I can only afford the time to play one of them, which one should I play?
Many YouTubers seem to prefer BotW. But most reviews say TotK improves nearly everything.
I prefer easier combat and less complexity. Is there one that would be more enjoyable for me?
Breath is barely a Zelda game. It’s fun, it’s great, but the magic formula is missing.
Tears goes a long way towards fixing that, and is just a better game overall. But it is a very direct sequel to Breath, and I worry that it might not make as much sense plotwise as a standalone.
Neither make sense plot-wise. The opening to TOTK doesn’t even follow BOTW’s ending IMO. I haven’t finished it, so I don’t know if they tie things together later, but the reuse of the world doesn’t feel plot-relevant at all.
Musings
It could make sense as a prequel though, but as a sequel, it feels like a stretch. We’ll see how the game progresses.
I do recommend playing TOTK after BOTW, but not for plot, but because it’s the same world and TOTK is simply more populated with things to do (more enemy types, more towns, etc). Both are fun games.
If you’re looking for a Zelda game though, this just doesn’t feel like one. Yeah, you play as Link and do Link things, but the classic formula (find dungeon, get new equipment, solve puzzles, beat boss, repeat) isn’t there.