Introduction

After six long years, we're finally here. The long-awaited sequel to Breath of the Wild has arrived and has managed to follow in the footsteps of its predecessor, breaking the internet in a variety of new ways. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is here, and after roughly 100 hours with the game, I am finally ready to discuss my experiences with the game.

Before diving fully into this review and outlining all the core components, I have divided this review into two non-spoiler and spoiler sections for many of the points I'll discuss throughout the video. I understand that many are still making their way through the game or have just started playing, so I want to ensure that this review is clear of all the wonder and discoveries of Tears of the Kingdom. There will be chapters with spoilers labelled, and I'll make it clear throughout so you know what parts to avoid. With that out of the way, I'd like to tackle two of the most prominent questions around this title.

The Legend of Zelda Experience

The second question is about the more traditional Zelda experience. As for some, Breath of the Wild felt that it was a misstep as it was absent of many of the staples that were found in a Zelda game, such as your dungeons, temples and felt the Divine Beasts were not a strong enough substitution for these more iconic pillars of the Zelda formula. But the biggest criticism was how sandbox-heavy Breath of the Wild felt. I was in the camp that loved Breath of the Wild, but I can understand these criticisms. Now does Tears of the Kingdom carry over the same structure found in Breath of the Wild? Well, yes and no. Let me explain, I will state that Shrines, Towers, and Weapon durability are all back in Tears of the Kingdom, but on the flip side, I do feel that there is a much larger pool of side quests and side content that takes form in many different forms that I will expand upon below. Tears of the Kingdom has a stronger narrative focus than Breath of the Wild and offers a range of more intimate activities to partake in, from the side activities to the more core dungeon-level activities in the game. However, Tears of the Kingdom is still ultimately a sandbox game. Nintendo doubles down on this aspect of the formula with a stronger focus on building and crafting tools, vehicles and anything your mind can conjure up to navigate the Gloom-infested world of Hyrule.

Curiosity and Creativity

Perceptual Curiosity

Last year I made a video detailing the beauty of curiosity-driven open worlds. I regarded Breath of the Wild as one of the iconic staples of this form of a design philosophy present throughout the game, guiding the player in any direction they see fit to uncover all Hyrule has mysteries. I discussed how the game's visual design sparked a strong sense of perceptual curiosity that encouraged players to set out on their own adventures based more on what they saw rather than what they were being instructed to do. While this approach to world design has returned here in Tears of the Kingdom, it isn't the only central pillar of the game's design philosophy. In Tears of the Kingdom, Curiosity works more as a jumping pad for this game's core pillar, creativity.

I'm intentionally mentioning the curiosity of Breath of the Wild because that sense of curiosity will seep into Tears of the Kingdom in similar and new ways that you've experienced. However, where perceptual curiosity is the core driver for player exploration, epistemic curiosity, which is the desire to obtain and build an understanding of something, makes Tears of the Kingdom such a boundless experience. The capacity to learn, experiment and test the limits of our knowledge. This sense of curiosity on multiple levels elevates Tear of the Kingdom and differentiates it from its predecessor. It marries and gels these aspects of curiosity with creativity.

Epistemic Curiosity

Whilst I've opened this segment up talking about curiosity in Tear of the Kingdom, the big central pillar of Tears of the Kingdom is creativity and, more importantly, how they inspire player creativity through this Epistemic curiosity. It can take player curiosity and create both solutions and stories through the player and its sandbox. Tears of the Kingdoms play between these two ideas so effortlessly as it is continuously introducing new objects, items and devices to experiment with.

How Tears of the Kingdom accomplishes this is, well, let's go through this process step-by-step.

The starting point is introducing the new objects in question. It could be a log, a sail, and some fans. The initial flare of curiosity that stems from Associative Thinking is what kicks off any good experiment. It sparks interest through just how bizarre and crazy your creations can get.

The next step is trial and error. There are times when you will fail, and creation will backfire. But not only is this an experience in of itself. But it is a natural aspect of the creative lifecycle, where once you succeed, you will feel like an absolute genius. The reward here in Tears of the Kingdom's sandbox doesn't come through stat buffs, level-ups, and gear. But more through knowledge and expertise, which build the foundation for any creative sandbox and framework you engage with.

