Developers Agree That Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom Is A Miracle
Fans and critics have reached the conclusion that "Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom" is a phenomenal game all around, featuring some of the best writing and gameplay in the history of the series. Indeed, some are referring to the game as something of a miracle, questioning how such a feat of design could be achieved. As it turns out, even other game developers themselves are thinking the same thing.
Just a few days after the release of "Tears of the Kingdom," Narrative Director Josh Scherr took to Twitter to praise the game and ask Nintendo just how it managed to pull off such a massive accomplishment. Scherr currently works at the new studio Crop Circle Games and has previously worked on "Uncharted 4" and "The Last of Us 2" at Naughty Dog, so he knows a thing or two about making great games with solid storytelling. This makes his words high praise, indeed. It didn't stop there, however. Soon other developers joined the conversation on Twitter, echoing Scherr's sentiments.
Among those who responded to Scherr to add their praise were Alison Lührs, who currently works on "Destiny 2" content, as well as Corey Brotherson, who has worked for Sony and numerous other developers. All three, along with plenty of fans, agreed that "Tears of the Kingdom" is a truly extraordinary achievement that boggles the mind.
I mean...
Seriously.
I see some people going "6 years? Why did it take so long?"
While my brain simply collapses on itself that they managed to do the sheer number of crazy, seemingly impossible stuff they casually do in this game â€" and keep it stable – in *just* 6 years.
— Corey Brotherson (the same on all other socials) (@CoreyBrotherson) May 15, 2023
Even experienced game developers are blown away by Nintendo's achievement
In particular, Josh Scherr highlighted the sheer scale of the game and the degree of freedom players are given to engage with the various game mechanics. The way players are allowed to use various abilities to solve puzzles any way they choose is one of the most impressive aspects of the experience, not to mention the fact that the game somehow runs without a hitch. This, for the experienced developer, was the true "miracle" of the game.
"please make a game with physics puzzles where players can build their own contraptions out of nearly every object available & make it work with little to no noticeable jank or breaking the game"
99.9% of developers: [cry]
Nintendo: [rolls up sleeves] I gotchu— Josh Scherr, probably (@joshscherr) May 15, 2023
Brotherson also shared this appreciation for the game's stability and pushed back against those who had complained about having to wait so long for its release. A six-year development cycle, he argued, was incredibly short for what Nintendo created with "Tears of the Kingdom."
There's currently no shortage of theorizing from fans about how Nintendo pulled this off. Some are suggesting it was the developers' focus on gameplay over graphics, while others believe it's the fact that Nintendo's workplace culture avoids crunch and refuses to rush games. Unless and until the dev team speaks up to explain the full process, everyone will just have to keep guessing. However they did it, pretty much everyone seems to agrees that Nintendo pulled off something truly special — and has made one of the best games of 2023 so far.