The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - Nintendo Switch (US Version)

Perfect sequel to Zelda Breath of The Wild. Link has several new abilities (will list later) to play around with World is more expansive: There’s the Great Plateau (old Breath of the Wild map) with slightly altered environments due to gloom infection, the sky city, and the depths (huge underground cave network below hyrule). Smoke and highlighted light pillars shows points of interest in the overworld without having to look at the map Weapon durability is back. I know some people don’t like breakable items/weapons, but it teaches kids to be more adaptable rather than have constant/sustainable gains all the time. Also helps them be more creative in the fusing items together. Items are less scarce this time around giving you more opportunities to experiment with new combinations Still have freedom to be creative and do what you want. Can think of creative ways to cheat the puzzle with new abilities instead of the intended way of doing it, making the experience your own. Gives you the ‘I don’t think we are supposed to do that, but it worked!’ moments Temples return. Each one have a companion character which grants you special abilities for that temple/dungeon. Bosses at end of temples are really powerful and not just simple advanced moving puzzles -Menu/UI is more streamline. Inventory tabs can be changed via L1 R1 trigger instead of thumbstick. No need to go through multiple pages to get to the next tab. Instead you scroll down if you have a lot of items Settings is at the end of inventory tab instead of a separate page Able to view recipes on sub menu for each item -Story/Plot: Link and Zelda is exploring a unknown area under hyrule castle. They accidentally awaken an mummy and he uses gloom ability to attack them. Link arm and master sword gets infected during initial battle, and the mummy released gloom infecting hyrule. There’s a huge quake and Link both get separated during the scuffle. You wake up and go on a quest to find Zelda, re-forge the master sword and save hyrule. Story is the most expansive than any other Zelda title focusing a lot of character development Like Breath of the Wild; there’s limited voice acting and not fully voiced. But that doesn’t detract from the experience --- Abilities 1. Ultra Hand Use this to lift large heavy object and fuse them together. Can use it to solve puzzles lifting heavy objects to build bridges, ramps, ladders, etc) but also use as a vehicle creator for traversal. It’s very similar to Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts vehicle creator. Vehicles you create use fuel/battery to operate, collecting/using zonai charges refuels your vehicle giving you the ability to travel longer distances especially when creating gliders. You can also upgrade maximum battery as you progress through he game. Note that our creation despawns if you’re too far away from it, so best not abandon it 2. Merge items Fuse any two items together in inventory. Mainly use to create weapons with different properties (higher attack, range, elemental damage etc) and increase durability. Seeing weapon durability is back gives players ways to experiment and be resourceful with what they have in their inventory During combat you’re able to able to throw individual items 3. Asend Able to teleport to above flat platform when directly under it. Some areas are restricted if it’s too high. The cursor on your screen when using ability turns green to indicate if it’s possible to ascend or not 4. Recall Rewind time for a brief second. Great for puzzle solving like climbing up a rock that fell off the cliff and rewind time to ride it up 5. Auto build Able to re-create previous creations you made with ultra-hand. Just have all items in one spot and use ability to re-create it instead of starting from scratch 6. Amiibo Similar to last game, you can in amiibo daily and items will fall in front of you. Amiibo give armor skins, fabrics, and other common items. No exclusive content from Amiibos this time. Able to obtain them via quests. Scanning amiibos just give you them early and more items daily. Disappointed the wolf link amiibo doesn’t give you wolf companion like the last game 7. Camera Basically an ability to take pictures to fill out the hyrule compendium Overall extremely fun game giving you freedom to explore and be creative. Best Legend of Zelda game to date.

This is Link at his finest. He has really grown into the super hero role he was meant to have. The story is a bit lackluster, as usual. There are lots of quests and so much content that you can spend hundreds of hours playing this, but the stories are always a little cringy and lame. It is meant to be kid-safe, after all. The game mechanics are where this game shines. Zonai devices allow you to build practically any kind of vehicle you want. Like Minecraft, except that things are meant to move, with circles and everything. The physics is extremely robust. Link can engineer up doomsday devices and ride them into enemy camps. The game design is beautiful, just like its predecessor, Breath of the Wild. It's the same Hyrule surface map, but there are over a hundred new cave systems, a sky island map, and a Depths map, which is sort of an Upside Down under Hyrule. I like that the devs kept the best parts of BotW and merely expanded it into a whole new kind of game. Combat in BotW/TotK is great, and lots of fun. Back when I was playing Zelda for NES and SNES, I never would have imagined that the game franchise would get to this level of amazing. The only complaint I have is the story. There is basically no consistency between Zelda games, each one has to be taken as its own independent narrative. I know there are people who try to mesh it all together -- even Nintendo came out with a timeline once -- but I don't buy it. If their next game could be both consistent within itself, and utilize the best aspects of all past Zelda stories, Nintendo could set up future games after that for sequential story telling, and that would be fantastic. It's the only thing the game is missing. This is basically a single player RPG meets Open World Sandbox. The best kind of RPG. You can follow quest lines, and there are many -- you can collect things, there are tons of things to collect -- or you can just build devices and defeat enemies for fun. You don't even have to pursue the main story line and you can still love this game. Highly recommend!!

