The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom Review by Colin O

 

I, myself, am a huge Legend of Zelda fan. I have been playing Breath of the Wild for so long now that I’ve actually completed the game 12 times. So, when this sequel came out, I was incredibly excited to start playing. Unfortunately, I quickly realized that this is almost a completely different journey.

Cons

As I mentioned earlier, it feels like an entirely different experience. Between the Sky Islands and the Depths, it feels like a whole new world. They created different enemies and moved away from the original "vibe" of BotW.

They also removed the Sheikah Slate and its powers. In their place, they created new abilities like Ultrahand and Fuse. While I think Fuse is cool, the others just aren't the same. The opening scene—exploring the tunnels and paintings under the castle—is a great start, but the Sheikah history feels gone.

The Divine Beasts were a fantastic challenge. There was a clear quest to reach them and a really cool boss fight in each one. Personally, I’m not a big fan of the Temples; I can’t stand the Fire Temple or the Depths. I always get lost down there, and I know many others do too.

Honestly, there is almost too much in this game. The rules for fusing and the energy costs are a bit overwhelming. The previous game was simpler, with many fun side quests, and it was much easier to navigate and figure out what to do.

Finally, I don’t like the search for Zelda this time around. In BotW, she was clearly on our side, but with the "deceiving" version of Princess Zelda in this game, she doesn't give off that "ally" vibe. We are searching for her, yet she constantly places challenges in our path.

Pros

I think it is really cool how they allow you to bring your horses from BotW into TotK if you have save data from the first game. I entered the game ready to find a new horse, only to discover that my stable slots were already full of my old favorites.

There is also plenty of new ground to explore. Adding the Sky Islands and the Depths provides massive new areas to scout, even while they keep the core geographical features of the surface map the same.

I also appreciate that they kept most of the characters from BotW. Even though they may be in different roles or new areas of the map, they are still here. I’ve grown attached to many of them and was happy to see them remain part of the story.

Tarrey Town in Akkala is still blooming with new people and ideas. I enjoyed the side quest to bring Hudson’s child to Gerudo City—and while we’re on the subject, the battle there is great! It’s a fun, action-packed fight in the center of the city. I also enjoyed the underground protective bunker and the ability to choose your own defenses.

Final Verdict

Overall, it is a pretty good game, but in my eyes, the cons outweigh the pros. It wasn't exactly what I was looking for in a sequel, which was unfortunate. However, if you are tired of Breath of the Wild or if that style wasn't for you, it is definitely worth trying out Tears of the Kingdom.