The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is, without a doubt, one of the best video games I have ever played. It might just be THE best video game I have ever played. Tears of the Kingdom is the sequel to the previous main-line Zelda game, Breath of the Wild, released in 2017. Even though Tears of the Kingdom plays extremely similarly to its predecessor, TotK makes BotW feel like a Switch tech demo in terms of its scale, immersion, and exploration. I will try to keep this blog post as spoiler-free as possible.
I bought this game on the day of its release, and there was not a time where I could put this game down because I felt addicted. TotK (just like BotW) completely nails the essence of how an action-adventure game should feel like, and it never fails to keep you hooked. There is always something worth exploring, and it is not just in the surface world of Hyrule. The new abilities introduced in TotK expand the player's creativity on almost infinite levels. In some ways, TotK is the product when you combine The Legend of Zelda with Minecraft. There are more enemies, more storylines, more quests, and with the new abilities, more ways to get around Hyrule. It also feels like all the map is relevant in some way, and nothing has gone to waste.
Many of the mechanics from BotW make a return in TotK. There is a fresh set of shrines to find and complete, and I find that the puzzles in the shrines are more engaging in TotK than in BotW. Collecting Korok Seeds are back, with old and new tasks that need to be completed in order to get those precious seeds. Also, the polarizing mechanic of weapon durability is back as well, but the use of a specific ability can extend the durability of many weapons. I personally do not mind this mechanic, as I am forced to try new weapons and use new strategies to defeat enemies.
If I can find any issues with TotK, it would be the same issues with BotW. The overall story is just fine, and not terribly deep, although there are some nice cutscenes. TotK went with the same cel-shaded art style as BotW, which gives the game a sort of "timeless" look. However, the Nintendo Switch's hardware limits graphical capabilities, which makes TotK's visual presentation a bit of a cop-out. I also noticed some minor performance and framerate issues when doing certain things in the game, which is (once again) most likely a hardware issue.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is what happens when developers hyper-focus on perfecting the most important aspect of a video game, which in my opinion is gameplay. TotK is the new gold standard in making video games engaging and fun. TotK is significantly better than its predecessor, which was hailed by some people at the time as one of the best video games ever made. TotK is significantly better than Elden Ring and God of War: Ragnarok, which were last year's games of the year. TotK will win all the 'Game of the Year' awards, and rightly so. This game will sell tens of millions of copies at a price set higher than a normal Switch game, and it is worth that higher price. Bravo, Nintendo. You really outdid yourselves on this one.
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