Exploring uncharted territory
I have never played a Legend of Zelda game in my life . While I watched my elder sib play them , among other games , I did n’t have the same desire to essay them out . For as long as I can commemorate , I chiefly play on my computer , with the occasional Mario or Kirby game shake off into the intermixture for some deviltry .
That is until I tried out Tears of the Kingdom . After spending decade never touch the enfranchisement , I decided to hop on this one and see what the excitement was about . Yes , I skip over Breath of the Wild , and no , I do n’t regret it , but I have a lot to say about teardrop of the Kingdom as a first - time LoZ player . This is n’t a formal reviewbut a not - so - quick chitchat about it .

While I will deflect spoilers about the plot ’s account and quests , somelocation and gameplay spoilers are incoming , so be careful !
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Is My First Ever Zelda Game and It’s a Wild Ride
have ’s go back to May 12 , when the game first launched . As I hopped on my permutation and see most of my friends spiel Tears of the Kingdom , I already knew they were having a eruption and that I probably would too . In the first minute , I was curious about what I was get myself into . countenance me tell you , those first few hours were large .
Well , until I discovered snow . I got used to it , but it run through up several hour of my playthrough and frustrated me more than you could guess . Do n’t worry – I did reclaim .
TOTK’s Weather Confused Me at First
I ’ll be blunt here ; I drop well-nigh the entire first day reckon out how to navigate snow . Do I make a bridge ? Do I attempt to make potion ? I had several ideas but was n’t totally certain how to in good order fulfill them . On the one manus , I loved experience several possibility for how to apportion with this relatively minor publication . However , this did n’t quite outweigh my frustration over encountering this two time of day after commence my playthrough . I take so thwarted that I write an entire Thomas Nelson Page just forhow to climb ice walls in TOTKso I could share my wacky journey with everyone .
I ’m also the character to skip tutorials and wonder why I ’m struggling with basic game mechanic . This becomes a go back theme throughout this adventure , and I do not fault the game for it . Tears of the Kingdom ’s tutorial are nice , and I would n’t recommend skipping them .
Fortunately , after pass several hour trudging through the snow , freezing to destruction loads of times and figuring out how it all worked , I reached what I consider thefun part of the game .

Admittedly, I didn’t notice the ramp until much later.
Tears of the Kingdom’s Map Is Huge and I Was Not Prepared
The 2d I dropped onto Hyrule ’s mainland , I sleep together this was where the escapade really began . Now , there ’s a massive overt world to explore , masses to meet and Koroks to find . for certain , it took me two IRL years to get here , but hey , better late than never . I was eventually ready to enjoy the game and share my excitement with everyone I roll in the hay .
The main issue ? I still was n’t totally sure what was going on .
Since I hop-skip Breath of the Wild and have zero familiarity with it , I go into Tears of the Kingdom completely blind . This made , and still pass water , the experience gratifying and exciting , particularly when minor things happen that surprise me .

The world is beautiful.
However , this lack of casualness also initially left meoverwhelmed , not really love anything about major landmarks or towns . Hateno Village ? Gerudo ? Korok Forest ? Even now , as of write this , there is a passel I do n’t make love about these places despite visit them multiple times in TOTK now . While many of my Quaker had approximate route and roadmaps for where to go , I was a turn stranded at first .
Related : All Village Locations in Tears of the Kingdom
After some time , though , I turned this into a challenge for myself . I ran all around the function , looking for towers and town , until I found them all within a few years . Once I wind up this , I finally start to revalue the game in its full resplendence .

I get confused easily!
I Spend Most of My Time Flying Around
I love using the sailplane . The second I unlocked this , I was happier than anyone could reckon . Even now , I still enjoy the widget of flying places instead of run around or riding on horseback ! regard my frustration on Great Sky Island , though , this was a benediction that I did not ignore . Once I get the sailplane , I expend more time than I ’d like to include flying around the sky island and region in the game . While , yes , stamina did keep me from pass all - out , I still apprise it for what it is .
Fast ahead to the present , and frankly , I still pass most of my metre fly around the map and just depend at the scenery . Hyrule is beautiful , and I like exploring it even if I ’m not progressing through the story or garner any resources . These moments are among the highlight of my playthrough .
What ’s another highlight to babble out about?Shrine mystifier .
I’m Not Very Good at TOTK’s Shrines
I ’ll admit it ; I ’m not the best at solving shrine puzzle . In my Defense Department , a lot of these are jolly thought-provoking ! While I had a just clip withGreat Sky Island shrines , the rest are another story entirely . Sometimes , I get mildly foiled at them , especially if I die repeatedly . Still , for the most part , it ’s very satisfying to complete them after spending so much time fancy it out .
relate : All Hyrule Shrine Locations in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom ( TOTK )
As of writing this , I have yet to research many shrine , as I ’ve been relish pursuit and other content on the side . The ones I have attempted have been fun , and although I sometimes depart and move on to another , I apprize their challenging aspect . I would rather them be too unmanageable than too easy , after all !
This First-Time Zelda Player Enjoys Tears of the Kingdom
broadly speaking , Tears of the Kingdom has been a corking experience and a fun way of life to introduce myself to the Legend of Zelda series . While I had some thwarting at first and still fight with shrine teaser frequently , that ’s part of the playfulness ! I ’ve played enough games that held my manus the intact clip and did n’t offer any challenge . Here , there ’s a solid amount of challenge , and if I get frustrated , I can just teleport somewhere else and progress elsewhere before returning later . It ’s a great belief , and it ’s one that I ’m pleasantly surprised to experience .
Does this intend I will never play Breath of the Wild or other Legend of Zelda game ? If anything , it mean the opposite . Tears of the Kingdom sparked some curiosity in me that I did n’t await to feel , and it ’s made me view trying former game to see how they compare . While I do n’t think this secret plan is perfect , it holds my attention more than I initially expected , andI have zero regrets about trying it .
If you ’re like me and struggle to figure out what ’s materialize in the biz , learninghow to increase health and stamina in Tears Of The Kingdomis a large place to start and is something I appreciated in my first few sidereal day of playing . Now , if you ’ll excuse me , I ’m going to play it some more .