«Tears of the Kingdom» review: a masterpiece of epic proportions

Wow, what a game. After almost 100 hours of play, I put down the controller and reflect on one of the most spectacular adventures in my gaming career. I can’t remember the last time a game captivated me like this.

«The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom» is packed with crazy ideas and mechanics that culminate in a unique gaming experience. If you liked the open-world design of «Breath of the Wild», you’ll love the crazy sandbox in «Tears of the Kingdom».

Where’s Zelda?

«Tears of the Kingdom» is set a few years after the events of «Breath of the Wild». Overall, the story is more substantial and exciting than its predecessor. It trumps with a few surprises and an emotional ending.

After Link defeats the baddie Ganon and prevents Hyrule being destroyed, peace reigns in the kingdom. Until the day when, for some inexplicable reason, Hyrule Castle floats up into the sky, throwing everything into chaos.

In the midst of this disarray, the demon Ganon(dorf), who’s believed dead, returns and Princess Zelda disappears.

My task is to find the princess and unravel the mystery behind the puzzling happenings at Hyrule Castle. But that’s easier said than done, as the game world in «Tears of the Kingdom» is huge.

An XXXL open-world

«The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom» is one of the greatest, if not the greatest open-world game I’ve ever played. Both in terms of the game world’s size and the number of activities. Even hours later, I still uncover new secrets, superbly designed side quests and items that make my jaw drop.

After finishing the story, I still feel like I’ve only scratched the surface of this gigantic world.

You’ll hardly recognise the kingdom of Hyrule. There are new settlements to explore, new caves to discover, new monsters to defeat and a bunch of fantastically written characters to get to know. In some cases, cities have changed markedly compared with the last game, and old familiar faces are even older.

Apart from the overhauled kingdom, there are mysterious floating groups of islands to discover in the sky above Hyrule – known as the «Sky Islands». This is where you find ruins of the bygone «Zonai» civilisation.

As if that wasn’t enough, there’s also a brand new world lurking underground, thus doubling the size of the already gigantic open world. I enter the Depths through mysterious canyons that have opened up in the kingdom.

All three parts of the map are seamlessly connected. I can launch myself into the air from a «Skyview Tower», land on a Sky Island and then jump miles underground through a canyon. Without any loading times or interruptions.

Link’s new abilities are insane

Right from the beginning of his adventure, Link has new tools at his disposal to help him get around this huge open world. They’ve done away with the «Sheikah Slate» from the previous game. Instead, Link’s right arm now possesses magical abilities so he can interact with the game world.

The «Recall» ability lets me rewind moving objects back through time. For instance, I can abuse this skill to send fallen debris from Sky Islands back up into the air.

Meanwhile, «Ascend» allows Link to go through obstacles that are above him. In caves, I use this to jump through the ceiling and reappear at the top of a mountain.

However, the main attraction of these new skills is «Ultrahand». This allows Link to move, manipulate and connect a variety of objects. I use Ultrahand to build boats that cross lakes, craft planes that fly to distant Sky Islands and construct off-road trucks for hot lava areas.

In order to assemble the machines, I use natural resources and old equipment from the Zonai civilisation. I’m constantly unlocking new, exciting devices to carry around.

The gadgets are incredibly versatile and range from weapons such as flamethrowers, cannons and laser guns, to transportation equipment, including wheels, balloons and turbines, to completely wacky items like rockets and robots.

It’s entirely up to me how I connect the devices together. Although I built relatively spartan constructions at the outset, by the end of my adventure, I started assembling phenomenal machines.

Tinkering away like this doesn’t get on my nerves, even after umpteen hours of play. Quite the opposite, in fact. As the game progresses, I unlock the handy «Autobuild» feature that lets me fabricate saved constructions automatically. This avoids unnecessary repetition and wasting time.

The ultimate sandbox

Thanks to new abilities I’m granted, this huge open world of «Tears of the Kingdom» feels like the ultimate sandbox. There are no limits put on my creativity or the fun I get from experimenting. The ingenuity of the new tools and how well they can be combined really stands out when I’m navigating through the floating Sky Islands.

Link’s abilities completely change the way I move through this world. And the freedom I feel when exploring Hyrule in «Tears of the Kingdom» is something I haven’t experienced in any other open-world game.

It makes me feel like a little kid on a huge adventure. I let myself go with the flow of the open game world, constantly discovering new secrets and exciting quests as I rewind time, jump through ceilings and build crazy machines. What a unique gameplay mix.

Shrines and dungeons

The numerous shrines scattered around the world also give me this same sandbox feeling. As was the case in «Breath of the Wild», the mini dungeons still force me to use Link’s tools in creative ways.

