After a very long wait, Tears of the Kingdom finally made its debut on May 12. For the first time, we, Itzal and Demelza, were there from the start! We didn’t take up the game four years after the rest of the gaming world, as we did with Breath of the Wild; we didn’t wait even four days.
Preparing for a return to Hyrule
First off, we had pre-ordered the game just shy of two (2) years in advance. Later, we pre-ordered the TOTK Amiibo and master controller.
As Z-Day grew closer, we watched a video of Eiji Uonuma playing the game. We absorbed the BOTW recap offered on the Nintendo News channel. We read Zelda Tips: Part 1, also on Nintendo News. (Demelza took particular delight in Tip 4: “Prepare for fights beforehand.” Itzal, a self-avowed fan of ham-fisted, reactive flailing, alleged that she had conspired with Nintendo to include this tip.)
The day before, Demelza shopped furiously for snacks and cocktail ingredients. A discussion ensued as to what to do about Demelza’s spouse, whose birthday inopportunely fell that same weekend; we decided to decorate with Zelda-themed Happy Birthday materials and then confine said spouse to an extra bedroom. (We let him out for meals.)
That morning, we drew up an over-under list of Expected Comments, Criticisms, Shoutings, and Recriminations. To wit:
Save!
Pause!
Take a screenshot!
You’re doing it wrong!
You’re shouting!
This game was designed by sadists!
My drink has spilled!
Not long into the game, the results were in. Take a screenshot was the clear winner, clocking in after a single minute of play. My drink has spilled (code for finishing one’s cocktail) was not long behind, coming in at just over 10 minutes. Ahem. We might have been a little eager, both about the game and our cocktails.
Save and Pause were neck and neck once we had – spoiler alert – left the Great Sky Island, followed shortly thereafter by considerable shouting and allegations of sadistic game design.
And, then, an unexpected entry emerged, one which wasn’t on the list at all: I think you’re right. That one? Three years. Not minutes, not hours. Yes, it took three years for Itzal to utter this phrase to Demelza. She will remember it forever.
We endeavor not to spoil
Speaking of spoilers…when we started our blog, we offered a half-hearted spoiler alert, because it was, after all, four years since the release of Breath of the Wild; we clearly weren’t tip of the spear, edge of the knife. No, we were more like caboose of the train.
Moreover, we submit, anyone reading a blog such as this, or even glancing through the interwebs with Tears of the Kingdom in the search engine – well, you’re just asking for spoilers. That said, we apologize if we spoil anything for anyone.
The adventure begins
The game begins with Zelda and Link exploring beneath Hyrule Castle. Mind you, Zelda’s father had long ago warned her precisely against this. Naturally, then, exploring the underside of the castle is exactly what she does! That cautionary note aside, we noted with approval the vast number of hearts Link (us) had at his disposal, as well as armor and, of course, the indomitable Master Sword.
Zelda was preoccupied with taking photos during the underground foray. The device she used, a Purah pad, resembled a Nintendo Switch. We’re sure that’s not intentional, but no doubt Link was tempted to shout “screenshot” along the way.
Zelda also lectured incessantly about the Zonai, an ancient race that once lived in the sky and may have had, erm, relations with Zelda’s forebears. Itzal grew bored and decided a sidebar about Zelda’s hair was in order. (As Zelders, hair is increasingly a point of notice and contemplation, you see, as it becomes less abundant.) In the opening scenes, Link has his hair tied back in manner of Brad Pitt or Jason Momoa, while Zelda is sporting a bob rather than her usual flowing locks. Why is Zelda’s hair short? Theories abound. Maybe she was simply tired of the upkeep.
Back to the story. In the course of their exploration, Link and Zelda come upon the Demon King, who does terrible things to Link’s right arm, and oh by the way, Zelda falls backward, reminiscent of her opening scenes fall in Skyward Sword. Perhaps she should have heeded her father’s admonitions?
After Link awakens – albeit not after a 100-year slumber this time – he finds himself in the aptly named Room of Awakening (there is need of entire room for this purpose?). Our hero is alive, but not undamaged. His right arm looks like cyborg material. And all those hearts he had before? Down to three. Also, he’s in his skivvies and barefoot. What is it with Nintendo starting Link in every game like Shoeless Joe? He’s often been sleeping, too.
The glorious Master Sword has been demoted to Decayed Master Sword with an attack power of precisely 1. We were terrified that it would break with a single swing, but we had no choice but to hack our way out of the Room of Awakening.
Despite Link’s lack of clothing and hearts, we were ready for adventure! We first meet Rauru, whose character description is….well….odd. Rauru, Source of the Right Arm. Is that really what he highlights on his resume? Turns out that Link’s new right arm used to be Rauru’s, though. Maybe his title is warranted.
Our first mission
We have tasks, of course; doesn’t Link always? First, we must seek out Zelda. That one is always going missing! She could give Waldo and Carmen Sandiego a run for their money. Along the way, there’s a door to be opened – the door into the Temple of Time.
Rauru encourages us to visit Great Sky Island’s shrines, which, he is certain, hold the key to bolstering Link’s strength to open the door.
And so we begin exploring our environs, which quickly draw parallels to the first day on the Great Plateau in Breath of the Wild. True, TOTK opens in the sky, but the fact remains that we couldn’t get off the sky island, just as one couldn’t leave the Great Plateau, until shrines had been discovered, new skills learned (more about them in a separate post), and puzzles solved. Just as in BOTW, one shrine was in a cooler region, requiring Demelza to dust off her cooking skills and rustle up a warming mess of chili peppers and fish, which served to dispel the chill until we discovered a pair of cold-weather greaves.
The completion of each shrine afforded us a Light of Blessing, TOTK’s equivalent of spirit orbs. Along the way, we encountered mechanical creatures called Constructs – including the Steward Construct, which handed off Zelda’s Purah pad to us. We even found a couple of Koroks in hiding, which afforded us our first Korok seeds of the game!
After three shrines were under our belt, we were able to enter the Temple of Time, which naturally then we wanted to leave – but we had insufficient strength to open yet another door. (We know the feeling, IRL.) One more shrine and a visit to a goddess statue afforded us a fourth heart and the wherewithal to exit. Our task, should we choose to accept, was to Go, and bring peace to the world. We couldn’t have started with something a little less grandiose? Another reminder of BOTW.
In a final cutscene to complete the opening of TOTK, Zelda reclaims the Decayed Master Sword. (At least we no longer had to worry about breaking it.) She then urges Link to find her – always we are looking for Zelda! –and so we plunged bravely off the sky island, headed for our next objective: The Kingdom of Hyrule.
What drink are we spilling?
But, you ask, what about your blog shtick? As per usual, you haven’t given us much in the way of advice, let alone walkthrough; what about cocktails? What should the avid reader and Zelda enthusiast drink when loading up Tears of the Kingdom for the first time?
We suggest a Not-Quite Dead Last cocktail, in honor of our having started the game at its release. It’s true we won’t finish TOTK before most other people do, not even before Itzal’s son, who for the love of heaven has a job and three children under the age of four, yet he’s STILL ahead of us – and yet, for once, we aren’t quite dead last in the Zeldaverse.
We’ve encountered the Dead Last cocktail in a couple of places online. We will credit Liber and Company, where we saw it first. Our version is not exactly the same as Liber’s, as we subbed peach liqueur for apricot; nonetheless, we consider a lightly changed version in keeping with our Not-Quite theme.