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Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom Review
Tears of the Kingdom had the almost-impossible task of one-upping the highest-praised game in recent years– Breath of the Wild. If it plays out too similarly, it will be marked as a reboot. If it steps away from everything we loved with Breath of the Wild, it could all go horribly wrong.
And yet, despite the magnitude of this task, Tears of the Kingdom has been the most-anticipated game in recent years. But the same magic trick won’t work twice.
So, how does Tears of the Kingdom fare against Breath of the Wild?
Let’s find out! 👇
Tears of the Kingdom Review Contents:
- Graphics
- Game Mechanics
- Game Dynamics
- Sound & Voiceovers
- Price & Value
- Tears of the Kingdom vs Breath of the Wild
- Review Verdict
- FAQs
Graphics
Since the events of Breath of the Wild, much has changed in Hyrule.
The towns have been ravaged by monsters, fallen to fashion frenzies, and even become titans of industry. New worlds have been added and there are plenty of new monsters, treasures, and adventures to explore.
However, even with these changes, there is still the feeling of deja vu.
Breath of the Wild was already pushing the Switch’s hardware to its limitations. The rendering of the flowing grass, the wind through the trees, and the shadows from clouds overhead are like a dream. In fact, it’s still one of the prettiest games on the Switch, and Tears of the Kingdom hardly surpasses it.
Digital Foundry has done the heavy lifting to see exactly what has changed, but few gamers will notice anything at all. What is noticeable, however, are the tweaks they’ve made behind the scenes. The load times are cut down and pop-in is minimised. In addition, there is much-improved lighting and the particle effects are near perfection.
For the trained eye, it’s safe to say that Tears of the Kingdom is a total upgrade in this respect; despite the average gamer failing to notice much visual change.
But that’s okay – Tears of the Kingdom is still stunning.
Gameplay & Mechanics
For the most part, the game mechanics of Tears of the Kingdom remain relatively unchanged. You can jump, crouch, create and slaughter. However, when it comes to what you can create, this is where Tears of the Kingdom really excels.
Magnesis, Cryonis, and the other powers of the original Breath of the Wild have been made obtuse by Tears of the Kingdom’s new powers. Instead of only moving magnetic objects, your Ultrahand can pick up and throw anything laying about.
Ice weaponry can now form platforms on water, items can be paused and rewound during midflight, and roofs can be flown right through. The changes are so elegant and exciting that you might forget how limited the first game’s powers really were.
See Also: Best Elixirs In Tears of the Kingdom
That said, the crown jewel of the Tears of the Kingdom’s newest game mechanics is the sandbox approach to building. Beyond just building forts or cars, there are stabilisers, time bombs, hot air balloons, and rocket launchers to create. Aerial bombers, absurd monster traps, mazes of lasers, and stupid statues can also be dreamt of and designed. A true sandbox experience.
The only thing you can’t do with your creations is play with a friend.
Which, you could imagine that Tears of the Kingdom would have opted to include it if the hardware would allow for such power.
Game Dynamics
The freedom to explore and play among a densely reactive work is still endlessly fun through Tears of the Kingdom, even if the similarity to Breath means diminishing returns in some areas. For example, learning to dodge in Tears of the Kingdom was even more exciting than in Breath of the Wild. However, this makes battles easier
To offset the familiar faces and places, the depths– a Hyrule-sized map of caverns below– have been added, and are filled with new threats, monsters and minerals. The breadth and frequency of the new sights and adventures sneak up on you quickly.
The temples are atmospheric and boss battles are far more original and exciting. With the help of some Zonai constructions, shield-surfing can become hoverboarding and there are also many lovely quality-of-life changes that have been made.
One of the most pleasant changes to the game dynamics is how useful all items have become. While the trinkets and trash you would pick up in Breath of the Wild were excessive, even things like the worthless Keese Eyeball can now be lifesavers. These eyeballs turn your arrows into head-seeking missiles! Not to mention all of the awesome armor sets in TotK that you can collect such as the Zonaite Armor and Fierce Deity collections.
