The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is considered by some to be greatest game of all time. The 2017 Switch launch title not only helped Nintendo ship a tonne of their new consoles, but also capture the minds and hearts of long-time fans and newcomers alike. And now after months of sneak peeks and trailers we finally have its sequel The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
Time-Honoured Engine
If you’re expected a brand new game you’re going to be disappointed. And if ain’t broke, don’t build a new engine from the ground up. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom looks, sounds and plays just like Breath of the Wild. Albeit with a few new upgrades, features and a lot more to see and do.
And going from Breath of the Wild to Tears of the Kingdom will be a bit of a shock. The aforementioned new mechanics, much expanded story and sheer bulk of content stands out against sparse Hyrule of Breath of the Wild.
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But Nintendo have polished everything to a mirror shine. Even the lowliest random side quest feels like it’s been given the same care and attention as the main quest line content. Given the hours and hours of content here, it’s truly mind blowing.
Focused Pocus
The main tale here like the game has been beefed up somewhat. Gone is the loose open-ended make-your-own adventure format of predecessor. Instead we get a more driven offering that starts out strong and then ticks over as you explore, delivering new revelations as you dive deeper into Hyrule.
With each new chunk of tale, you gain a layer of its overall central mystery. One which honestly grows more compelling the more you learn, making it maybe the best story seen in a Zelda game ever.
Hyrule Remapped
The second huge upgrade the game has seen is the world of Hyrule. The game’s setting follows on from the events of the first game. The land is in a state of flux as its being rebuilt. And this results in a lot more to see, as well as more locals to meet as you stumble across small camps on the horizon and visit bustling settlements.
The world also feels far more alive in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. While there’s nothing wrong with riding over the great valley of Faron having a bit of ‘You Time’, it’s a great feeling when you come across a random battle between monsters and the newly formed Hyrule army or even just a wondering trader.
Exploring TotK’s Depths and Heights
Beyond Hyrule there is also a new subterranean world to explore. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom game features a vast cave network and an overland in the form of sky islands.
Technically, you get almost two-and-a-half times the world to explore. Even if you feel you know Hyrule like the back of your hand, you’ll not have a clue what’s awaiting you here. The lands seen is Breath of the Wild are just the tip of the iceberg of what TotK‘s Hyrule has waiting for you to discover.
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With these new areas you best bet you have some new abilities, skills and core mechanics to help you out along the way. The most impactful of these is Ultrahand – which sees you grabbing and moving objects, but also being able to stick things together.
Meaning you will discover technological relics; like fans and sails, as well as more interesting fare. And using Ultrahand you can build countless things like gliders, cars, rafts, even flying boats with only your imagination limiting the countless solutions to the puzzles you’ll face.
For example, you could work on getting a cable car working to cross a gap. Or you could bash together a launch pad using a fan, firing you high in the air and then glide your way across. You could also just build a bridge across the ravine. There is no right or wrong way to how you solve the conundrums you’ll face.
Hyrule Fusion Power
Fuse will also play its part. If you want to build a oversized blunt force weapon by sticking a long stick and a boulder together, go for it. Fuse lets you join objects peppered around Hyrule together to create new weapons. This power also tackles a huge issue issues around weapon durability found in Breath of the Wild.
It’s endless fun to just stick everything together. It’s ceaselessly interesting to see the evermore wild and crazy weapons you can forge. And it’s always welcome to see what unique abilities these unions reward you. Fuse is an incredible tool that Nintendo have let loose upon players.
Ascend is a power that lets you teleport through the roof of any areas above you. When face with a huge mountain and little drove to climb it, find a cave and Ascend to the top through the roof. Ascend doesn’t have the same freedom to expermient seen with Fuse and Ultrahand.
Link’s Playground
Some of the new abilities, especially Ultrahand and Fuse, show just how much of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is just a huge playground to let your imagination run wild.
The game rarely feels like it says ‘no’ to you – if you want to try something, TotK will let you try. The result may not be what you want, but your curiosity will be rewarded one way or another.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom looks very much like Breath of the Wild. And this is not a bad thing. TotK looks like someone has drawn back the curtain and let the world in.
The fall from the sky islands to the ground is epic, spectacular and a quick gasp of the world in one view. And this feeling of epic wonder never ceases to wow, no matter how many times you fall. It’s also a feeling that the game replicates in a few other places.
The audio ofThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is epic. It fits the game and its breathtaking vistas perfectly. While a lot of the audio cues return, there are also areas which have been buffed. Voice acting is used more often than in Breath of the Wild, though the overall delivery is still questionable at times.
Aging Hardware Sweats
The Switch hardware presents the only real downer on proceedings. The creaking console tries extremely hard to keep up with the game and you will undoubtedly experience performance issues. These range from ghosting to framerate drops. None of the issues are game-breakers but you’ll feel the Switch pushed hard.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom matches its predecessor point for point in most ways. The game then goes far beyond it in every other way. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom crafts a bigger world and tells a grander tale filled with endless possibilities and delights for the curious of mind.
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If The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is the greatest game ever made, what does that make The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom? A game which lovingly builds upon it in almost every way. TotK is a work more than worthy of following a masterpiece and an unmissable gaming experience.