the map in ancient ring it's easily the most expansive and open locales FromSoftware has ever designed, with the freedom to explore and discover that no other Soulslike has managed to achieve. However, as the open world formula has been worked on and reworked, maps like Tears of the Kingdomit's hyrule they are capable of quickly outshining even the most open Soulslikes available.
That doesn't mean that ancient ring it lacks enough content or space to spend over a hundred hours cataloging every inch of the Middle Lands. What it does allude to, though, is the way FromSoftware still seems to limit browsing even in its most open titles, like the latest The legend of Zelda it offers much more freedom simply by introducing a new level of verticality to Hyrule.
Layers of Hyrule and the Middle Lands
Two of the biggest changes to the open world formula appearing in both ancient ring and Tears of the Kingdom they come from the way they both add multiple layers to their already sprawling maps. In the case of Lands Between, this includes the top level that players start the game on, as well as a vast underground that includes locations such as the ancient ringSiofra River, Mohgwyn Palace and Nokron. For Hyrule, the increased layers double down with the new Sky Islands, as well as introductions of the depths that had previously been hidden beneath the world until the upheaval during Ganondorf's resurrection.
In both examples, new layers added to the map allow these locations to double what can be explored and discovered. It also leads to moments of amazing show all around ancient ring and Tears of the Kingdom, where the player's expectations are reversed as they begin to explore a whole new layer that they never expected to hide beneath the map. However, while both games explore the concept of two-layered maps, Hyrule's updated structure and verticality allows for an extra step of freedom than Lands Between.
Torrent Paragliding Versus Link
More important than the layers themselves, it is the ways players can explore these layers that define the player experience at all times. ancient ring and Tears of the Kingdom. Most notable is the Paraglider Link receives from Purah at the beginning of Tears of the Kingdomwhich is a remnant of breath of the wild that allows the player to jump from higher places and land safely on the ground.
Opposition to this kind of vertical freedom is ancient ring's Torrent, a horse that can be summoned anywhere in the overworld and ridden to move at higher speeds from one point of interest to another. What makes this difference in traversal impact gameplay so significant is the fact that the lack of being able to freely jump off a cliff and land safely on the bottom means that exploration is significantly less limited in Hyrule Upon the Lands. Intermediate.
The Sky Islands then compound this problem, as unlocking shrines and teleport locations on these floating locales gives players full reign to glide across Hyrule, almost unobstructed along the paths laid out with the intended highways. This added level of verticality makes Hyrule a place that allows players to explore however they want, rather than the way the developer dictates. Combine this with Tears of the KingdomThe most creative Ultrahand constructions of and exploration of the game outshines ancient ring's world in almost every way.
ancient ring is now available for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
