Summary
It goes without saying thatTears of the Kingdomwas one of the most-successful games for theZeldafranchise. As a sequel toBreath of the Wild,Tears of the Kingdom (TotK)had high expectations to fill. While met with high praise for bringing back Ganondorf, including some quality-of-life improvements and Link’s new Abilities (particularly the Ultrahand), it couldn’t please everyone.
UnlikeBreath of the Wild,Tears of the Kingdompushes its players to go to Rito Village in the Hebra Region once they’ve spoken to Purah at Lookout Landing. The Rito were first introduced inWind Waker, but the Rito fromBotW/TotKhave very little in common with their original counterparts. As the first “arc” ofTotK, it’s not the most difficult part of the “Regional Phenomena” main quest, but a lot of players noticed a few missing characters and areas where the Rito Arc could have been improved.
6Easier Access to Cold-Resistant Gear
Affordable Snowquill Armor
Like inBotW, weather can affect Link if he’s not equipped with the right gear inTotK. The solution is to eat a meal or drink an elixir with heat/cold-resistance, or to wear weather-resistant armor or weapons. If players decide to start “Tulin of Rito Village” as their first “Regional Phenomena” quest, they will need warm armor. The closer they get to the Wind Temple, the colder it’ll get. Tulin will even caution Link that he’ll need something to keep himself warmif they’re to continue. This calls forlevel 2Cold Resistance. The good news is that players have access to the entire cold-resistantSnowquill Setin Rito Village. The bad news is that each piece of armor doesn’t come cheap. To make matters worse, Rupees and ore are difficult to come by inTotK.
The cheapest of the Snowquill Set is theSnowquill Tunicat500 Rupees. While it’s possible to sell enough items or meals to get enough money for the tunic, having cheaper armor would have been useful. Alternatively,TotKcould have placed a Snowquill Armor piece tucked into a chest at a monster camp. This would save players from having to save up or backtrack to buy proper gear. Wearing the Snowquill Tunic + the Archaic War Greaves (obtained on the Great Sky Island) stacks enough cold-resistance for Link towalk around the Wind Templewithout taking damage. However, unless players have enough Rupees or wares to sell, they’re going to have to find another way to stay warm as they climb higher and higher into the Hebra skies.
5References to Previous Rito Characters
Wind Waker’s Medli or Prince Komali
If one takes time to read the slabs around Zora’s Domain, they’ll discover that Prince Sidon is a descendant of Ruto. This is the same Ruto who was the Sage of Water inOcarina of Time, and one of the many callbacks to previousZeldagames. While easter eggs and references can be spotted throughout Hyrule, this one is different, as it confirms the existence of Ruto in theTotKtimeline. There was a similar case with Urbosa mentioning Nabooru inBreath of the Wild.
While the chances are slim, it would have been interesting to see a reference to an important Rito character froma previousZeldagame. Vah Medoh is a direct reference to Medli, the Sage of Earth inWind Waker, and a friend ofWW’s Link. However, that shouldn’t stop from referencing other Ritos such as Prince Komali or even Quill. Komali seems to be the same type of bird (or Rito) as Teba and Tulin, albeit with more humanlike features. Although, this could be said for all the Rito on Dragon Roost Island, who sport white and gray feathers.
Even if Komali wasn’t an ancestor to Teba and Tulin, a reference to him is somethingWind Wakerfans would most likely appreciate.Especiallysince Rito Village’s theme is a slowed-down version of Dragon Roost Island.
4The Rito Sage
Teba & Tulin’s Ancestor
One criticism thatTears of the Kingdomwas met with was the lack of development for the nameless Sages during the Imprisoning War. They’re only shown in flashbackswhen Link clears a temple, and they call out to the present-day Sage via telepathy. To make matters worse, the cutscenes where the present-day Sages learn of the Imprisoning War are recycled with a few sentences changed to accommodate the appropriate characters.
