Summary
- A half-sequel to Tears of the Kingdom could have several strengths, like further expanding upon its predecessor's strong writing and narrative potential.
- The size of the game's map doesn't have to matter; a smaller follow-up can still provide the same level of player-generated fun.
- By putting exploration further into the background and emphasizing the story, a half-sequel can offer a welcome compromise to players before the next Zelda game takes a different approach.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is an advancement of a format that has breathed new life into the veteran Nintendo IP. It’s an impressive feat of game design, adding more layers to the map Breath of the Wild created, and taking advantage of the space even more to craft memorable experiences in the now-aging land of Hyrule.
However, given Nintendo has said that a third game in the same vein isn’t happening as Zelda looks to the future, the winning formula needs a new way to be used again. A ‘half-sequel’ like Spider-Man: Miles Morales or God of War Ragnarok: Valhalla could fit Tears of the Kingdom like a glove, using its world-building and gameplay mechanics once again to keep players entertained until the next entry in the series, whatever it may be.
A half-sequel to Tears of the Kingdom can't be expected to deploy a whole new map, nor can it recycle the old one if it wants to be truly memorable as more than just a DLC update, so putting exploration further into the background and the story more in the forefront could be a welcome compromise before the next Zelda game does something different.
- Half-sequels like God of War Ragnarok: Valhalla and Spider-Man: Miles Morales are becoming more popular, and with Zelda looking to do something different in the future, it would be very suited to the idea.
- Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is a narrative improvement over its predecessor, but has potential for much more, and a half-sequel could be the perfect opportunity to show off the 2023 games strong writing more.
- The likes of Evantide Island in Breath of the Wild and the Sky Islands in its successor show that size doesn't have to matter, so a smaller follow-up could still retain the same level of player-generated fun.
Breath of the Wild’s Ideas Have Proven to be Reusable
Tears of the Kingdom borrows liberally from its predecessor, 2017’s Breath of the Wild. The art style, gameplay, and map design is similar, but amplified, and a half-sequel could take the same idea, albeit shrunken down. To use near-identical structures on a smaller, more tightly-compact map could put story, characters, and pacing ahead of exploration, instead of the opposite, which has been a critique levied at the most recent Zelda offerings.
Breath of the Wild’s Eventide Island is a perfect example of the formula not needing a big, open area to be exciting, as the limitations of the space are that side quest’s real strength. A half-sequel to Tears of the Kingdom can't be expected to deploy a whole new map, nor can it recycle the old one if it wants to be truly memorable as more than just a DLC update, so putting exploration further into the background and placing the story more at the forefront could be a welcome compromise before the next Zelda game does something different.
Zelda’s Gameplay Offers Endless Freedom, But 2023 was Packed With Great Games
The mechanics in Tears of the Kingdom manage to facilitate even more player-generated amusement thanks to the Zonai devices, but the sheer scope of quality titles releases in 2023 may have meant some players didn’t get as much time with the game as they intended. A half-sequel that deploys the same gameplay could help justify going back to the latest Zelda game to have more fun with the gameplay in a project that is entirely new and released in a year that isn’t as crowded with must-play experiences like Spider-Man 2 and Baldur’s Gate 3.
Tears of the Kingdom’s Story is Ripe for More
To compliment Tears of the Kingdom with something that takes advantage of the story and world-building potential of the series would help to not only give players a fun new experience, but could also make the game feel like a far better product. Digging into the Zonai or seeing through the eyes of Princess Zelda in a cutscene-heavy, densely written side story could be a welcome contrast to the 2023 game, which would often have players roam the land of Hyrule, its sky islands and the depths for hours on end before another story moment is unlocked.
The story in Breath of the Wild is great, but only splinters of it are given to players through the memories that have to be tracked down across Hyrule. Tears of the Kingdom makes the narrative more prominent, but undoubtedly leaves room for more. The latter game digs into the history of the setting, and its conclusion alludes to a brighter future, so a half-sequel (or prequel) has more than enough room to maneuver and can more than justify another chapter in the tale without it negatively affecting any kind of timeline.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 95 /100 Critics Rec: 97%
- Released
- May 12, 2023
- ESRB
- Rated E for Everyone 10+ for Fantasy Violence and Mild Suggestive Themes
- Developer(s)
- Nintendo
- Publisher(s)
- Nintendo
- Engine
- Havok
- Cross-Platform Play
- N/A
- Cross Save
- N/A
WHERE TO PLAY
- Franchise
- The Legend of Zelda
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2
- Genre(s)
- Adventure, Action, Open-World
- How Long To Beat
- 59 Hours
- Metascore
- 96
