With both franchises featuring iconic boss fights, environmental loot, and complex storylines, Zelda and Dark Souls share a few similarities here and there – but one part of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom bears an overwhelming resemblance to the original Dark Souls. The noteworthy similarity brings to light an interesting parallel between the two series, even though they’re thematically miles apart.
After all, TOTK feels much more like a FromSoftware game than Breath of the Wild did. Such a sentiment can be attributed to a number of reasons, but perhaps the most noticeable is the increased difficulty in the newest Zelda game. Thanks to more powerful enemies, more complex puzzles, and the many perils of abilities like Fuse and Ultrahand in Tears of the Kingdom, players are bound to die far more often than they did in the prequel. By no means are Link’s adventures on the same level as Dark Souls just yet, but there’s one part of the game that is.
In Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Link can come across an area called the Ancient Tree Stump Cave, which is eerily similar to the Great Hollow in Dark Souls. Both locations take place inside a giant, hollowed out tree shrouded by an odd fog, which players need to navigate by way of entangled, criss-crossing vines and branches. Plus, TOTK’s Ancient Tree Stump Cave and Dark Souls’ Great Hollow are comparable not only visually, but also in terms of their content. Link only travels there to get the optional Fierce Deity boots, and the Chosen Undead only goes to the Great Hollow to get to Ash Lake.
While the Ancient Tree Stump Cave is certainly the most obvious example in TOTK, it’s definitely not the only occasion in which Nintendo and FromSoftware have drawn inspiration from each other. Breath of the Wild’s influence on Elden Ring was undeniable with its phenomenal open-world map and exploration elements, and it caused no shortage of comparisons between the two titles. Now in turn, it’s evident that TOTK learned a lesson from Elden Ring’s own dungeon design, and the experience is better for it, as its complex, puzzle-filled caves are engaging and exciting to explore.
With TOTK’s Ancient Tree Stump Cave and Dark Souls’ Great Hollow being nearly identical in design, it looks like Nintendo continues the conversation with FromSoftware. The Zelda and Dark Souls franchises may be polar opposites when it comes to things like overarching themes and aesthetics, but at the end of the day, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Dark Souls may be closer in spirit than players realize.
2023-06-11 09:30:05
Source from screenrant.com
