The Legend of Zelda: Tears of The Kingdom

Fantastic. Takes everything that was great about Breath of the Wild and makes it bigger and even better. There is a lot that is familiar while also cramming in a lot that feels brand new. Endlessly inventive. Only 2 flaws: first, the game is so technically ambitious that the Switch's hardware struggles, on occasion, to keep the frame rate up; second, the awful weapon durability issue from the first game is still present, although slightly mitigated by the fuse ability (it still ultimately sucks). On the whole, an absolutely staggering game.

It’s been a long time coming for a new Zelda title following the incredible Breath of the Wild. Nintendo have again exceeded expectations. They are the masters of their art (craft would be a disservice). The games prologue is absolute perfection, bringing the user up to speed with the new abilities and game mechanics. The musical score is enchanting and gave me goosebumps as I left the initial sky island for Hyrule. The map appears to be double the size of the previous game and graphically it does eclipse it too. I’m looking forward to spending countless hours exploring the game and sharing my pilgrimage with friends and family who are also invested in the game. I’ll leave you with this … if you think it, you can do it! The game has no boundaries 10/10.

40 Years Of Zelda Ruined!

There's so much that could be said about this game so, so much so here comes a little, I absolutely dig browsing the reviews reading utter nonsense like 'Even Better Than BOTW' (after a week or so of playing?!) or 'We've Been Waiting For This Since The First One BOTW' when the first Zelda game actually came out way back in 1986 on the NES cleverly called'The Legend Of Zelda' followed by another on the NES 'The Legend Of Zelda II TheAdventures Of Link' with its mok silver NES cartridge then the best Zelda game came out on the SNES which is 'A Link To The Past' then came 'Ocarina Of Time' which blew people's minds on the N64 then along came 'Majora's Mask' again on the N64 to amaze & baffle people further as with every new Zelda console game there's always been the ... MoreThere's so much that could be said about this game so, so much so here comes a little, I absolutely dig browsing the reviews reading utter nonsense like 'Even Better Than BOTW' (after a week or so of playing?!) or 'We've Been Waiting For This Since The First One BOTW' when the first Zelda game actually came out way back in 1986 on the NES cleverly called'The Legend Of Zelda' followed by another on the NES 'The Legend Of Zelda II TheAdventures Of Link' with its mok silver NES cartridge then the best Zelda game came out on the SNES which is 'A Link To The Past' then came 'Ocarina Of Time' which blew people's minds on the N64 then along came 'Majora's Mask' again on the N64 to amaze & baffle people further as with every new Zelda console game there's always been the big question of "How? How did Nintendo do this?" it's always the case! (even with most of the Zelda handheld games this is the case too!)With every Nintendo console Zelda game Nintendo have always blown people as in the gamers & the competition away, then you had the GameCubes 'The WindWaker' with a 'Special Edition Ocarina Of Time' & the console version of 'The Four Sword Adventures' then the Wii's 'Twilight Princess' & then the completely & utterly different & pretty the pretty much none related to any Zelda game 'Zelda Breath of The Wild' happened & these few yrs this later 'Tears Of The Kingdom' happened which is pretty much an exact replica of BOTW if you take a real look at it & seriously think about it, nothing has really changed apart from motorised vehicles in Hyrule (what a sell out & a way to make pariahs out of us fans & our close to 40yr backing of 'The Legend Of Zelda' franchise & Nintendo, Thanks!) then you got 'Skyward Sword' which along with BOTW were both WiiU releases later to be released on the Switch & we got a few lame hybrid (meaning not even Nintendo made, just given the license to use the characters) 'Hyrule Warriour' games & we were grateful for 'Links Awakening' on the Switch, now I've completed every single one of those games listed above over pretty much a 40yr period, every single one! & all of my favourite bosses, dungeons, music & sound fx's, unlockables, storylines, characters & so on that I remember come from all over those titles but there's absolutely nothing from Breath Of The Wild or Tears Of The Kingdom!Now as for Tears Of The Kingdom so many people are moaning about the graphics being awful