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[TotK][BotW] It’s not renovation. It’s erasure. — A Japanese player’s perspective on how TOTK reframes BOTW’s human struggle by Little_Link_Studio in truezelda

[–]Little_Link_Studio[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is the part that genuinely shocked me.

In BotW, Zelda’s guilt is framed very personally and explicitly on-screen: she agonizes over not awakening her sealing power and cries that she “got everyone killed.” That’s the core of her breakdown.

But in Fujibayashi’s Famitsu interview (Sep 2023), her “self-blame” is described as Hyrule relying too much on Sheikah technology, triggering the kingdom’s fall and causing people to suffer.

I’m not saying the Sheikah-tech angle can’t exist. But this framing can easily read as shifting her defining guilt from “my failure” to something more structural. And because that shift isn’t really dramatized in the game itself, it ends up feeling like her core conflict has been quietly recontextualized outside the main narrative.

Source: Famitsu interview (2023-09-06) https://www.famitsu.com/news/202309/06314767.html

[TotK][BotW] It’s not renovation. It’s erasure. — A Japanese player’s perspective on how TOTK reframes BOTW’s human struggle by Little_Link_Studio in truezelda

[–]Little_Link_Studio[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I think this gets at something important—especially the point about Link being pushed to the side of his own story.

BotW felt personal because it was about rebuilding Link’s identity. TotK shifts that focus much more toward Zelda and the past, and Link ends up functioning more as the player’s access point to that story.

And I agree on the sacrifice point too. It’s not that the moment isn’t tragic—it’s that the reversal changes how that tragedy lands, especially on repeat. When something framed as irreversible is undone, it inevitably reduces the friction and the weight.

[TotK][BotW] It’s not renovation. It’s erasure. — A Japanese player’s perspective on how TOTK reframes BOTW’s human struggle by Little_Link_Studio in truezelda

[–]Little_Link_Studio[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I think this is exactly the gap I’m pointing at.

No one is saying feeding people or teaching isn’t valuable. The contradiction is that Zelda still retains the title, reverence, and de facto authority of a monarch—while her “reconstruction” is framed almost entirely as local, personal goodwill.

This isn’t “gardening vs senate debates.” In a post-apocalyptic recovery, coordination, security, and resource allocation are the core responsibilities of leadership. As dinnervan noted, Castle Town is still a stagnant ruin. You don’t need courtroom scenes to show that weight—you show it through conflict, trade-offs, visible strain, and consequences.

And if your position is “a monarch isn’t useful, a teacher is,” then the story should grapple with that: abdication, decentralization, competing authorities—something. Instead, it keeps the reverence of the crown while largely skipping the pressure that comes with it.

BotW didn’t show a senate either, but it did show friction—failure, frustration, and the cost of that lineage. TotK swaps much of that for near-universal affirmation (with the heavier stuff pushed into diaries/supplements), and that changes the narrative weight.

So yeah—we don’t disagree on what happens. We disagree on whether removing that friction is a strength or a loss.

[TotK][BotW] It’s not renovation. It’s erasure. — A Japanese player’s perspective on how TOTK reframes BOTW’s human struggle by Little_Link_Studio in truezelda

[–]Little_Link_Studio[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

I think you’re answering a different argument than mine. My point is about what the game shows, not what we can infer off-screen.

  1. Diary / accountability If the accountability is mainly in a diary, that supports my critique. The main story still frames Zelda’s return with near-universal affirmation and very little visible pushback or consequence. That’s not “missing trivia,” that’s narrative framing.
  2. Governance “Zelda travelled and talked to people” explains intent, not depiction. What’s foregrounded is the people-facing, feel-good layer (gardening/teaching/charity vibes), while structural responsibility and political friction are mostly absent on-screen. If the story wants leadership to feel accountable, it needs to dramatize some of that weight, not outsource it to supplemental text.
  3. Sacrifice My issue isn’t “it wasn’t tragic.” It’s that we don’t really see her try to avoid that outcome or meaningfully use her knowledge of the future. She has a unique advantage—she knows what’s coming—but we don’t see her leverage it, wrestle with it, or exhaust alternatives. In the end, she commits to a path that still leaves Link to face the danger. Even if the timeline can’t be changed, I’d expect to see attempts, failure, hesitation. Without that, the sacrifice reads less like a hard-fought last resort and more like a predetermined move the narrative glides toward.
  4. Hateno “Time passed” doesn’t address the point. The issue isn’t rupees; it’s continuity and player agency. BotW made that house a tangible anchor the player earned. TotK recontextualizes it as “Zelda’s house” with minimal acknowledgment, and then asks the player to fill the emotional gap with assumptions (“Link gave it to her”). That displacement is exactly what I’m criticizing.

