Wow, is that possible? Do they know this is possible? While playing Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, these questions keep popping up in your head. This game makes you feel like you are cheating, that you are breaking the rules. You solve puzzles in ways that make you think: Who made them? Well, so are you. Rarely will you cheer and clap to yourself in Kingdom Tears.
For example, I had to bring the wayward Kurok upriver, but I also found a large glowing stone. I wanted to take both, but how? Turns out, the answer was a monster truck. I stuck Korok and rocks to the side of the monster truck and drove down the river. Korok got where he needed to be. With the stone I opened a new mausoleum along the river.
You’ve solved two puzzles at once with a monster truck. In the game Zelda. With a monster truck.
Kingdom Tears continues to amaze you, but that’s no surprise. predecessor Breath of the Wild It really laid a new foundation for open world games in 2017. The game world always catches your eye. Incentives have rained down and there has always been a reward. In Breath of the Wild, adventure came naturally. Even FromSoftware has switched to that format.
Kingdom Tears does not say goodbye to this setup. This sequel is willfully vague about where it should go, and the main mission structure is much the same as in the beginning. This sequel is also pure adventure. Sometimes this legacy is very recognizable. Many of Korok’s mysteries, such as making circles with stones on the ground, return in the same form. This is unfortunate, but any further concerns about redundancy are unfounded.
For example, there are theories that Kingdom Tears is some kind of glorified DLC. This fear exists mainly because this game takes place in the same Hyrule. These fears are not only unnecessary in retrospect, they are laughable. Nintendo avoids the recycling trap with an arc across the Atlantic. In fact, the Japanese are constantly playing with your expectations in this area.
Towns like Zora’s Domain, Kakariko Village, and Gerudo Town are still there, but they’re not the same. Hyrule is torn to pieces. There are islands floating in the sky all around. Almost everything is different or inclusive. This also has a huge impact on the characters and where they are in this story. Old friends play a big role in this adventure. Therefore, it is advisable to finish Breath of the Wild first – this will make this game even more interesting.
At the same time, this sequel is an excellent “first Zelda”, especially for kids. Certain characters and missions bring back the warm, nostalgic Zelda feel that was a bit lacking in Breath of the Wild. This is really one Old school Nintendo Hero Epic. Anyway, this sequel has a much more linear storyline than Breath of the Wild. There are also more cutscenes, though the voice acting isn’t exactly the game’s strongest point.
The story also explains why Link no longer has his old powers. They’ve been replaced with new powers, and these powers are the heart and soul of this game. They shape your adventures, both literally and figuratively. The new starting area is of crucial importance in this. Nintendo plants seeds in your head that will benefit you for the rest of the game. You have to think differently in Kingdom Tears, and learn to think differently there.
For example, you can swim through ceilings or items in your home barren Combine it with the elements in the game world. But the power you’ll use the most is the Ultrahand, which moves, tilts, and glues things together. There were after some Preview sessions Sure the controls were awkward, but luckily that was only the case at first. Ultrahand requires spatial awareness, especially if you want to get objects tilted horizontally or vertically.
You have to learn to turn things tilted towards you first. It takes a little getting used to, but after a few hours of playing it feels like second nature. And then you can go.
Really loose.
Imagine: a lava lake. By putting on a big wing and sticking some propellers on it, you can simply fly over the lava lake. But why not build a bridge with ten wings? can also. You can also build a very high car to drive through the lava. But all of these solutions take time. If you want to be fast, just incorporate a missile on your shield to launch yourself.
You can also place a wooden board upright on the ground with some kind of spring under it. You still have to turn it over. What is the use of a plank on a spring falling to the ground? Well, if you turn back the time, the plank doesn’t fall, it just pops up really fast: a slingshot. You can also use this slingshot to launch my special invention, Mammoth Man, into the lava. It is useless, but possible.
Why not build a ramp? At the bottom of this ramp, you can place a large steel spring to shoot yourself diagonally off the ramp. Perhaps one feather is not enough. Then you just stick three feathers together and they fly over the lava lake with great ease. You can also use a water sprayer to freeze the lava. Whatever you do, as long as it works.
One of the kingdom’s greatest accomplishments is how systematically experimentation thrives on so much freedom. As a player you have plenty of room to tackle problems, but the game mechanics and game world proudly stand still in almost all scenarios. And that with a lot of freedom, in an open game world. It’s a crazy design philosophy.
This freedom goes a long way. For example, almost all interactive items, such as wheels, balloons or propellers, can also be stored in your inventory. So you always carry some kind of box with you. You conjure building materials right out of your pocket, but the game never breaks. the amount play test Whoever cost it must have been ridiculous. This really is one of those games that demands the respect of other developers. This Nintendo team is unenviable.
There is so much freedom that you sometimes forget what is possible. At one time she was constantly butchered in a camp. Enemies have blocked a tower there. I persevered up to ten times – I like to hit myself against the same stone. But in Kingdom Tears there is no real reason for that. There are many variables to experiment with. I should have built that airship that flew over all enemies long ago.
I could also re-roll the big steel ball they rolled down the hill, by the way. That would have quickly made short work of those pesky bokoblins.
There are of course limitations. It’s not like you can always force solutions with, let’s say, a shield with a missile in it. This is definitely not possible in shrines and stupas. For example, one of the towers, which you use to unlock areas on the map, was locked, so I couldn’t enter. But I got a tip from someone who was standing at the tower: At the bottom of the mountain you can find delicious mushrooms in the caves.
Now if you realize you had to position yourself under the tower to drill the link through the “roof” of the cave, you’re smarter than me. I hung there for a good half hour, because such a solution is the only solution in such a situation. To become good at this game you have to learn to think like this game. And this means that you really need all your strength to come up with certain solutions. The game is sometimes set up for that.
The constellations are a literal and figurative highlight anyway. After you enter them, Link will be launched straight into the air. This is the most fun way to enter the outside world. As Link cuts through the cloud fields in a straight line, you’re looking at the shattered landscape of Hyrule. You can see further than you’d expect on Switch. Kingdom Tears is really a beautiful game in such moments.
This is especially noticeable when you are in that upper world. Then you look at all the different landscapes, each with their own external characteristics. Snow, desert, jungle and a lot of moss-covered artifacts catch the eye. This upper world is important. She goes there often, especially to solve puzzles. Countless islands are home to secrets and shrines. There is also a lot to do there, if you are still in doubt.
Technically, this sequel hits a lot for the Switch. Therefore, the hybrid console has a hard time handling it, especially in handheld mode. This is especially true if you’re a little further into the game. Frame drops are similar to Breath of the Wild in nine cases out of ten. Especially when you enter new areas or go crazy with the mechanics of the game, the frame rate drops by half a second.
The frame rate is usually 30, but sometimes it drops to close to 25. This is very unfortunate, but to be honest, I took this into account a little earlier. Then it’s fine actually. Anyway, the gaming experience doesn’t really suffer.
Moreover, you will not remember this frame rate, believe me. More adventures and surprises. I’ve been really looking forward to writing this review for the past two weeks, to tell you all I’ve been through. I couldn’t talk to anyone about it. This review should have been a therapeutic moment. But now that the time has come, I really want you to figure it all out for yourself.
It’s very rare for games to be as good as Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. I listen.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom releases on May 12 for Nintendo Switch.