Finally, it is taking that acquired knowledge from previous creations and taking the more unconventional approach taking another risk, fueled by your curiosity, asking, "Will this work"? Then we've come full circle and begun the creative process all over again.

Tears of the Kingdoms sandbox will continue to surprise you unravelling new methods, ideas, and strategies even after hundreds of hours of playing. You'll start your adventure, and you'll feel rusty. Your ideas may fall apart. But that's the thing with Tears of the Kingdom: the more you interact with its systems, the more it gives back with its knowledge and outcomes. The world of Hyrule has never felt so alive and so masterfully crafted, and Tears of the Kingdom has built on what Breath of the Wild established six years ago.

Gameplay (Non Spoilers)

Okay, so we'll kick off the non-spoiler section for the gameplay elements by discussing the features that make a return here in Tears of the Kingdom, which are many of the core elements that comprised and formed the formula of Breath of the Wild. What makes Tears of the Kingdom so insane to me is the sheer amount of scope of content that is scattered throughout Hyrule. It dwarfs Breath of the Wild, making the core loop of that game feel like more of a starting point and a blueprint and then iterating on it in spades.

Shrines, Puzzles, and the Sandbox

The first of the returning activities, which you expect, is the return of Shrines, a short set of puzzles that reward you with a light of blessing which, much like Breath of the Wild, will allow you to upgrade your maximum health and stamina. However, here in Tears of the Kingdom, I feel that shrines provide satisfying puzzles, ways of thinking, and new tools that can be added to your creative arsenal. Where Breath of the Wilds Shrines would revolve around the 4 tools Link has available and how they interact with the environment. Tears of the Kingdom takes this but also enables the ability to build and craft objects that interact with each other and the environment elevating the range of solutions and creativity. Tears of the Kingdom manages to accomplish this through the amount of freedom that Tears of the Kingdom's abilities allow for being much more straightforward in concept but boundless in their capabilities and mastery.

Another immediately noticeable addition in Tears of the Kingdom is how many of the puzzles for the shrines are in the open world for you to solve. Sometimes the mystery is not completing the shrine but figuring out how to reach a particular shrine or activate it. It is a fantastic method that merges the open world, links tools, and the curiosity of the environment around you to elevate one of the core components of the Zelda formula whilst not restricting you to a single solution.

That brings me to my last point on this topic, which is the multitude of ways to solve problems in Tears of the Kingdom. In many other games, and sometimes in Breath of the Wild, solutions may feel like the devs want you to do one thing. Here in Tears of the Kingdom, you can approach and solve many of the problems in front of you in various ways that deviate from the ideal solution. This level of flexibility, while earning answers through creative thinking, is a testament to the level of depth that the Tears of the Kingdoms sandbox offers. It provides a comprehensive system for assembling and experimenting with many of the different concepts introduced, and whilst this experience can feel a little finicky at times, it does not hinder or detract from the overall experience of engaging with Tears of the Kingdoms sandbox, and what ultimately makes the shrines and puzzle side of Tears of the Kingdom that much more satisfying is the reward and payoff from seeing many of the crazy contraptions you build actually work, making you feel like an absolute genius when you succeed. But we'll discuss this aspect more in-depth shortly.

Towers have made a return here in Tears of the Kingdom and operate in a similar fashion to how they work in Breath of the Wild, you will find these Towers scattered across Hyrule, and they will fill out the map for the land of Hyrule and the new Sky Isles which we discuss more thoroughly later on. What's new here with the Towers in Tears of the Kingdom is that they serve as the iconic tower to scout out the map. Still, they can now also shoot you into the air allowing you to move freely and visually take in the land of Hyrule, mapping any Shrines you may find, or glide your way to a nearby Sky Island to explore.

Cooking that was found in Breath of the Wild has seen a return here in Tears of the Kingdom and remains primarily intact, providing the same use case and execution.

