that roam Hyrule are varied. Factor in great level designs and the game sold like hotcakes.
Now, the sequel is spoiled because we know what to expect already. Sure, they revamped the abilities, added even more bosses, and then topped it off with a brand new biome to explore in the skies. Nonetheless, it still occurs in the cartoonish fields of Hyrule and Link still doesn’t speak.
Our Final Say: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Was Ahead of Its Time
Games like Red Dead Redemption 2 and Horizon Forbidden West have revolutionised the RPG genre. However, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was one of the pioneers of the new age of gaming. An age of huge sandboxes and complex AIs that were pleasing to tackle.