There’s no doubt about it, Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is another monumental success for Nintendo, and the Zelda franchise. Inevitably, comparisons will be drawn between it and its predecessor, even though they belong to the same series. And it might be easy to claim that Tears of the Kingdom is the better game because it’s the sequel and offers more, but there are still factors to consider between it and Breath of the Wild. That’s why it’s time for a showdown between Tears of the Kingdom vs Breath of the Wild: which is the better Legend of Zelda game?
Gameplay
It’s no surprise that TotK introduced a bunch of new gameplay mechanics like the Ultrahand, Fusing, and Zonai devices, and all of these elements contributed to the most creative Zelda game ever. These alone create an almost entirely brand-new game and experience.
With Breath of the Wild, the game felt very grueling and tough on players, especially first-timers to the Zelda franchise. Resources were scarce, your powers were extremely limited, and it really felt like a survival simulation game mixed into the genre. On the flip side of things, the Tears of the Kingdom was made to be more complex, but at the same time, all of the new abilities make TotK easier in many aspects.
In comparison, Breath of the Wild now feels like the game that’s perfect for beginners to launch into the action-adventure survival genre and prepares players for all of the unbound possibilities waiting for them in Tears of the Kingdom.
Winner: TotK
Story
Breath of the Wild had a story that restarted the cycle for Link, the hero of time, in a new Hyrule, and although it’s as exciting as ever, it does lend to a bit more confusion in regards to the entire Zelda timeline. Regardless, the darker and edgier tone is perfectly balanced with previous titles like Majora’s Mask and Twilight Princess so that it still remains accessible for all ages.
TotK continues from where BotW leaves off and expands on all of the lore by adding new characters and mysterious constructs. This is fantastic, but BotW does the series justice by providing the initial clean slate and intriguing players to learn about a brand new world of Hyrule, the notorious Ganondorf, the Ancient Guardians, and the history of the kingdom and its inhabitants.
This initial deep immersion and feeling of discovery of BotW cannot be replicated in TotK, or any sequel really, and will always serve to amaze and awe players that step into Link’s role for the first time, or as an evolution from previous titles.
Winner: BotW
World
This goes to Tears of the Kingdom easily, well, almost. The new Zelda Switch game did offer an even more expansive geography over Breath of the Wild thanks to the Sky Islands and the Depths, which added a total of three layers to explore. With the possibility of DLC opening up even more enemies, quests, and areas, the scope of Tears of the Kingdom will only grow.
Another notable improvement was the Quest Log from the menu that made it much easier to keep track of side quests and objectives. The amount of quests and their complexity also increased tenfold over Breath of the Wild, too. This is a pretty easy and obvious category for TotK to dominate in, and that’s totally fine.
Winner: TotK