The Final Section of Tears of the Kingdom Is A Challenging and Emotional Conclusion To An Epic Adventure

Warning: This article contains spoilers for the final area and ending of Tears of the Kingdom.

“The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek” – Joseph Campbell 

Endings have always mattered for me in single-player games. Whether it is fair or not, part of my perspective on a single-player game has always been shaped by my experience with the final section of that game or how the game’s story concludes. A great final section can elevate a game, and a poor final section can make a game feel lesser.

One of the reasons I love the Zelda series is because I have rarely felt disappointed by the final sections of Zelda games. Ganon’s Castle in Ocarina of Time is one of my favorite areas in all of video games; the battle in the foreboding castle (and later its ruins) sets the tone for the emotional conclusion of the story. Even Breath of the Wild, which had the incredibly disappointing Dark Beast Ganon as its final boss, punctuated its story with a journey through the haunting ruins of Hyrule Castle.

After years of fervent anticipation, frustrating silence, and repeated delays, Tears of the Kingdom had a lot to live up to. Fortunately, the final section of Tears of the Kingdom surpassed my expectations by a wide margin. Link’s final descent into the hellish underworld beneath Hyrule is a thrilling, challenging, and emotional conclusion that made my experience with Tears of the Kingdom unforgettable.

A Descent Into The Underworld

For much of the Zelda series, the final section of a game has related to some type of ascent, a journey upwards. Commonly set in Ganon’s Tower or Hyrule Castle, the final areas of many Zelda games are about the thrill of battling up a tower or castle in order to reach the final boss. This is a gameplay and functional storytelling technique that is very effective. The higher the player goes, the closer the player gets to the game’s supreme ordeal. These ascents build a strong sense of anticipation and tension as the player approaches the conclusion of the game. Tears of the Kingdom inverts this approach by setting its final section deep underground in The Depths under Hyrule Castle. The developers send the player down into the deepest, darkest part of the world in order to finish the game. This descent into hell is incredibly tense because the foreboding atmosphere, challenging enemies, and dangers of Gloom make the final section of the game feel dangerous.

Thematically, Link’s descent into The Depths can be connected to storytelling moments from many versions of the “Hero’s Journey” story template popularized by Joseph Campbell. In this article, the term “hero” is used to refer to any person or people. Link’s descent into The Depths closely connects to the Hero’s Journey step titled “Approach The Inmost Cave.” This is the stage of the story where the hero must venture into the darkest or most dangerous part of the world in order to complete their quest. The final section of Tears of the Kingdom is emblematic of that stage of a hero’s journey. Throughout various world mythologies, journeys into death, underworlds, or hells are common. Whether it is Odysseus and Orpheus in Greek mythology, or Dante and Virgil in The Divine Comedy, many characters are required to make a journey into a type of underworld or hell in order to complete their quests. Link’s journey into The Depths mirrors the trials that other heroes have taken throughout time in order to complete their journeys.

Coming Full Circle

One of my favorite things about the final journey to Ganondorf’s lair in Tears of the Kingdom is the way in which Link’s journey comes full circle. Tears of the Kingdom begins with Zelda and Link exploring The Depths beneath Hyrule Castle, and the final section takes the player back to the same area. From a gameplay perspective, this is a clever way for Nintendo to reuse game assets, but this circular storytelling is also another link to other Hero’s Journey storylines. Many Hero’s Journey narratives begin and end in the same locations just like Tears of the Kingdom. One of my favorite details in The Depths under Hyrule Castle is that the player can find the torch that Zelda was holding when she fell and disappeared back in time.

Tears of the Kingdom is built around a sense of déjà vu. In the game, the player returns to areas that they are already familiar with from Breath of the Wild, and they get to see how the world and characters have changed in the sequel. Because of this, setting the beginning and end of the narrative in same place fits into the game’s central theme. As the player wraps up Tears of the Kingdom, they pass through the same narrow passages, the same gloomy catacombs, and the same imprisoning chamber. Notably, the player can see the full panel of ancient hieroglyphics that were partially obscured at the start of the game. Armed with new knowledge and powers, the player now has the full picture of the tragedies of the past. Link’s journey to these locations are a bittersweet return, with the player now much more aware of the pain and sacrifice that were part of the battle against the Demon King.

