An expansive world with no limits to exploration…
The first major title to pave the way for open world exploration, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (hereafter referred to as BotW) was a powerhouse hit to the Nintendo Switch that paved the way for many other titans, including the epic that is Genshin Impact.
In 2019, barely two years after BotW was released, they announced a sequel was in the works. After four long years of development, we finally have the follow up to the masterpiece that is BotW – The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom released May 12, 2023 and is finally available!
Fans get to experiment with new features such as Fuse, Recall, and Ascend, with the last one on the list basically a cheat code that Nintendo wrote into the game to inspire new forms of play without having to glitch the system! We also get a new method of travel outside of Epona, with Link’s brand new ability, “Ultrahand,” enabling players to create vehicles for various methods of transport.
As someone with over a hundred hours of gameplay in the first title and no end in sight, there are some notable quality of life improvements that this game promises as well. In Tears of the Kingdom, you don’t have to remember all your recipes! Yes, that’s right, no more remembering how many apples to put with how many ‘shrooms to get a “Fruit and Mushroom Skewer.” Not stopping there, cooking can now be done anywhere in Hyrule without having to find a cooking station! Inventory management, fast travel overhaul, and the ability to turn any item into a throwable weapon are just a few more of the game’s many new twists on the original formula.
From lines spanning blocks of city streets in New York to fans anxiously awaiting the Digital Download, the anticipation was palpable. Now that it is in our hot little hands, reviews and critiques fly out the window as we embark on our new adventure across Hyrule. Let us know in the comments down below if you have already gotten your copy of Tears of the Kingdom and what you think of it!
Leave a Reply