The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom | Review Thread

[John Elden Ring]

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Game Information​

Game Title: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Platforms:

• Nintendo Switch (May 12, 2023)

Trailers:

• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – Official Trailer #3
• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – Official Trailer #2
• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – Official Trailer #1

Genre: Adventure, Action, Role-Playing

Publisher: Nintendo

ESRB rating: Everyone 10+

Supported play modes: TV mode, Tabletop mode, Handheld mode

Game file size: 16.3 GB

Supported languages: Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Traditional Chinese

Official website: https://www.zelda.com/tears-of-the-kingdom/

Developer: Nintendo

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Review Aggregator:


OpenCritic - 98 average - 100% recommended - 36 reviews

MetaCritic - 97/100 - Nintendo Switch - 60 Reviews

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Critic Reviews​

CGMagazine - Preston Dozsa - 10 / 10

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is easily the greatest open world game ever made, and may well be Nintendo’s finest achievement.

Cerealkillerz - Julian Bieder - German - 9.5 / 10

Link is back, and better than ever! The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom takes the excellent foundation of its predecessor and adds to it: the new abilities allow for much more experimentation and puzzle solving, plus the islands in the sky offer a change from the earthbound world of Hyrule, inviting you to explore much more, putting the saying "The sky's the limit!" to new use. Nintendo has managed to outdo itself once again after Breath of the Wild.

Checkpoint Gaming - Luke Mitchell - 10 / 10

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom finds a way to improve upon its predecessor in almost every way, remixing the format and forcing you to rewire your brain in genius ways to solve devilish puzzles, take on challenging bosses, and explore a dense, captivating open world absolutely chock-full of distractions and secrets. Like Breath of the Wild before it, Tears of the Kingdom is an incredible accomplishment in video games that is set to stay in our collective conscience for the next several years and beyond, and it's completely deserving of that honour.

ComicBook.com - Christian Hoffer - 5 / 5

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is a worthy successor to Breath of the Wild and is easily a Game of the Year contender. In addition to making you fall in love with the world of Hyrule all over again, this game feels much more like a traditional Zelda game while retaining all of the charm and beauty of Breath of the Wild.

Console Creatures - Bobby Pashalidis - Recommended

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is a worthwhile follow-up to Breath of the Wild because it builds on the world in several exciting ways. You’re encouraged to engage and tackle quests in a way that fits your playstyle while never feeling overburdened by the systems put in place.

DASHGAMER.com - Dan Rizzo - 10 / 10

There’s a tale told with great ambition and aspiration behind its lore, its successes and how it will act as a defiant moment in Nintendo’s growth, but The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is a set to be 2023’s landmark achievement in gaming – nothing short of extraordinary.

Destructoid - Chris Carter - 10 / 10

I loved nearly every minute of Tears of the Kingdom. From zooming up into the sky to spelunking in the depths, there’s way more to explore here, and I feel like I haven’t even scratched the surface outside of the main story and some key sidequests. But the real kicker that helps separate Tears from Breath of the Wild is its big swing power set. I felt like I was in control at all times, and had the ability to create my own path. For a series known for sequence-breaking that’s not just a perk; it’s a strong argument for why Tears of the Kingdom will be talked about for years on end, and may even top some favorite Zelda lists.

Dexerto - 5 / 5

Overcoming Breath of the Wild’s exceptional quality was never going to be an easy feat, but The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has achieved a small miracle. There is more creativity and choice than ever before, which will undoubtedly have a long-lasting influence on both the series and the wider gaming industry.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is not so much a tearful goodbye from its historic past, but a fresh new beginning – one that embraces the building blocks set down by its predecessor, and transforms them to further push this beloved action-adventure series ever forward.

