Being a massive Zelda fan over the years, Breath of the Wild is something I haven't actually experienced yet, mostly because by the time it was out, I was less interested in the Switch. That said, I still bought one eventually, and the new release excitement for Tears of the Kingdom got me, so I gave the open world Zelda game a chance. And oh boy, I certainly did not regret that.
I think it wouldn't be an understatement to label it as one of the most creative games out there, that still feels like a proper adventure, rather than a toolset in a sandbox. From the early hours of the game, you get quite a few tools to play around with, but as you play, you realize that you can really apply them in a myriad of situations, sometimes as the game wants you to, other times in more peculiar ways. While there are a lot of moment to moment goals, like climbing a cliff or passing over a river, even the objectives of the quests themselves have open ended solutions that really allow the player's craftiness to shine. I really feel that only a special selection of games manages to accomplish that feeling, and still have an abundance of that kind of goals, that are solved in a way that feels natural. I'm honestly in awe with this aspect of the title.
As for the open world itself, it's definitely one of the most packed worlds I've seen. The fact that you explore three tiers of it is kind of incredible, even if the Depths and the sky islands feel a bit lesser and more repetitive. That said, both of those still have a lot of fun places to see, that make exploration worthwhile. I didn't delve completely into the side content, though I tried to do everything that I came across, especially side adventures. In general, I'd say a lot of it is actually really good, and not that repetitive, requiring a lot of the aforementioned problem solving in quite unique situations. The shrines are the meat of it, and I really liked pretty much every one of them I tried, which simultaneously taught you new ways to use the abilities and had fun challenges.
Despite the open world of the game, as an old school Zelda fan, I was pleased to see that game still has a lot of that Zelda spirit in the way it leads you to the temples. From the way the quests happen, to the various secrets you find out in seemingly familiar places, to the abilities that allow you to interact with the world in new ways. I can't really hide that I'm somewhat sad that the temples are a lot smaller and a lot simpler than they used to be, but the journey to them certainly is quite memorable and overall, I was really surprised at how many incredible moments the game can create even without the use of cinematics. The bosses are simple puzzle fights most of the time, though some felt really epic in good ways. That said, the final boss of the game was a fight that I really loved.
And on the topic of the combat, and the game's controls, I feel Zelda games usually choose to do things in their own ways for better or worse. In TotK's case, a lot of the decisions seem to work at the expense of the game. It's a game that requires a lot of micromanagement. You spend a lot of time juggling menus between changing weapons very often due to them being breakable, fusing constantly and trying to use the different items or materials you gather for a variety of activities. There are also some odd decisions regarding the button mapping, and personally I also found the dodging and lock targeting somewhat uncomfortable to get used to, even after several dozens of hours. Thankfully, bow combat is a lot more intuitive and little stuff like the gyro aiming really make it very fun to use. The controls for Ultrahand were also somewhat unusual at first, though I'd say I got used to them eventually.
While Zelda games aren't really known for having especially complex stories or anything like that, one thing they always did right is being memorable and leaving a strong impression to the player, and I'd say TotK definitely achieves that, with a basic but really strong premise, and some story beats later that I absolutely loved. The story is especially carried by Zelda in this, who despite getting a damsel in distress role, is basically the real protagonist of the game, as the name of it would imply. The Tears sidequest is presented in a really bad way, but its outcome is worth the hassle as well. The game definitely has my favorite incarnation of Zelda in it, certainly loved her.
I just had a blast with TotK, with only some very minor gripes in the grand scheme of things. I remembered why I love this series so much, and it being so open not only with its world but with its multiple objectives as well, was just a pleasure to experience. Just an incredible game overall where you start with one goal, and end up getting distracted again and again, I had tons of fun with it. And really, top of the competition as far as interactions with the world go. A game that really has everything.
I think it wouldn't be an understatement to label it as one of the most creative games out there, that still feels like a proper adventure, rather than a toolset in a sandbox. From the early hours of the game, you get quite a few tools to play around with, but as you play, you realize that you can really apply them in a myriad of situations, sometimes as the game wants you to, other times in more peculiar ways. While there are a lot of moment to moment goals, like climbing a cliff or passing over a river, even the objectives of the quests themselves have open ended solutions that really allow the player's craftiness to shine. I really feel that only a special selection of games manages to accomplish that feeling, and still have an abundance of that kind of goals, that are solved in a way that feels natural. I'm honestly in awe with this aspect of the title.
As for the open world itself, it's definitely one of the most packed worlds I've seen. The fact that you explore three tiers of it is kind of incredible, even if the Depths and the sky islands feel a bit lesser and more repetitive. That said, both of those still have a lot of fun places to see, that make exploration worthwhile. I didn't delve completely into the side content, though I tried to do everything that I came across, especially side adventures. In general, I'd say a lot of it is actually really good, and not that repetitive, requiring a lot of the aforementioned problem solving in quite unique situations. The shrines are the meat of it, and I really liked pretty much every one of them I tried, which simultaneously taught you new ways to use the abilities and had fun challenges.
Despite the open world of the game, as an old school Zelda fan, I was pleased to see that game still has a lot of that Zelda spirit in the way it leads you to the temples. From the way the quests happen, to the various secrets you find out in seemingly familiar places, to the abilities that allow you to interact with the world in new ways. I can't really hide that I'm somewhat sad that the temples are a lot smaller and a lot simpler than they used to be, but the journey to them certainly is quite memorable and overall, I was really surprised at how many incredible moments the game can create even without the use of cinematics. The bosses are simple puzzle fights most of the time, though some felt really epic in good ways. That said, the final boss of the game was a fight that I really loved.
And on the topic of the combat, and the game's controls, I feel Zelda games usually choose to do things in their own ways for better or worse. In TotK's case, a lot of the decisions seem to work at the expense of the game. It's a game that requires a lot of micromanagement. You spend a lot of time juggling menus between changing weapons very often due to them being breakable, fusing constantly and trying to use the different items or materials you gather for a variety of activities. There are also some odd decisions regarding the button mapping, and personally I also found the dodging and lock targeting somewhat uncomfortable to get used to, even after several dozens of hours. Thankfully, bow combat is a lot more intuitive and little stuff like the gyro aiming really make it very fun to use. The controls for Ultrahand were also somewhat unusual at first, though I'd say I got used to them eventually.
While Zelda games aren't really known for having especially complex stories or anything like that, one thing they always did right is being memorable and leaving a strong impression to the player, and I'd say TotK definitely achieves that, with a basic but really strong premise, and some story beats later that I absolutely loved. The story is especially carried by Zelda in this, who despite getting a damsel in distress role, is basically the real protagonist of the game, as the name of it would imply. The Tears sidequest is presented in a really bad way, but its outcome is worth the hassle as well. The game definitely has my favorite incarnation of Zelda in it, certainly loved her.
I just had a blast with TotK, with only some very minor gripes in the grand scheme of things. I remembered why I love this series so much, and it being so open not only with its world but with its multiple objectives as well, was just a pleasure to experience. Just an incredible game overall where you start with one goal, and end up getting distracted again and again, I had tons of fun with it. And really, top of the competition as far as interactions with the world go. A game that really has everything.