Gloom Brings Back A Sense of Danger

Gloom is one of the best mechanics in Tears of the Kingdom. The size and scope of both Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom are massive, and the games give the player many ways to upgrade their characters. Whether it is by upgrading gear or adding hearts, the challenge and difficulty of these two games can diminish as the experience goes on. In Tears of the Kingdom, the designers use Gloom, a glowing toxic sludge, to offset some of the power creep that can happen as players explore the massive world. When Link is damaged by a Gloom-infused enemy or if the player walks over pools of Gloom, he is unable to restore those hearts until he goes to a Lightroot, goes to the surface, or uses specific potion. Gloom adds a small survival-horror element to Tears of the Kingdom, as the player must manage their health carefully as they explore The Depths or risk dying quickly.

Particularly for players who focused on completing the main story, Gloom and Gloom-infested enemies can make the final area of Tears of the Kingdom challenging. The player must tread carefully as they descend towards Ganondorf, or they risk being handicapped for the horde fight and boss battles, especially if the player has not packed a lot of Gloom-resistant meals. The combination of the large amounts of Gloom, dangerous enemies, and the claustrophobic passageways make the final section feel suitably tense and foreboding.

Not Alone In The Darkness

Another great addition to Tears of the Kingdom is the ability to fight alongside the five Sages and their avatars. Though the player can utilize the Sages’ avatars for the opening part of their journey through The Depths under Hyrule Castle, the avatars disappear as the player gets near the end of their journey. Turning off the Sages’ avatars makes any remaining combat much more difficult, and it also helps set up one of the most powerful story moments in the game. Throughout the game, I relied on the Sages and their avatars to help me defeat powerful enemies, and the sudden removal of these abilities made me feel vulnerable. The removal of the Sages’ abilities cements how evil the area is; the player has descended so far into The Depths that even the light and blessings of the Sages cannot follow Link.

By turning off the Sages’ avatars, the designers trick the player into thinking that the final battle will be a solitary one. This sets up a huge emotional payoff when the Sages drop in behind Link to help the player fight Ganon’s army. Whether it is the past or the present, Tears of the Kingdom‘s story is focused around people coming together to confront evil, and the arrival of the Sages beautifully reinforces these themes. The final battle with Ganon’s horde is a dynamic, large-scale battle that pays off on two new mechanics in Tears of the Kingdom: fighting alongside the Sages and fighting larger groups of enemies. The four waves  of enemies (Bokoblins, Lizalfos, Gibdos, and Moblins) all feel distinct and challenging in their own ways. Tears of the Kingdom was a huge step up from Breath of the Wild in the size and scope of enemy groupings, and the horde battles are a great example of that improvement.

The Demon King In The Depths

Ganondorf is one of the biggest highlights of Tears of the Kingdom. While Breath of the Wild‘s memories mostly focused on Link and Zelda, the geoglyphs in Tears of the Kingdom explore Ganondorf’s rise to power, as well as Rauru and Zelda’s tragic battle against him. The memories establish Ganondorf as a cruel and dangerous enemy who lusts for power. The murder of Queen Sonia, along with the theft of her secret stone, transform Ganondorf into the powerful Demon King. These memories establish almost biblical origins to evil in the land of Hyrule, while also giving the player added motivation to slay Ganondorf. The atrocities committed by Ganondorf in Tears of the Kingdom connect directly to key characters like Rauru and Zelda. The game’s story relies on our relationship with Link, Zelda, Sonia, and Rauru to build our dislike of the main villain. Matthew Mercer’s English voice performance as Ganondorf is excellent, and his voice work goes a long way in making the villain a worthy antagonist for the player.

The battle with Ganondorf in Gloom’s Lair is a tense duel that tests the player’s skills. The first phase of the duel is a teaser, where Ganondorf seems to be testing Link to see if he is a challenge. The sword is Ganondorf’s primary weapon, though he also utilizes a massive club and a long spear. While there are some clever ways to get past Ganondorf’s defenses, this boss battle is one of the rare sections of Tears of the Kingdom where you need to know how to use the combat techniques if you want to succeed. The second section of the fight opens with Ganondorf summoning his full might as the Demon King. The Demon King has an absurdly long health bar that fills the screen, and my jaw dropped the first time I saw it sprawled across my television screen. Ganondorf also summons a host of Phantom Ganons to fight alongside him. During this section of the fight, it is easy to accidentally bump into a Phantom Ganon or lose track of Ganondorf’s attacks, which can result in losing some valuable hearts. This phase of the battle is pure bedlam, with the Sages arriving to help Link. At the midpoint of this phase, Ganondorf blasts the Sages and beckons Link forward to finish their duel one on one. In the final stage of the battle, Ganondorf can utilize a magic projectile attack that will permanently remove hearts from the player for the remainder of the fight.

