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The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Having recently finished playing The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, I am of the opinion that it has some of the best puzzle design in any video game. 

The Legend of Zelda games have always been well known for their puzzles, even if there is often more of a focus on adventure or combat. The puzzles in the game series are often presented in the form of a dungeon, which usually follow the same general pattern. 

  1. Find a new piece of equipment
  2. Sections of learning how the equipment works and its different uses
  3. Sections of testing your ability with the equipment to see how well you have learned to use it
  4. A boss fight - a final test of your proficiency with the equipment to complete the dungeon
After completing a dungeon, Link can then exit into the world discover new areas through the use of the new equipment, or complete puzzles that were previously impossible before getting the new equipment. This gradual exploration of the game world creates an exciting feeling of progression and increasing strength. Tears of the Kingdom follows its predecessor Breath of the Wild's detour from this gameplay pattern, by giving the player all the equipment they need to beat the game at the very beginning, before allowing them to go out and explore the world in whatever way they choose. This gives the player an enormous sense of freedom that was revolutionary in Breath of the Wild in comparison to previous Zelda games. Tears of the Kingdom improves upon this structure of the game by tailoring the player's equipment to be even better suited to exploring an open world and solving the puzzles within it. The real genius in the design of the equipment is the way in which they lend themselves to the form of puzzles that have no one perfect solution, something this game executes perfectly. 

Many games contain puzzles with multiple solutions. Some games reward the discovery of many different solutions by challenging the player to think outside the box and find them (Hitman Go). Some games have a structured, intended way to solve each puzzle, but player's are able to try and find their own (Portal). What Tears of the Kingdom does so excellently is the third category: puzzles that have no intended solution but encourage the player to experiment and create their own solution. For example, at many points in the game, the player must reach a platform that is above them and there are sometimes some objects nearby they can use. The player has many options here:
  • Use the ascend ability to shoot upwards if they can get directly under the platform
  • Attach some objects together to build a structure to walk or climb up
  • Move an object up to the platform then drop it. Then use the rewind ability to have it move to its previous location next to the platform, carrying the player with it
This approach to puzzle design is one I had not seen in any game before. the feeling of solving this kind of puzzle is completely different to those in Portal, for example. While finding the solution the developers intended you to find is a satisfying accomplishment, creating your own solution from your knowledge of the game and your own skills is something different entirely. 

One aspect I believe the game falls short on is the combat system. This may be just because I have recently played some From Software-style gamesw

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