Tears of the Kingdom is an excellent continuation of the Breath of the Wild timeline/era of Zelda games. The level of detail to how physics work and the sheer freedom of exploration, combining objects, and solving puzzles not as intended is actually incredible. It's something video game developers rarely get so right from my years of playing games. The story is also pretty interesting and touching. And the final boss is significantly more impressive than Breath of the Wild's reused giant boar. However, it does have some issues that the previous game did not. For example, the story progression was way too free in Tears of the Kingdom that the developers had to create essentially a dozen copies of the same exact cutscene and script just in case a certain area was a player's first completed boss/"temple". It was also so easy to screw up the order of the story progression that you can easily learn the heartbreaking twists right away making all the build-up cutscenes and flashbacks very silly and useless. Another negative is the underground section. The depths are a very good concept, but poorly executed. It's extremely barren. And for a game that highlighted the floating island stuff, they could've definitely done a lot more with the sky explorations too. The sky islands are definitely a bit better than underground but it could've used more. Over all, this is an incredible game.

Negatives first: There are a decent amount of reused themes and mechanics that I do wish they could have changed up a bit. There is definitely some repetitiveness there. The graphics (and I am not a graphics-first person...ever) are a problem here and there...I think it's a theming choice made by nintendo more than anything, but in the sky islands they add this cloudiness effect to everything (even in sky island caves) that can make it difficult to discern things. It's hard to explain, but I actually had to change my display settings to crank up the contrast (which is screwing up my settings on my other games and consoles). My kids even mentioned how hard it is to see things at times. Positives People are complaining about similarity to BotW....and I don't get it. As big as the BotW world was, it feels small compared to this game. I'm about 10 hours in, I haven't done anything yet that felt like a retread (other than what I mentioned above). It has the same "see something out of the corner of your eye, go investigate, and lose two hours" trait that I loved about BotW. This game is much more story driven (not through flashbacks) thus far, which is great. So-so The new weapons mechanics are cool...but I do miss more traditional weapons at times. So far (and this may change as I get deeper) everything I've found is stupid under powered, you always have to craft to have anything useful. The crafting/building is fun and new, but how you HAVE TO do so much of it that it can be game-breaking here and there. I love the game, I can't wait until I have some real time to sink a few uninterrupted days into it. It is not perfect, but I still gave it a perfect score because the fun-factor and awe of BotW are absolutely in-tact and the scale is unbelievable. The positives erase the negatives in my mind.

I got this game pre-ordered from Nintendo during their voucher program. I watched the live stream launch and was able to play the game just a mere 2 hours later. To save a little bit of space I got the cartridge version BEFORE It won an award. This game does live up to its title as a sequel and recently in December 2023 it won in award as best action game. That's not surprising considering that this is a sequel to a game that won awards and was considered by most to be perfect. It's also not surprising that this has also gotten a perfect score, and Won 2023's best action game of the year. I think it's great. Nintendo has talked about how this game was made up of a lot of leftover ideas That never quite made it into the first game. Somehow they were able to take all those ideas and implement them, cobbling it into a story. A story That makes it stand on even ground with its predecessor. Not a lot of games can say that. Just like movies, The sequels are usually a bit worse or more. In my opinion this is the best one out of the two of them. It offers a whole buttload of exploration. It's fun to experiment with the crafting of contraptions. I think my favorite is a flamethrowing shield. I always find it extremely useful whenever I'm storming a castle with lots of troops. Bokoblins are mostly melee fighters, So it makes sense to have at least one shield and one flamethrowing shield. Especially if there's a leader there. Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild is just one of those rare games where I can jump into the game, dick around for an hour and accomplish nothing. Tears of the Kingdom is the same. I hold it up high along with the other games like GTA and Red Dead Redemption, and Saints Row for my ability to jump in and accomplish nothing all day. Just pure fun. I do hope that the Legend of Zelda series will be forever changed by this game. I know they talked about how they're going to be going back to the old tried and true formula, But it Would be nice to continue with this kind of combat. There's lots of Zelda games in the series and there's only three that have a perfect score, So it's something for future Zelda fans to consider.

