Summary
In the midst of everything thatThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomhas to offer, the game might hold a connection toThe Wind Waker. While there isn’t a lot inThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom’s storyline that suggests a link between the two games, there are some underlying details that raise a few questions. While it could be a coincidence, players who look back at both games will likely notice something between the two, at least in one area. If true, then it could herald some surprising discoveries about the universe ofThe Legend of Zelda.
Tears of the Kingdombeing asequel toBreath of the Wildwas a break from the series' norm to begin with. WhileThe Legend of Zeldaalmost always takes place in Hyrule and stars Link, Zelda, and Ganon, most of the games are standalone adventures. At the very least, that explains why so many games in the series have unique gimmicks that aren’t seen again when Hyrule gets revisited. WhenTears of the Kingdompicked up whereBreath of the Wildleft off, it was an unusual but successful move. It’s possible that future games could have more connections as a result of this success.
Wind Waker’s Tower of the Gods Has a Familiar Aesthetic
The Tower of the Gods was one of thebest dungeons inThe Wind Waker, both in terms of lore and gameplay. It comes at a pivotal point of the game, on the cusp of one of the story’s big twists. In addition, it’s full of interesting puzzles that are tougher than what the player faced before. It’s a good test for the player to make sure that they have what it takes to tackle what the second half of the game has to offer. It helps that the tower rising from the sea is one of the best sights in the game.
AlthoughTears of the Kingdomis distinctive in beingsignificantly different from classicZeldagames, it has some strange similarities withWind Waker’s Tower of the Gods. The aesthetic of glowing blue designs on the walls is reminiscent of the shrines and Sheikah Slate that have become familiar in the recent games. Likewise, there are eye-like turrets inside that shoot lasers reminiscent of the Guardians' laser attacks. Even from the outside, the Tower of the Gods is reminiscent ofTears of the Kingdom’s Water Temple. Many parts of its architecture make the Tower of the Gods feel like it could have existed inTears of The Kingdom’s Hyrule.
In addition, the boss ofWind Waker’s Tower of the Gods replenishes Link’s arrows when he runs out, making the fight akin to a particularly dangerousTotKshrine challenge.
These details could be seen as a hint towardsToTK’s place in theZeldatimeline. InWind Waker, it is eventually revealed that the Great Sea, the game’s setting, is on top of a sunken Hyrule, which had fallen beneath the waves countless years ago. With the architecture of the Tower of the Gods, it’s possible that the Hyrule of the past inTears of the Kingdomis the Hyrule that fell in this way. Of course, there’s no indication of how far in the future this could have taken place. However, if the intricate tower is any indication, it wouldn’t be for quite some time.
Many parts of its architecture make the Tower of the Gods feel like it could have existed inTears of The Kingdom’s Hyrule.
The revelation thatWind Waker’s Great Sea was actually covering one of themany iterations ofThe Legend of Zelda’s Hyrulewas that game’s biggest twist. After revisiting the Tower of the Gods, it’s also worth wondering if the Hyrule in question wasTears of the Kingdom’s Hyrule, or one similar to it.Wind Waker’s Tower of the Gods is oddly reminiscent ofTears of the Kingdomdespite coming out far earlier.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
WHERE TO PLAY
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is the sequel to the beloved open-world adventure, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. This installment once again sees Link and Zelda battling to protect Hyrule from falling to Ganondorf. This new adventure takes place in the same land of Hyrule as Breath of the Wild but sees something called the Upheaval, which allows link to travel to Sky Islands, as well as deep into the Depths beneath Hyrule. Players can use special abilities to fuse together weapons, and build items to help them progress through the release.