In addition, precious gems are also now just as valuable as TotK weapon upgrades, and pinecones create windy updrafts when burnt. It’s clear that endless fine-tuning has gone into the game which is a massive win for Tears of the Kingdom.
Sound & Voiceovers
Though the technical graphics of the game remain relatively unchanged, the design and details have been buffed out to a mirror sheen. For the first time, the wildlife you see in Tears of the Kingdom actually makes the sounds you want to hear.
Blue sparrows chirp until they scatter, wells are filled with croaking frogs, and night in the forest is more than just the odd cricket or an invisible owl. The TotK soundtrack is also fuller, porting original songs whilst adding new themes and variations.
However, the story still suffers from light melodrama and underdevelopment, but it’s supported by the history that Breath of the Wild created.
In addition, the voice work also hasn’t improved and is often tooth-grinding overacting. Nintendo still hasn’t learned to hire quality English voice actors like their beloved Studio Ghibli does which is a shame.
Price & Value
Available upon release from $79.00 from your favourite retailers such as Amazon, BigW and Kogan, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is fairly priced for what the game delivers. With most of the best kids switch games falling within this price bracket, there is nothing here to be too uncomfortable about.
Sure, the Zelda diehard might feel that they would have been better off just paying for the Breath of the Wild DLC, however, there is easily 150+ hours worth of gameplay here which makes the cost of Tears of the Kingdom a drop in the ocean.
Tears of the Kingdom vs Breath of the Wild
As a sequel, Tears of the Kingdom must do more than Breath of the Wild, without too much variance. It’s a delicate balance which, thankfully, Nintendo have built directly on Breath of the Wild’s strong foundations.
In Breath of the Wild, the Great Plateau elegantly introduces players to the map in miniature and begins immediately with amnesiac Link simply walking out onto a green hillside to see the fresh, new world. The storytelling and tutorials took a backseat to experience the game. However, in Tears of the Kingdom, Link has regained his memory, so instead of three short minutes for an introduction, Tears spends twenty minutes. It’s a circuitous route to the same result.
Despite this weak start, and a handful of failures to eclipse Breath of the Wild, Tears of the Kingdom surpasses Breath on all fronts. Okay, so the map towers are uglier and the heartstopping Guardian Stalkers are missing, but these are the only major weak points when comparing Breath of the Wild vs Tears of the Kingdom.
The fact that Tears is clearly a direct upgrade to Breath seems to have been a point of concern among the developers. So much so that Tears of the Kingdom seems to be torn between being a sequel and a reboot.
The ancient Sheikahs have (almost) been retconned in favour of the new Zonai, though they were pervasive in the first game. In addition, major characters and monuments have vanished, never to be referred to again. Very few townsfolk recognise Link and even Link’s close friends simply call him “you”– It’s clearly a ploy to allow for new players, and in this regard, it works excellently with new players having almost no need to play Breath of the Wild.
For legacy Zelda players, however, it’s jarring nonetheless.
Tears of the Kingdom Review Verdict
Overall, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is a must-play for both diehard Zelda fans and newlyweds to the saga. Beyond some retreads and exclusions, Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom improves upon Breath of the Wild across almost all aspects of the series. It’s a stunning sequel that, although sometimes feels like a reboot, delivers more than enough variance to keep fans entertained.
If you were hoping for a revolution, you won’t find it here.
Tears of the Kingdom is 125% more adventure with increased attention to detail. There’s endless creative potential and a fresh take on what it means to be an open-world sandbox game. Heck, players are already paying homage to smash hits such as God of War and Halo via fused creations!
That said, for the most anal of Zelda critics, you will fail to find any crazy new angles to appreciate in Tears of the Kingdom. Despite small improvements, the map is identical and there are no Guardian Stalkers. This may be a deal breaker for you.
Thoughts on Tears of the Kingdom? Join the comments below.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Questions about The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom? Check out some of the most frequently asked questions we receive about Nintendo’s latest smash hit sequel.
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Content Disclaimer: This Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Review is independently written by Branden Zavaleta on Nintendo Switch with a review copy. GamePro has not been commissioned by Nintendo, nor have we received any royalties for this article. This includes financial reimbursement, free advertising or a free retail copy of the Tears of the Kingdom game.
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