Summary
Out of all the numerous changesThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdommade toBreath of the Wild’s Hyrule, the comparison between founding Tarrey Town and restoring Lurelin Village showcases how Nintendo improved upon the games' themes of survival and rebirth. Given thatBreath of the Wild’s narrative hinged on Hyrule’s devastation, with players left to explore the wilderness as they uncover the mystery behind its destruction, it was unclear what a directZeldasequel could offer followingCalamity Ganon’s defeat. With time for Hyrule to recover and rebuild,Tears of the Kingdomwas at risk of losing the wild immersive edge its predecessor had.
However, whenTears of the Kingdomwas finally released, it quickly became apparent that the world players had left behind now faced even greater threats, as Ganondorf’s return only strengthened themonster forces ransacking what was left of Hyrule. In doing so,Tears of the Kingdomwas able to pick up and expand upon whereBreath of the Wildhad left off between its narrative and themes. There is arguably no better demonstration of this than contrastingBreath of the Wild’s Tarrey Town toTears of the Kingdom’s Lurelin Village, where world-building concepts take on a more engaging and interesting approach in the sequel.
Comparing Breath of the Wild’s Tarrey Town and Tears of the Kingdom’s Lurelin Village
At face value, it would be easy to connect the superficial story beats of working with Hudson to help him establish Tarrey Town to assisting Bolson in restoring Lurelin Village following its monster occupation. But whileBreath of the Wild’s questline only requires Link to recruit uniquely named townspeople from across Hyrule and little else,Tears of the Kingdomgoes several steps further with how to both unlock and complete theLurelin Village Restoration Project quest. By capitalizing onTears of the Kingdom’s new mechanics and features, Lurelin Village provides a more engaging story that Tarrey Town didn’t initially offer.
What Makes Tears of the Kingdom’s Lurelin Village More Engaging
For example, before players can even begin to rebuild Lurelin Village, they must first defeat one ofTears of the Kingdom’s new Monster Forces occupying the bay. The interesting twist to this is that players can find and defeat these monsters outside the game’s missions, butTears of the Kingdomstill takes the opportunity to flesh out its new world. Alongside the Ruffian-Infested Village side mission, players can haveencounters with NPCs throughoutTears of the Kingdom’s Hyrulewho will comment on Lurelin being overrun. Unlike Tarrey Town, players become emotionally invested in returning to the once-familiar Lurelin Village and saving it from the clutches of Ganondorf’s monsters.
From here, the Lurelin Village Restoration Project begins, first by tasking players with fetching specific resources before letting them choose which building they’d like to restore. As each building is completed, the residents return and allow Link to use their respective services once more, such as the inn or the restaurant. Though this does parallel how Tarrey Town and its services gradually grew, there is a noticeable difference inThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom’s approach. Changes to the village occur right in front of the player, followed by each returning resident directly thanking Link and rewarding the player as per the table below.
5x Voltfruits and the ability to rest at the inn.
The Restaurant
Tough Seafood Fried Rice and the ability to return periodically and receive random free meals.
5x Bomb Flowers and the ability to use the shop.
3x Armored Porgies
Arme’s Home
50 Rupees (1x Purple Rupee) and the ability to return periodically and take Arme’s fish from a nearby treasure chest.
All of the above
Free use of all the village’s services (specifically for the Inn, Restaurant, and Lucky Treasure Shop)
But even beyond the player’s interactions with residents and their growing bond, rebuilding each part of Lurelin Village is an actual physical process the player needs to engage with. Thanks toTears of the Kingdom’s new Ultrahand ability, each destroyed building requires Link to clear away obstacles and maneuver palm tree logs into position so that Bolson can finish construction. As a result,Tears of the Kingdom’s inherited themes of survival and rebirth can be felt through the Lurelin Village questline as the player becomes directly responsible for rescuing the village and rebuilding it as part of both games' determination to rebuild all of Hyrule.
Tears of the Kingdom Took Tarrey Town in a New Direction
WhileBreath of the Wild’s Tarrey Town might have been eclipsed byTears of the Kingdom’s Lurelin Village and its more effective approach to figurative and literal world-building, this doesn’t mean that Tarrey Town has been overlooked in the sequel. After all, the final part of its questline inBreath of the Wilddelivered one of the game’s most memorable stories: Hudson’s and Rhondson’s marriage. So, when playersreturn to Tarrey Town inTears of the Kingdom, though there are new additions to the town such as a Zonai excavation site and rail system, the biggest change may actually be Hudson’s and Rhondson’s daughter, Mattison.
This is whereTears of the Kingdombuilds onBreath of the Wildto explore a part ofZeldalore as a series first. By completing Mattison’s Independence, players will see firsthand the emotional struggles when the daughters of Gerudo families get separated from their fathers. With players more than likely familiar with Hudson and invested in his story after helping him establish Tarrey Town, it’s an honest and impactful perspective onGerudo lore and storylines that otherZeldagamesreference in passing or use only as a running gag with infatuated men obsessing over the Gerudo.
Furthermore, with Zelda now residing in Link’s former house,Tears of the Kingdomstill improves Tarrey Town through its own mechanics and the leftover design ofBreath of the Wild’s modular buildings. Much like restoring Lurelin Village, players can use the Ultrahand ability to move and attach modules to ultimately build Link an all-new home as Tarrey Town’s latest citizen. Considering the town’s longevity betweenBreath of the WildandTears of the Kingdom, its diverse population spanning all of Hyrule, and Link’s newfound residency,Tarrey Town could reach the next level, surpassing Lurelin Village to become integral to future Hyrule kingdoms.
