The Legend of Zelda:
Tears of the Kingdom
By now, I think that anyone who is interested in video games should be aware of the Legend of Zelda series. The Switch entries in particular are massively popular, and for good reason. Tears of the Kingdom - much like Breath of the Wild - is a great game. The world is designed with such care and mystique, while not overwhelming with complexity or activity. The formula is very much the same as in it's predecessor, with Link traversing through dungeons to save Zelda while using different powers along the way. This time, a core mechanic is Link's ability to use Zonai technology to create all sorts of machines and vehicles. This mechanic is what you make of it, with the ability to save more complicated creations for later use. Ultimately, I found this mechanic to be intriguing, but a little tedious and complicated. I opted to glide across the skies like the old days, although it took a long time. Even ignoring what is potentially the most fun part of the game, I had a lot of fun playing it. Tears of the Kingdom plays it safe, and doesn't try to reinvent the formula that made Breath of the Wild nearly perfect - and that's a good thing. At the same time, the lack of iteration makes it hard for me to call this entry "nearly perfect".
Play it for the:
- Excellent, modern Zelda gameplay
- Beautiful open world
- Ability to create man-made horrors
Reviewed on 2025-7-7
The Switch 2 improvements are small but appreciable - just ask this guy.