New Abilities

Ultrahand

The first and most transformative of your new abilities is the Ultrahand. This will be the bread and butter for all the different contraptions you'll be building throughout your playthrough of Tears of the Kingdom. How Ultrahand works is that it allows Link to pick up objects similar to the magnet ability in Breath of the Wild, but in Tears of the Kingdom is much more expansive, letting Link pick up almost any object that can be interacted with. But on top of that, the Ultrahand enables Link to glue two or more particular things together and works in a similar fashion to a builder tool from a survival sim game. It allows you to rotate, position, and click into place each component of your original creation. It can feel a little finicky at first, but you slowly adapt and get used to how this ability works the more you engage with it. Ultrahand is a game-changer, seriously. The level of creativity and strategy it offers the player in how they approach situations in Tears of the Kingdom is absolutely astonishing. Whether you're approaching shrines, combat, or general exploration, Ultrahand is always a helpful skill that is easy to use and boundless in its mastery.

One thing I love about the Ultrahand ability is how it works with many of the different puzzles found throughout Hyrule, but more importantly, the Shrines. Where in Breath of the Wild, each shrine would have a particular solution to the problem, Tears of the Kingdom does feel like you can solve a significant portion of its puzzles by unconventional means, just by how flexible Link's abilities are to use in this game. It means that given the ability to craft and create whatever you please, and how realistic and well thought out the physics of this game are, you can maneuver your way through many different puzzles than the intended solution.

Zonai-Devices

A big part of what makes the Ultrahand ability so essential and incredible is its interlocking with the newly introduced devices in Tears of the Kingdom called Zonai Devices. These devices are things such as fans, gliders, or springs that can be used as a utility to your device. These devices are essential to the building aspect of Tears of the Kingdom. As you complete more shrines, more of these devices become available for usage through different dispensers called Zonai Dispensers. These deposits will give Link a collectible item version of a particular Zonai Device that Link can summon and use when wanting to build something. However, when calling or using a device, this will consume power, meaning you'll have to be smart about how you consume power and craft your different creations.

Throughout your journey, there will be ways to increase the amount of power that Link can use to power your wildest creations, and this will be through increasing the amount of batteries that Link can carry. These can be purchased from a vendor using a particular form of currency which we'll dive more into in the spoiler section of the review.

But the Zonai Devices interlink with the Ultrahand fueling the craziest of creations beyond your wildest dreams that, when properly utilised, make this game feel like you're cheesing your way through. Still, it's nothing more than the simple philosophy of working smarter and not harder.

Fuse

The next ability is the Fuse ability, so I was going to discuss a returning feature from Breath of the Wild here the inclusion of weapon durability. But here in Tears of the Kingdom, whilst that feature sees a return, it is much more heavily coupled with this concept of weapon fusion. This brings me to Link's next new ability, the Fuse ability. This mechanic emphasises fusing both weapons you acquire with different objects, items, and Zonai Devices found throughout Hyrule. Combining different items provides other effects on your weapons. For example, you can attach an explode-able barrel onto your shield that explodes when the enemy hits your shield or attach a cannon to a spear that works as a cannon gun. There are so many combinations that you can use here, and as you progress through the game and complete more shrines, more tools and devices begin to unlock and become accessible in Hyrule.

On top of the utility that comes from using an item for a weapon, there are also materials you can fuse to a weapon that can add extra durability and provide an additional damage buff to the weapon. There are many different weapons you can craft that are useful for many situations. On top of the shield and sword combat, you can also fuse different items and materials to your arrows. These fused arrows will also have other effects when shot. Some good examples are using a fire fruit, making the arrow a fire arrow, or shooting a puffshroom on the ground to create a mist of smoke between you and the enemy. I've only listed two examples here for these mechanics. Still, there are 100s of unique combinations that make combat feel like a more engaging aspect of the Zelda experience, where you're fully utilising your inventory and constantly experimenting with your environment. It makes in-the-moment discoveries feel more worthwhile.

