Announced all the way back in June 2018,The Elder Scrolls 6is presumably Bethesda’s next big project releasing afterStarfield, though that doesn’t bode well for its eventual release date. It’s currently unclear justwhenThe Elder Scrolls 6will release, or even when fans will get to see it next, but one thing is for sure -The Elder Scrolls 6has a lot riding on its shoulders.
Bethesda hasn’t had the best last few years. After the immense andcontinued success ofSkyrim, it seemed as though Bethesda could do no wrong. But afterFallout 76’s disastrous launch, public perception of Bethesda has changed significantly, and it’s now up toStarfieldto essentially restore faith in the developer’s brand, and ifStarfieldfails, then it’s all up toThe Elder Scrolls 6. But while Bethesda will most likely put a great deal of time and effort intoElder Scrolls 6to ensure that it meets fan expectations, its open-world might still not hold a candle toThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomin one key way.
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The Elder Scrolls 6’s Open-World Won’t Hold a Candle to Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom’s
Bethesda’sElder Scrollsseries and themodernLegend of Zeldaentrieshave two fairly different approaches to open-world game design. When it comes to Bethesda’s take onThe Elder Scrolls, players are often guided from place to place, objective to objective via markers placed on the game’s map. While players can always take their adventure into their own hands, games likeOblivionandSkyrimheavily encourage players to follow a set path in order to level up in a linear way.The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the WildandTears of the Kingdom, however, leave it all up to the player.
The last twoLegend of Zeldagames have put a strong emphasis on player freedom and choice. After a brief tutorial, bothZelda: Breath of the WildandTears of the Kingdomopen up their entire maps to the player and leave it to them to make their own way through the world, picking out their own points of interest and embarking on their own unique adventure. While both approaches to open-world design are completely valid, the biggest thing that separates the two is their methods of traversal.
Put simply,The Elder Scrollsseries has always had a barebones traversal system. For the most part, players are expected to walk, or lightly jog their way across Tamriel. The only method of climbing inThe Elder Scrollsis awkwardly jumping up a mountain’s jagged face, and the fastest way to get around is on horseback, and those mechanics feel exceptionally outdated in 2023. Even dragon riding inSkyrim’s Dragonborn DLCis disappointing, with players not really being able to control the action at all.
On the complete opposite end of the spectrum,The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomhas some of the most rewarding traversal systems in all of gaming. Back in 2017,Zelda: Breath of the Wildalready introduced some innovative ways to get around Hyrule, including a climbing system that actually lives up to Todd Howard’s promise of “See that mountain? You can go there.” Paired with the paraglider,Breath of the Wild’s traversal mechanics played a large part in helping to make the game feel like the player’s own adventure.
Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomtakes these mechanics and expands on them in some big ways. Through the game’s new Fuse and Ultrahand abilities, players are able to create their own vehicles and methods of transportation, from rudimentary cars to hoverbikes. No matter how muchThe Elder Scrolls 6improves upon its predecessors' traversal mechanics, it’s extremely unlikely to be able to hold a candle to the sheer freedom and creativity thatZelda: Tears of the Kingdomgives its players.
