Developer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo
Release Date: 12th May 2023
Platforms: Nintendo Switch
Reviewed on: Nintendo Switch
This is an incredibly late review, the buzz is over and the dust has settled for a large majority of the gaming landscape. It’s finally time to knuckle down and retch my opinions into some kind of written form.
I have been quietly questing my way through the latest entry of Nintendo’s long running series, not wishing to rush the experience. This is definitely a game to be savoured. Having encountered some negativity from my peers, it primarily boils down to their urge to wrap it up and move on to other games. Which I can understand, there has been no shortage of stellar titles this year. However, if you try to rush through this game, you have already set yourself up for failure. This title makes a mockery of whatever objective you set for yourself. I had a hundred shrines completed before I wrapped up the storyline. Which speaks highly of the world’s design. There is always a trinket to steal your attention and set you on a delightful meander through the varied surroundings.
I also wanted to put this game under extra scrutiny as a long time fan of the series. I have often cited Link’s Awakening as the catalyst for my interest in video games. This game will be scored on its own merits. We will not be rewarding the nostalgia attached from previous titles for this piece. An enriched and innovative legacy is something to be ashamed of in the eyes of some unacquainted players. So this is not being judged as the latest entry of a series that has proven itself time and again with creativity, sense of adventure or innovation. Link will have to stand on his own two feet here.
Starting off and we have that old trope of a fully powered protagonist being reduced to a vulnerable state. It was depressing watching your full row of hearts diminish in the opening chapter. Although, you are now the proud owner of a glow in the dark prosthetic arm with a number of new abilities. So it’s not all bad. After certain events unfold, you will find yourself above the clouds in a tutorial area. On this Sky Island you are introduced to some new abilities and their multiple uses. Ultrahand was the biggest focus, the ability that allows you to manipulate moveable objects, combine them together or rearrange the surroundings to your benefit. We had seen some of this in pre-release trailers, but it isn’t until you get full control do you truly appreciate how much this ability is capable of. The range of controls took a while to get used to, but they assigned themselves to muscle memory intuitively by the game’s end.
Ultrahand is the mode used to construct a multitude of contraptions. I’m sure you’ve seen quite a few of these even if you haven’t played the game. It can range from a small raft that looks like a penis to a towering mechanical murder machine, with a penis. The further you get into the game, the more components you get to play with. The larger your construction or how many parts are in your creation will affect how quickly your Zonai Battery will drain. Of course the opportunity to increase the capacity of your Battery will present itself in due course and it will be yet another collectible to busy yourself with. This activity instilled the same joy as a box of lego would in childhood. Trial and error will see if the monstrosities from the creative corners of your cranium will actually function or not. The penis shaped rocket failed to take me to the moon. Much like Musk’s penis shaped rocket. These failures are actually a good thing and the data I collected ensured my builds were of a higher quality going forward.
Weapon durability returns but the fuse ability helps ease the burden for some players who are unable to plan ahead. Whereas you had to manage your inventory wisely to prepare for a tough battle or area previously. If you find a soup ladle or twig laying around and fuse it with one of the hundreds of monster parts in your pocket; you’ll never find yourself short of something to do damage with. Stronger enemies drop better fusing parts and you can also use status effects to great advantage. Fusing your arrows or shield results in a myriad of different effects. I would strongly urge anyone playing to fuse a mine cart to your shield. A ridiculous amount of fun to be had simply by experimenting with fusion. Attach rockets to everything.
The Ascend ability is the unsung hero of the abilities. I have sidestepped a lot of climbing thanks to this stroke of brilliance. Jutting ledges, alcoves, roofs; if it’s flat and above you, chances are you can mystically swim through it. Some people seem to forget they have this ability, a number of other players who usually get stumped by various puzzles; chances are it’s because they haven’t tried using Ascend. The ability is so useful under the right circumstances it almost felt like I cheesed my way through certain areas. There are usually a few ways to tackle obstacles, but whenever you find yourself stumped: why not try Ascending? Much like Halo Infinite’s Grapple shot, I feel this is an ability I’m going to sorely miss from different games I play in the future. When Ascend is paired with the recall ability it results in some incredibly satisfying platforming solutions. If you have the cognitive capacity, the possibilities are plentiful.
The opening area introduces you to the sky islands, there has been an upheaval since the opening cinematic and this has altered the landscape of Hyrule in various ways. You will find yourself among the remnants of an ancient civilisation above the clouds. Zonai constructs that will aid you with coming to terms with your new phosphorescent limb. The opening area does a great job of teaching you how this game operates, especially handy for anyone that may have jumped into the sequel without experiencing the previous titles. Looking back on the area, it’s impressive just how much they teach you before letting you loose in the open world below. Not everything tends to sink in during the tutorial. I found myself ‘discovering’ techniques later in the game, only to recall that they were in fact taught to you in the opening chapter of your adventure. The phrase “I was one hundred hours in when I learned . . .” gets used in conjunction with a lot of tutorial tips that have been forgotten.
