Zelda Tears of the Kingdom VS Breath of the Wild | Graphics & Framerate Comparison | Tech Review

- TOTK runs at 900p dynamic and 720p dynamic on handheld. It usually stays at that resolution, but can drop to 792p.
- There are some issues with implementing temporal reconstruction (FSR) in TOTK, randomly triggering dynamic resolution when, technically, it should not.
- TOTK fixes the stuttering problems that dragged Breath of the Wild in specific areas, but has framerate problems if we use the powers in areas with too much graphic load or when there are too many npcs on screen.
- These framerate problems can cause drops of up to 20fps. Nintendo should work on this mainly.
- Longer drawing distance in shadows compared to breath of the wild. Vegetation and geometry LOD have also been slightly increased.
- The sun has changed its position in TOTK. The general illumination has been retouched and improved.
- Some areas are almost unrecognizable with respect to BOTW given the large amount of assets and new structures added.
- Improvements in some textures.
- Less grass density in some areas with respect to BOTW.
- Faster loading times in TOTK in fast travel, but faster in BOTW when starting the game.
- Improved water and splash quality.
- Overall, TOTK is some of the most technically meritorious games I've seen on Switch. However, the performance at certain times tarnishes the experience considerably.
- This review was conducted with version 1.1.0 of the game. A performance review will be done in the following patches.

[ElAnalistaDeBits]

- TOTK runs at 900p dynamic and 720p dynamic on handheld. It usually stays at that resolution, but can drop to 792p.
- There are some issues with implementing temporal reconstruction (FSR) in TOTK, randomly triggering dynamic resolution when, technically, it should not.
- TOTK fixes the stuttering problems that dragged Breath of the Wild in specific areas, but has framerate problems if we use the powers in areas with too much graphic load or when there are too many npcs on screen.
- These framerate problems can cause drops of up to 20fps. Nintendo should work on this mainly.
- Longer drawing distance in shadows compared to breath of the wild. Vegetation and geometry LOD have also been slightly increased.
- The sun has changed its position in TOTK. The general illumination has been retouched and improved.
- Some areas are almost unrecognizable with respect to BOTW given the large amount of assets and new structures added.
- Improvements in some textures.
- Less grass density in some areas with respect to BOTW.
- Faster loading times in TOTK in fast travel, but faster in BOTW when starting the game.
- Improved water and splash quality.
- Overall, TOTK is some of the most technically meritorious games I've seen on Switch. However, the performance at certain times tarnishes the experience considerably.
- This review was conducted with version 1.1.0 of the game. A performance review will be done in the following patches.

- TOTK se ejecuta a 900p dinámicos y 720p dinámicos en portátil. Lo normal es que se mantenga a esa resolución, pero puede llegar a caer hasta los 792p.
- Hay algunos problemas a la hora de implementar la reconstrucción temporal (FSR) en TOTK, activando la resolución dinámica de forma aleatoria cuando, técnicamente, no debería.
- TOTK arregla los problemas de stuttering que arrastraba Breath of the Wild en zonas concretas, pero tiene problemas de framerate si usamos los poderes en zonas con demasiada carga gráfica o cuando hay demasiados npcs en pantalla.
- Estos problemas de framerate pueden provocar caídas de hasta 20fps. Nintendo debería trabajar en esto principalmente.
- Mayor distancia de dibujado en sombras con respecto a breath of the wild. La vegetación y el LOD de la geometría también han aumentado ligeramente.
- El Sol ha cambiado de posición en TOTK. La iluminación general ha sido retocada y mejorada.
- Algunas zonas son casi irreconocibles con respecto a BOTW dada la gran cantidad de assets y estructuras nuevas añadidas.
- Mejoras en algunas texturas.
- Menor densidad de césped en algunas zonas con respecto a BOTW.
- Tiempos de carga más rápidos en TOTK en el viaje rápido, pero más rápidos en BOTW al iniciar el juego.
- Mejorada la calidad del agua y salpicaduras.
- En general, TOTK es unos de los juegos más meritorios a nivel técnico que he visto en Switch. Sin embargo, el rendimiento en ciertos momentos empaña considerablemente la experiencia.
- Este análisis se ha realizado con la versión 1.1.0 del juego. Se realizará una revisión del rendimiento en los siguientes parches.

[kuramakun]

Nintendo could easily offer a update to ToTK for the next switch console and have it look even more beautiful. It’s still amazing what they where able to pull off with outdated hardware.

[gpvelev]

BoTW looks softer but more consistent. ToTK's reconstruction technique is pretty wild. One frame could be really sharp and aliased, the next can go smooth and even blurry. I hope a patch would address it somehow.