Recall

The next ability in Link's arsenal is Recall, and much like the name suggests, it allows the player to rewind the state of an object, meaning that you can reverse time on a particular object up to a certain point. What makes Recall so interesting is how you can manipulate both time and physics in a specific way that can provide utility in endless ways. It can be used to get out-of-reach positions or reserve a rock or object an enemy throws at you.

Link's skillset of abilities is all about reshaping and recreating the environment. In many ways, Recall works to restore objects to their default position while also reshaping and manipulating the space to your advantage.

Ascend

The next ability is one of the most astonishing abilities I've been missing ever since I completed my playthrough, and that is the Ascend ability. This works because it enables you to dive upward through any roof within reach. The Ascend ability is clever in allowing you to manipulate how you traverse the terrain. Ascend works well with Link's other abilities, too, mainly the Ultrahand and Recall. You can move an object within reach and even use Recall to rewind the object so you can move in a particular direction. The Ascend ability working with Ultrahand allows you to create many openings to access areas that are out of reach.

The Ascend ability also makes traversing hills or escaping caves a much easier task. It also allows you to find your way into buildings and landmarks that may appear out of reach if you try to enter through conventional means. It is such a brilliantly designed ability. It can work in various situations, both in exploration and combat. It can help you infiltrate camps, Ascend through Talus's and get the right angle for a sick slow-motion shot with your bow.

Auto-build & Schematics

The Auto-build ability is the last ability you'll acquire, and you likely will get access to it once you've at least sunk a good portion of hours into the game. The ability allows you to save and favourite many of your previous creations. It also works with a collectable called schematics which can be found and provide Link with a blueprint for many of the different pre-existing builds you can find throughout Hyrule. Auto-build is the cherry on top of what makes Ultrahand so awesome, and it enables you to store and call upon many of your different and valuable creations on the fly.

Exploration

Sky Isles

The new addition to Tears of the Kingdom that Nintendo has put on display centre stage since revealing this game has been the addition of the Sky Isles, which is absolutely a fantastic addition that works on many different levels. One of the things that I love the most about the Sky Isles is how many of its puzzles and shrines related to the Sky Isles aren't conventional shrines but are more puzzles that need to be solved in the open world. It makes excellent use of many of Link's new abilities. One thing I touched on earlier when discussing the Ultrahand ability is how transformative you can get with this ability and traversing the environment. It is what makes solving the more challenging puzzles and Shrines of the Sky Isles so fulfilling. There are many different ways to approach these problems, and the Sky Isles, given their segmented setting, Islands in the sky, asks for another way to approach these problems whilst still providing an enormous amount of methods to accomplish said goal.

To break down the overall feeling of problem-solving that Tears of the Kingdom offer, it is the feeling of finding a cheat, a shortcut and making you feel like you were an absolute genius for doing so. Because most of the time, Nintendo have laid out an intended solution, and you aren't forced to solve it in that way, in fact despite your attempts to disobey Nintendo's intended solution, you're, in fact, playing into their design intentions which are experimenting and using every available tool you have to your advantage.

Changes to Hyrule

Gloom

The general topography and locations of Hyrule remain intact, but on top of many of the different environmental effects of Hyrule is the inclusion of a new blight on the land referred to as Gloom. This red gooey-looking ailment has many other effects on the area and how you traverse. Stepping through the Gloom will remove one of your available hearts from being healed until you're able to remove yourself from that location or transport to a resting spot or landmark for healing. The Gloom plays host to many other sinister threats, which we'll discuss in the spoiler segments of this review. But overall, the Gloom and works of the demon king impact, fracture, and reshape the map of Hyrule, making it feel like the Hyrule you're familiar with whilst not being a 1-to-1 copy.

Systemic Systems

In Tears of the Kingdom, its sandbox's inner workings and systems remain intact, and if anything, feel iterated on here. These systems are called Systemic systems and are the concepts of cause and effect within the world. For example, wearing metal armour or equipment whilst there's thunder increases the chances of getting struck by lightning, or fire hitting grass burns the ground. These little flourishes are some of the aspects that really made Breath of the Wild shine and make traversing and solving its puzzles feel intuitive once you begin to think and operate in a way that is logical within the world. Here in Tears of the Kingdom, they have doubled down on this approach by providing different items that can produce a particular effect or building materials that can catch fire. It takes more of what worked in Breath of the Wild and throws it into the mix here, creating more experiences and potential for experimentation than known possible.

