Tears of the Kingdom (TOTK), the new mainline Zelda game from Nintendo, offers a feeling I have not felt in 6ish years since the previous Zelda game, Breath of the Wild (BOTW), came out in 2017. TOTK is a full, expansive, and all encompassing open world game filled to the brim with ingenuity, exploration, and fun.
TOTK is basically BOTW on steroids, the open world we loved exploring before is back for the most part, with additional areas and surprises, with new updates, shrines, caves, wells, and beyond to explore. New abilities offer near unlimited character and creative options to explore, materials and devices can be melded in any way the user sees fit to aid in their exploration and experience in this open and beautiful vision of Hyrule. In addition to an expansive ground level, dark depths and open skies await the player, exponentially increasing the scope and exploration potential to be had.
Everything here is working in unison to guide the player to every wonderful and interactive space that they have created. Quests, main or side, lead you to stables or villages with quirky characters who are in need of aid. These lead you past shrines, caves, chasms, or other engaging landmarks. The only area that feels somewhat played out or empty is the ground level in some areas, likely due to it being roughly the same landmass as it was before in BOTW. Also, many of the new features, wells, caves, etc. are not readily visible on the surface sometimes. Long stretches can be found off the beaten path with seemingly no real direction or appeal.
The story is a good straight forward Zelda tale, the voice acting is excellent and the lore, while shallow, is engaging. I do wish maybe some more care had been put into the distribution and ordering of the main quests. The game really does not want to hamstring the players exploration in any way, but it does come at a cost in story terms. Dragon tear memories can be found throughout Hyrule that give backstory on the area and Zelda's wherabouts. The problem is they are not given in any order, so you could watch the climax of the story before getting to even know the characters. Main quests to find the master sword can be done early on that spoil the dragons tears storyline, characters will be openly discussing how we need to find the master sword while it is sheathed on Link's back.
None of these small issues are enough to detract from the massive accomplishment Nintendo has put out here. Tears of the Kingdom is one of the greatest games of all time, a wonderful and engaging blend of exploration, charm, and creativity.
TOTK is basically BOTW on steroids, the open world we loved exploring before is back for the most part, with additional areas and surprises, with new updates, shrines, caves, wells, and beyond to explore. New abilities offer near unlimited character and creative options to explore, materials and devices can be melded in any way the user sees fit to aid in their exploration and experience in this open and beautiful vision of Hyrule. In addition to an expansive ground level, dark depths and open skies await the player, exponentially increasing the scope and exploration potential to be had.
Everything here is working in unison to guide the player to every wonderful and interactive space that they have created. Quests, main or side, lead you to stables or villages with quirky characters who are in need of aid. These lead you past shrines, caves, chasms, or other engaging landmarks. The only area that feels somewhat played out or empty is the ground level in some areas, likely due to it being roughly the same landmass as it was before in BOTW. Also, many of the new features, wells, caves, etc. are not readily visible on the surface sometimes. Long stretches can be found off the beaten path with seemingly no real direction or appeal.
The story is a good straight forward Zelda tale, the voice acting is excellent and the lore, while shallow, is engaging. I do wish maybe some more care had been put into the distribution and ordering of the main quests. The game really does not want to hamstring the players exploration in any way, but it does come at a cost in story terms. Dragon tear memories can be found throughout Hyrule that give backstory on the area and Zelda's wherabouts. The problem is they are not given in any order, so you could watch the climax of the story before getting to even know the characters. Main quests to find the master sword can be done early on that spoil the dragons tears storyline, characters will be openly discussing how we need to find the master sword while it is sheathed on Link's back.
None of these small issues are enough to detract from the massive accomplishment Nintendo has put out here. Tears of the Kingdom is one of the greatest games of all time, a wonderful and engaging blend of exploration, charm, and creativity.