but they're clearly equal to those of BOTW which were classed as excellent so (?) & it's seemingly obvious that Nintendo will do the same thing with this as they did with BOTW & 'Skyward Sword' & thats to re-release it at a later date nicely made, looking & sounding how they wanted it to look & sound so the graphics/sounds will get better but they're more than just OK here they're fine & stylish & that's on an original Switch which then brings to light the whole was the OLED system really necessary as it was made very clear by Nintendo that a new system in its entirety was/is due as the Switch is old using their own words (Nintendo got greedy with that OLED trick, very greedy! it's a nice console but just before another)Now good news for the 'lifelong hardcore fans of Zelda' who've been playing since 2016's release of BOTW 30yrs after 'Zelda' debuted people are saying that this has got to be the last Zelda game ever after BOTW, 'Skyward Sword' & this here 'Tears Of The Kingdom' let me tell you that they're completely wrong & uneducated in the subject, there is no way (trust me I'm an expert here) that Nintendo would finish Zelda off at all as it's so easy to carry it on, I can come up with a story for at least another ten Zelda games so it's far from the being the last Zelda game ever I guarantee that 100%!Now again with this 'Tears Of The Kingdom' people are complaining about how hard it is & it is it's very hard to gather Rupees alone plus it took me over 20 hrs to find Hylian Rice! The game it is huge & well worth a play but it feels like I'm playing some non Zelda fantasy game RPG & certainly not a very distinct & incredibly cleverly made Zelda game!Now think about this if you've made it this far: the initial quests are The Four Phenomenon (4 divine beasts) who all point back to the leaders from BOTW the same leaders & areas if the 4 Devine Beasts! Find The Koroks, Collect Memories, Run Side Quests some easy some tedious, some pointless & some a must! Enter Shrines for rewards to gain a Heart Vessel or a piece of Stamina Wheel in exchange four 4 finished Shrine Pieces, Take Photos, Upgrade your Purah Pad (Shieka Slate) & Unlock Towers to Unlock the Map, now I'm 100% certain that I've done all of this before, I'm sure of it? Of course yeah playing 'Breath Of The Wild'! This is nothing new!Its a good game my main problems are the vehicles trust me it's just wrong, Cars, Segways, Flying Machine, Etc in Hyrule is wrong & it's perverse to the legend itself!Online players ruin this too constantly putting up cheats that they've used their computer knowledge to figure out & the I can do this & I've done that online just leave us to play it, find out for ourselves & do whatever we end up doing in whatever way that we choose.Now is this worthy of a play YES absolutely there's hundreds upon hundreds of hours of things included here to occupy your mind & it's not stupidly overpriced (new ones coming for the new Nintendo console is the reason for this) plus I genuinely found Very to be one of the best priced places to find this game, plus they later put the sticker sheet up on the games sales page without raising the initial price where the only other place I knew of who had the sticker sheet were charging £10 extra to include it!I'll play the main quest through here with this 'Tears If The Kingdom' (clever title I like watching the tears fall as it looks great & I like recalling time riding them back up into the clouds) & I'll play the necessary Side Quests & I'll just have to say goodbye to just off 40yrs of 'The Legend Of Zelda'This 'Tears Of The Kingdom' if you liked 'Breath Of The Wild' you'll obviously love this even though it's pretty much the very exact same thing all over again!Still it's more than just playable, even the new abilities which I was dreading have turned out to be far better than expected, The new Zelda fans are loving it, The older Zelda fans are playing it because nearly 40yrs of Zelda is hard to give up & even if you haven't played a Zelda game before you can jump right in as it's a new story & it's complete with in game instructions just to get you started or to give you a reminder if you're returning?!It's worth a play but a Hyrulian Warrior in a blue tunic & not the traditional always has been green? Motorised vehicles, The none related classic game music & sound FX, the missing dungeons, dungeon keys, dungeon masters & the pretty much dumping of everything Zelda is just going too far & it's just taking too much, Link will be back in a green tunic again with proper dungeons etc I guarantee it!

