The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (ゼルダの伝説 ティアーズ オブ ザ キングダム) is a 2023 action-adventure game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. The player controls Link as he searches for Princess Zelda and fights to prevent Ganondorf from destroying Hyrule. Tears of the Kingdom retains the open-world gameplay and setting of its predecessor, Breath of the Wild (2017), and features new environments, including an area composed of floating islands in the sky and an underground area beneath Hyrule known as the Depths. The player has access to various devices that aid in combat or exploration and can be used to construct vehicles.

Tears of the Kingdom was conceived after ideas for Breath of the Wild downloadable content had exceeded its scope. Development was led by Nintendo's Entertainment Planning & Development division, with Breath of the Wild director Hidemaro Fujibayashi and producer Eiji Aonuma reprising their roles. The developers were inspired by social media posts to create gameplay mechanics that encouraged experimentation and sometimes struggled to differentiate the sequel from its predecessor. A teaser was shown at E3 2019, while a full reveal featuring gameplay was shown at E3 2021. Tears of the Kingdom was originally planned for release in 2022, but was delayed until May 2023 to allow the developers to refine it.

Tears of the Kingdom received critical acclaim, with critics praising the expanded world, new powers, scale, and story, while criticism focused on its voice acting and technical performance. It sold more than 10 million copies in its first three days of release and over 20.61 million copies by March 2024, making it the ninth-best-selling game on the Nintendo Switch.

Gameplay
Tears of the Kingdom retains the open-world action-adventure gameplay of Breath of the Wild (2017). As Link, the player explores the main setting of Hyrule and two new areas: the sky, which has several floating islands, and the Depths, a vast underground area beneath Hyrule. Link can climb, ride horses, or use a paraglider to soar through the air. Characters and locations from Breath of the Wild were kept and modified to fit the game's story.

The sky is an area composed of several floating islands that contain puzzles, treasure, and enemies and bosses. The Depths is a dark region that requires items to illuminate and contains treasures as well as hazards such as lava and gloom, a harmful substance that reduces Link's maximum hearts until the player removes this effect by returning to the surface of Hyrule. Tears of the Kingdom features several dungeons that contain puzzles and bosses, similar to previous entries in the Zelda franchise. The four main dungeons, the Water Temple, Wind Temple, Fire Temple, and Lightning Temple, must be completed to advance the story.

Tears of the Kingdom introduces Zonai devices, which can be used for combat, exploration, or solving puzzles as well as to construct vehicles, such as rockets, sleds, and fans. Breath of the Wild 's Sheikah Slate-based abilities have been replaced with five new powers: Ultrahand, Fuse, Ascend, Recall, and Autobuild. Ultrahand allows the player to pick up and move different objects or attach them together, which can be used with Zonai devices to create vehicles and constructs. Fuse allows the player to combine materials, equipment, or other objects in the world to a shield or weapon. For example, fusing a rocket to Link's shield allows him to fly through the air. Recall can be used on an object to rewind its movement, such as by rewinding a falling rock in an upwards direction. Ascend allows the player to move upwards through solid surfaces, granting them access to previously inaccessible areas. Autobuild instantly recreates a device crafted with Ultrahand, automatically using nearby devices and objects if available, or if parts are missing, creating replacements at the cost of a material called zonaite.

Shrines and Korok seeds return from Breath of the Wild. Shrines are located across Hyrule and grant Lights of Blessing when cleared. Once the player obtains four Lights of Blessing, they can spend them at a Goddess Statue to increase Link's maximum hearts or stamina. Korok seeds can be traded to increase his inventory capacity, allowing him to hold more melee weapons, shields, or bows. The new recipe system allows the player to keep track of ingredients needed to make meals or elixirs.

Plot
Tears of the Kingdom takes place years after Breath of the Wild, at the end of the Zelda timeline. Link and Zelda set out to explore the cavern beneath Hyrule Castle, from which a poisonous substance called gloom has been seeping out and causing people to fall ill. There, they find murals depicting the founding of Hyrule and a subsequent conflict known as the Imprisoning War—an ancient battle against a being referred to as the "Demon King"—which Zelda believes to be related to the mysterious Zonai race. Upon venturing deeper, they discover a mummy who was being restrained by a disembodied arm, but reawakens and attacks them. In the aftermath, Link's right arm is wounded and the Master Sword is shattered, Hyrule Castle is raised into the sky, and Zelda falls into the depths below; as Link tries to catch her, she vanishes along with a mysterious artifact. Link is rescued by the arm and awakens on the Great Sky Island to find that it has replaced his damaged limb. He meets the spirit of Rauru, a Zonai and the source of his new arm, who helps him traverse the Great Sky Island. Once he reaches his destination, the shattered Master Sword vanishes and he returns to the surface below.

