Best Moment : Revisiting Rito Village

Game : The Legend of Zelda : Tears of the Kingdom
Developer : Nintendo EAD
Publisher : Nintendo
Platforms : Nintendo Switch
Release : 12/05/23

The Legend of Zelda : Tears of the Kingdom is about time. Coming six years after Breath of the Wild, some might say it's about time that it's out, but the game uses the time that's passed between the games to its advantage.

Once you leave the all-too familiar tutorial area in the sky, the game's hub Lookout Landing is your likely next stop. A new settlement dedicated to science and security that sprung up at some point after BOTW, it's the first indication that Hyrule has changed since the we last visited. Not only has Ganon's Upheaval wrought havoc on the landscape, but the world has moved on after 100 years of Calamity : any trace of the ancient Sheikah has been wiped out, Hudson's business is building homes around the kingdom and children have grown up. How long it's been since the opening scene, let alone since BOTW, is unclear but the world we knew has changed.

After taking care of a few errands for a re-aged Purah around the settlement, she and everyone with a good sense of direction point you towards the Regional Phenomena happening in the Hebra region. You're free to go to the four corners of the world in any order, but the game really wants you to check in with the Rito. Although BOTW does nudge you towards the Zora with a smattering of NPCs near The Great Plateau, TOTK is far more brazen.

As you make your way through Hebra, you notice how it too has changed over the years. The storm threatening the region has plunged it into darkness and you're only an elixir away from freezing to death. Even the region's safe havens aren't the same : uoutside of one stable you spot a three-headed ice dragaon called a Gleeok that kills you in seconds. The region's other stable has shut down since the storm scared away all customers and has been sold to the Lucky Clover Gazette newspaper. At least they keep a fire for you to rest up by before you enter Rito Village.

The village was once a place of music and riddles, but all the songs have gone silent. Even the background music has changed : the familiar Dragon Roost Island melody has been warped into a sorrowful hymn struggling against the roar of the wind for your attention. A whimper in the darkness. Winding your way up the village, all you can find are empty homes and shops being run by the children of the village; they're a little older now but still too young to run the village themselves. You can't find a single adult around, not even the Village Elder; he was already old in BOTW, maybe the cold-- no. You push that aside and keep climbing.

Finally you find someone past puberty at Revali's Landing. It's Teba - the new Village Elder and ally from BOTW - and he's arguing with his son Tulin about the storm. From here you go on a quest with Tulin (who I took to affectionately calling "Kid") to restore the region to its former glory, learn about ancient wars and even catch-up with old Village Elder (he was okay all along, just retired). As you journey across the rest of Hyrule the haunting image of a dying village sticks with you, making it clear that the world of Tears of the Kingdom is a little different and a lot darker when it wants to be.

This essay was originally written for my Twine game “2023 In Revue”, which you can play here : https://citrusityy.itch.io/2023-in-revue. Thumbnail art by Game & Burger / .