A phenomenal adventure with astronomical scale

This game's predecessor, "Zelda: Breath of the Wild" was my favourite game of all time. But this might overtake it.It's just thrilling, beautiful, immaculately designed, clever, quirky, captivating, and most importantly: fun.I've put in about 30~ total hours into this game since its release on 12th May, and I've still got quite a LOT to go. I've barely scratched the surface.This is a game that I'll probably be playing for the next 6+ years, yet it doesn't feel overwhelmingly huge right from the start. The game cleverly drip-feeds things as you naturally go along, catching your attention, teaching you effectively, then encouraging you to think with the game's brilliant physics-crafting system.Nintendo's fantastic design philosophies and technical wizardry make ... MoreThis game's predecessor, "Zelda: Breath of the Wild" was my favourite game of all time. But this might overtake it.It's just thrilling, beautiful, immaculately designed, clever, quirky, captivating, and most importantly: fun.I've put in about 30~ total hours into this game since its release on 12th May, and I've still got quite a LOT to go. I've barely scratched the surface.This is a game that I'll probably be playing for the next 6+ years, yet it doesn't feel overwhelmingly huge right from the start. The game cleverly drip-feeds things as you naturally go along, catching your attention, teaching you effectively, then encouraging you to think with the game's brilliant physics-crafting system.Nintendo's fantastic design philosophies and technical wizardry make this one of the most monumental games I've experienced in a while, and again, I'm not even that far into it yet.If you (or the person you're buying for) likes video games, particularly games about freedom, creativity and adventures --- please buy this game.

Amazing game!

At 45 I can honestly say this is amongst the best games I have ever played.I have always preferred games that are more cartoonish than overly realistic.The variety of quests, dialogue, exploration, puzzles and creativity this game world provides is god tier.There is 100s of hours worth of content in the game and unlimited creative potential.Everything from graphics, sound, physics, immersion, and voice acting has been improved and the UI has also had a nice qol change in most areas.A must play game if you own a switch, but be prepared to be addicted.

Catherine's review of NINTENDO SWITCH The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Pros: Absolutely amazing, alot of thought has gone into the story and game play. They have clearly listened to feedback from breath of the wild and have implemented improvements such as the shrine sensor now advises if a shrine is below or above you when you are nearby. Absolutely brilliant game play and alot of enjoyment has been had, I've played around 100 hours so far and keep finding new parts, this is an absolutely amazing game. If you are having doubts about purchasing due to people prior to release saying "it's just dlc" ignore them, this game is absolutely nothing like breath of the wild bar that it's based on the same mainland, I've visited alot of places in the game to find locations, shrines etc that were located there in breath of the wild to find that ... MorePros: Absolutely amazing, alot of thought has gone into the story and game play. They have clearly listened to feedback from breath of the wild and have implemented improvements such as the shrine sensor now advises if a shrine is below or above you when you are nearby. Absolutely brilliant game play and alot of enjoyment has been had, I've played around 100 hours so far and keep finding new parts, this is an absolutely amazing game. If you are having doubts about purchasing due to people prior to release saying "it's just dlc" ignore them, this game is absolutely nothing like breath of the wild bar that it's based on the same mainland, I've visited alot of places in the game to find locations, shrines etc that were located there in breath of the wild to find that area has been changed completely. I honestly cannot recommend this game enough, if you like the Zelda games GET IT!Cons: None

Excellent game, excellent service

I’ve been waiting a fair few years for this game to come out and BOY, was it worth the wait. The first game is great, and as is this one. There’s parts that you recognise from the first game, but not to the point it feels like you’re buying the same game again. New enemies, new stories, new special abilities. There isn’t a need to buy the first game to play this one, but it does enhance the story so would recommend playing both. Marginally more difficult and feel it is aimed towards an older audience so perhaps skip your son or daughters birthday present if they’re under 10 and instead, treat yourself. Highly recommend.Smyths delivery was also superb, packaging was appropriate for purpose and delivery was on the day it was released.

