Daily Debate: Would Tears of the Kingdom’s Story And Themes Been Enhanced With A More Tragic Ending?
Posted on December 04 2023 by Sean Gadus
While Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom both use a memory system as part of their respective narratives, I found Tears of the Kingdom to be the more engaging narrative of the two. The presence of Ganondorf in the opening sequence of Tears of the Kingdom, as well as the villain’s role in Zelda’s journey through the distant past, helps give the story more impact and drama than Breath of the Wild‘s story. Tears of the Kingdom concludes with Link and Zelda defeating Ganondorf, and the ending of the game leaves open the opportunity for the characters to bring a more lasting peace to Hyrule.
While I enjoyed the triumphant ending of Tears of the Kingdom, in reflecting on the themes of the game’s story, I started to wonder if a more tragic ending might have suited the themes of the story better. What do you think? Would the story and themes of Tears of the Kingdom been enhanced with a more tragic ending?
One of the major themes of the Tears of the Kingdom‘s story is sacrifice. Two of the most significant choices in the story are Rauru sacrificing himself to seal away Ganondorf and Zelda giving up her life as a mortal in order to strengthen the Master Sword. Both Rauru and Zelda believe they are making choices that are necessary for the survivor of Hyrule. While Rauru’s sacrifice is permanent, Zelda’s sacrifice is somewhat negated at the end of the story when she is restored to hylian form. While this is a satisfying conclusion that includes one of the best moments between Link and Zelda, Zelda’s return to Hylian form does potentially lessen the sacrifice that Zelda makes for Hyrule. A more tragic but contemplative ending might end with Zelda remaining in dragon form, and Link saying goodbye to her one final time. Or if Nintendo wanted to be even more devastating, perhaps Zelda could have died in the final confrontation with the draconified Demon King.
What do you think? Would Tears of the Kingdom‘s story been enhanced with a more tragic or contemplative ending? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
Sean Gadus is a Senior Editor at Zelda Dungeon. His first Zelda game was Ocarina of Time, and he loves all of the 3D Zelda games from 1998-2011. The final battle of Tears of the Kingdom is one of his favorite final battles in the entire series. He wants to help build a kinder, more compassionate world. You can check out his other written work at The-Artifice.com.
