The Legend Continues: Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Redefines Open-World Gaming

Highlights

Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom successfully builds upon the award-winning formula of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, offering a more well-rounded open-world experience.

Tears of the Kingdom revitalizes Hyrule with its vast and bustling world, featuring both transformative enhancements to familiar territories and exciting new realms to uncover.

In the saturated open-world genre, few games stand out for their exceptional quality. Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, the latest installment in the series, not only meets this standard but surpasses it. Nintendo successfully builds upon the acclaimed formula established in Zelda: Breath of the Wild, creating an even more immersive and well-rounded gaming experience. This is achieved through the introduction of new areas and game-changing abilities for Link, offering an unprecedented level of freedom within the genre.

One of the key factors behind the critical and commercial success of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was its ability to evoke a genuine sense of isolation and discovery. Navigating the vast expanse of Hyrule was a daunting undertaking, with diverse and breathtaking landscapes ranging from towering mountains to underwater caverns. The addition of dynamic temperature changes further added to the game's realism, despite its vibrant art style. Rather than simply reusing the original map of Hyrule with minor enhancements, Tears of the Kingdom breathes new life into the kingdom. Hyrule is now teeming with vibrant ecosystems and a significantly denser population. Moreover, players are presented with two entirely new maps to explore: the skies above Hyrule and the treacherous Depths below it.

Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom's Open World of Hyrule is Familiar But Fresh

Tears of the Kingdom introduces Link to familiar areas from the first game, like Zora's Domain and Death Mountain. However, the game ensures that each location is distinctly different from its previous iteration. By altering the structural layout and introducing new gameplay elements, such as a fierce sandstorm in Gerudo Town, Tears of the Kingdom keeps the world of Hyrule exciting and rejuvenated.

Additionally, the skies above Hyrule are now adorned with large, ancient floating structures. Link can explore these structures if he possesses the necessary tools for the journey. Players have various means of accessing these areas, including utilizing Zonai devices or using Link's ability to manipulate time called Recall. For example, Link can rewind the descent of falling rocks to create a pathway. Navigating these structures requires precise platforming skills, as one wrong move can result in Link falling back to the ground. This new approach adds a refreshing change to the gameplay experience.

Throughout Hyrule, the kingdom of Tears, a substance called Gloom has caused the formation of large, menacing pitch-black holes in the ground. The brave can explore the Depths below by venturing into these holes, which are filled with secrets and discoveries. Navigating the Depths is a unique experience as the perpetual darkness forces players to carefully manage their resources, never knowing what awaits them around each corner. For those who dare, they can literally jump off one of the floating structures in the sky and dive all the way to the bottom of the Depths without encountering any loading screens. This showcases both the impressive technical performance of the game and the incredible diversity of the map.

The success of Breath of the Wild raised expectations for its sequel since its announcement. Tears of the Kingdom's ability to surpass those lofty expectations was an impressive accomplishment, leaving fans of the franchise eagerly anticipating what's to come. With rumors circulating about the Nintendo Switch 2, a potential successor to the Nintendo Switch, the third installment in this series could potentially be on a brand-new platform. This would allow Nintendo to push the boundaries of what fans can expect even further.

Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is available exclusively for Nintendo Switch.