4.5/5 ★ – Empyrean's review of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.

This time last year I was vehemently anti-modern Zelda. I was stubbornly holding on to my memories of Ocarina of Time & Majora’s Mask, demanding things didn’t need to change. Then I decided to play through the entire franchise, including even things like Zelda’s Adventure (🤮) and the Tingle games. I never would’ve expected the outcome. The series is wildly inconsistent, ranging from titles that defeated me (Spirit Tracks) to the highs of the N64 era, which I now have to acknowledge are definitely not perfect. Not only that, but I struggled to get through old favourites like Twilight Princess and Wind Waker (the latter to a lesser extent, but damn those dungeons suck). Now I arrive at the end, with over 300 hours (closer to 400 if you count Age of Calamity) in this new era, and I can only sit back, regret my ignorance, and acknowledge that these are some of the best games in the franchises long history. Tears of the Kingdom is great, if the above paragraph didn’t clue you in already, that much isn’t in question. What is less clear is if it is superior to Breath of the Wild. That’s a harder and more complex question than I initially expected. For everything that TotK does objectively better, I find myself missing something from BotW. Let’s list some. The new mechanics, abilities, quality of life changes, music, sound design, bosses, and dungeons are all vast improvements. The core abilities in particular are revolutionary and what the game will be remembered for, and will honestly make returning to BotW feel difficult. I mean, they actually found a use for opals! Incredible! Whilst the sky and the depths have been somewhat divisive due to their lack of variety, I enjoyed them. The sky islands in particular were always a joy to traverse, and achieves what Skyward Sword tried and failed to do. Gliding over familiar landscapes that previously seemed daunting to scale, like Death Mountain or the Hebra region, whilst a dragon glides by as the sun goes down never failed to give me chills. Let’s move on to some negatives. The side content is bad. Whilst Nintendo addressed some issues with its predecessor, they’ve bizarrely chosen to double down on others. There are MORE korok seeds, MORE pointless quests, MORE shrines, and what is new, such as caves, wells, and side adventures, get old quick. The shrines and adventures are particularly disappointing. Eventide Island and Typhlo Ruins are embarrassing, and almost all shrines can be solved in the same way. It almost makes me miss Shieka golf… almost. The storytelling and world building is extremely sloppy. Whilst I appreciate that Nintendo want to make things accessible for new players, having characters I’ve previously spent over 100 hours with not remember me is frustrating. I don’t know shit about programming, but how difficult would it have been to carry over data from BotW so Bolson, who built Link’s house that’s still here in TotK, actually recognises him. Your horse data carries over, so why not that? The non-linear narrative, which didn’t bother me too much in BotW, doesn’t work here. Never have I had to use a guide to know which order to view the story, and WHEN to view the memories, but here we are. Characters and Shieka technology disappearing with little to no explanation is also just lazy. Finally, for things I just preferred in Breath of the Wild. In Tears of the Kingdom, Hyrule is in the process of healing and rebuilding. Wherever you turn on the land you’re likely to at least see a trace of civilisation. You can also have up to five allies, and if you join in with a monster assault you can have a full-scale skirmish on your hands. It’s a game about connections, and a feeling of hope is always persistent. In BotW, Link is alone. Hyrule is empty, save for the Guardians (who are superior to Gloomspawn and I miss them). Children in towns talk about their dead parents. It’s a quiet, somber, but relaxing experience. It may be a simpler game by comparison, but its atmosphere is matched only by something like Majora’s Mask. I also just prefer smaller things like the Shieka aesthetics over the drab grey and green of the Zonai, and the final ascent up Hyrule Castle I found far more thrilling than the descent into Ganon’s lair, which I mostly just rushed through. There are other plenty of other things, but I’ve waffled long enough. Even after all this I’m still not sure which I prefer, but ultimately I think that Breath of the Wild is the better first experience, whilst Tears of the Kingdom is the better *game*. The former is something you marvel at and revel in, soaking up the atmosphere. Tears of the Kingdom is the one you boot up if you want to strap a Korok to a rocket and blast it into fucking space. So whilst I’m no closer to an answer, what I am sure of is that I’m glad this new era of Zelda exists and I hope they continue to work on the formula. If the next open world title continues to further blend the old and the new whilst trimming some fat, they may finally arrive at something I would be comfortable agreeing is Best Game Ever material.