Look, I love Tears of the Kingdom. I have built flying machines that would make OSHA weep, and I still giggle every time I fuse a mushroom to a shield. But here I am in 2026, booting up Breath of the Wild again. It is not just nostalgia. TotK pushed Hyrule to its absolute limit, yet BotW still does a handful of things better.

Here is the short version before I yell into the wind:

The Great Plateau was a gentler hello

Tears of the Kingdom hates new players. I say that with love, but it is true. The opening on Great Sky Island can take a couple of hours, while the Great Plateau in BotW felt like a quick warm-up lap. In BotW, an old king gives you a paraglider and essentially says good luck. In TotK, Rauru gives you a long tutorial and then no parting gift. Factor in Gloom Spawns and The Depths, and a newcomer in 2026 is probably going to get flattened. I miss being gently hazed by a Guardian Stalker instead of jumped by a neon horror show.

Shrines made me actually think

I was shocked when I replayed BotW. The shrines in TotK are full of Rauru's Blessing rooms. You carry a giant green crystal somewhere, and then you just walk in. Where is the puzzle? Sure, Fuse and Ultrahand are creative, but many TotK shrines feel like tutorials for throwing items or sneak attacking. BotW's Sheikah Shrines had more actual brain teasers. I earned my Spirit Orbs. In TotK, I sometimes feel like I am just picking up a participation trophy.

My wallet misses Breath of the Wild

Money farming in TotK is a part-time job. Amber Ore took a 20 Rupee price cut after the Upheaval. Rare gems like Sapphires and Diamonds still drop about as often as a sincere apology from Ganondorf. Armor upgrades, which were free in BotW, now cost Rupees plus materials. You also have to buy back armor and keep restocking arrows. In BotW, selling ore felt like a reliable side hustle. In TotK, I have considered learning how to dupe diamonds just to afford groceries.

Runes > Zonai hand

I do love Ultrahand, but nothing beats the Sheikah Runes. Magnesis, bombs, Stasis, and Cryonis felt like a Swiss Army knife. In TotK, if I need to cross water and I do not have the right Zonai Device, I am just out of luck. In BotW, I made ice platforms and skipped across the lake like a chaotic hero. Bombs were infinite. No materials required. No weapon durability anxiety. Just blow up the wall and move on.

Champion abilities were one-button bliss

The Sages' Vows are cool, but they have the attention span of a caffeinated Tulin. You try to activate Yunobo, and Tulin runs off or blows your loot into a lake. Every Sage ability is assigned to the same button, which means accidents happen constantly. In BotW, Revali's Gale, Urbosa's Fury, Daruk's Protection, and Mipha's Grace were separate and easy to trigger. Yes, Hyrule felt lonelier without ghost friends fighting beside you, but at least I never accidentally zapped myself trying to jump.

Kass, my beloved bird man, vanished

Where is Kass? TotK gave us Penn, a traveling Rito who is fine, but he is not Kass. In BotW, Kass was the stable-side legend who hinted at shrines and sang bangers. His role in the Champions' Ballad DLC made him feel like a real friend. In TotK, he is just gone. Penn even mentions Kass and then shrugs. I need answers in 2026. I need justice for my accordion-playing bird dad.

Dragon farming became a real-time punishment

In BotW, you could wait by a dragon's flight path, hit it with an arrow, and farm parts on a schedule. In TotK, dragons have a 10-minute real-time cooldown. Real time. Not in-game time. You can sit on their backs and wait, but Dinraal sets you on fire and Naydra freezes you. Farosh will electrocute you if you wear anything metal. Upgrading armor requires multiple parts from each dragon. It is not farming anymore. It is a hostage situation with beautiful sky serpents.

No DLC love for TotK

Breath of the Wild received the Champions' Ballad, a DLC that deepened the dead champions and ended with a fight against a monk who absolutely had hands. In 2026, TotK still has no DLC. The developers said there were no plans. That hurts, because I still have questions about Kass, the Zonai, and why the Light Dragon is the only one that will not hurt me. BotW got a proper send-off. TotK just got a shrug.

Memories actually involved Link

BotW's memories were not perfect, but they showed Link's relationships with Mipha, Revali, Daruk, and Urbosa. They made the final battle feel personal. TotK's Dragon Tears are gorgeous and give Zelda a lovely arc, but they are mostly about Zelda and the Zonai. Link just stands there. If you skipped BotW and jumped into TotK, you miss the emotional glue. I still adore Link and Zelda as a duo, but BotW made me feel why.

Final thoughts

Tears of the Kingdom is a masterpiece. It is enormous and weird and brilliant. But in 2026, I still return to Breath of the Wild for tighter shrines, better runes, and champions who stayed out of my way when I needed them. BotW is not the bigger game. It is just the one that respects my time, my wallet, and my poor electrocuted Link a little more.