Forget Tears of the Kingdom, This 2006 Zelda Game Made Exploration Feel Earned

A big reason people love Tears of the Kingdom is that it lets you explore almost anywhere from the start, driven purely by your own curiosity. While the previous game, Breath of the Wild, already had a huge map, Tears of the Kingdom expanded it even more with the addition of Sky Islands and the Depths. However, older Zelda games did a great job of making exploration feel like a key part of getting better at the game, instead of just offering endless side paths. For example, Twilight Princess from 2006 made you work to unlock areas of Hyrule, making the world itself feel like a reward that gradually revealed itself over time, unlike the vast, immediately accessible space in the newer game.