While there are some ways to speed the fight up (using Hylian Pine Cones to create an updraft and rain down arrows on Ganondorf), the fight boils down to a knockdown, drag-out duel for the fate of Hyrule. Ganondorf can dodge Link’s perfect dodge/backflips, and the player will have to successfully land a second perfect dodge in order to get hits in on the Demon King. Because Ganondorf deals Gloom damage, he can quickly reduce the player’s health or kill them. I appreciate the difficulty of the boss battle; and with only twelve hearts, I saw the game over screen a fair amount before I triumphed against the Demon King. Overall, this boss battle feels like a worthy successor to the one-on-one duels in games like The Wind Waker and Skyward Sword.

The Light Dragon’s Aid

Like Breath of the Wild‘s Dark Beast Ganon, the final battle against Dragon Ganon is a set piece that highlights the massive size and scale of the game world. In this case, the design team uses The Sky as the final battlefield between Link, Zelda, and Ganon. Tears of the Kingdom lays down the breadcrumbs for this grand final battle throughout the game. If the player has found the Memories, then they know the new lore surrounding dragons and have witnessed Zelda transform into a dragon. In hindsight, I felt like I should have seen Ganondorf’s own draconic transformation coming earlier in the story, and his transformation stands in clear contrast to Zelda’s transformation. Whereas Zelda makes the choice to become a dragon in order to help Link and the rest of Hyrule far into the future, Ganondorf’s choice to transform into a dragon is a result of his own hubris and his frustration over being unable to defeat Link. Ganondorf’s transformation into a dragon also connects to the Hero’s Journey because dragons represent greed, pride, and the ultimate ordeal in many versions of the storytelling template.

The arrival of the Light Dragon is a powerful moment that emphasizes some of the core themes of the story as well. Tears of the Kingdom‘s story focuses on comradery and sacrifice, and the battle with Dragon Ganon is the culmination of all the sacrifices that the characters have made throughout the story. Separated by thousands of years and draconification, Zelda still comes to Link’s aid at a critical moment in his battle. There is a great rhythm to the boss battle with the player launching themselves from the Light Dragon towards Dragon Ganon. The way the Light Dragon flies around the battle and adjusts its position to catch Link after every dive makes the fight feel very dynamic. While the projectiles spewed by Dragon Ganon are not too dangerous, it feels thrilling to frantically dodge the fiery projectiles as the player falls towards the evil dragon. Like Ocarina of Time and The Wind Waker before it, Tears of the Kingdom ends with Link stabbing his foe in the head, a dramatic conclusion that never seems to get old.

Conclusion – If You Fall, I Will Catch You

If Nintendo ended Tears of the Kingdom the moment the player stabs Ganon in the head, it would still be a rousing finale that exceeded my expectation for its conclusion. However, Nintendo had one more surprise for the player. While some players may feel frustrated with Zelda transforming back into a Hylian with the help of Rauru and Sonia’s ghosts (Mineru clearly states that Dragonification is a permanent process in a memory), Zelda’s return is a powerful moment to end the story on. The final sequence has Link and Zelda hurtling toward the surface of Hyrule at high speeds. Having failed to catch Zelda at the beginning of the game, Link has another chance to help the person who means the most to him in the world. The shots of Link reaching out his hand to Zelda as sunlight washes over the two characters is one of Tears of the Kingdom‘s defining images. The scene is further enhanced by a beautiful song that is a combination of Tears of the Kingdom‘s main theme and a version of “Zelda’s Lullaby.” Regardless of how well the lore behind the ending works, “The Catch” will be etched in time as another powerful moment in the Zelda series.

Tears of the Kingdom is not a perfect game, despite the overwhelmingly positive response it has received from fans and critics. The game is filled with some dull side quests and mind-numbing Korok Seed hunts that often distract from the main quest, and I firmly hope that the next Zelda game rethinks the way it tells its overarching story, particularly if it keeps the open world structure of Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. With that being said, the final section of Tears of the Kingdom lives up to the incredibly high standard established by previous Zelda games. Link’s descent into the The Depths connects Tears of the Kingdom to many other Hero’s Journey narratives that have come before it. Filled with dramatic duels, emotional story moments, and a final skydive for the ages, the game saves its most powerful moments for its epic ending. When I think of Tears of the Kingdom in the years to come, I will not be thinking about how many Korok Seeds I collected or how many Shrines I completed. I will be thinking about Link hurtling towards the surface of Hyrule, his hand extended, his fingers inching closer and closer to the person he cares about most.

That moment is, and will always be, triumphant.