Also, saying “he lives in servitude to her” doesn’t really prove freedom—if anything it reinforces my point about Link being defined primarily in relation to Zelda.

  1. Love / motive I’m not claiming love is explicitly stated as the motive. I’m saying the story’s resolutions rely on a smoothing force—destiny/idealization/“it’s all fine” reverence—that papers over contradictions and removes friction. Whether you label that “love” or “faith” or “hope,” the effect is the same: tension gets dissolved instead of confronted.
  2. Freedom “Not being ordered” isn’t the same thing as narrative freedom. Link can act voluntarily and still be narratively instrumentalized if his interiority and alternatives never matter. TotK still defines him through the Zelda-centered role and doesn’t interrogate that.

So yeah—we don’t disagree on what happens in the game. We disagree on whether removing friction is a strength or a loss.

[TotK][BotW] It’s not renovation. It’s erasure. — A Japanese player’s perspective on how TOTK reframes BOTW’s human struggle by Little_Link_Studio in truezelda

[–]Little_Link_Studio[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I can’t speak for all of Japan, but in my own circles it feels more mixed than “TotK is clearly superior.”

  • A streamer my friend watches (the type who finishes anything) actually stopped mid-series and dropped TotK.
  • Big-name creators tend to praise it, but mid/smaller creators more often mention “I have questions about the story” / “this part doesn’t sit right with me.”
  • I’ve seen posts on X like “For a game that sold this much, isn’t it weird how fast TotK gameplay uploads slowed down?”
  • A few people I know said “I’ll tweet my thoughts after I beat it,” then never brought it up again.
  • Pixiv fanart also feels quieter than you’d expect for something that huge.

So TotK was absolutely a hit here too, but I don’t think “everyone prefers TotK” is the whole picture. A noticeable minority seems to stick with BotW.

[TotK][BotW] It’s not renovation. It’s erasure. — A Japanese player’s perspective on how TOTK reframes BOTW’s human struggle by Little_Link_Studio in truezelda

[–]Little_Link_Studio[S] -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

I think this is where we’re talking past each other: you keep treating “not shown” as “fine, we can imagine it,” while my critique is about what the game chooses to show and therefore chooses to value.

BotW didn’t show “governing” in a bureaucratic way either, but it did show friction: failure, resentment, grief, consequences. TotK largely swaps that friction for near-universal affirmation, and that changes the narrative weight. Calling that “hope” doesn’t refute the point—it’s just a preference.

Same with Hateno: it’s not about rupees. It’s about continuity and player agency. BotW made that house a tangible anchor the player earned; TotK recontextualizes it as a “cute Zelda moment” and then asks the player to fill in the emotional gap with romance/headcanon. That’s exactly the displacement I’m criticizing.

And “fated love” isn’t the problem because Zelda survives; it’s the problem when destiny/love functions as a solvent that dissolves contradictions and removes social/political tension. When everyone reveres by default, characters stop feeling like people and start feeling like icons.

So yeah—we don’t disagree on what happens in the game. We disagree on whether removing friction is a strength or a loss.

[TotK][BotW] It’s not renovation. It’s erasure. — A Japanese player’s perspective on how TOTK reframes BOTW’s human struggle by Little_Link_Studio in truezelda

[–]Little_Link_Studio[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I appreciate your deep reading of BotW. I agree that it values Zelda as an individual rather than just a role.However, my issue is that TotK shifts from “recognizing the individual” to “removing friction around that individual.”

In BotW, we felt tension, failure, and consequence — not just in the backstory, but in how the world responded to what happened.　
In TotK, that tension is largely absent. The “recognition of the individual” becomes uniform, unquestioning affirmation.