Story (Non-Spoilers)

A Hyrule Plagued

The story for Tears of the Kingdom picks up a few years after the events of Breath of the Wild and sees Link accompany Zelda to explore and discover the ruins underneath Hyrule. After a turn of events Link and Zelda become separated, and an evil entity known as the Demon King emerges from his slumber to plague and unearth different pieces of Hyrule and usher in his reign of chaos. Without spoiling much more of the story, I'll say that I will be diving into the account and more of it in the spoiler section of this review for those who still need to play the game. But I will let you know that I loved this story, and if you found Breath of the Wild to be a little light on the story side, Tears of the Kingdom does have a lot more going on here. But the story focus is somewhere between Breath of the Wild and traditional story games. I loved Tears of the Kingdom's story and found it compelling all through.

This concludes the non-spoiler part of the review, so click away now if you still need to finish the game or want to avoid more of the major reveals and mechanics found throughout the game.

Gameplay (Spoilers)

Chasms and The Depths

If there is one aspect of Tears of the Kingdom that still has me completely blown away. It is the inclusion of The Depths. Nintendo would show off their new explorable area, the Sky Isles, throughout all the promotional material. It would market this as the core new explorable location in Tears of the Kingdom. Whilst this is a unique and extensively explorable location, they hid one significant new location, the core centrepiece that would accompany Tears of the Kingdom's narrative, providing an added dimension to the exploration. That, of course, is The Depths. The Depths serves as the counterpart to the Sky Isles. This Ying and Yang relationship between these two areas is shared by the contrast thematically and through where they're positioned via the plane they operate on.

Explorations

One of The Depths' most exciting aspects is its exploration approach. When you first descend down to The Depths, you'll be diving into the dark. Making it hard to determine when to land and where to land. Thankfully, you'll be given an item called Brightbloom Seeds, which light up the area when they touch the ground. The depths are such an incredible addition to the overall experience. The Depths feel like this dark and mystical underworld that reminded me of Made in Abyss. It was like every dive down was going to be a one-way trip. But the anticipation and wonder of what you'd find makes every trip below worth it.

I first descended down into the depths early on in my playthrough, and it was one of the most memorable moments in my playthrough, as this interconnected labyrinth that lives under Hyrule offers you no map, barely any vision, and is surrounded by some of the more challenging enemies that you'll encounter in the world. It was a thrilling moment in my playthrough, as I hadn't done the quest for The Depths at the time. I had to manually figure out how the brightseeds worked and how to navigate both the Gloom and the enemies. But it was all worth it when you discover that first Lightroot, that beacon that lights up the area around you and demystifies a fraction of the depths.

The Depths are one of the biggest highlights of the Tears of the Kingdom experience for me. Each time I jumped down a chasm, I was excited about what I'd find. This punishing dark below is another massive puzzle within itself. The more you explore, the more you adapt and adjust to the conditions of the depths. It again builds on the attained knowledge and the players' desire for further curiosity. The Depths is the perfect counterpart to the Sky Isles, and I love it.

Gameplay Systems

Temples & Dungeons

So next up, we'll talk about the dungeons in Tears of the Kingdom. These are the big staple to the Zelda experience that, usually include temples, palaces, divine beasts and the like. Here in Tears of the Kingdom, we see the return of Temples. Like in many other Zelda games, these temples are elemental-themed and feel like a response in some ways to the Divine Beasts from Breath of the Wild. I'd say that the Temples of Tears of the Kingdom feel a lot more satisfying than the Divine Beasts from Breath of the Wild. There are multiple reasons for this, and the first is the overall theming and feeling of these temples. Each temple feels distinct and unique, from the puzzles you approach, to even how you discover or access the temple. The second thing is the adventure that you go on with the decedents of each Sage to uncover these temples and the mysteries inside. Each temple fuels unique and exciting puzzles and thematically ties into the larger picture of Hyrule's inhabitants and the chaos left by the Demon King. There are, of course, for those who have played Breath of the Wild, the return of Sage abilities that call upon the Sage and give Link a particular command.