That first descent has become one of the defining horripilation moments in games. Leaving the Vault in Fallout, seeing the Erdtree in Elden Ring or discovering Rapture in Bioshock. Your return to Hyrule in TotK sits among them; with its promise of the adventure that is soon to come.
I am about to comment about the story here and do so without spoilers. Traditionally your Zelda adventure is as surprising as the plot of any Marvel movie. It’s simply there to piece together all the fun parts and an excuse to run around swinging a sword and shouting about the triforce. They’ve gone above and beyond here, this isn’t a placeholder story to facilitate your good times. It’s surprisingly blunt in places and in ways that I wasn’t expecting. It’ll be no surprise that the Master Sword returns in this game, but retrieving it may be one of the most powerful moments I’ve experienced this year. Hard to reflect and muse on why these moments were so striking without delving further into plot points. I’ll have to annoy Pure Dead Jess into a spoilercast special to really get into it. It was an unexpected element and I hope they lean into heavier narratives going forward.
Early on you are tasked with conquering four dungeons, which sounds like a reasonable and manageable task. However, on your travels to the larger settlements in Hyrule, you will come across many distractions. I have a Pavlov’s dog reaction to the Green Spiral that marks a shrine; throwing up the handbrake on my horse whenever I catch the glint from the corner of my eye. There are also Sky towers littered throughout the world, interacting with them will fill in the corresponding section of your map. The Towers also act as fast travel points, but also have the added bonus of launching you vertically into the clouds. On your descent back to Hyrule you can mark the map around you for even more points of interest. Caves, Shrines, Enemy Camps or possibly discover some Sky Islands. You develop a keen sense for strangely organised plots of land, the map is dense with little rewards for exploration. Making traversal rewarding and addictive, a combination which is sorely lacking from a lot of recent open world games. Until you conquer the dungeons, you may lack the skills or find environmental obstacles preventing your exploration. Which is something to keep in mind if you find yourself struggling against the elements.
On the subject of travel, you will find Stables throughout the Kingdom. I spent too long taming a wild green steed when I landed back in Hyrule. Wild horses need to be brought to these stables to be registered. Which led to the discovery that all my horses from BotW were still being cared for and were waiting for my return. As ridiculous as it may seem, I am mocking my own written notes here, it was an incredibly sentimental moment. A small unexpected touch, but one that was very much appreciated. Thanks Nintendo!
The shrines are my favourite part of the game; not just because they’re a visual homage to Goatse. Each shrine is a different puzzle or challenge much in the same way as BotW; but they’ve really knuckled down and heightened these experiences. This is a watercooler game: both in person and online, it is amazing how many ways you can solve the puzzles using your new abilities and a healthy dose of lateral thinking. In group situations there have been conversations about the range of different ways we resolved these puzzles. There are some that instantly click, you know exactly what to do as soon as you enter. Others cause a bit of head scratching before realisation kicks in. Usually due to overthinking or tunnel vision with your problem solving. Much like Soulsborne bosses, difficulty depends on you as a player. Of course you could always consult guides online, but you’re robbing yourself of the experience if you resort to that. Why not pay somebody to play the game for you in that scenario? Even the most difficult situations can be overcome with experimentation; a lack of imagination is the only true barrier in this game.
The Shrines are a great reason to actually get out and explore the world. You can spot them in the distance easily thanks to the aforementioned green spiral. Once you spot a shrine in the distance you can mark the location by setting a pin with your Purah Pad. Then you saunter your way through the wilderness to arrive at your prize. Later in the game you can upgrade your Purah Pad, adding abilities that make seeking down these shrines slightly easier. It is difficult to convey why exploration works so well in this game. Most games of this ilk contain level systems, with areas that accommodate enemies that you have no hope of defeating, essentially locking you out of certain areas. But I found once you had the right armour or food that protected Link from the harsh area hazards, you really could travel anywhere. You can sneak past difficult enemies, or use the tools at your disposal to fight dirty. Fusing explosive barrels to sticks and throwing them at sleeping enemies was a favourite of mine. You can take the boy out of Ulster. Running into an enemy camp without scouting it out first will put you on the back foot. At the very least killing the peeping deviant acting as a lookout will strongly improve your odds. Without the trumpet that alerts everyone to your presence. You’re able to get the drop on these Pig-Faced combatants with ease.
Travelling through Hyrule towers above the usual checklist systems of clearing a map you encounter in similar titles. I enjoy Assassin’s Creed, but I notice you simply move area to area to tick that box and move on. Almost becomes mechanical. It feels very natural here and trading travel stories with other players, as we discuss our different methods or routes taken displays just how many variations are open to you. If you are lucky enough to have a few people playing this game adjacently, it is a brilliant game to swap stories over. Some things I have only found thanks to friends’ guidance and everyone has comical moments of misadventure. I’m sure anyone that has played also has a few of these moments or have seen similar posts over social media. I played for too long one night and accidentally missed a lake after a skydive taken from hundreds of feet above. Link’s adventures ended as a green smear across the arse end of Hyrule.