There, he learns that the event in the cavern, known as the Upheaval, has wrought chaos upon Hyrule, and he sets out to investigate reports of strange phenomena throughout the kingdom. Link ventures into ancient Zonai temples alongside his allies Sidon, the prince and later king of the Zora; Tulin, a young Rito archer and the son of Teba, a past ally of Link's; Yunobo, the Goron president of the YunoboCo mining company; and Riju, the chief of the Gerudo. After defeating the monsters that have taken over the temples, they find artifacts called secret stones that contain the spirits of sages from ancient times, who appoint his allies as their successors and grant them their secret stones. After numerous sightings of Zelda throughout Hyrule, Link finds her at Hyrule Castle, where she reveals herself to be Phantom Ganon, a servant of the Demon King, Ganondorf, who disguised itself as her. After defeating Phantom Ganon, he sets out to find Mineru, the last of the ancient sages, who remains in the physical world via spiritual projection, and helps create a mechanical body for her spirit to inhabit.

Through Mineru and the sages, as well as the Dragon's Tears in the Geoglyphs across Hyrule, Link learns of Zelda's fate. The artifact was a secret stone that transported her to the distant past, where she met Rauru, Hyrule's first king, and Sonia, its first queen. After Ganondorf killed Sonia and used her secret stone to become the Demon King, Rauru appointed Mineru, Zelda, and the leaders of the Zora, Rito, Gorons, and Gerudo as sages. With their help, he fought the Demon King and sacrificed himself to seal him away. Later, Zelda received the shattered Master Sword from the future and tasked the sages with aiding Link when Ganondorf reawakened. In order to repair the Master Sword, she swallowed her secret stone and underwent the process of draconification, becoming the immortal Light Dragon.

In the present, after ridding the Great Deku Tree from gloom in Korok Forest, Link retrieves the Master Sword from the Light Dragon and heads to Hyrule Castle to confront Ganondorf. With help from Sidon, Tulin, Yunobo, Riju, and Mineru, Link battles an army of monsters before engaging in combat with Ganondorf himself. Nearing defeat, Ganondorf swallows his secret stone and becomes the Demon Dragon in a final attempt to kill Link, but with help from the Light Dragon, Link uses the Master Sword to shatter the Demon Dragon's secret stone, killing it. The spirits of Rauru and Sonia help Link return Zelda to normal and restore his right arm before fading away as he and Zelda return to the surface. Some time later, on the Great Sky Island, Mineru bids farewell to Zelda and Link before fading away, while the new sages vow to protect Hyrule.

Development
Development of Tears of the Kingdom began after the completion of Breath of the Wild. The developers had thought of several features to include as downloadable content (DLC) for Breath of the Wild, but the sheer number of ideas inspired them to create a new game instead. As with its predecessor, Tears of the Kingdom was developed by Nintendo's Entertainment Planning & Development (EPD) division, Production Group Number 3, and was directed by Hidemaro Fujibayashi and produced by Eiji Aonuma. While he was shown early demos, the role of Zelda creator Shigeru Miyamoto was minimized due to scheduling conflicts as he was producing The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023). He was credited as "general producer", the same position he had held in the series since the late 2000s.

Aonuma stated that the development team sought to create something new while retaining the overall concept, but realized that some aspects were "already as they should be". Technical director Takuhiro Dohta cited Wii Sports Resort as an inspiration when adding new mechanics, also noting that using familiar locations is useful for players when skydiving. Aonuma also cited the open world games Red Dead Redemption 2 and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. The team also expanded the world to include the sky and underground. Aonuma referred to The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, noting that its hardware limitations prevented a seamless descent from the sky to the surface; instead, Link was limited to diving from specific points. With the capabilities of the Nintendo Switch, Tears of the Kingdom allowed players to traverse a world connected both horizontally and vertically.

Due to its similarity to Breath of the Wild, the developers experienced "strong déjà vu". Aonuma reiterated that the development team wanted to create something original while also being similar to the previous game, realizing some aspects "were already as they should be". Fujibayashi added the team would occasionally struggle to differentiate between the games. Tears of the Kingdom reintroduced dungeons to the series, which are connected to Hyrule's surface and can be tackled in any order the player chooses. According to Dohta, the dungeons were designed with regional characteristics to make them unique to their respective environments, similar to previous games in The Legend of Zelda franchise. The dungeons were primarily created to maximize the gameplay by showcasing the range of Link's powers and gadgets. Additionally, they were designed to be accessed seamlessly rather than being closed off, allowing the player to descend from the sky into the dungeon and conveniently enter and exit.

One of the core concepts of gameplay is the ability to build new items. As such, the development team created more tools in Tears of the Kingdom to give players a unique gameplay experience, inspired by videos of their accomplishments and activities posted on social media after the release of Breath of the Wild. Zonai devices were introduced to inspire additional creativity, but this required a balance between the player's creativity and setting limits to prevent them from exploiting the game.

A theme of hands was introduced as a way to express the concept of connecting, which is present in the mechanics, story, visuals, and sound; Aonuma stated that the theme was present in the story, which involves connecting to Hyrule's history. Dohta explained that joining hands and cooperating with other characters is a major element, along with Link's ability to create items with his hands, with his right arm being a way to distinguish him from previous iterations of the character. The Ascend ability was developed from a debug feature that Aonuma and Fujibayashi used to exit the Depths, which they implemented as a feature because they wanted a quick way to get to the surface. Its implementation prevented several challenges, such as ensuring that a player would not land on an empty space due to loading issues.