The saying «there’s no right or wrong answer» gets taken to the extreme here thanks to the flexibility of Link’s Ultrahand. Most of the time I have to piece together some absurd constructions to solve puzzles. The feeling when it actually works is indescribably satisfying.

«Tears of the Kingdom» also sees the return of larger dungeons that are divided up by theme. While they’re not as big as those in «Breath of the Wild», they’re head and shoulders better than the generic «Divine Beasts». This is another area where the game gives me free rein in solving puzzles. With enough creativity and Zonai resources, I even manage to make devices that bypass some puzzles and «break» the dungeon.

Hello darkness, my old friend

On the other hand, the underground world of Hyrule is more restrictive. It’s pitch-black. I can’t see anything down there without the right equipment. The Depths are littered with «Gloom» – a deadly substance released by the events surrounding Hyrule Castle.

I have to fight for every step I take in the dark. But my explorations are rewarded in the form of epic loot, exciting side quests and important resources I need to design and operate Ultrahand constructions.

I don’t feel comfortable below ground in the Depths. The darkness, bleak music, powerful enemies and deadly Gloom make for an oppressive mood.

It’s a stark contrast to the bright, cheerful overworld, which lends me all kinds of freedom. And that’s exactly why I find the Depths so exciting as the game progresses. It completely alters the flow and is a welcome change. However, I’d imagine that not all «Breath of the Wild» fans will like this underground gameplay.

Crazy weapon combinations

The combat system has also changed a lot thanks to Link’s magic arm. The «Fuse» ability lets me combine my weapons with items, or even other weapons.

My creativity is almost entirely unreined. For instance, if I attach a flamethrower to my shield, I can roast my enemies from a safe distance. A sword and mushroom combo makes monsters fly off in a high arc on critical blows. And when I have a rocket on the shield, I even lift off in a flash myself.

You can also combine arrows with items. I use white «Chu Chu Jelly» to freeze enemies I’ve hit. If I attach monster eyes to arrows, the projectiles track their target for a guaranteed headshot. Experimenting with different items is fun, even if not all the combinations are as amazing as I imagined.

Just as in «Breath of the Wild», my weapons break the more I use them. Some fans find this annoying. But when it happens in «Tears of the Kingdom», it’s less significant. A lot of enemies drop powerful weapon and armour parts, which I immediately use to craft new, even stronger weapons and better shields. These are sorely needed, because many larger enemies and mini bosses kill me with just a few blows.

But it’s not just new weapon combinations that come to his aid; Link also can also rely on a number of allies in battle. As the story progresses, I unlock spirits of familiar characters that I summon at the touch of a button. These fight alongside me and prove excellent diversions when up against powerful opponents. What’s more, I can activate one special ability for each character, which often turns the tide of battle in my favour.

For example, Yunobo of Goron sends enemies flying out the way with a fire attack and Queen Riju of Gerudo shocks monsters with a lightning attack. Some abilities, such as bird warrior Tulin’s powerful wind blast, are also useful when exploring the game world. Extra tailwind helps me sail my parachute even further.

The great freedom this game gives me in combat is a prime example of creative sandbox principles. It’s incredible how many different ways you can play «Tears of the Kingdom».

A bumpy delight

Bearing in mind the sheer size of the game world and complex gameplay mechanics, it’s amazing what Nintendo can tease out of old Switch hardware. By Switch standards, the game looks lovely. Especially the Sky Islands, which never fail to bowl me over. Clouds pass me by, the sun bathes the scenery in atmospheric light and the huge map of Hyrule stretches out below me. Wow.

Unfortunately, its performance can’t always keep pace with the game’s big ambitions. It’s particularly annoying when the refresh rate drops while I’m using Ultrahand or during battles with many enemies. Even when I’m crossing the map on a plane, the Switch is on its last legs.

However, stuttering doesn’t have a significant impact on gameplay. I’ve never died or missed a target because the game faltered. Nevertheless, refresh rate drops are annoying, and I hope Nintendo will bless us with new Switch hardware soon.

Verdict: a game like no other

«The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom» is a unique masterpiece and raises the bar for the open-world genre. There’s no other game that gives me as many crazy tools. No other game that lets me think so creatively or offers so much freedom in exploring this packed world.

Yes, the technical issues are annoying. But by the end of my epic journey through the Sky Islands, Hyrule, and the underground Depths, they’re relegated to a side note in one of the best gaming adventures I’ve ever played.

«The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom» is available for Nintendo Switch from 12 May 2023. Sony kindly gave me a copy of the game to review.