The Zelda franchise is a famous video game series published by Nintendo. The series is renowned for its combat, puzzles, and exploration. Each game follows the adventures of Link, a courageous hero, who embarks on quests to help Princess Zelda and protect the magical land of Hyrule. One of the most famous games in the series is The Legend Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (TotK).

Announced in September 2022 on a Nintendo livestream, many fans looked forward to it, since its pre-order volume was double that of its predecessor, The Legends of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (BotW). When TotK came out in May 2023 it broke sales records, reaching ten million sales within three days. The game also won many different awards.

The reason TotK was so successful was not only due to it being a sequel to BotW, but also because of its game design, giving players an immense amount of freedom. Tears of the Kingdom is so good, it is one of the best games of all time. Here’s why you should play it.

Different taste and feel to BotW

Sequels often struggle to differentiate themselves from the original game, due to the games keeping the main features and feel of the original, making them repetitive and boring. However, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom was able to separate itself from BotW.

First, TotK had a different atmosphere than BoTW. In BotW, the mood is depressing and lonely. Throughout the entire playthrough, players barely see any people and most buildings are destroyed. This is due to its background story of the kingdom being destroyed and humanity is forced to hide while the main character tries to find a way to restore the kingdom.

On the other hand, TotK is set after the protagonist has saved the kingdom, and the world is being rebuilt. This time there are more people in the wild and more buildings. Furthermore, the colour scheme is also lighter so the gameplay feels more light-hearted while still keeping some of the essence of the prior game.

TotK players encounter a world that has progressed from BotW’s world, filled with new stories and characters who reflect the impact of Link’s (the main character of the game) previous victory. This evolution helps the game feel like a continuation of a living world rather than a static environment like most other sequels.

Large Map

Another feature which makes The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom such a great game is its large map. In TotK there are three areas players can explore: land, sky, and underground. This means compared to BotW, which only had the land, TotK is approximately 2.5 times larger.

In each area of TotK’s map, there are defining features which separates them from the other areas, although these areas are still connected to each other. Take “gloom” for the undergrounds as an example; “gloom” is the main gimmick in the underground area and if you step on a black puddle of “gloom” you gradually lose health. It is a black and red substance originating from the main antagonist who came from the underground. The gloom has spread to the surface of the world and now covers almost all of the underground.

The distinctive features of each area of the map such as the gloom from the underground makes the gameplay more variable as you can get to all places with different methods, such as using flying machines, or cars. Unlike most games which have the same repetitive gameplay throughout the whole game, TotK’s gameplay is different depending where the player is on the map.

Combat and abilities

A new ability in TotK called “Ultrahand” allows players to maneuver different items, such as logs and stones, to attach them together. Furthermore the map is scattered with other special items like rockets and flamethrowers. The combination of Ultrahand and these premade technologies unlocks infinite options for contraptions you are able to make, like cars and fighting robots. This gives players the freedom to play the game in any way they want, no matter if they want to roam the map in a giant robot or just beat the game with the normal sword and shield.

Another main feature of this game is its combat. One of the main aspects of combat in TotK is the ability to fuse weapons together and combine their effects. For example, you can make a cannon sword which lets you attach a cannon to a sword, allowing you to fire cannonballs as you swing your sword at the enemy. You can even use the Ultrahand ability to make cannon carts or robots that shoot laser beams.

The combat mechanics and the abilities in the game are different from other games because, traditionally, you are forced to use one set of combat mechanics to fight enemies. However, in TotK you are able to break free from the normal combat mechanics TotK provides and create your own way of playing through the game, whether you are solving puzzles, fighting enemies, or traversing the map. This freedom of approach is what makes TotK one of the greatest games ever.

Conclusion

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom didn’t just rely on the fame of the original game and act as a mere shadow. Due to TotK’s unique mechanics and expansion on the original game’s design it gave players tremendous freedom. TotK not only outshined The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, but it also became one of the greatest games of all time.