Tears Of The Kingdom Puts A Clever Twist On A Zelda Tradition

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is a direct sequel to, which isn't common in the franchise. Most games are independent of each other, even if there's a timeline that tries to connect them across three timeline splits and an unclear placement for. The stories can each be experienced separately. And over the years, there are certain story beats that have become expected, or even tradition. However, that doesn't mean every game follows these traditions instead of finding ways to make them feel fresh.

Some traditions that are found in include Link having a companion to guide him through his journey, major turning points hidden behind quests that require Link to gather a specific number of items, helping Link, and many more. While these familiar story elements are part of what makes a game feel so unique, they don't have to be used the same way every time. Instead, putting a twist on these traditions helps make games stand out in memorable ways.

It's a joke at this point that Link loves sleeping, given how many games start with him waking up. In, Navi even has difficulties trying to wake Link up when she finds him in his tree house, expressing frustration that he's so deep in sleep when they need to save the Great Deku Tree and all of Hyrule. But as a direct sequel, decided to break tradition, and doing so brought with it a believable excuse for Link to lose all the Hearts and strength he would've had following .

The opening sequence is among the best story moments in . It starts with Link and Zelda exploring the ruins beneath Hyrule Castle, and stumbling upon Ganondorf, whom they unwittingly free from his seal. Ganondorf's Gloom Power latches onto Link's right arm, which drains the life from it and renders him severely injured to the point he passes out. Naturally, after passing out, Link wakes up on Great Sky Island, returning to the tradition that Link waking up is the moment that his adventure truly begins. It was a twist on tradition that paid off.

There were a few questions floating around