Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

It’s been just about a week now since the release of Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. As hyped up and anticipated as this game has been, I was still unsure as to whether or not it really would overpass Breath of the Wild as, frankly, one of the best games ever made.

I’ve put, oh, a few hours into the game since release day, and I think it is officially safe to say that Tears of the Kingdom is all it was expected to be and more.

It would be unfair to call it just a sequel to Breath of the Wild. In reality it’s a continuation of it. And while technically you are getting the same map as the first game, there is now so much more to explore. New worlds both above and below the old map lets you explore parts of Hyrule we never got to experience before. It really feels like the type of game you could spend years exploring and still find new things to do and see.

The game itself takes a lot of inspiration from older Zelda games as well. While Breath of the Wild was a whole new concept, Tears of the Kingdom seems to revert back to some traditional Zelda ideas. A lot of the shrines and caves across the world take on more of a dungeon-style, much to the joy of long-time franchise fans. You’ll also see some classic bosses and monsters returning. Like-likes hiding out in caves and even the classic Gohma is back in the fire temple. Perhaps the most terrifying new boss is the Gloom Hands, which are pretty reminiscent of Floor Masters or maybe more closely to the Dead Hand boss in Ocarina of Time. I never thought there would be a day I’d be wishing for the Guardians to return, but here we are. Every time I see those hands appear I run in the opposite direction.

I haven’t gotten very far into the story just yet-there are so many distractions! But so far I am definitely intrigued. It seems like this game may finally connect some of the older stories. There are obvious ties to Skyward Sword, but I even get some Twilight Princess vibes at times. I’m very excited to see where the story and the franchise as a whole goes from here.

I can’t recommend this game enough. If you enjoy open world and free roaming games, beautiful settings and intriguing plot, this is the game for you. My one recommendation is that if you never played Breath of the Wild, at the very least look up the main storyline before playing Tears of the Kingdom.

I can’t wait to delve further into this game. It’s beautifully made, full of surprises and nostalgia. While it’s only been a week, it’s pretty clear that Tears of the Kingdom will be widely regarded as one of the top games this year, if not the top game.