The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom manages to maintain the sense of adventure that Breath of the Wild instilled but elevate it even further with the implementation of deep new crafting mechanics and abilities while specifically addressing and improving the weapon system, difficulty, and story.

Build it, and they will come.

Tears of the Kingdom is a triumph of open-ended game design that pays homage to the best parts of the Zelda franchise's own storied history--and sometimes exceeds them.

The more you play, the smaller you'll feel in the grandiose expanse presented by Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. It manages to one-up perhaps the most influential game of a generation, masterfully surpassing it in areas I never thought possible.

I wish I could rewind this whole experience, just so I can play it for the very first time again because if there is one thing that has now dawned on me, the one thing that has now struck a bit of fear, it’s that I now have to wonder how in the world will Nintendo ever top this. I suppose there’s some solace in knowing that this was the very thing I said about Breath of the Wild, so here’s to the future of the franchise.

Zelda Tears of the Kingdom is a game that lives up to the high expectations set by its predecessor, Breath of the Wild. The story is a direct continuation and the gameplay mechanics are familiar, yet there are enough new abilities and features to keep it feeling fresh and exciting.

Tears of the Kingdom is a masterpiece that re-sculpts an entire genre to fit its premise. Fans of of the franchise will be sure to find another mainstay for their console for years to come with this entry.

It's easy to say without hesitation that Tears of the Kingdom is better than Breath of the Wild. It improves and adds to what was already a great title. It's not a perfect experience through and through, but it lends to the creative side of the franchise with some of the best puzzle-solving in any adventure title to date. While it would still be nice to see a return to form of the shorter and more linearly-focused Zelda titles, it's hard to deny the lasting impact that Tears of the Kingdom will have for many more years to come. It's hard not to smile when trying wacky and crazy new things, and...

“The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is a spectacular, though demanding, sequel that'll make you feel like a creative genius.”

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom lives up to the franchise's pedigree, and then some. It’s a remarkably confident sequel that refines and remixes elements of Breath of the Wild in delightfully surprising ways. The aging Switch hardware it's confined to can’t always keep pace, but that’s a minor blemish on an overall masterful experience that is essential for all Nintendo fans.

Tears of the Kingdom is a great game that makes it hard to go back to Breath of the Wild. It improves on its predecessor in terms of exploring and its sandbox method of gameplay, but fails to update the main combat mechanics and weapon system.

A terrific Breath of the Wild follow-up with some brilliant new systems, amazing views and more dungeon-type spaces, plus a slightly deadening emphasis on gathering resources.