Nov. 19, 2024
By Josleiny Castillo
Staff Writer
The Legend of Zelda franchise has been an impressive series since the first game, with an incredible 29 games created. Game creator Shigeru Miyamoto’s past Legend of Zelda games, Age of Calamity and Link’s Awakening, plowed a path for Tears of the Kingdom to deliver a breathtaking experience after it was released on May 12, 2023. The game strikes a beautiful balance between peace and combat, never failing to keep users captivated with its in-depth storyline and various tasks to tackle in other regions of the world.
Tears of the Kingdom begins with Link–or, you, in this case–reawakening after the Upheaval, a catastrophic tragedy that causes Zelda to go missing. Before reawakening, you explore the depths of Hyrule Castle with Zelda, finding the cause of the Upheaval. After passing through the temple from which you arise, you are met with the Sky Islands, being set to venture with the game’s guided quests and objectives. As you progress, every region’s phenomena lead you to clues about Zelda and her whereabouts, allowing you to solve every territory’s issues and progress in your recovery.
The game’s style is appealing and smooth, with various cutscenes adding an ethereal and suspenseful essence to the storyline. Visual effects are prominent in the game as well. While they contribute to the scenes, users who are sensitive to bright and flashing lights should avoid these impressive, detailed graphics.
In battle, there are several weapons from which to choose, especially after acquiring powerful items from defeated monsters that roam within Hyrule. Hyrule is the continent in which Tears of the Kingdom and previous Zelda games took place. Tears of the Kingdom is very open-world, meaning players can interact and roam freely for as long as they want. Some more mysteries and troubles fill Hyrule, so while there is the mainland of Hyrule, there are still many obstacles for which users must prepare. The Sky Islands and the Depths keep players busy, allowing them to adjust to the compromising environments. Therefore, when you begin your journey, don’t forget to explore to your heart’s content.
Like other games, Tears of the Kingdom has ups and downs. For starters, this game is very similar to Breath of the Wild, the 19th Legend of Zelda game that was released in 2017. Tears of the Kingdom consists of the same main map and regions, which is a repetitive aspect between the two. While both games’ main objectives are different, they tend to include the same characters and rising rulers, which can leave some users unimpressed. There is also a lack of life improvements, such as repairing weapons once they have been broken after many uses. This leads players to go through the tedious work of defeating several enemies for the same weapon, all for it to break again. Even so, this is a good way for players to rearrange their strategies and challenge themselves to become stronger.
Despite the game’s shortcomings, it never fails to impress with its new features, which increase the vigor of the gameplay. As players continue through the story, there are side missions in the game’s new areas for players to unlock and take on, allowing them to discover more of the entertaining mini-plots within the game.
Tears of the Kingdom does not have to be a stressful run-through. Players can take breaks for as long as they want and venture wherever, whether it be high up in the sky or deep down into the pits of Hyrule. With these side quests, players can gain access to different abilities, such as Ultrahand or Ascension, which could make their travels much easier to withstand.
The game’s style is appealing and smooth, with various cutscenes adding an ethereal and suspenseful essence to the storyline.
A recurring pattern in Zelda games is in-depth storylines. There are many main quests that players have to follow so they can progress with every clue they receive. Lots of details and venturing are needed, so while players don’t need to stray off to the game’s side missions, there is still a lot they must discover to move forward, so the game is pretty lengthy. Tears of the Kingdom takes about 59 hours to complete. However, if you’re a gamer who strives to see all aspects of the game, you are likely to spend around 243 hours to achieve 100% completion.
If you would like to just stay within the path of the main storyline, that is perfectly reasonable, but if you are someone who likes to go beyond every region’s happenings, then this compelling, expansive, open-world, game is perfect for you. Therefore, it’s a 10/10 in my book.
