Tears of the Kingdom — Home

Nintendo’s release of Zelda: Breath of the Wild revolutionized open world, sandbox-structured single player video games. Its immersive story, intuitive map design, and endless discovery captivated fans of the series new and old. Six years later, the release of this beloved game’s sequel, Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, has overdelivered on the risky premise of recycling the same map of the mythical Hyrule. New additions, though, keep things fresh and exciting, such as more customizable weaponry and equipment, compelling quests, and an entire underground map known as The Depths. Somehow, Tears of the Kingdom has surpassed its predecessor — one of the most critically-acclaimed video games of all time.

I haven’t finished Tears of the Kingdom yet, and I’m in no rush to do so. Its expansive map is overwhelming at first, but progress comes at a perfectly satisfying rate, even taking multiple days off in-between play sessions. I’m keeping in mind that you can only play once-in-a-lifetime games like this for the first time once, so I’m choosing to take in the surroundings, surprises, and storylines with no rush. I just finished one of the game’s first main quests, which cleverly points you in four different directions on the map, letting you meet and solve problems for the residents of four major locations in the area. After doing so in each section, you unlock a companion spirit that accompanies and assists you as you progress further, rewarding you for solving the game’s many challenging puzzles and difficult boss fights.

While there is a clear path ahead of me (and Link) that I know will progress the main story’s plot forward, I’m going to continue to choose enjoying unlocking the entire map, exploring and harvesting as I go along. Open-world immersion is quickly becoming my favorite genre of games, and Tears of the Kingdom is no exception. If it sticks the landing, which I’m sure it will, it may become one of my favorite games of all time. Once I defeat Ganondorf and hopefully rescue Zelda, I’ll have you let you know what I think. If you’re a fan of video games, this is a must-play AAA title.