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The verdicts are in, as reviews have now begun to drop for the hugely anticipated The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom just shy of the game’s release time.
As expected, many of the reviews are full of praise for the new game and calling it a worthy follow-up to 2017’s Breath of the Wild. Of course, there’s a bit more nuance to that though – so we’ve rounded up some of the internet’s foremost reviews of the game. Alas, we weren’t fortunate enough to get a review copy ahead of time, but rest assured we’ll be playing from launch and have plenty on the game over the next few days and weeks.
Let’s kick things off with Eurogamer who’ve given Zelda their first four-star review in their newly revised review format. They take particular interest in the game’s scope which has been greatly expanded thanks to the game’s sky islands. “All have an irresistible, toylike specificity that recalls Wind Waker as much as the obvious comparison, Skyward Sword. A few are just metre-wide fragments topped by a single tree, places to recover stamina while island-hopping with your glider. But even here, there may be apples to gather and birds to overhear. The islands also, of course, lend a new aspect to the realm beneath, which is now tattooed with enormous geoglyphs that hide pools of enchanted water.”
VGC gave Tears of the Kingdom a full five stars, meanwhile – calling it “easily one of the very best games on Nintendo Switch” and give particular praise to the game’s new abilities. “The Ultrahand, Fuse, Ascend, and Recall abilities in unison turn Tears of the Kingdom from a game that somewhat too often flirts with being a retread of Breath of the Wild, and elevates into some truly spectacular.”
Anyone worried that somehow the sequel would lose some of the freedom seen in the prequel can rest easy, as The Guardian’s five star review notes. “The sense of freedom here is intoxicating. The kingdom of Hyrule is vast and full of diversions, and being able to move freely between the skies and the ground down below is a thrill that never wears off. This is the realisation of a promise hinted at by Zelda: Skyward Sword many years ago. But Tears of the Kingdom also offers a hitherto unimagined level of freedom when it comes to how you approach its many challenges.”
The news that Zelda’s famous dungeons would be returning in Tears of the Kingdom was met by cheers from long-time Zelda fans, and it looks like they’ve been done due justice. Here’s Gamespot, who scored the game a 10 in their review: “There are moments in each Temple that feel audacious, like nothing you’ve seen in a Zelda game before, all intermingled with style and presentation that will please those who, like me, missed the classic-feeling Zelda dungeons in Breath of the Wild.”
In case you’re wondering though – it’s not been a total wash of high scores for Tears of the Kingdom. One of the outliers being Gfinity, who only scored the game a 6 in their review, mainly taking umbrage with the fact the game doesn’t change much of what they disliked about Breath of the Wild: “There’s frankly too much going on, with no real prizes for bothering to seek out the opportunities. The world doesn’t feel barren, per se, but the rewards for exploring it are virtually non-existent or largely inconsequential. Some of my fondest memories of the Zelda franchise stem from exploring not only to satisfy my own curiosity, but to find game-changing gear, heart containers, new powers and combat techniques, rupees, or even just a bottle for storing potions and bugs. A surprise fight with a dragon is always appreciated, but when the reward is just another Shrine, my enthusiasm to explore takes a nosedive.”
There’s not too much longer to wait before we get to find out for ourselves, as the Tears of the Kingdom release date grows ever closer to May 12, 2023. For more on the game, check out our guide on how to cook in Tears of the Kingdom.
Nintendo Switch OLED Model: The Legend of Zelda
Screen type
OLED
Color
Zelda limited edition (green)
Storage Type
Flash
USB Ports
2