[raskolnikov]

Incredible how they were able to increase the scale of the game massively and still keep it running the same as BOTW on the now old switch hardware.

[MIKAYO-]

No one has noticed that the sun in botw was oriented in north. But in totk, it is oriented in south

[Alex-nkbw]

Smart choice to prioritize consistent frametimes. While frame drops are annoying, the game will adjust its framerate in chunks, from 30 to 25 to 20, and vice versa, instead of having it all over the place. Keeps the frame times steadier, which makes it more bearable.

[shahoriyarahmed]

Ubisoft releases AC games.
Fans: It's the same copy pasted game.
Nintendo releases Zelda games.
Fans: OMG! That's a new name. Can't you see?

[henrinichols]

I feel like once they get a new console that’s equal to the power of other handheld like the steam deck and other ones, the game would loom much better. This would be the case for all of Nintendo’s other games as well.

[MoonSarito]

For anyone who played Breath of the Wild on Switch I imagine it shouldn't be such a big jump, but for me who played Breath of the Wild only on Wii U running at dynamic 720p on a big TV with drops to 20fps in villages I imagine the huge leap in quality I'll feel when I play Tears of the Kingdom on Switch.

[mrenojo]

I don't like the removal of the grass on some areas, it looks more empty but I get why they do this

[IkiPlayz]

From someone that's played botw over 1100 hours and tears of kingdom since launch I can say with confidence botw feels more polished, looks better/fuller on the other hand tears feels more rich with content but don't get me wrong botw has alot

[dylanlerian]

I keeps feeling BoTW feels smoother and graphically better than ToTK in game.

[Attackplaya]

Wat is nintendo doing bruh, feels like playing 720p 30fps in 2023 ☠️

[affa]

as a ps5 owner, I made the decision about a month ago to finally get the switch (mainly for Zelda and a few other games).. to finally see what was all the TALK about this game haha

took me a bit to get into it honestly... the graphics and fidelity really through me off... (playing on a 4K 65incher) so things different lol reminded me of how I felt about the Wii U years ago... like it was some Bullsht lmao

I looked into getting a McClassic upscaler as well as utilizing the visual options on my Graphics look amazing on BOTW. May not be ps5 level, but its still beautiful to me. art style and all...

The game itself didnt click to me until I was exploring. Just looking around and climbing things. Saw and island. Flew over to it from a big nearby mountain. Discovered EVENTIDE ISLAND lmaoo I had no idea what this all was..

but stumbling unto one of the hardest shrines in the game was prob the best thing to ever happen as I got a REALLY got dose and taste of what this type of game is all about. I started to understand the gameplay structure, its approach... its almost SIM like... after that experience and beating it, I fell in love with all things BOTW haha

Last game I played was Ocarina of Time. So its lovely to see so many references and throwbacks to it. Love the story, the gameplay, the puzzles, the world building and exploration.

Masterpiece of a game. Very fun once you begin to understand the "nature" of the game. What its going for.

10/10 so far... cant wait to play TOTK

[jaty]

Considering that BOTW was developed from the beginning on Wii U and probably at the finish on Switch, and TOTK is ONLY for the Switch, from the beginning, the optimisation and resolution results are disappointing.

[zoomet]

Reminder that the game is running in the 1.1.0 versión, wich includes fsr while the 1.0 runs very bad

[Maxippo]

Its honestly incredible what they were able to accomplish on switch hardware, im so ready to play this

[emiliomartinez]

Gracias por el video, se agradece las molestias que te has tomado para mostrarnos las diferencias entre las dos últimas versiones de Zelda. Las dos se ven con una calidad artística muy elevada. También hay que decir que si bien a nivel de luminosidad, sombras y texturas ha mejorado, los tiempos de carga están ahí ahí. Que genios son estos de Nintendo, sacando una consola con un hardware justito pero exprimiéndose las neuronas para sacar juegos tan bonitos y tan bien hechos que la gente casi no se da cuenta del hardware escaso a nivel de rendimiento que lleva. De todas formas los dos juegos son dos obras de arte. Un saludo a todos.

[Mad]

Amazing video. Great comparison, good job dude

[skinsthewin]

I bet development of this game is what finally pushed Nintendo to make a New Gen Switch system, cus I bet they were chomping at the bit to implement new graphical effects & such. Can't wait til we can actually have dynamic lighting and such in an Open World Zelda game!! A next gen title could truly look amazing if they really give it some true TLC. Hopefully it comes by next year & we see a free or even paid patch to upgrade the graphics of this game for new hardware!