The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomis a rare direct sequel in theZeldaseries, and the only one so far to re-use the majority of the previous game’s world - but the returning characters and story elements fromBreath of the Wildalso bring with them some noticeable plotholes.
Other games in theZeldaseries are usually more like separate parts of an anthology than continuous pieces of the same story, so the series has rarely had to concern itself much with keeping a strict continuity, but this approach may have backfired when it comes toTOTK. Although every mainlineZeldagame stars a hero named Link (or, in mostgames beforeBOTW, whatever the player named him), different games in the series will rarely star the same “Link” - and even those that do, likeOcarina of TimeandMajora’s Mask, tend not to re-use the same game world.
BOTW’s Link Can Explain One TOTK Plothole
TOTK’s NPC Plothole Has A Few Possible Explanations
In the transition fromBreath of the WildtoTears of the Kingdom, however, using the same protagonist, the same Hyrule, and many of the same returning characters will have some players wondering about one noticeable plothole. Despite most characters fromBOTWreturning in the sequel,many of those NPCs don’t seem to recognize Link inTears of the Kingdom, sometimes in spite of being side quest givers in the previous game.
An easy, but potentially unsatisfying explanation, is simply that Nintendo wanted to minimize confusion for players who skipped the previous game, and so only carried forward Link’s relationship with a select few important NPCs - but another way to reconcile the inconsistency is to assume thatTOTKfollows up onBOTW’s main story without acknowledging its side content.
Most of the NPCs that don’t recognize Link inTOTKare primarily associated with relatively minor side quests inBOTW, so the assumption thatLink just canonically didn’t bother with many of those side questsis one way to makeZelda: TOTK’s plotholesmake more sense. Alternatively, it’s relatively easy to rationalize that, in the years that have passed between the end ofBOTWandTOTK,many of the NPCs that Link interacted with may have just forgotten the person that did a relatively minor task for them once.
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The forgetfulness of some NPCs is harder to reconcile than others, though -Bolson, for example, doesn’t recognize Link inTOTKat all, despite having sold him a housethat later becomes known as Zelda’s house inTOTK. And since buying the house inBOTWis a prerequisite to helping Rhondson (who does remember Link inTOTK) build Tarrey Town, the discrepancies between the two games can make even less sense to players who pay attention to the smaller details.
TOTK’s Plotholes Can Detract From The Game’s Appeal
TOTK’s Plotholes Are Relatively Minor, But Can Still Hurt The Experience
Of course, the relatively small discrepancies betweenBOTWandTOTKaren’t majorly game-ruining details. But as one of the very few direct sequels in theZeldaseries,it can feel like a missed opportunity forTOTKto not build more on the story of its predecessor.
Even though many of its plotholes, like NPCs not recognizing Link, or the absence of Sheikah structures from the first game, can be easily rationalized, explained, or even ignored, playingTOTKcan make it feel likemany ofBOTW’s smaller details don’t matter. And it can hurt a player’s connection to the world.
Though critically acclaimed, and widely agreed-upon as one of the best games of 2023,TOTKsometimes failsto build onBOTWin important ways. NPCs not recognizing Link is relatively easy to rationalize or explain after-the-fact, but in the moment, the seeming lack of continuity can be jarring for many players, and take away from the feeling thatTOTKis taking place in a world that continued on from the end of the previous game.
AlthoughTOTKis a direct continuation ofBOTW, some details from the first game are noticeably left out. Thinking ofBOTW’s side content as mostly non-canon, or rationalizing that NPCs may have just forgotten about a person they didn’t have much interaction with are easy ways to reconcile this plothole. However, making the extra effort to preserve continuity could have madeThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdoma more satisfying experience.
