Summary
Puzzles are an essential partof theLegend of Zeldafranchise, alongside story, exploration, and combat. BothBreath of the WildandTears of the Kingdommade them even better, thanks to their open-ended design philosophy that lets each player choose how to carefully solve each and every puzzle, especially since there are a lot of options available.
However, the game developers atNintendoare always one step ahead of the players, which resulted inTears of the Kingdombeing filled to the brim with thought-provoking and challenging puzzles to solve. Whether they are inside a dungeon, part of a shrine, or anything else, there are several puzzles in the game that leave players scratching their heads.
8A Confusing Rail System
Fire Temple
One of the most well-received aspects ofTears of the Kingdomwasthe comeback of conventional dungeonswith different architecture and theming, in contrast to the similar-looking Divine Beasts fromBreath of the Wild. One of the new dungeons is the Lost Gorondia Rediscovered, better known as theFire Temple.
Here, Link will have to unlock the main door in order to access the boss, which is easier said than done. To find every gong, the player will have to traverse through a complex system of rails with the help ofYunobo. While this may seem quite fun at first, it turns into a frustrating experience with many alternate routes. It’s not easy to tell where to go next, and the map has a confusing layout, so there’s inevitably going to be a lot of backtracking, alongside some trial & error.
7Force Transfer
Riogok Shrine
TheUltrahandisthe most important mechanicinTears of the Kingdom, and there are several shrines at the beginning of the game that show off how this ability can be used efficiently. But there are also some complex challenges at this early point in the game, and the one found within theRiogok Shrineis one of them.
This is a shrine that forces players to stop what they’re doing and think of how to solve its puzzle, as Link will have to use the Ultrahand to put together various poles and gears in order to transfer the forces within one another. It can be frustrating at first, but it ends up being quite satisfying to solve once everything falls into place. The best part is that this shrine is a solid training exercise for other similar puzzles that can be found later on.
6An Upright Device
Makasura Shrine
But the Ultrahand wouldn’t be such an impressive mechanic if it wasn’t for the variousZonai Devicesthat can be used with it:Rocket, wheels,Cannon, and much more. There are a lot of interesting tools to play with. But theStabilizeris one of the strangest and rarest devices in this game, so it’s likely that most players have never used one by the point they reach theMakasura Shrine.
Because of this factor, this shrine’s puzzle may be difficult to comprehend at first, since Link will have to use the Stabilizer in order to get different platforms to stand up and sometimes to throw balls across gaps. Even if players quickly get the hang of it, it may still take a few tries to solve every single part since the physics of the Stabilizer are quite tricky.
5Courage to Fall
Orochium Shrine
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomis a clever video game that likes to keep the players guessing and find new ways to surprise them with its mechanics.And this is something that can be perfectly seen withintheOrochium Shrine, a complex maze that is filled to the brim with constructs and lasers.
If Link touches any of the lasers, the floor will instantly open, and he will fall, which means that a large part of this shrine consists of carefully dodging vertical and horizontal lasers. But this may be quite tricky to pull off, as it requires a lot of precision. However, there’s one moment where the player deliberately has to touch one of the lasers in order to access an area that is below. This puzzle pretty much turns in its head everything the player knew up to that point, which is very clever.
4Fire and Water
Tadarok Shrine
This is a unique shrine, because it is all about managing a huge block of ice and slowly melting it, depending on what is needed. And this may not be quite easy for most players, seeing as ice blocks are not the most common tool to use inTears of the Kingdom. This is a huge game with a lot of different mechanics, after all.
Inside theTadarok Shrine, Link will have to use the Ultrahand to cover some flames in order to stop an ice block from melting too much, and then use this block so he can access higher platforms or even throw it into lava in order to create some platforms to jump on.All of this culminates at the endwhen the player will have to build a giant platform with a block of ice, a wooden box, and a metal box in order to use Ascend to go through all of them.
3Right Arm Depot
Construct Factory
TheConstruct Factory/Spirit Templeis accessed very late in the game, so it’s only natural that it features some of the most difficult puzzles inTears of the Kingdom.To make things even more interesting, the gimmick of this dungeon is to find all the parts of Mineru’s Construct and bring them all to the center so it can be rebuilt and activated once again.
This is a dungeon that will make players think a lot, but the trickiest segment is theRight Arm Depot. This puzzle is made up of severalSmall Wheelsworking like a treadmill and a big diagonal cube with electricity in it. So it’s up to the player to think about how to use both of these elements to take the construct’s right arm and bring it back to where it belongs.
2Built for Rails
Jiukoum Shrine
Inside theJiukoum Shrine,rails are an obstacle once again. Link will have to move different platforms with the Ultrahand and position them in specific ways in order to traverse through the rail lines that make up most of this shrine. This is similar to the puzzle inside the Fire Temple, only that brief and more difficult.
The ways in which the platforms have to be built and placed require extreme precision, not to mention that some will need to be attached to other platforms or fans in order to work better. But the hardest part in this shrine is at the very end, where there’s a huge section of the rails that requires the player to build a cumbersome platform that may not work properly if it’s not positioned correctly.
1A Fixed Device
Mayachin Shrine
This is the most infamous puzzle in all ofTears of the Kingdombecause of how complex it is. TheMayachin Shrinemakes good use of theStakes, an odd Zonai Device that most players may not have used at any point before.
The objective is to attach the Stakes to a rotating device that, when activated with a switch, will hit a ball that can activate a door,similar to a baseball bat or a pinball flipper. But this is easier said than done because both the timing of the switch and the length of the flipper can be difficult to get right, and it will require several tries. The worst part is that this shrine can also be solved by shooting a bomb arrow at the target, completely undermining this complex puzzle in the process.
