EDU 6319: How People Learn | Case Study
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is the 19th entry in the Zelda franchise (not including HD remakes and rereleases) and is sold exclusively for the Nintendo Switch. It was released on May 12, 2023. It is a direct sequel to the 2017 game Breath of the Wild.
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Explore this page for more information on the game and details regarding the challenge that Rob explored for the observation section of this case study.
Tears of the Kingdom logo © Nintendo
But first, some video game terms.
Non-player characters (NPCs) are characters that exist in the world for the player to interact with; however, the player does not control them.
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Player character (PC) refers to the character the player controls during gameplay.
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BBEG is short for "big bad evil guy" and is used to describe the villain in many video games.
About The Switch
The Switch is a "hybrid" console in that it can function as a portable tablet and used as a handheld game system, similar to the Nintendo DS or Gameboy–or it can be docked and played using a television. During observation, Rob's gameplay has been strictly using our 65" television in our shared living/dining/kitchen area.
Nintendo Switch © Nintendo
This Switch is docked and the game is displayed on a tv screen via HDMI. This tends to be the preferred option for many players.
This Switch is propped up using a built in kickstand in the back. Playing like this simulates playing on a TV on the go.
This Switch is being used as a handheld. This is convenient for travel and for households where there is only one television.
Important Characters
The Legend of Zelda games encompass robust worlds with many named characters with unique personalities and appearances. At its core, the games are (usually, though not always) center on two or three characters. In Tears of the Kingdom, there are three major characters to note.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom character art © Nintendo
The World of Hyrule
If we thought the map of Breath of the Wild was large, the map of Tears of the Kingdom is arguably 2-3 times larger! Since they are games set in the same version of Hyrule with the same Link and Zelda, it makes sense that the map of the world stays the same. For the most part, this is true; however, Tears of the Kingdom has added two other layers two the map–an underground cave system called "The Depths" and a series of floating islands in the sky, aptly called "Sky Islands."
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The slides below are Rob's current map as of June 25, 2023. The yellow stamps are things that he placed to remember what is there or what he wanted to explore. The blue icons on the main map are locations of shrines (dungeon levels with puzzles) and act as fast travel locations: you can teleport there from this map rather than walk all the way there again. Blue icons with orange in them mean Rob has found the shrine but hasn't solved it yet. The white tear shaped icons are the locations of discovered cut-scenes, essentially short video clips that show the story. The red X is where he most recently died. The tan icons are locations like towns, shops, and stables. The glowing yellow triangle is where Rob currently is, and the horse icon is where his horse is. In the sky, green circle represent dispensers of building parts. The unique glowing symbols that appear like hieroglyphs are locations of abilities he has discovered.
General Gameplay
Tears of the Kingdom is an open world game. While there are "main quests" for the player to complete that present a linear storyline, the quests objectives and how the player approaches them is completely open ended and not order specific. As an example, one of the main quest objectives is to investigate strange "geoglyphs" on the surface of the earth that depict different images (you can see a few in the map above). The player can choose which ones to see in whatever order they decide–or as is likely to happen in this game: stumble into.
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The first portion of the game, like many entires in the Zelda franchise, has a "tutorial" section. Though not labeled as such, the game prevents you from attempting to jump ahead until you have engaged in using the new controls and abilities. Pop-ups appear occasionally with instructions on what button to press to use a new task. It took Rob about 4.5 hours across 3 different days to complete the "tutorial" section.
This screenshot was taken by Rob to illustrate game controls in Tears of the Kingdom.
This Experience in Observation
Since this game takes large amounts of time to complete and is so open world, Rob suggested he tackle the challenge of finding "The Lost Woods," an iconic Zelda location shrouded in mystery, for this case study. In Breath of the Wild, players used torches to navigate "The Lost Woods" to find "Korok Forest." The direction the flame of the torch moved was the direction the player had to follow. If players went off course, the forest consumed them and transported back to the start. Let's see how players need to navigate these areas in Tears of the Kingdom!
Learn More About the Game
Check out these YouTube videos below from Nintendo America or the official Tears of the Kingdom website to learn more about the game. These videos were released publicly ahead of the game itself.