The Complex Dichotomy of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom's Tutorial Shrines

Highlights

Tears of the Kingdom's shrines offer some of the game's best challenges, acting as big puzzles or obstacle courses for Link to tackle.

Tutorial shrines in Tears of the Kingdom assist players in acquiring new abilities. However, their lack of complexity can pose a disadvantage in an open-world game, especially if players stumble upon them after investing a significant amount of time. In order to enhance their effectiveness, future games could consider incorporating tutorial shrines right after players obtain a new ability, guaranteeing an immediate successful completion.

The tutorial shrines in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom are crucial, but they possess flaws that warrant discussion. Despite The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom excelling in the execution of the Zelda formula, there remain areas that have room for improvement. On some occasions, the introduction of new mechanics since the previous game has mitigated past issues and enhanced the overall enjoyment of the game. While Tears of the Kingdom has rightfully received praise, it is not exempt from criticism.

It is evident that reintroducing shrines in TOTK was a prudent decision, as they present some of the most captivating challenges in the game. Resembling their role in Breath of the Wild, the shrines scattered throughout Hyrule offer diverse obstacles that Link must overcome in order to obtain rewards. Comparable to complex puzzles or obstacle courses, these shrines serve as engaging side challenges for Link throughout his journey. Some of these shrines act as tutorials for Link's new abilities, which tend to generate the most debate.

Tears of the Kingdom's Easiest Shrines Are Helpful, but Have a Flaw

These tutorial-style shrines in TOTK are designed to help players learn new abilities. They consist of short puzzles that require the use of the acquired power. For instance, the Ukouh shrine teaches players how to use the Ultrahand ability to move obstacles and build bridges. These shrines play a vital role in introducing new mechanics to the players instead of leaving them unexplained.

However, the simplicity of these shrines can also be a drawback. Since Tears of the Kingdom is an open-world game, players may not discover each shrine in the intended order. Some shrines that were meant to be encountered early on may only be discovered much later in the game. This can be disappointing as players may expect a significant challenge, only to find an easy test of an ability they have already mastered many hours ago. While not every shrine needs to be extremely difficult, such sudden drops in difficulty can disrupt the game's flow at an inconvenient time.

To streamline the process, it would be ideal for any potential sequels to TOTK and BOTW to handle the simpler shrines differently. Rather than scattering them throughout the game, these straightforward shrines could be designed to take place immediately after the player acquires the corresponding item or power, ensuring a quick completion. This approach was successfully employed by Tears of the Kingdom with its initial three shrines. Additionally, it would be beneficial to incorporate tutorial puzzles immediately after receiving new items or powers, rather than as standalone shrines, in order to expedite the completion of these simpler challenges.

Shrines were a fantastic addition to The Legend of Zelda series and it is hoped that they will make a return in future installments. The hardest shrines in Tears of the Kingdom offer incredibly satisfying challenges and the overall concept is a triumph. However, some minor adjustments could enhance the experience of the game's easiest shrines. It is perfectly acceptable to include a few simple shrines to provide early game challenges. In conclusion, while Tears of the Kingdom's simplest shrines are a good concept, they could have been executed more effectively.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is available now for the Nintendo Switch.