What is Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom?
Tears of the Kingdom (TOTK) is the newest release in the Legend of Zelda franchise. TOTK was released on May 12th, 2023 for the Nintendo Switch. It is the sequel to 2017’s Breath of the Wild (BOTW) and shares many of the same mechanics and gameplay systems while also making many of its own to differentiate itself. TOTK is a massive game, it took me around 75 hours to beat the main story while doing a decent amount of side content which is why it took me over a month to beat the game and get this review out.
Game Review:
Because TOTK is the direct sequel to Breath of the Wild, they have many things in common. For starters, the map and topography are the same as in BOTW but the world changed enough to show the passage of time and the effects of the events of TOTK. Many of the gameplay systems are the same as well. Weapon durability makes its inglorious return (to the grumbling of most players I’ve talked to) and elemental systems like fire, lightning, heat, and cold carry over between the games. And the iconic paraglider returns that is used in so many games taking inspiration from BOTW. The Stamina wheel also returns as it has become a staple in the last 3 major releases in the Zelda franchise. It was nice having some familiarity with the systems as I journeyed on this new adventure even if some of them were things that many of us hoped would change.
TOTK does build on the foundation of BOTW but also carves out its own identity. For starters, Link’s abilities are basically all different. In BOTW powers are a means of surviving, while in TOTK the powers serve to help the player thrive. Newly added powers like Ascend, Fusion, and Ultrahand are the standouts to me in my playthrough. Ascend allows players to jump up and through platforms directly above them which improves Link’s verticality granting a newfound freedom in exploring. Fusion is an ability that lets Link fuse items with weapons or arrows to increase attack power and durability as well as other unique attributes of the object you fuse. This gives the player many different options to upgrade their weapons.
Ultrahand gives players the ability to move and connect objects to each other to create engineering projects that can be used to help Link’s traversal, combat, or just be marveled at. Zonai Devices enhance this power, which are machines created by the ancient Zonai that use battery power to operate, and have a variety of uses. Some are structural objects like carts, hot-air balloons, sleds, and gliders that become the basis for vehicles. Others are more mechanical like fans, flame-emitters, rockets, and cannons that propel vehicles or can be used for weapons or other creations.
TOTK has a few other good abilities like Rewind that sends an object back in time, including its spatial flight path. This can be used for a bunch of circumstances but typically it was one that I kind of forgot about in favor of the previous powers I listed. There is also an optional power that supplements Ultrahand and can build pre-set devices or contraptions called Autobuild. Overall the powers are great and I really enjoyed them. I thought I would miss the BOTW powers more but I feel like these powers worked well in conjunction with the Zonai Devices you can build.
Like in BOTW there are more abilities you can gain by progressing the story, given to you by other characters, specifically a Sage from each race. I actually liked the abilities given in TOTK better. The only one from BOTW that I really miss is Revali’s Gale. That is a power that doesn’t carry over and it is missed by many who play from what I’ve heard. Otherwise, the abilities given in TOTK by the Sages are creative and generally very helpful.
As someone who didn’t enjoy BOTW as much as older Zelda titles I found TOTK more to my liking. It brings back familiar franchise staples like proper dungeons, a more cohesive story, and companions. Although the dungeons are smaller and less complex than more traditional Zelda games, it’s still a nice return to form from the disappointment of the Divine Beasts of BOTW. I also appreciate that the story is closer to the traditional Zelda games rather than the story you see in BOTW in little snippets that you get in whatever order you find them.
TOTK is a massive game, sharing a map with BOTW with the inclusion of 2 other areas for Link to explore. The first area for Link to explore is the Sky Islands, reminiscent of Skyward Sword. This adds another dimension to a game that is centered on the ideas of exploration and discovery. Having sky islands spread out the way that they are forces the player to be ingenuitive with their Zonai Devices and find ways to reach new heights while not using all their battery power/stamina. The islands also create opportunities for even more stunning viewpoints to lookout over Hyrule. There is a third area that was not shown in the marketing material by Nintendo so if you don’t want spoilers, skip the next paragraph.
SPOILERS!!!
The third area of TOTK is the depths. It’s an underground area below the surface of Hyrule accessible through chasms that have opened up across the land. It is my least favorite area in TOTK. Everything in the depths is dark, like you would expect, and so Link has to find ways to light up his path. He can do this through collectible plants that can be thrown as light sources, he can wear glowing clothes/eat food that makes him glow to give him light in his immediate area, or Link can reach Lightroots. Lightroots can be used as fast travel points and light up their assigned area with light to make it easier to see. The thing I don’t like about the depths is that until you find a Lightroot exploring the depths is tedious. Added to that is the fact that the depths house more dangerous monsters and a ton of Gloom, a substance across the game that causes Link to lose hearts and the ability to recover them. The depths play an important part in the story and narrative of the game but I personally do not find them to be an enjoyable aspect to the game.
SPOILERS OVER
Family Friendliness:
TOTK is not an inappropriate game. There isn’t blood or gore, no foul language, no sexual content, no drugs/alcohol, etc. But this game is not for kids of every age. There is still violence and characters do die. And there are also monsters and characters that could be scary for a small child to see. The final boss in particular is one of the more intense visual displays I’ve seen in Zelda games. Zelda games take the Nintendo charm but also give them a more mature flavor that games like Mario don’t ever attempt.
Features for Parents:
TOTK is a meaty game and can be very intimidating for parents who just don't have time to play a game that size, but if you are interested in tackling this behemoth of a game, it does offer an amazing save system that keeps the game state exactly as it was. There are also plenty of fast travel points and upgrades earned in game to make traveling distances go faster. The pause button works great in everything except for cutscenes. And most of the dialogue in game is done through text that can be read at your own pace, cutscenes are the exception. If you are a parent who doesn’t have a ton of time but loves the Zelda franchise and wants to play, there are also plenty of resources/videos to watch that can give you tips for playing through the game easier.
Final Verdict:
All in all I found TOTK to be a game where they took the uniqueness of BOTW’s exploration and discovery and merged it with a more traditional Zelda framework with a better narrative and dungeons. The developers also dug deep and made systems that allows players to showcase their creativity with their engineering projects and really push how far those mechanics can go. It’s not my personal favorite Zelda game but it is without a doubt one of the best and most well-made games in the series.