After years of waiting,The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomis finally here. Fans have now had a whole weekend to dive head-first into Link’s next adventure, and explore everything that the game has to offer. There’s a lot to uncover. From new abilities that offer limitless creativity, to a plethora of new Shrines, to an even richer story thatBreath of the Wild,Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomis jam-packed with new, original contentto discover, but that doesn’t mean the game doesn’t have its own influences.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wildmade a monumental impact on the video game industry, still inspiring open-world games all these years later. And whileZelda: Tears of the Kingdomhas its own set of unique features that are sure to repeat the same pattern, some fans have noticed a few points of inspiration for the sequel, and one of these seems to beFromSoftware’sDark Soulsseries.
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Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom’s Opening Hours Feel Quite Similar to Dark Souls
FromSoftware’sDark Soulsseries, much likeBreath of the Wild, has been an incredible influence on the video game industry, essentially creating its own sub-genre in the form of Soulslikes. It’s only natural, then, that some ofDark Souls' elements have seemingly inspired some ofZelda: Tears of the Kingdom. While they’re not the most obvert inspirations, fans can easily draw comparisons between the opening few hours of bothDark Souls, andThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
The subtle similarities between the two games start right out of the gate. The opening moments ofZelda: Tears of the KingdomseeLink and Zeldaexplore a dark, ominous underground cave, with a horrifying skeleton man lying in wait at the end of the tunnel, who promptly thrusts the world into chaos. From there, Link is transported to a new location, equipped with only a broken sword to defend himself, and absolutely no armor. It may not be a direct comparison, but this opening sequence does seem fairlyDark Souls-like.
The real similarities start to appear when the player enters their first combat encounter.Tears of the Kingdombrings forward the same combat mechanics that its predecessor,Breath of the Wildhad, meaning that aside from dodging and parrying, it doesn’t share too much withDark Souls' own combat systems. However, the biggest similarity betweenZelda: Tears of the KingdomandDark Soulsis their high level of difficulty. WhileTears of the Kingdom’s tutorial level slowly introduces the game’s core mechanics, and gradually increases enemy difficulty, it still poses quite the challenge, with the player having very little health, armor, or weapons at their disposal. Once players get pastTears of the Kingdom’s tutorial level, things only get harder.
When back on the ground,Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomopens up its entire world to the player. This can be both a blessing and a curse, with the expansive open-world offering unlimited and immediate adventure, but also throwing some tough challenges at players, especially newcomers. From the get-go, players can venture out to some of the game’s toughest areas, and face off against some of its toughest foes.
While those that have playedBreath of the WildandElden Ringknow to leave the fight and come back later, newcomers might not get the memo, and spend hours bashing their head against the same wall trying to defeat the overpowered foes. Even if players stay near Hyrule Castle for their first few hours, the game still isn’t a breeze. Players will still have to face off against small armies of enemies frequently, and with no armor or great weapons in their possession, this can be an extremely challenging few hours, feeling at times similar toDark Souls.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomis available now on Switch.
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