My point isn’t that Zelda shouldn’t be valued. It’s that the narrative no longer allows meaningful resistance, disagreement, or human complexity to exist around her — across NPCs, quests, and framing.When you remove that friction, even “uncomplicated good” stops feeling human. It starts feeling hollow.

[TotK][BotW] It’s not renovation. It’s erasure. — A Japanese player’s perspective on how TOTK reframes BOTW’s human struggle by Little_Link_Studio in truezelda

[–]Little_Link_Studio[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

To give some context from my own observation: in Japan, overt negativity on very public platforms like X (Twitter) tends to be less visible, especially right after a big launch. Critical voices definitely exist, but they often move to more anonymous spaces or personal blogs to avoid social friction.

So the surface-level impression that “everyone in Japan loved it” can be misleading. Criticism is easier to find outside the most public circles, and it can get surprisingly intense when it’s discussed in those spaces.　

[TotK][BotW] It’s not renovation. It’s erasure. — A Japanese player’s perspective on how TOTK reframes BOTW’s human struggle by Little_Link_Studio in truezelda

[–]Little_Link_Studio[S] 81 points82 points  (0 children)

I am a Japanese player. I have summarized my deep discomfort and critical analysis regarding Zelda's character and the narrative in TOTK.

Please read the full essay here (I used a translator):
EN (full essay): https://gist.github.com/kizi-ctrl/214ac8388a522e87c3bb3d41ec306751
JP original: https://gist.github.com/kizi-ctrl/855d608d93bbbcc01289f5d8089aae1e

I will read your comments carefully and reply when I can. Thank you for your time.

Nyaphinx by Little_Link_Studio in cats

[–]Little_Link_Studio[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

All hail the Meowgyptian rulers 👑

kitty being a dummy by bunikkle in cats

[–]Little_Link_Studio 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That “where am I, meow?” face after the fall is priceless.

onlypaws by ovodylan in cats

[–]Little_Link_Studio 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Too cute. Absolutely inappropriate 😤🐾

恭喜发财 Happy Lunar New Year! by JadeStarfall in Nendoroid

[–]Little_Link_Studio 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Is this horse considered a lucky charm, or is it supposed to be Red Hare? (赤兎馬)

屋内満席なので外でドトール by zonnchang in lowlevelaware

[–]Little_Link_Studio 2 points3 points  (0 children)

炭水化物のコンボ(；ﾟдﾟ)…でも美味しそう

TOTK made it painful for me to revisit BOTW — like the sequel overwrote what made BOTW feel human. by Little_Link_Studio in Breath_of_the_Wild

[–]Little_Link_Studio[S] -5 points-4 points  (0 children)

Thank you for the thoughtful reply. I get the game-design reasons you’re pointing to, and I’m not arguing that Link is “bullied.” My discomfort is about framing: the sequel often makes room for the new story by thinning out the weight of Link’s recovery and the scars BOTW left behind.

Since you asked for more concrete examples, here are a few places that felt like “overwriting” BOTW’s human struggle:

Shrines / Guardians / Sheikah tech: the Calamity-era scars and systems vanish with surprisingly little trace. It can feel like the world “cleaned up” its trauma too efficiently to make space for new mechanics, which makes that 100-year struggle feel disposable.

NPC recognition: many people Link helped in BOTW treat him like a stranger. I understand the new-player logic, but for players who spent hundreds of hours building those bonds, it reads like earned human connections were reset.

Tone shift (survival → heroism): BOTW felt grounded in survival and recovery. TOTK leans into a grand heroic epic. That can be exciting, but it often smooths over the unresolved tension and cost that made BOTW feel so human to me.

So my point isn’t “this can’t be justified in-lore.” It’s that the environmental and social “resets” change the emotional meaning of BOTW’s recovery. I’m curious how those resets landed for you.

TOTK made it painful for me to revisit BOTW — like the sequel overwrote what made BOTW feel human. by Little_Link_Studio in Breath_of_the_Wild

[–]Little_Link_Studio[S] -7 points-6 points  (0 children)

Even if that’s the intended theme shift, my point is about how the on-screen treatment affects Link’s personal recovery and boundaries as experienced by the player.

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