Builds on it's predecessor in interesting ways, stacking the world into 3 zones that all have their own unique feel and methods of navigation. The combat and weapon systems are the same, but bolstered by the fuse system that adds a new layer of improvisation. If it's not broken, don't fix it. The sandbox style of play is the real winner in Tears of the Kingdom and while most of the time I think the game gives you the exact tools for the job, the game is totally open to you playing how you want to and building what you have in mind. The sky is the limit.

As far as issues, it's really all the same things I have issues with in most open-world games: a massive world with a set of collectibles you need to get in order to improve your character, side quests that don't feel that meaningful which is certainly not always the case, and a world so massive that it really doesn't fully use the ability to create vehicles when the glider is the best mode of transportation.

Narratively this is a more satisfying game, especially in it's climax that is as thrilling as any I've seen in a game of this scope. I think Nintendo has this aspect down pat where their games always build to something truly spectacular. It's an especially awesome finale. I'm not really here for the narrative but it does the job, sometimes excelling, and rarely gets in the way.

Overall I really enjoyed my time with Tears of the Kingdom. It doesn't feel as refreshing to the medium as Breath of the Wild did, but it is a better game on every level. I think something like Elden Ring is now more my speed, where the exploration is its own reward and a more robust combat system keeps me engaged consistently. I'm glad there are still open-world games like this that can keep my interest, ones that are attempting to build on the genre in ways that compliment video games as a medium. I'm excited to see where The Legend of Zelda goes from here, and how Tears of the Kingdom's sandbox style is emulated just as Breath of the Wild made waves.

haven’t really heard it talked about as such but this is one of those dad games in the vein of the last of us or god of war (2018) only far less literal. it’s a team of aging game developers reckoning with the world they’re leaving behind for their children, and the enormous challenges coming generations will have to face in order to survive. an excerpt from an interview aonuma gave to gene park in the run up to the release reads:

Aonuma hopes "Tears of the Kingdom" will inspire people to rethink how they
approach obstacles outside the screen.
He thinks of his son and his frustration around everyday problems. "I'll ask him, 'What was your goal when trying to reach this result?' And he'll say I wasn't really thinking much when I was doing it. I just did it," Aonuma said, with a deep sigh. "I would really be happy if our game encourages imaginative thinking in people, and that they could carry that into their real lives.”

which is pretty funny but also illuminating as to the theme and purpose of the game. it’s an easy knock to make against them but these games are so successful and interesting to me in large part because they’re really for and about children, in a very meaningful way. what binds the many branching and overlapping narratives at play here is how they all center around the next generation inheriting the world, its problems and responsibilities. as opposed to botw, where the champions were long dead spirits sent from the past to assist link, the sages here are all young leaders thrust into positions of power on account of overwhelming crises. you also see this with purah (😳🥵😵) and josha in lookout landing, paya in kakariko village, and of course link and zelda are basically playing this arc out themselves. i think botw was going for a similar thing in terms of children being forced to deal with the threats left for them by their forbears, but it’s much clearer and more potent here for a number of reasons. the overarching narrative is significantly richer and more robust, so the ideas are much easier to identify and engage with, but more than anything it’s the mechanics that make this such a rich thematic experience

doubles down on the freedom of choice botw seemed to offer in spades in every way that it could. in combat, traversal, puzzling — the abilities the game gives you from the very beginning make for limitless solutions to every problem it throws your way. i mean not really but it does a remarkable job instilling that feeling. i’ve played this game for well over 100 hours and i’m still astonished by how perfectly it all works. the ultra-hand rune alone, this incredibly complex yet intuitive system in which you can attach an object to any another object, allowing you to design and create literally anything you can imagine, opens up the game in such a way that it feels like it should all break down. but no, your creativity has been well accounted for by the designers. fuse, a similar ability in which you can bind any material to your weapon or shield, altering their properties completely, turns combat into a game of endless experimentation, too. can’t imagine anyone complaining about weapon durability in this one, where every item and mat presents the opportunity to create some badass monster killer. all of these systems are about inspiring the sort of imaginative approach to problem solving aonuma mentioned in that interview, and it’s remarkably successful in this regard

