Spoiler Alert: No plot spoilers discussed; however, we do touch upon Korok Seed collection in Tears of the Kingdom.
One of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’s famous side quests was Korok seed collecting for our friend, Hestu. You collect Korok seeds by finding Koroks hidden throughout Hyrule, and you turn their seeds in to Hestu to expand your weapon and shield inventory. There are 900 seeds in total, and many players felt ripped off when they received a giant golden “poo” as the reward. The Korok seeds have returned in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, but was that the right move for Nintendo? Is that mechanic still fresh?
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom holds 1,000 Korok seeds to collect. The concept is the same–explore Hyrule and find Koroks. Many are still hidden under rocks or require your to complete a rock formation. Others require you to step on their platform or chase them down in a variation of hide-and-seek. Perhaps the most unique change to the sequel is the addition of getting one Korok to his friend in a nearby area. This new method primarily challenges the player to utilize Ultrahand and build a solution.
Although there are a few new ways to earn Korok seeds, I was a little disappointed Nintendo took the same direction: Find/help Korok > get seed(s) > turn in for inventory slot > and…earn a gift for collecting all 1,000. I won’t spoil what the gift is, but it is one of the many reasons why I wished Nintendo offered something different.
Understanding that a huge draw to the newer open-world Zelda games is exploration, I understand why Korok seeds are there. It encourages exploration. However, it’s one of the few things I feel is just too similar to Breath of the Wild. I would love it if Nintendo employed the same system but perhaps with Skulltulas? Skulltulas were a collectable in past Zelda titles, and I would love a new re-imagining of them. Again, the theme can be the same: seek out Skulltulas for someone (still could even be Hestu) and earn inventory slots or other rewards.
Image Source: Nintendo via FlyingOmelette
What do you think of the Korok seed collect-a-thon for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom? Is it more of the same or is it still just as fun for you? Please share your thoughts with us on our Boss Rush Facebook Group or our Boss Rush Discord.
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I hate collecting korok seeds and I am completely unthrilled about helping the backpacker korok to find his friend. Beside it being more of the same from the first adventure, it just doesn’t make any sense in the game’s story. There’s no explanation for the why there’s a bunch of koroks littered around the world who need to be found – or why so many have suddenly been separated from their friends. Thus, my in-game motivation is at an all-time low. I also feel like despite there being 1,000 to collect, I’m not finding nearly as many as I did in BotW.