We played the latest “Zelda” game – it really is that good!

On May 12, 2023, the starting gun will be given for one of the most anticipated competitions of the year. But will “The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom” be as good as “Breath of the Wild” or just a tired imitation? A few weeks before the exclusive launch on Switch, we were able to play Link’s new open world adventure for you and we can also confirm: Nintendo is not repeating the biggest mistake of its predecessor.

Link, the creative builder

“Tears of the Kingdom” once again puts you in a completely new version of the Kingdom of Hyrule. Main hero Link must once again save Princess Zelda and the world from a sinister threat and find a powerful sword to do so. The parallels with “Breath of the Wild” are particularly great, both in terms of the cartoonish graphic style and the open world, which hardly limits you. Not even up, as many of the so-called Sky Islands are now hovering high above Hyrule. To get from one island to another, the developers give you a powerful tool with the Ultra Hand, which is essentially a huge creative building kit. So you attach rockets or rotors to moving platforms to give them propulsion. With the right parts you can also tinker with real aircraft or water and land vehicles. You can let your creativity run wild in the design. An ingenious system that will give you countless hours of pleasure alone.

Time manipulator for crafting weapons

Of course, Link also has a slew of other new gadgets and abilities, some of which are really useful to explore, but especially in combat. With the synthesis you now combine every melee weapon and shield with every item. Some of these combos just look funny, like if you attach a minecart that automatically adjusts to your shield. On the other hand, if you combine a sword with a pointed steel ball, you will receive a powerful morning star.

Not only does it cause significantly more damage, “synthesized” weapons are also much more durable, which Nintendo also removes one of the biggest criticisms of the previous installment of the series. The variety of new weapons is huge, especially since blows from longer ranges are also possible, which can give certain opponents a decisive advantage.

Synthesis is also possible with the arrows for Link’s bow. Depending on the item used, you make fire and ice arrows. A certain fungus turns the projectile into a smoke grenade that obscures the enemy’s view for a particularly powerful stealth attack from behind. Explosive projectiles or even target arrows are also part of the repertoire. Time Reversal, which can also be used in exploration, opens up new possibilities in combat.

On the one hand, you freeze time while continuing at normal speed. In addition, you can then send certain objects, such as boulders thrown by enemies, back to the sender with the push of a button. All this greatly enriches the combat in terms of diversity, variety and tactical depth.

Tricky and cumbersome

Meanwhile, “Tears of the Kingdom” is certainly not free of flaws. Nintendo even retained a few weaknesses of the predecessor, such as the sometimes cumbersome operation, especially within the menus. It can also be annoying in the long run that you always have to drop inventory items on the floor if you want to use them for synthesis. You can’t do the weapon fusion completely in the menu.

Elsewhere, however, the developers have thought of installing comfort features that are easy on the nerves. You can now place a manual fast travel point at any point, which you can return to via the map at any time. The feature is especially beneficial in the air islands. After an involuntary fall to the surface of the earth, who wants to spend time returning to the cloud realm?

perspective

“The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom” leaves a very good impression. In terms of atmosphere, you can expect a similar atmospheric adventure as in the predecessor, with a huge world in which you can probably sink away for another 100 hours and more. The new abilities are already proving to be an asset, both in combat and exploration. The synthesis clearly stands out and the range of weapons that has expanded enormously as a result, as well as the ultra-handy and great creative kit. Another masterpiece is not yet guaranteed, but the chances are excellent.