Digitally Downloaded - Matt Sainsbury - 4.5 / 5

Still, Tears of the Kingdom is a resounding success. The sheer scale and scope of it ought to be a reminder to the games industry that creativity doesn’t need the most powerful hardware, and the playful approach to gameplay makes this a rare open world game that’s a pleasure to explore and rewarding to immerse yourself within. I hope Nintendo understands that this can’t be the Zelda formula forevermore, and the next one will be an all-new and transformative experience again, but I also don’t begrudge the company the desire to take a second crack at what made Breath of the Wild so special to so many people.

Enternity.gr - Nikitas Kavouklis - Greek - 10 / 10

We may not know if this is the Nintendo Switch's final AAA game, but it's the perfect way to cap off a highly successful run.

Eurogamer - Edwin Evans-Thirlwell - 4 / 5

A terrific Breath of the Wild follow-up with some brilliant new systems, amazing views and more dungeon-type spaces, plus a slightly deadening emphasis on gathering resources.

Game Informer - Kyle Hilliard - 9.8 / 10

Nearly every encounter, whether puzzle, traversal, or combat, must be reconsidered. It makes you think in new ways. I didn’t get the same goosebumps exploring Hyrule as I did in the past, but I did experience new emotions both on a granular level from solving individual puzzles and on a larger scale by going back to one of my favorite video game locations. They say you can never go home again, but I adored returning to Hyrule with all new tools.

GameSpot - Steve Watts - 10 / 10

Tears of the Kingdom is a triumph of open-ended game design that pays homage to the best parts of the Zelda franchise's own storied history--and sometimes exceeds them.

GamesHub - Edmond Tran - 5 / 5

Breath of the Wild reinvented The Legend of Zelda. Tears of the Kingdom reimagines it once more, as a somehow more ambitious, freeform and creative game, with even greater highs – literally and figuratively. It’s a staggeringly eye-opening game that expertly cultivates the joy of exploration, discovery and believing in your own abilities.

Geeks & Com - Anthony Gravel - French - 9 / 10

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is a great sequel that doesn't revolutionize the series like the first game did, but is still an absolute must play. This new version of Hyrule is bigger than ever and the new powers of Link help revigorate the gameplay. Yes it has a few flaws, but I didn't want to put down my Switch and I had a big smile during the whole review process.

Glitched Africa - Marco Cocomello - 10 / 10

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is the ceremonious journey of the decade. Its awe-inspiring open world doubles up as a playground of fun thanks to a unique building system that brilliantly ties into every aspect of the game. There’s magic here – its an unforgettable tale.

God is a Geek - Adam Cook - 10 / 10

Tears of Kingdom could end being one of the best games ever made, with unparalleled exploration that offers freedom and creativity on a scale never before seen.

Hobby Consolas - Álvaro Alonso - Spanish - 98 / 100

Tears of the Kingdom brings together the power of adventure, the wisdom of freedom and the courage of creativity, without forgetting what makes The Legend of Zelda so special: the epic moments and the ability to thrill. They were right when they said the title was a spoiler: we've shed tears of joy.

IGN - Tom Marks - 10 / 10

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is an unfathomable follow-up, expanding a world that already felt full beyond expectation and raising the bar ever higher into the clouds.

Inverse - Hayes Madsen - 10 / 10

"Tears of the Kingdom is so much more than a sequel — it’s a total reimagining of what Nintendo did with Breath of the Wild in 2017. Sure, there are still some minor quibbles, like tedious cooking and clumsy horse controls. But all of that pales in the face of the many, things this game does right."

Merlin'in Kazanı - Ersin Kılıç - Turkish - 96 / 100

Tears of the Kingdom manages to offer you another unforgettable adventure with its new features and layered map structure. Even after spending hours in the game, it's exciting to find new details to discover!

Metro GameCentral - GameCentral - 10 / 10

An excellent sequel and one of the best Zelda games ever made. A follow-up that builds upon and refines the achievements of the original, while adding many new and equally innovative ideas of its own.

