Zelda TOTK review

tl;dr - 6.5/10

This game has gotten an unprecedented level of 10/10 scores from wojak critics. If it hadn't, I wouldn't feel compelled to write this.

I believe the critics are simply hyped about a new Zelda game with lots of content to fill the empty void of loneliness they feel. It's a good game, but it doesn't meet the Zelda standard I expect.

This game feels like a fangame mod of Breath of the Wild. If you had told me open source developers created this game in their free time over the course of 6 years, I'd believe it. Now don't get me wrong - I played it and beat it, and it was somewhat enjoyable. But the entire time something felt wrong.

I'm very much of the mindset that "developers rule". And in a way, the epic record-breaking sales of this game prove that I'm correct. But it feels like no product person was involved in this game whatsoever. I assume that during the pandemic, the product/design/management people struggled the most while developers thrived. It's like the development of this game was entirely based around voluntary pull requests that people just merged, instead of a visionary leading their team towards a cohesive vision.

BOTW was a cohesive vision about redefining Zelda. It's based on the very first Zelda game on NES. It has themes of past and future. Everything about the game is in harmony. By contrast, TOTK is about "progress". But progress towards what, exactly? The developers' fantasies about what Link could do in this sandbox world? I did not feel like there was any real purpose of this game except to kill time. I expect more from a Zelda game.

The reused assets feel lazy, and the extra "content" they added doesn't make up for it. People hoped this game would be like Majora's Mask, but Majora's Mask was based on Aonuma's nightmares. That level of vision simply isn't present for TOTK.

The game feels like a Zelda + Fortnite mashup. It mainly rewards dorks who want to build ridiculous machines, something that feels very wrong for Zelda. If it wasn't a Zelda game, maybe I'd feel differently.

They didn't even explain what happened to Guardians and shrines from BOTW. Every time a cutscene came on it was agony. 😩 They'd give 10 minutes of "story" without telling any of the things you actually need to know. The "story" of this game is complete and utter bullshit, and further exemplifies how disjointed this game is. Gannondorf hardly belongs.

If you have time to kill; if you're looking for a game that keeps drawing you back, and giving you a just little bit while taking from you more, I highly recommend giving TOTK a try.