Tulin’s, and by extension, Teba’s, ancestor looks similar to Teba in appearance, but other than being of the same bloodline, there’s nothing else to him. Considering how Teba was a special case inBotW, as he was not a direct descendent or related to the original Champions, exploring the Wind Sage through flashbacks would have made his character less flat. Instead, players are only offered a glimpse of what he was: A powerful warrior chosen by Rauru to stand against Ganondorf with the other Sages. There’s a lot of mystery surrounding the Sages,and without a DLC, nothing else will likely be revealed about the original Sage of Wind.
3Champion Revali
Pilot of Divine Beast Vah Medoh
Mipha, Urbosa, Revali, and Daruk were the four Champions who piloted the Divine Beasts inBreath of the Wild. They’re renowned by their respective homes for their prowess even though they’ve been dead for 100 years at the timeBotWstarts. WithTears of the Kingdommoving on from the Calamity, it’s only natural that the Champions would fade out over time. However, while Mipha, Urbosa, and Daruk are name-dropped by various NPCs, one Champion does not get any mention whatsoever.
Revali’s arguably the most prickly of the Champions, as he was a proud warrior and had the least amount of faith in Link’s skills. While that did him little favors both in and out of universe, one can’t deny that Revali was a hard worker and has earned his share of bragging rights (for the most part). The Champions' Ballad DLC shows a cutscene where he was trying to masterwhat would be known as Revali’s Gale.
Revali’s ability to create an updraft, which was deemed impossible, went down in Rito history. Many Rito aspired to be like him - including Teba. However, despite his legacy inBreath of the WildandAge of Calamity, there’s no mention of him by the other villagers. Even Teba, who once admired Revali and even gave Tulin theGreat Eagle Bow(Revali’s weapon), doesn’t speak of Revali. The only reference to him is Revali’s Landing.
2Kass
The Champions' Ballad
Speaking of characters with little to no mention,TotKplayers were disappointed to see that Kass was nowhere to be seen. Kass was a traveling minstrel who would carry his accordion with him everywhere. He gives hints for unlocking certain Shrines inBotW, and he even had a bigger role in the Champions' Ballad DLC. His theme song even got a rendition forSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Instead of Kass, players will find Penn instead, a worker for the Lucky Clover Gazette. Oddly enough, Penn, who was not present inBreath of the Wild, evenmentionsKass once players have completed all the Lucky Clover Gazette side adventures. Despite this, Kass makes no return toTears of the Kingdom. Not even saving Rito Village from an unending blizzard is enough to bring him back to Hyrule. Without a DLC, it just raises the question ofwhat exactly happened to Kassin betweenBotWandTotK.
1Teba
Rito Village Elder & Rito Warrior
Teba was an important character inBreath of the Wild,as he assists Link in getting aboard Vah Medoh. Unfortunately, compared to the other present-day “Champions” (i.e: Sidon, Riju, Yunobo), Teba doesn’t get as much screen time. This was remedied a bit in theAge of Calamityspinoff game, in which Teba travels to the past to assist Revali and the others. Some fans will even say he’s one of the most broken characters inAoC. Because of this, it was only natural to assume Teba would still be around forTears of the Kingdom.
This was not the case, as one of theTotKtrailers instead revealed his son, Tulin, charging into battle with Link and the other Sages.Tulin even got key artworkthat was shared alongside Sidon’s and Riju’s before the worldwide release ofTotK. Fans worried that something bad had happened to Teba, which is why his son was called to the front instead. It turned out that Teba wasn’t axed off after all. Instead, he took up the mantle of Rito Elder. While this isn’t a bad direction for his character, Teba has no voiced lines inTears of the Kingdom, and his screen time is greatly diminished to make room for Tulin.
For the remainder of the game, he stays in Rito Village andoffers to make Link a Great Eagle Bow. Seeing Teba go from a major character to a background NPC was disappointing, and many players wished that he had more of a role in the Rito Arc ofTotK. Some would go on to say they’d preferTebawas the Sage of Wind instead of Tulin.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomis available for Nintendo Switch.
