Tears of the Kingdom, my God, what an absolute masterpiece. There’s so much to tell, but there’s not enough space here to cram down 120+ hours of gameplay of this simple but beautiful game that Nintendo has blessed us with.
After six long years of waiting for a sequel to Breath of The Wild, Tears of the Kingdom took its place and shocked Zelda fans worldwide! Though it’s my first time setting foot in the Zelda series, it has been an entirely different experience. One that I grew fond of as well!
Come to think of it. Six years is a long time to keep your fans waiting. Let’s find out what Tears of the Kingdom offers in our review.
A Great Start
Tears of the Kingdom takes place roughly 3-4 years after Breath of The Wild, with immense changes, fun elements, and much more.
Upon starting the cinematics, the developers take us on a thriller ride to uncover the secrets of the main boss. I was so into the whole scene that I almost thought I was watching a movie. Various elements will keep you hooked on the screen and enjoy every moment of it. The visuals, character expressions, and each emotion added provide the best gaming experience one could ever ask for from Nintendo.
Of course, one has to juice up the main boss, otherwise, where’s the fun in that? (hehe)
Eventually, we find two-three stories linked together and the game starts. Here’s the fun part, through the start of the game (which is what, 1% of the whole story?), I’ve found it to be extremely interesting, there are multiple factors that excite a gamer when he plays a game. Considering Tears of the Kingdom, the introduction to it is phenomenal!
My bet is, you will also most definitely enjoy every moment from that intro.
Enter The World of Zelda – Gameplay
You will find the game smooth, lively, and vivid as soon as you start. The details and efforts put into Tears of The Kingdom are absolutely flawless! From the captivating environment to the limitless scouting prowess, it’s hard to point out flaws. Furthermore, the creativity one can apply is limitless. I mean, I have seen various YouTubers drop out the craziest videos related to Tears of the Kingdom, showcasing their creativity!
What sets this game apart from the rest is its ability to offer the players unlimited access to the environment and its features.
However, I did run into frame drops and stuttering, but it all amounts to 1% of what I experienced in the Legend of Zelda! Sometimes, the console heats up and tries to mess up the gameplay, though it never succeeds *wink*.
The endless map and the detail left in each place show how much consideration and emotional effects have been put into this masterpiece. Rather than focusing on a specific campaign story, Tears of The Kingdom includes endless possibilities and features that are not hard to miss!
If you’re a fan of the original Legend of Zelda, you’ll find old relics, structures, and ruins from Breath of the Wild as well!
When I first started playing, I thought it would end as fast as it started. To my surprise, the journey I prepared to start alongside the main character, took an exciting turn! Coincidentally, the first phase rattled me because I hadn’t even touched the tip of the iceberg – I found out I needed to familiarise myself with the game’s mechanics before diving into the main events!
As soon as I pieced together the first four shrines, I noted that these were included in Breath of The Wild. However, the details of these shrines walk us through mind-blowing puzzles that require solving before we upgrade our abilities!
How would I know that, heh? With the first 8 hours spent on the first phase, I finally found a way to progress through the story! The more you play, you’ll unlock a path for Link’s new abilities!
A Look into The Main Story
The main story keeps improving as you wrap up the previous sections. Alongside an ongoing storyline, we are taken back to the era where it all started. The game selects a smooth transition between the past and the present – engaging the gamers with new possibilities and familiarising them with past occurrences. We find out more and more about the events that took place before the current time and how they all led to the catastrophe that befalls the Hyrule Kingdom!
As I continued my journey in Tears of the Kingdom, I unlocked various memories and cinematics and eventually uncovered the truth behind the Imprisonment War. I was like, “Bro, are you serious?!” I’ll try not to spoil Tears of the Kingdom for the folks who haven’t had the chance to buy it yet!
Though, many secrets, new findings, and surprising factors inside the game will keep you focused!
After completing the Rito Village, Goron City, Gerudo Village, and Sidon’s quest, I encountered many fearsome bosses. The details and mind put into creating these bosses are hugely appraised!
There will come a time when you realize you’ve invested so many hours of gameplay into side quests and discoveries that you completely forget about the main story! That’s what happened to me. I was so mesmerized by the amount of detail and points added in Tears of the Kingdom that I kept advancing to more hidden parts of the map!
Optimization
As far as this factor is concerned, I found no issue whatsoever. The whole time I played Tears of The Kingdom, it ran smoothly with little to no lag or stutter. However, diving into a few boss fights or paragliding here and there tends to chop up graphics and induce a drop in frames. But that covers up immediately and amounts to no damage done at all.
Sometimes, I notice parts of the game are left unsaved after falling to my death (Yes, I’ve died playing this game countless times!) or when I build stuff using the Autobuild skill. These errors arise due to the aged hardware of the Nintendo Console. A game released after six years is surprisingly worth it despite the console issues that sometimes run the game at 30FPS or 20FPS! No matter; it deserves the perfect rating and the title of the Best Game in 2023.
Weapon transitions, combat efficiency, Cinematics, fusions, and the little details in Tears of Kingdom work perfectly!
Combat
The combat in Tears of the Kingdom is versatile, allowing us to use multiple weapons, including swords, spears, spikes, arrows, and more! The ability to fuse your weapons with various materials in the game is endless.
Furthermore, the smooth transition between fusing your arrows, blocking an enemy attack using parry, and transitioning to a flurry of attacks was incredible! Throughout my journey, I understood the role of these features during my fight against the Final Boss.
Random Thoughts About the Game
- Keep in mind that Tears of the Kingdom is relatively easy-to-play, but that does not mean I’m a noob! I found it annoying that it does not reload the game from when you died during a boss fight.
- Some of the best features of Tears of the Kingdom include diversity, and in-depth character insights. The emotional touch and focus on the little details draw out the best of the game.
- Strictly adhering to the “No Spoilers” policy from my side, one thing I’ve noticed, is that the storytelling for both BOW and TOK are quite different. There was more to explore in BOTW than it is in this next part.
- Ultimately, the storytelling in TOK is not ranked higher than its predecessor but one should appreciate the efforts!
- To conclude, I found the ending one of the best endings for a game of this level.
Our Verdict
With all said and done, it is finally time to bring an end to our Tears of the Kingdom Review. In conclusion, I absolutely recommend all my fellow gamers to try out TOTK and dive into the world of Zelda!
From the beginning to the end, the game kept me entertained. With all the open areas to explore, new characters to meet, and mini and temple Bosses to beat, I sure had fun!
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23-year old seasoned content writer with 5 years of expertise in gaming, tourism, and tech. Committed to VA since 2021, with prior internship experience at AK Broadcasts. Distinguished in English and highly skilled in writing. Enthusiastic gamer favoring Tekken, Apex Legends, and COD. Currently in the final year of BBA, with exceptional HR skills. Check out Reeshail’s Steam and learn more about his gaming expertise.
