Summary
The much-anticipated sequel toBreath of the Wild, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomsucceeds in almost every aspect.While the game has achieved awardsfor good reason, it does not mean the plot is without error. Various plot holes are clear in the game, from both a casual and fan perspective, ranging from a mild nitpick to completely annoying. The most obvious plotholes mentioned increase in just how annoying they are, and how much a fan of both of these modern Zelda games will notice the missing explanations.
No plot hole ruins the story in the slightest, but with some of these gaps in narrative logic, it can easily annoy fans of both the former game and the sequel. With both a continuing and time-travel-focused storyline,TotKhas several notable plot holes for players to stumble into.
6No Hero In Ancient Hyrule’s Past
There Are Ancestors To Modern Hyrule Characters, But No Link Of The Past
One plot hole that flies under the radar for many players stems from an omission that only becomes more and more obvious as the player progresses.Even though there’s an armor rewardthat shows a Zonai hero of an ancient Hyrule, presumably a previous incarnation of Link, there’s never a hero shown in the cutscenes of ancient Hyrule, despite the presence of Ganondorf and Zelda.
While there are ancestors of Zelda and the various Sages in the current day, the lack of an ancient hero only stands out more and more as each flashback plays out, especially as Ganondorf and Rauru approach their fates in the past, with no hero to truly stop the great evil.
5The Location Of The Divine Beasts
A Complete Disappearance Of The Most Striking Feature
One of the most apparent missing features fromBreath of the Wild’sHyrule is the disappearance of the titanic Divine Beasts. While their presence in the first game was somewhat divisive as a new iteration of the classic dungeon, the physical presence of these giant mecha animals was a positive addition to the world, both as a landmark and as lore. InTears of the Kingdom,however, the seemingly sudden disappearance of the Beasts is immediately obvious.
The worst part of this vanishing act is how it’s not addressed in the game’s story. Various fan theories come to the logical conclusion thatthe Divine Beasts have been dismantleddue to their fatal flaw of being susceptible to Ganon’s possession. Still, that lack of detail in Tears itself is sorely needed.
4The Remnants Of Sheikah Technology
The Most Powerful And Plot-Focused Tools Now Missing
As one of the defining new additions to this iteration of Hyrule, the sudden vanishment of all sorts of Sheikah technology certainly raises a few eyebrows, especially given how integral and powerful the equipment was in the first game. While the newly accessible Zonai technology functionally replaces Sheikah technology in every way, the disappearance of the seemingly integral machinery to Ganon’s defeat is still strange for fans ofBreath of the Wild.
Following along with the Divine Beasts going missing, the loss of the Sheikah tech remains a mystery, but unlike the powerful mechs, bits and pieces of Sheikah devices can still be found throughout Hyrule.While the director ofTears of the Kingdomhas commentedon this sudden disappearance, a lack of an in-game answer persists. At the very least, the lack of the terrifying Guardians isn’t too much of a downside.
3The Time Gap Between Breath Of The Wild And Tears Of The Kingdom
No Concrete Answer To How Different This Once-Familiar Hyrule Is
One of the more perplexing plot holes for fans of bothBreath of the WildandTears of the Kingdomis the exact time skip between the first game and the sequel. While it seems that, for the most part,TotKtakes place only a handful of years after the annihilation of Ganon, there are strange little details that don’t suggest a concrete number of years since the original.
Some NPC characters from Tarrey Town will suddenly have an older child, but at the same time, locations such as Castle Town look like time has only passed by a year or two. The vague timeline may allow for flexibility with what has changed in Hyrule since the Calamity’s end, but it doesn’t clear up the overall story.
2The Power And Purpose Of The Master Sword
The Master Sword Fails At It’s One Job
Since this plothole happens within the first ten or so minutes ofTears of the Kingdom, the issue ofjust how strong the Master Sword is supposed to beis glaring. Despite having such grand titles including the Sword that Seals the Darkness and having divine power specifically made to destroy the powers of evil, theMaster Swordshatters the moment it’s used to defend Zelda and Link from Ganondorf.
Although it’s up for debate that Ganondorf not using any power for thousands of years has made this first direct attack especially powerful, hence the disastrous effect on the Master Sword, it’s still strange. Of course, this entire sequence serves as a power reset from the events ofBreath of the Wild,along with setting up a later plot for the Master Sword’s rebirth, but the fact that the sword fails instantly is puzzling.
1The Relevance Of Breath Of The Wild’s Story In The Sequel
A Continuing Story That Doesn’t Commit To Being A Sequel
The most annoying plot hole of all withinTears of the Kingdomis just how much it is or isn’t a direct sequel toBreath of the Wild, and all the vague ways NPCs and the game will treat the events of the first game’s story.
Important characters from the first game, such as Prince Sidon and the other sages, instantly recognize Link and reference the shared past they have, but other side characters have no idea how important the princess’s bodyguard is. Even though Zelda and Link literally lived in the same house, a housethat Link bought in Hateno Village,the Hero of the Wilds may as well be any adventurer in the slowly rebuilding Hyrule.
