Daily Debate: Do the Depths of Tears of the Kingdom Lack Depth?
Posted on December 09 2023 by Nick Miller
Who can forget the first time they dove into the Depths? You approach a deep Gloom-filled chasm. You have no clue where it leads, so you dive in to find that the pit just keeps going and going. The air gets thick and darkness surrounds you, the only light emanating from the red glow of the gloom. A loud Bwaaaahh! sounds off, setting an ominous tone for what lies before you. You finally land with only a small area visible in the dark, but the game expects you to venture into that darkness and discover what lies in the deep Depths of Hyrule for yourself. As you explore and illuminate Lightroots, you will find the remnants of an ancient civilization. Abandoned mines and Zonai Constructs scatter the map. Cursed enemies plague this dark land, dealing gloom damage with every blow, providing an added challenge to their surface counterparts. It was incredible!
If you’re like me, however, the idea of the Depths was a lot more exciting than what we actually got. Those first few dives below Hyrule were awesome, but after the fifth, sixth, twentieth trip, that excitement wore off and it wore off quickly. I started to notice the similarities between everything. Unlike the surface, hardly any area was distinguishable from the next. Each mine copied and pasted its appearance from the next. The treasure chests containing outfit pieces were in identical structures. I just found it so hard to get excited when I knew exactly what to expect. I had no motivation to explore, to push through the darkness that once felt so oppressive and intriguing, because I knew what I’d find on the other side was the same as what I had just came from. So, I guess what I’m saying is that the Depths lacked depth.
This isn’t to say it was all bad. The Yiga Clan had a great quest line down there. Being able to fight temple bosses again was an absolute treat as well! The Depths had a lot going for it, I just feel it fell short of its potential by being repetitive and by having the overall feeling of being half-baked.
So, what do you think? Do you still enjoy exploring the Depths? Do you wish Tears of the Kingdom had done more with the Depths? Do you feel the Depths lacked depth? Let us know in the comments?
Nick is a writer for Zelda Dungeon and a longtime fan of the Zelda franchise. In his free time, he enjoys fishing, archery, skateboarding, and some good ol’ fashioned family time. He’s an advocate for physical media and an avid video game collector. His favorite Zelda game is Ocarina of Time, though Breath of the Wild and the Link’s Awakening remake are close contenders. His other favorite video games series include Kingdom Hearts, Fallout, and Ratchet & Clank.