Jonathan's review of NINTENDO SWITCH The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Pros: EVERYTHING. Zelda Team have outdone themselves. I couldn't imagine a better follow-up to Breath Of The Wild. Loving the Sky Islands. Loving the depths. Loving the similarities and changes in the surface world. Loving being able to build and craft more. Glad I had been playing Breath Of The Wild again after getting a Switch OLED so that I could play "Tears..." after finishing BOTW on Wii-U some time ago (that being a console I already HAD in 2017, although it took QUITE some time for me to get around to actually finishing it, feeling quite PTSD and not really up for boss battles with all the noise and learning curve to wade through enough times to come shining through), but shame i hadn't caught more horses to bring over from BOTW saves. That big one ought to ... MorePros: EVERYTHING. Zelda Team have outdone themselves. I couldn't imagine a better follow-up to Breath Of The Wild. Loving the Sky Islands. Loving the depths. Loving the similarities and changes in the surface world. Loving being able to build and craft more. Glad I had been playing Breath Of The Wild again after getting a Switch OLED so that I could play "Tears..." after finishing BOTW on Wii-U some time ago (that being a console I already HAD in 2017, although it took QUITE some time for me to get around to actually finishing it, feeling quite PTSD and not really up for boss battles with all the noise and learning curve to wade through enough times to come shining through), but shame i hadn't caught more horses to bring over from BOTW saves. That big one ought to be quite the wagon puller, you'd think.The beginning, though... Having already seen in reveal videos the decayed Master Sword, and knowing Zelda games of old, the "Lets go down into the deep and dark 'neath the castle where my father expressly forbid me from ever venturing, Link, OKAY?", Starting the Prologue with a big glowy sword and 2 full rows of hearts was fun and funny. Zelda's curiosity and enthusiasm for digging out The Truth was ALWAYS going to get poor Link killed again and again and again on the road to... Er, ACTUALLY, I should probably keep playing and find out. I'm not sure there's any way to properly judge this sequel yet, because I'll likely STILL be discovering new things about it in several years, just the same as its predecessor.Cons: Nothing so far

Kalvin's review of NINTENDO SWITCH The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Pros: I highly recommend TLoZ: TotK, Link has a variety of abilities that make exploring the world and fighting enemies fun and fluid. The enemies are well-designed and offer a variety of challenges. The music and sound effects are immersive and there are many different ways to play the game as there are always new things to discover.Cons: I've tried to make time to play but it's always a struggle. I'll stay up late at night to play, but then I'm exhausted the next day at work. I'll try to play at the weekend, but then I get interrupted by my kid or my wife. I recommend if you do purchase this game, take a 2 week leave of absence from work and book yourself on a "two week" work trip ;)

Yvonne's review of NINTENDO SWITCH The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Pros: This is the best game I have ever played. I own a Xbox, ps5, and Nintendo switch and I will be honest most games nowadays are just carbon copies of each other. This game is a open world but also has a underground and sky area just as big. Each side quest is interesting and there are a ton more main quests. You can go one direction and find an interesting story or secret treasure. I found fierce deity boots which used to be ammibo exclusive. The last time I felt like this is when I played skyrim years ago. They fixed the breaking weapons mechanic in an interesting way I noticed that if you fuse certain weapons it greatly increases durability. I combined a boulder with my shield and it lasted 8 hours and I was constantly using it. Not only does this game scratch ... MorePros: This is the best game I have ever played. I own a Xbox, ps5, and Nintendo switch and I will be honest most games nowadays are just carbon copies of each other. This game is a open world but also has a underground and sky area just as big. Each side quest is interesting and there are a ton more main quests. You can go one direction and find an interesting story or secret treasure. I found fierce deity boots which used to be ammibo exclusive. The last time I felt like this is when I played skyrim years ago. They fixed the breaking weapons mechanic in an interesting way I noticed that if you fuse certain weapons it greatly increases durability. I combined a boulder with my shield and it lasted 8 hours and I was constantly using it. Not only does this game scratch my creative itch it also has enough adventure for me as well. The only thing is the enemies are harder but there are more creative ways to make traps to help you early on. At first I hated the building mechanic the “Ultra hand” but then later on you get something called auto build. To be honest I am 36 hours in I still haven’t filled out the map. The first dungeon I did was beautiful it felt like they mixed aspects of old games with the new breath of the wild format. The boss was very interesting it reminded me of twilight princess with the underwater temple’s Boss. This is a really good game I think anyone who hates on it came in hating on it. I have enjoyed every second of this masterpiece.Cons: N/a