Side Quests and Activities (SPOILERS)

Bringing Peace to Hyrule

If there is one subset of side quests that I love that have made their way into Tears of the Kingdom, these mini-scale battles take place in open fields. These fall under the "Bringing Peace to Hyrule" questline, where you'll find Hoz in different locations across Hyrule. You speak to him and can lead the charge on all-out warfare against a horde of Moblins. These moments are excellent and lend to the oppressive stranglehold that the Demon King and his minions have on Hyrule. It is great to be fighting with the people, and taking the Kingdom back, one war at a time, and it is these moments that, whilst not cinematic heavy, tell a compelling story of the world, the people and the overall state of the Hyrule. These side stories also elevate Tears of the Kingdom's forms of storytelling to greater heights than its predecessor and, in many ways, return to its roots.

Exploration and Attractions

On top of side quests, you'll stumble across a wealth of enticing side content whilst adventuring in Hyrule. Some of these different forms of content are in the form of Moblin Fortresses and bases where you'll have to fight an onslaught of Moblins and take back different areas that have been overrun. Meanwhile, down in The Depths, there will be a plethora of colosseums that pose some of the most threatening enemies and challenges found in Tears of the Kingdom. But the rewards, trust me, they're worth overcoming. There are so many different activities and unique enemies to occupy the three plains you'll travel. So many quests reward you with their own set of exciting little side attractions, too, like building your own house, blueprints and schematics for crafting, and different outfits and cosmetics that can help you stylise Link.

On top of all that, all the collectables from Breath of the Wild, such as the Korok Seeds and Cooking Recipes, see a return, alongside many new currencies and collectibles, such as Bubbel Gems and Sage Wills. If you're going full completionist mode here, there are tons of different activities and collectibles to cross off the checklist and 100s of hours worth of playtime. What I love about the exploration of Tears of the Kingdom is how one discovery can cleverly point you to another discovery. An example of this is taking the Lightroots from the depths. It was uncovered that these lightroots correlate to the location of a shrine directly above it on the Hyrule field and vice versa. This comes in handy because if you're looking for a shrine, you can look at your depths map and check for lightroots you have found and pinpoint the location of potential shrines, and likewise for finding lightroots.

I reached the 100-hour mark with this game and decided to take a break. I do come back to Tears of the Kingdom from time to time to see what other mysteries are hiding in Hyrule for me.

Legendary Encounters

Here are some new encounters that I'd refer to as Legendary encounters which inhabit the world of Hyrule here in Tears of the Kingdom. The most iconic of these is the three-headed dragon that represents one element and uses elemental abilities and its environment against Link. Many different enemies lurk underneath in The Depths too. On top of that, there are many different mini-bosses that you'd find in Breath of the Wild, such as the Talus. See a return here, and there are Gloom-infested counterparts to many of these mini-bosses you'll encounter. The number of creatures and surprises that a packed into this game.

Story (Spoilers)

The overall Story's Thoughts and feelings

In the story for Tears of the Kingdom, man, this part of the experience did wonders for me. I was engaged and invested from the start, and many of the different primary and side objectives in this game thread back to the main story in a stronger and more impactful way than Breath of the Wild. Tears of the Kingdom in this department did an excellent job blending old and new. It is amazing getting to go on these adventures with the different sages, and in Tears of the Kingdom, it feels like both Link and Hyrule are fighting back against the Demon King and his army.

The thematic design of Hyrule is so clever, with the Light Sky Isles that are remnants of the Sages and Rauru, the Hyrule Field in the middle, and the Dark Depths of the Demon King and his army that lurk below. These different plains don't just work well in terms of the variety of gameplay and location but also for the overall feeling and mystery of Hyrule, the upheaval of an ancient war that has resurfaced in Hyrule for you to uncover its secrets. It still blows my mind how unified many of the components of Tears of the Kingdom are, from their presentation, mechanics, and correlation to the story and its themes.