Tears of the Kingdom was first announced at E3 2019 as an untitled sequel to Breath of the Wild. Nintendo debuted a trailer revealing gameplay, story elements, and a 2022 release window at E3 2021. By March 2022, Tears of the Kingdom was completed, but Nintendo delayed the release for a year to refine it. Nintendo later changed the release window to Q2 2023. More information was revealed in the Nintendo Direct presentation held in September 2022, including the title Tears of the Kingdom and a release date of May 12, 2023. A later Nintendo Direct in February 2023 teased more gameplay elements. Two weeks before release, a playable version of the game leaked online as a disk image.

Critical response
According to the review aggregator website Metacritic, Tears of the Kingdom received "universal acclaim". On OpenCritic, it received a 97% approval rating. Numerous critics found it to be of similar quality to or an improvement upon Breath of the Wild. Reviewers praised the additions of the sky islands, Depths, and caves, saying that the areas expanded the open world introduced in its predecessor.

IGN said that Tears of the Kingdom was better than Breath of the Wild for its story and mechanics, while GameSpot lauded it for building upon its predecessor. Furthermore, IGN also praised the Depths and said that the areas fit well alongside the surface of Hyrule. VG247 said it was separate experience from Breath of the Wild, calling its scale immense and its mechanics creative. While feeling that it did not replicate the experience of playing through its predecessor, Game Informer wrote that Tears of the Kingdom evoked a compelling response by how it revisited previous locations. Nintendo Life wrote that the three settings were well-connected to each other despite their different mechanics and themes. Eurogamer felt that the player could spend their entire time exploring the Depths, but would need to return to the surface for useful tools, helping create a compelling gameplay loop. The reviewer contended that the skies were more fun to explore than the Depths, praising their designs and comparing them to environs from Skyward Sword and The Wind Waker. On the other hand, Video Games Chronicle considered the Depths more interesting than the sky sections, finding them to be difficult and fun in contrast to the sky's focus on the story.

The new powers received praise. GamesRadar+ called these abilities well-designed, saying that they offered creative solutions to problems and highlighting Ultrahand in particular. The reviewer mentioned that some of the abilities felt like gaming the system, and would make the game less enticing when the player could use them to break its rules. Polygon said that learning how to use the powers was one of the main appeals of the experience, and likened Ascend to a noclip mode and the rest to cheat codes. The Guardian felt that the powers allowed for the player to circumvent every object in multiple potential ways, writing that this freedom to progress was novel and fun. GameSpot described the powers as superior to those featured in Breath of the Wild, and contributed to an experience that the reviewer considered creative and distinct.

The story was considered a highlight. GameSpot praised the story as one of the best in the series, calling it a standout element. Nintendo Life said that the narrative was more compelling than that of its predecessor, adding that the characters featured in the story and related side quests were more engaging. Destructoid found the story to be overall better to its predecessor's, calling its pacing faster and more enticing despite criticizing some of its components. In contrast, VG247 found the narrative less important compared to the gameplay and that it contained some repetition due to the open-ended nature. Polygon felt that the dungeons featured alongside the story were among the weaknesses, feeling these areas infringed upon player freedom and that Link's allies were too verbose. Some reviewers criticized the voice acting. GamesRadar+ said that the characters sounded disconnected from their roles and depleted the quality of the cutscenes. VG247 echoed this opinion, but said that the cutscenes made up for this with their music and atmosphere.

Criticism focused on the performance. Nintendo Life wrote that Tears of the Kingdom highlighted the Switch's limited capabilities, mentioning the falling frame rate while saying that it was only a minor problem. Polygon agreed, writing of a poor frame rate and load times in some areas similar to Breath of the Wild. IGN noted the lack of improved performance, but found it irrelevant after comparing its quality to the rest of the game. GameSpot found the frame rate satisfactory and performance problems rare, noting that the art obscured the loss of quality. It applauded the developers for having the game work effectively on an old console.

Sales
Tears of the Kingdom was the first Nintendo-developed game to be priced at US$70. More than 10 million copies of Tears of the Kingdom were sold in its first three days of release, making it the fastest-selling game in The Legend of Zelda franchise, as well as the fastest selling Nintendo game in the Americas with over four million copies sold in the US alone. Tears of the Kingdom sold over 2.24 million copies within its first three days of release in Japan, 1.1 million being physical copies. By March 2024, it had sold 20.61 million copies worldwide. In August 2023, it was reported that the sales of Tears of the Kingdom may have boosted the gross domestic product of Japan, with a 2.8% increase in consumer spending in the semi-durable goods sector during April to August 2023, which included video games.

Accolades
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom was selected by Famitsu, IGN, Edge, Game Informer, Giant Bomb, Destructoid, ComicBook.com, Polygon, Shacknews, and Siliconera as their Game of the Year.