Nintendo follows up its 2017 system seller with a sequel that’s familiar, but still finds room to break the rules in all-new ways.
Could Nintendo possibly pull off the same magic trick twice? That’s the question I had at the forefront of my mind when first settling down to play Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, watching the screen fade to black, before seeing the title card subtly and solemnly fade into view. Deep breath. Here we go. I won't keep you waiting on tenterhooks for the answer: it’s yes, of course, albeit not quite in the same way. But with a sequel as seemingly familiar to the original as this that's exactly what you want. Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom plays upon the expectations of what you think you're in for, yet constantly finds ways to flip them and take you on an adventure equally as joyous, if not more.
I say this as someone who never fully bought into the Zelda: Breath of the Wild hype. That game was no doubt an amazing experience that took the series in a fresh direction, but the lack of traditional dungeons and a general inconsistency amongst the quality of the shrines left me feeling a tad cold; I felt it a bold vision of a modern The Legend of Zelda game left unrealised. Well, wouldn't you know, both those issues have been resolved here with flying colours. Layered on top of an already great version of Hyrule Kingdom, there’s a glut of new reasons to explore and more secrets than ever to discover.