In this game, it was great to see Ganon return, witness his destruction, and fight back to defeat him. The ending for Tears of the Kingdom is one of the most satisfying conclusions to a game I've experienced this year. I got shivers throughout that last main quest because although it is a familiar scenario, the way it is handed is so grand and heroic that it perfectly captures the charm that draws me to the series. Tears of the Kingdom is one experience that I won't forget.

Visuals and Sound Presentation

The visuals in Tears of the Kingdom follow the same cel-shaded art direction from Breath of the Wild and carry it on here looking as lovely as it did in 2017. As nice as the visual art style is, you can really start to see the age of the Nintendo Switch here. Still, Nintendo has been able to make this game look as nice as possible with their hardware limitations, and it isn't surprising given that they have a talented team at Monolith Soft helping with much of the optimisation throughout development. The visuals in terms of performance are solid, giving a mostly consistent 30fps, and I only ever encountered two noticeable stutters throughout my 100 hours when playing. For Tears of the Kingdom, the overall visual presentation is beautiful, creating an incredible atmosphere for each biome, town, and landscape. Like seriously, Nintendo created stunning landscapes and creatures in this game. The first time I saw those Gloom hands, I had a menacing shiver wash over me. The first discovery of a lightroot was absolutely stunning, and falling from each tower and taking in the world below you is grand and encapsulates the sentiment that many open-world games pride themselves on of "go anywhere you want".

The soundtrack for Tears of the Kingdom oscillates between the ambient and light orchestral pieces that whisper through the winds of your travels to the more grand, uplifting and triumphant pieces after many of your feats throughout the game. What is incredible to me is just how well the music accompanies you in your travels, feeling like it is one with the breeze guiding you towards your next wild adventure or the ringing of a deep horn as you descend into the dark depths below. Tears of the Kingdom's music, sound choices, and even lack of sound make and engross you into the world, where you'll sometimes just be taking in the ambience. It is simply beautiful and is the absolute icing on the cake for what brings this world to life.

Conclusion

In closing, Tears of the Kingdom is a monumental achievement for Nintendo. The fact they're able to get this game running on the Nintendo Switch and have it run with the level of depth both in its abilities and how they manipulate the environment and the physics, but how the environment and the world interact with the player. Breath of the Wild laid out a golden blueprint when the Switch arrived, and Tears of the Kingdom doubled down and built on it in ways that I and many wouldn't imagine possible. It provides more aspects of the traditional Legend of Zelda experience but still embodies many of the Breath of the Wild DNA. The world of Hyrule has always felt more interactive, expansive, and full of activities to complete.

It captured and enthralled me all over again. I wondered how I would find this, having had the magic revealed with Breath of the Wild. But Tears of the Kingdom makes it feel like you're wandering and venturing into Hyrule for the first time again whilst remaining rewarding to those previously familiar with Hyrule. I spent about three hours alone on the starting island, just exploring and experimenting with the mechanics of this game, and the beautiful visuals and fantastical soundtrack made every moment of my adventure feel as memorable and heroic as it did back in 2017. It had me invested more this time around with its story, characters, and events that transpire, and whilst it still isn't the most significant selling point of this entry, it managed to have me hooked to the very end, with a satisfying and epic conclusion that will stick with me for a long time.

I'll be honest with you all, I've clocked over 100 hours with this game and seen its main story to its conclusion, and I'm still returning to the game to cross off any leftover side activities or shrines I may have missed. It is crazy to think, but even with over 100 hours into this game, I still feel like I've scratched the surface of the levels of depth, mastery, and things to see that Tears of the Kingdom offers. It'll be a game that is easily a strong contender for Game of the Year, and beyond 2023 will be one that we'll celebrate and remember fondly long into the future. So if you missed the boat on Breath of the Wild or are hesitant, take the leap on Tears of the Kingdom.

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