TL;DR: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom offers an engaging and enchanting adventure that captures the essence of the beloved franchise. With its immersive gameplay, captivating storyline, and stunning visuals, it provides an exceptional gaming experience for fans and newcomers alike. However, some players may find certain puzzles overly challenging, requiring additional time and effort to solve. Review: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is a remarkable addition to the iconic franchise, offering an engaging and enchanting adventure that captures the essence of the series. One of the standout aspects of this game is its immersive gameplay. From the vast landscapes to intricate dungeons, players are drawn into a rich and captivating world. The game seamlessly blends exploration, combat, and puzzle-solving, providing a satisfying and well-rounded experience. The controls are intuitive, allowing players to easily navigate and interact with the environment. The storyline of Tears of the Kingdom is another highlight. It offers a compelling narrative that unfolds as players progress through the game. The well-crafted plot, filled with twists and turns, keeps players engaged and eager to uncover the secrets of the kingdom. The characters are memorable and well-developed, adding depth and emotional resonance to the overall experience. Visually, Tears of the Kingdom is stunning. The art direction and attention to detail create a visually striking world that immerses players in its beauty. The vibrant colors, atmospheric lighting, and intricate designs enhance the overall aesthetic and contribute to the game's enchanting atmosphere. While Tears of the Kingdom delivers a captivating experience, some players may find certain puzzles overly challenging. These puzzles may require additional time and effort to solve, potentially causing frustration for those seeking a smoother gameplay experience. However, the satisfaction of overcoming these challenges can be immensely rewarding for players who enjoy a more intricate puzzle-solving experience. In summary, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom offers an engaging and enchanting adventure that captures the essence of the beloved franchise. With its immersive gameplay, captivating storyline, and stunning visuals, it provides an exceptional gaming experience. While some puzzles may pose a higher level of difficulty, the overall quality of the game ensures an enjoyable journey for fans and newcomers alike. Pros: - Immersive gameplay blending exploration, combat, and puzzle-solving - Compelling storyline with twists and memorable characters - Stunning visuals and attention to detail - Intuitive controls for seamless gameplay - Exceptional gaming experience for fans of the franchise Cons: - Some puzzles may be overly challenging, requiring additional time and effort to solve

Tears of the Kingdom doesn’t just follow up Breath of the Wild—it elevates it. It honors everything that made the first game legendary and then builds on it with boldness, depth, and insane creativity. This is what a sequel should be. The world is the same Hyrule you know, but not at all the same. It's deeper. It’s grown. The sky islands and underground layers take that already-massive world and stretch it vertically, giving it new life. If you played Breath of the Wild, your familiarity becomes your strength—but it doesn’t make you comfortable. There’s mystery layered into everything, and just when you think you’ve seen it all, the game hits you with something new. The story continues beautifully. It’s emotional, spiritual, and deeply tied to the world you already care about. You’re not starting over—you’re moving forward. This isn’t just another Zelda cycle—it feels like the weight of everything from Breath of the Wild is still alive in Link’s silence and Zelda’s sacrifice. And then there’s the new gameplay mechanics. Ultrahand, Fuse, Ascend—they completely change how you think. You don’t just solve puzzles—you invent solutions. You build, experiment, and improvise like never before. It’s not hand-fed. It rewards curiosity and patience. The physics engine alone feels like magic. Visually, it keeps that same timeless style and somehow makes it feel even more epic. The music, the weather, the mood—it all hits deeper. Everything feels more alive, more layered, more intentional. Five stars. No hesitation. Tears of the Kingdom doesn’t just live up to the legacy—it expands it. A sequel that respects your journey, challenges your mind, and rewards your heart.

The Legend of Zelda series has always been a gold standard for adventure gaming, and "Tears of the Kingdom" is no exception - it's an absolute masterpiece. A worthy successor to the acclaimed "Breath of The Wild", this new chapter doesn't just ride on its predecessor's coattails, it soars to new heights. What sets "Tears of the Kingdom" apart is the sheer complexity and versatility of the powers at your disposal. You are no longer confined to a singular way of solving puzzles or traversing the landscapes. Instead, you are provided with a sandbox of possibility. Search online, and you'll find an endless stream of players employing varied and unique tactics to navigate through the game - a testament to its rich complexity and openness. This openness extends to how the game can be played and enjoyed. Despite the intricacies of its design, "Tears of the Kingdom" never feels overwhelming. It seamlessly blends simplicity with depth, allowing players to dive as deep as they wish, or to simply enjoy the game at their own pace. As an adult with limited gaming time, I found this to be a breath of fresh air. And then there's the game's aesthetics. The landscapes are stunning, the characters captivating, and the storylines are intricate yet captivating. Everything about the game, from its art direction to its musical score, has been crafted with an incredible attention to detail that immerses you completely in the kingdom of Hyrule. For all its beauty and complexity, it's the tangible sense of adventure that truly sets "Tears of the Kingdom" apart. Every corner of the game world is filled with intrigue and potential discovery, making every gaming session feel like a unique and exciting exploration. While it's still early in the year, I have no doubt that "The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom" will be a strong contender for Game of the Year. It's a game that doesn't just meet expectations, but surpasses them in every way. For anyone who loves gaming, I can't recommend this experience highly enough. This isn't just a game you play - it's a journey you embark upon.