The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom

NOTHING TO CRY ABOUT

It’s funny to think that for all of the success the Zelda series has had, very few of its games have been direct sequels. The story often starts afresh with a new Link and a new Zelda, and even in games like Majora’s Mask where it doesn’t, there’s a major change of setting. But The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom very directly builds on Breath Of The Wild, starting the story with Link fully powered and exploring beneath Hyrule Castle with Zelda – an expedition that naturally goes awry, leaving Link weakened and devoid of equipment.

Those who didn’t like the open-world Zelda formula in Breath Of The Wild won’t like it here – it takes that game’s map as a basis for its own, and features many of the same mechanics including temperature changes, breakable weapons and cooking. For those who played it and loved it, Tears Of The Kingdom does a great job of refreshing the world. As well as changes to the main map, there are now plenty of locations to visit in the sky as well as sprawling underground areas that are covered in Gloom, a mysterious dark substance that can reduce Link’s heart capacity. The Divine Beasts are out and more traditional dungeons have also made a comeback, which will please many.