Completed with all shrines beaten and all lightroots located. There's little that I can say that's not been said plenty of time before, but Tears of the Kingdom is a triumphant sequel to Breath of the Wild. Once again we have a suitably epic story to provide impetus for the gameplay, spanning the history of Hyrule, and with some unusually heart-wrenching moments. The game map is tweaked just enough to feel fresh alongside introducing a novel set of new puzzle-solving mechanics, and the introduction of additional 'layers' with the underground depths and the skies above adds a great deal to the exploration - even if that sometimes brings a bit of frustration. Throughout, the way that miniature puzzles are woven into the world is inspired and the sheer quantity (and quality!) of detail that's packed in means that there's rarely a time that you'll not find something of interest as you explore.

Of course, no game is perfect and I'm in the camp that's not a fan of the weapon durability mechanic, which mostly leads to frustration, even if I understand the intention behind it. The major 'temple' locations are a significant improvement over Breath of the Wild's Divine Beasts, but I still mourn the absence of the fully-fledged puzzle-based dungeons that always were a series staple. These do detract from the overall experience a little, but not enough to prevent it almost certainly being one of the strongest releases of a pretty packed year.