This article is part of a directory: The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom - Complete Guide And Walkthrough
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Tears of the Kingdom is equally accomplished as Breath of the Wild, which revolutionised the current landscape of open world games with its innovative approach to gameplay and exploration that put player expression at the forefront. Sure, it had towers we could climb to unveil the map, but how we got there and what actions we performed as the world was revealed to us was a total mystery. Nobody played it the same way.

Even with combat that relies on weapon degradation and four mechanics employed to solve most puzzles, you could still conquer most bouts in a manner entirely unique to you. I’m a rather reckless adventurer and never made a habit of planning ahead, meaning instead of munching down on carefully planned meals or throwing out an arsenal of elite weapons I’d scramble on the floor for a bit of pointy wood as I stuffed tomatoes into my mouth. Yet this worked, and I felt amazing because the game trusted me enough to get there on my own.

Related: In Defence Of Breath Of The Wild's Voice Acting

As much as I love Breath of the Wild, after spending 70+ hours with Tears of the Kingdom I would find it hard to go back. While its lonely atmosphere and untethered world remain a joy to experience, I’d miss how much more alive with possibilities the sequel can be. Every turn is packed with emergent surprises, which this time around aren’t just shrines or rewards for your own curiosity, they’re more tangible, living parts of the world Link can interact with or bend to his whim. People working at stables eager to hand out quests, or a random dude so in love with his boss that he’s travelling across Hyrule holding up signs that showcase him.

Tears of the Kingdom

He’s everywhere, and Link can create an elaborate series of wooden planks to hoist the sign up, so it has somewhere to fall, or walk straight past onto his next discovery. Koroks are back and still plentiful alongside over a hundred shrines to uncover, but are now complimentary to the world design instead of acting as an essential foundation. They’re easier to find this time around too, often located near more substantial quests or deep within hidden locations so as to spur us forward on constant bursts of exploration. Loot is more generous, despite the fact that new abilities like Fuse and Ultrahand ensure making your own contraptions is constantly possible, and often the most effective means of dealing damage or getting around.

You can certainly play this game like Breath of the Wild, and for the first few hours I did, until I figured out how this reformed version of Hyrule is built to accommodate Link’s expanded repertoire of skills and abilities. Cliff faces are dotted with Zonai ruins and angular edges where Ascend can be used, while foes are far more likely to throw projectiles or hang out in caves begging for boulders to be reversed back in time to squash them like pancakes. Breath of the Wild hit a point where I decided to avoid non-essential encounters to save on resources, and Tears actively addresses that complaint in its core design principles. You’re encouraged to go wild and try stupid bullshit, and chances are it will not only work out but feel incredible to boot.

Tears of the Kingdom

There’s also the layout of the world itself, which is no longer a ground landmass dotted with different biomes and weather conditions. Link can ascend to the sky whenever he likes and discover myriad floating islands filled with new puzzles and characters, most of which I was too distracted to discover because the land beneath is already wrought with stuff to find. You also have the Depths, a realm of eternal darkness wrought with corrupt fauna, super powerful enemies, and ancient Zonai ruins that hold so many secrets. In terms of sheer size it is easily as big as the surface, if not larger. There isn’t as much here given nobody has really been around for centuries, but you can light your way forward with fluorescent seeds and activate fast travel points that offer a small respite of safety. It is worryingly vast, and I’m still not exactly sure what awaits below.

Every single mechanic, character, and idea I think about from Tears of the Kingdom I can’t help but compare to what came before and how it fundamentally iterates on what helped it achieve such legendary status in the first place. Breath of the Wild is still a masterpiece in my eyes and always will be, but in hindsight it feels like the experimental appetiser for the main course Nintendo is now dishing up. One that takes this initial freedom and frees it of any and all limitations. I cannot wait to see the rest of the world dive in for themselves.

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