sure, the game almost always gives you the tools to solve the problem at hand - it is ultimately for children and nintendo is understandably concerned with making a game all players will be able to finish - but it still feels as tho you’re tackling these challenges on your own terms and in your own way. you’re going to get as much out of these systems as you put into them, essentially. you can beat the game playing it just like botw and not engaging with them at all if you really wanted to. but it’s to your benefit to put your time and energy into exploring their potential. the new and largely optional areas of the game, the depths and sky islands, do an exceptional job encouraging you to engage with these creative systems, navigation is maybe not impossible but a massive chore without them, and the largely familiar surface level map is made new again by how your abilities allow you to interact with it. i still don’t totally buy complaints re the emptiness of botw’s open world, considering how dynamic hyrule is in both of these games - physics, weather, terrain, wildlife, enemies flowing together to create a world that is impossibly responsive and alive - and i truly can’t imagine anyone lodging them against this one. the sheer density of shit you can do or interact with at any given moment is almost overwhelming

it’s a little bit silly maybe but i was really kind of moved by how beautifully these mechanics are married to the narrative and theme. what an optimistic work this is. realistic and grave about the enormous complications children will have to navigate as they come into their own, but hopeful in their ability to overcome through diligence, companionship and ingenuity. something like this so much more useful to me than, say, the navel-gazing doomerism of don’t look up. sort of an absurd comparison lol but i think their real world concerns are quite similar; they just arrive at drastically different conclusions

this is a game about climate change in a very literal sense. the main quest line centers around sudden, unnatural environmental disasters striking the four main regions of the game, with the exception of eldin where you combat an addiction crisis among the gorons (lol). there’s no real subtext here you’re actually just combatting the climate crisis for the first idk 60+ hours of the game. and the faith it puts in its audience to navigate these very serious and deadly challenges in their own way is kind of profound to me. i don’t think it necessarily has to be about climate change either, tho. the goron quest broadens this textually, and of course the arch threat of ganon is largely a martial one (the messaging is maybe a little bit distressing in that one of the primary ways in which you interact with the world is through violence but eh that’s gaming for you). climate is obviously front of mind for a lot of parents when thinking about the world they’ll leave behind for their children, but the upheaval can stand in for just about anything. in the true post-credits ending, the sage spirit mineru, a zonai from the distant past guiding link and his friends to atone for the failures of her generation, departs from the young heroes saying: “Do not worry. You have overcome the burden my era left for you. You have proven yourself and you no longer need me.” a beautiful sentiment, and the entire project in microcosm i think

all of these ideas are quite broad and simple - zelda has always dealt in archetypes and tropes and this one is no different - but the manner and depth in which they’re explored is radical and extraordinary to me. both of these games are heavily indebted to miyazaki, this one adding a healthy dose of castle in the sky on top of botw’s mononoke remixin, but here the connections to his work move beyond mere aesthetic allusions into something far more substantial. nausicaa, laputa, kiki, mononoke, spirited away, howl’s, ponyo — all of these films tackle similar themes and emotions in similar ways as this game, i would argue. again, it takes its status as “a game for kids” very seriously

what nintendo has managed to pull off here, on decade old underpowered hardware, is a real achievement. a marvel of game technology, design, and art. i’ve done almost nothing else for over a month now and i’m not tired of playing or looking at it (i still find its melding of european and japanese fantasy aesthetics to be totally enchanting despite its obvious graphical limitations) at all; i could go back for more right now. there are definitely quibbles i could make here and there, but at its best (prepare yourself for some serious hyperbole) it feels like the promise of this still young medium fulfilled. so i really have no choice but to declare it a masterpiece and the best game on its console