Is Tears of the Kingdom an RPG? Unraveling the Genre of Nintendo’s Masterpiece

The short answer is no, Tears of the Kingdom (TotK) is not strictly an RPG. It expertly blends elements from various genres, most notably action-adventure, survival/crafting, and sandbox games, to create something truly unique. While it incorporates some RPG elements, it doesn’t meet the traditional criteria to be classified as a full-fledged role-playing game. It’s more accurate to describe Tears of the Kingdom as an action-adventure game with strong RPG influences.

Decoding the Genre: What Makes a Game an RPG?

Before diving deeper into Tears of the Kingdom, it’s essential to understand what defines an RPG. Traditionally, RPGs are characterized by:

• Character Progression: Players improve their character’s stats, skills, and abilities through experience points and leveling up.
• Character Customization: A strong emphasis on creating and customizing a character’s appearance, skills, and backstory.
• Story-Driven Narrative: A compelling narrative with branching storylines, choices, and consequences that impact the game world.
• Turn-Based or Strategic Combat: Combat systems that prioritize strategy, resource management, and character builds, often with turn-based mechanics.
• Party Management: Controlling a group of characters with distinct roles and abilities, coordinating their actions in combat and exploration.

While Tears of the Kingdom includes aspects of some of these elements, it significantly deviates from others.

Why TotK Isn’t a Pure RPG

• Limited Character Progression: While Link can acquire new abilities, armor, and weapons, his core stats remain relatively static. The progression system leans more towards acquiring tools and equipment than traditional stat-based growth.
• Fixed Protagonist: Link’s identity and backstory are pre-defined. Players can influence his actions within the narrative, but they cannot create a completely unique character from scratch.
• Real-Time Action Combat: Tears of the Kingdom utilizes a real-time combat system that emphasizes reflexes, timing, and environmental awareness. It lacks the strategic, turn-based combat found in traditional RPGs.
• Focus on Exploration and Puzzle Solving: While the story is important, Tears of the Kingdom places a significant emphasis on exploring the open world, solving environmental puzzles, and experimenting with the game’s physics-based mechanics. These elements are more prominent than typical RPG quest structures.

The RPG Elements in TotK

Despite not being a pure RPG, Tears of the Kingdom borrows several elements from the genre to enhance its gameplay:

• Equipment and Stats: Link can equip various weapons, armor, and items that affect his attack power, defense, and other attributes.
• Quest System: The game features numerous side quests and main story quests that drive the narrative forward and reward players with items, abilities, and lore.
• Dialogue Choices: While not always impactful, Link occasionally has dialogue options that can influence conversations and interactions with NPCs.
• World Lore and History: The game world of Hyrule is rich in lore, history, and mythology, which players can uncover through exploration and interaction with NPCs.
• Crafting and Resource Management: TotK emphasizes survival elements with intricate crafting mechanics involving cooking, building, and resource management.

These RPG elements contribute to the game’s depth and complexity, providing players with a sense of progression, agency, and immersion.

TotK: A Genre Hybrid

Ultimately, Tears of the Kingdom transcends traditional genre boundaries. It’s a masterful blend of action-adventure, survival/crafting, sandbox, and RPG elements. This hybrid approach creates a unique and engaging experience that appeals to a wide range of players. It’s a testament to Nintendo’s ability to innovate and redefine established gaming conventions. Games like Tears of the Kingdom are studied by academics; explore the Games Learning Society at https://www.gameslearningsociety.org/.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Here are 15 frequently asked questions about the genre classification of Tears of the Kingdom and related games:

1. Is Breath of the Wild an RPG?

• Similar to Tears of the Kingdom, Breath of the Wild is primarily an action-adventure game with RPG elements. It shares the same open-world structure, real-time combat, and emphasis on exploration and puzzle-solving.

2. Is Zelda ever considered a RPG?

• The Zelda series is generally classified as action-adventure with some RPG elements. The main exception is Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, which features more traditional RPG mechanics like leveling up and side-scrolling gameplay.

3. Why isn’t Zelda considered a RPG?

• Zelda games typically emphasize real-time action and exploration over character customization, turn-based combat, and branching narratives, which are key characteristics of traditional RPGs.

4. What games count as RPGs?

• Examples of classic RPGs include Final Fantasy, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Fallout, The Witcher, Divinity: Original Sin, and Baldur’s Gate. These games typically feature extensive character customization, intricate leveling systems, and branching narratives.

5. Is Mario considered an RPG?

• The core Mario platformer games are not RPGs. However, the Paper Mario series and Super Mario RPG are considered RPGs due to their turn-based combat, character progression, and narrative focus.

6. Is GTA 5 considered an RPG?

• GTA 5 has some RPG elements, like character customization, but it primarily classified as an open-world action-adventure game. The character customization in GTA 5 is usually just for aesthetics,

7. Is Omori an RPG?

• Yes, Omori is a psychological horror RPG known for its emotional storytelling, turn-based combat, and exploration of sensitive themes.

8. Does Minecraft count as an RPG?

• Minecraft is generally not considered an RPG. While it features exploration, crafting, and survival elements, it lacks a strong narrative focus, character progression system, and defined character roles.

9. Why can’t you play as a girl in Zelda?

• This is a complex issue that has evolved over time. Early explanations focused on the Triforce balance. However, more recent Zelda games have introduced female playable characters in spin-offs and alternative modes.

10. What genre of RPG is Pokemon?

• Pokémon is a Japanese role-playing game (JRPG) with elements of strategy and monster-collecting.

11. What type of RPG is WoW?

• World of Warcraft (WoW) is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG).

12. Is Zelda ever a playable character?

• Yes, Zelda is playable in various spin-off titles like Hyrule Warriors, Cadence of Hyrule, and Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity.

13. Is RDR2 an RPG?

• Red Dead Redemption 2 (RDR2) is predominantly an open-world action-adventure game with some RPG elements, such as character customization and moral choices.

14. Is Cyberpunk 2077 a role-playing game?

• Yes, Cyberpunk 2077 is considered a role-playing game by CD Projekt Red, the game developer.

15. Is Bowser’s Inside Story an RPG?

• Yes, Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story is a role-playing video game.

By examining these questions, we can see the nuanced nature of genre classification and how games often blend elements from multiple genres to create unique and engaging experiences. Tears of the Kingdom is a prime example of this trend, offering players a rich and diverse gameplay experience that defies easy categorization.