Nintendo Life - Alana Hagues - 10 / 10

It's impossible to talk about everything that makes The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom so incredible, and making many of those discoveries yourselves is part of the magic. It's also impossible to overstate just how much there is to do in Hyrule this time around. Much like its predecessor, this is your playground for the next however many years to come, with a little sprinkling of that older Zelda fairy dust mixed into Breath of the Wild's formula. It's a glorious, triumphant sequel to one of the best video games of all time; absolute unfiltered bliss to lose yourself in for hundreds of hours. We can't wait to see what the world will do with the game.

Polygon - Mike Mahardy - Unscored

These are moments where I’m gently reminded that true player freedom is, of course, a fallacy. Nintendo created this world, and I inhabit it. Weeks, months, or years from now, I may affect it in ways its creators didn’t intend, but still — I will be using the tools they provided. The brilliance of Tears of the Kingdom lies in how well it imparts the fantasy of player freedom. Sure, Nintendo shakes me out of the daydream every now and then, and in those moments, I see flashes of its old rigid self. But no matter: At some point, I’ll fully escape its watchful gaze.

RPG Site - Alex Donaldson - 10 / 10

The mad lads actually did it. Tears of the Kingdom is actually better than its predecessor

SECTOR.sk - Matúš Štrba - Slovak - 9.5 / 10

The game has all the necessary qualities to be a great, massive, intelligent, and creative gaming experience that surpasses Breath of the Wild. However, it lacks a "wow factor" and feels like an improved version of its predecessor rather than a completely new experience. Despite its higher quality, the game relies too much on its predecessor, and the main world map is essentially the same.

Screen Rant - Cody Gravelle - 5 / 5

If it's time to move on from the Tears of the Kingdom Hyrule that's now spanned two games, it hasn't overstayed its welcome. The memories this game is capable of creating just because of its ambitious systems mean that no two players will ever have the same experience - except that of joy, and the excitement that comes with unknown possibilities. Anyone worried that there would be some fatal flaw that came to ruin what seemed to be a can't-miss Switch launch can now rest easy. Tears of the Kingdom is a monumental achievement, and it's going to be talked about relentlessly for years to come.

Spaziogames - Valentino Cinefra - Italian - 10 / 10

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is the perfect sequel and the best game of the Nintendo Switch generation.

Stevivor - Ben Salter - 10 / 10

The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom is one of the most creative, satisfying and rewarding games I’ve ever played, all within a familiar and greatly expanded Hyrule.

TheGamer - Jade King - 5 / 5

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is a masterpiece that not only equals what came before, it does everything in its power to surpass it..

TheSixthAxis - Stefan L - 9 / 10

As if it was really in doubt, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is another sublime entry in this series. It's not as thoroughly refreshing as Breath of the Wild was six years ago, but as a direct sequel, it takes the same world and manages to transform it with a new over and under world, while Link's powerful new abilities foster ever-more creative play, and a new epic tragedy unfolds before you. As we head into the Nintendo Switch's twilight years, this is practically essential.

Tom's Hardware Italia - Andrea Maiellano - Italian - 10 / 10

Nintendo wanted to push on the accelerator and go all-in. Tears Of The Kingdom succeeds in a feat I thought impossible: improving, expanding, and in some ways overshadowing a production of the caliber of Breath Of The Wild. Explaining in words how this new chapter was able to consistently surprise someone who dissected the previous chapter for hundreds of hours was not easy but, if you are not part of those users who want to look for the rot where there is none, my only advice is to play it, enjoy every inch of it and hope that this new journey never ends. Nintendo has once again set standards for a genre, and never before will it be really hard to top it.

TrustedReviews - Ryan Jones - 5 / 5

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom doesn’t stray too far away from the hugely successful template of Breath of the Wild. But by reinforcing its predecessor’s strength for experimentation with the new building mechanics, while also telling an engaging story and opening up new locations to explore, this is a perfect sequel to the greatest game to ever grace the Nintendo Switch.

VGC - Jordan Middler - 5 / 5

The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom reinterprets Breath of the Wild for the better. Instead of removing all the aches and pains of that game, it completes the circle by adding gameplay-based solutions to annoyances and encourages you to let your imagination run free. Easily one of the very best games on Nintendo Switch.