Whilst we congratulate Tears of the Kingdom’s vibrant world, I want to take a moment for a very special character. Addison. An incredibly dedicated employee of Hudson Construction. You will find him multiple times as you travel, usually holding up a sign of his boss which he is struggling to erect. You can lend a helping ultrahand and steady the sign so he can secure it. Using whatever equipment happens to be in the vicinity. I would also like to take this opportunity to apologise to Addison. I may have rocketed a few of his signs up to the stratosphere simply because I thought it would be funny. It was funny. It was very funny. It also made him sad, which made it a little less funny. There are characters that you will bump into several times throughout your travels and the world does feel a bit more lived in now than in Breath of the Wild. People were really starting to rebuild before the upheaval happened and now they continue to survive and adapt. There are settlements, stables and towns dotted throughout Hyrule, each with characters that need help, have hints for hidden areas or some other diversion that requires your attention. A lot of rewards seem trivial at the time, but by the end of the game, I could have kissed everyone that handed me a certain shiny pumpkin.
When you finally descend into the depths, the area beneath Hyrule, you have a sudden realisation that you’ve only scratched the surface of this game. The area below mirrors the map above in scale. It is also pitch black and requires the use of Brightbloom seeds to light your path forward.You will also be attacked by stronger enemies that leave lasting gloom damage after being struck, this gloom damage reduces the maximum number of hearts you have until you return to the surface. Another method of removing Gloom is by finding Lightroots, which sync up with the location of shrines on the level above. Which helps with later shrine hunting or vice versa. The Lightroots reveal the surrounding map and brighten the surrounding area which make them essential for successfully navigating the depths.
Some players have been avoiding the underworld and I can understand the reluctance. The size can be overwhelming on first discovery. Forging a path takes a lot more work than required on the surface. The Gloom damage can be remedied as with most damage types can: with armour, food or elixirs. Which really comes into play in the later acts. So it is definitely worth exploring the land beneath. You will also come across upgrades for the Zonai Battery, I had five complete cells by the end of the game and these were thorough natural collection, rather than hunting down the resources. Once again, you are well rewarded for the time you spend exploring. If you do want to build some of the bigger constructs, they suck down batteries quicker than a Game Gear. If you hope to last more than three seconds, seek out some Crystallised Charges or think of Margaret Thatcher.
My, but this has been an uncharacteristically positive review so far, hasn’t it? None of the thinly veiled barbs one would expect. That’s because there aren’t any. If you have a problem with this game, it’s very much a problem with YOU as a person. You should work on that, get some exercise, experience sunlight or find a creative output.
Issues apart from glaring User Error? The Switch once again shows its age here. BotW didn’t run perfectly, but it was a WiiU port and one of the first games on the system. We’re many years in now and Nintendo has a bit more experience developing for their rapidly ageing hybrid. Sunrise and Sunsets are beautiful, whether you’re on ground level or in the sky. Diving into water from a height creates a brilliant effect on impact. There is a lot of charm and it’s definitely a step up visually from the previous title. But the similarities with the previous title reflect themselves with similar performance issues.
To call the game ugly would be narrow-minded. Despite the console’s limitations the art design carries a lot of the slack. While not as cartoonish or stylised as Wind Waker, there is a cel shaded edge to a lot of the world. The game also struggles in certain screen filling encounters, a few boss fights will see your frame rate dip. A certain town really makes the console pump its legs due to the amount of activity on screen. These moments often trigger that catchphrase in the back of your head “When is the Super Switch coming out?” As always, it’s easier to forgive these hiccups when the game consists of more substance than style. For the technical misgivings it’s still a wonder that a game of this scale plays so well on a portable console. I have been playing a mixture of handheld and docked, mostly trying to justify the purchase of the special edition OLED. Playing handheld also makes it more difficult to pinpoint any visual flaws that may crop up. It is nice to take in the Hylian Vistas on the big screen too. Six of one, half-dozen of the other.
I can recall needing to wean myself off Red Dead Redemption 2, otherwise I’d still be battering those O’Driscoll Boys to this very day. Tears of the Kingdom has that same level of draw and even with some of the major releases we’ve had recently, nothing has managed to tear me away. I began writing this review a couple of weeks after release, telling myself that I would power through the main missions, get to credits and call it a day. I couldn’t do that, no matter how hard I tried to stay on the primary path, other aspects of the game would lead me to another shrine or cave. I have hit credits but the journey isn’t over yet. There is still so much to see and do and as a player, I’m left with the drive to seek these things out. I spent many hours running around Hyrule Field in Ocarina of time when I had the endless free time of a child. Once again I’m jealous of the younger generation, who get to grow up with titles such as this as their standard.
Needless to say, this is a Game of the Year contender. It took one of the best games on the market and improved it in ways we wouldn’t have thought possible until we got a controller in our hands and played it. A joy from start to finish. I admit to missing my top-down Zelda adventures with traditional dungeon designs, but would I be prepared to abandon this new direction for a return to the classic formula? No. This game has me grinning like an intoxicated toddler; which is no mean feat with this churlish Punk. A rewarding experience and easily earned its place among the all-timers.
So if you will excuse me, as I return to farming Silver Bokoblin Horns to upgrade my Hylian Hood.
-DeadbeatpunK