Video Chums - Alex Legard - 9.2 / 10

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is an awesome and unforgettable experience and I'm happy to say that the Zelda series is still killing it in 2023. With that being said; please, Nintendo: we really need to experience a brand new Hyrule in the next Zelda game.

Wccftech - Nathan Birch - 9 / 10

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom sticks closely to the blueprint established by The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, but it’s a richer, more rewarding game in most ways that count, offering a more intricate world, versatile suite of abilities, epic story, and satisfying dungeons.

 

[John Elden Ring]

96/100

 

[Yobo]

I'll go 93

I think it will be amazing but I think all the focus on building they've shown feels very Fallout 4. And still retains the clear flaw of weapon breaking that wasn't really criticised last time. Otherwise the same world also takes it down a notch

Either way Zelda games get massively overrated even the poorer ones like Skyward Sword

I expect they will get dungeons right this time though which will be a big improvement

 

[AshHunter216]

This game is guaranteed to score in the 90s.

 

[ethomaz]

94

 

[Bryank75]

High 90's, probably a 97. It's almost guaranteed based on name alone.

 

[Gods&Monsters]

98 because Zelda

My copy is already downloaded so I get the hype

 

[Yobo]

I hope IGN or GameSpot drop an 8

Twilight Princess 8.8 on GameSpot was the funniest thing

 

[anonpuffs]

95

 

[Bryank75]

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Game Information​

Game Title: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Platforms:

• Nintendo Switch (May 12, 2023)

Trailers:

• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – Official Trailer #3
• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – Official Trailer #2
• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – Official Trailer #1

Developer: Nintendo

Review Aggregator:

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OpenCritic -

MetaCritic -

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Critic Reviews (Updating...)​

The review embargo for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom lifts on Thursday, May 11 at 5 AM PT / 8 AM ET / 1 PM BST / 9 PM JST.​

Awesome OT btw brother!

 

[Gamernyc78]

Really like 70 but will score like a 94.

 

[Systemshock2023]

It might be the first game to game to score 110/100. It ticks every box:

End of the generation for Nintendo, the sense of going out with a bang.

BotW but bigger and fixing it's weak point: dungeons apparently.

The switch it's an incredibly popular console you don't want to piss off that userbase.

Past evidence: you can release Big Rigs over the road racing - Zelda edition and it would score in the high 80s.

 

[Airbus]

100/100 and win GOTY again

 

[LED]

I expect a 96.

 

[Evilms]

97~98/100

"Best game of all time"
"Nintendo stuns the industry"
"The revolution"
"Never seen before"
"BGE"
...

an avalanche of 5/5 and 10/10


it will be of an impartiality and objectivity like we have never seen before

 

[VillaiN]

I'll go 93

I think it will be amazing but I think all the focus on building they've shown feels very Fallout 4. And still retains the clear flaw of weapon breaking that wasn't really criticised last time. Otherwise the same world also takes it down a notch

Either way Zelda games get massively overrated even the poorer ones like Skyward Sword

I expect they will get dungeons right this time though which will be a big improvement

There s only few more overrated ips out there.

I remember buying wii and SS in 2010 or so(was injured and bored) i think after ign reviewer called it second coming of jesus or shit. Praise up and down.

Couldnt believe what i was playing. Sold after month with some games. Mediocre game.

Ocarina was great when it came out i must say that.

 

[Nhomnhom]

Anything bellow 90+ would be surprising but I'm not impressed with what I seen.

 

[Plextorage]

Little above Redfall

Spoiler

joke

 

[Killer_Sakoman]

The game will be 8 but will be reviewed 10. The usual scores critics give to Nintendo

 

[Killer_Sakoman]

Little above Redfall

Spoiler

joke

If Eurogamer gives it 4/5 then you are technically right. They gave Redfall 3/5