The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

 Switch
User Score
8.1

Generally favorable reviews- based on 9840 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7,514 out of 9840
  2. Mixed: 734 out of 9840
  3. Negative: 1,592 out of 9840
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  1. ScreenS
    Sep 8, 2023
    9
    Hot take but I actually preferred BoTW. Yes that initial wow factor played a major role in that, but the dungeons actually had puzzles that couldn't be solved with a rocket shield, and boss fights didn't require wierd and or unfun gimmicks to make them challenging.

    Ultimately building super cool contraptions is only good for solving local problems or traveling short distances, and isn't    Hot take but I actually preferred BoTW. Yes that initial wow factor played a major role in that, but the dungeons actually had puzzles that couldn't be solved with a rocket shield, and boss fights didn't require wierd and or unfun gimmicks to make them challenging.

    Ultimately building super cool contraptions is only good for solving local problems or traveling short distances, and isn't truly unlimited. Combat also somehow feels worse and was bad to begin with.    … Expand
  2. TheRealW4fleBr0
    May 26, 2023
    9
    They use the old map and make a new experience, they take the best from Botw and do it better
  3. Raviolii
    May 27, 2023
    9
    Incredible sequel to an already outstanding game. It feels like everything from BOTW was questioned at least once and then either changed for the better or directly taken over from the sequel. This game really redifines what a sequel is without making Breath of the Wild obsolete. It has so much personality, interesting game mechanics and a huge world to explore. TOTK gives the player soIncredible sequel to an already outstanding game. It feels like everything from BOTW was questioned at least once and then either changed for the better or directly taken over from the sequel. This game really redifines what a sequel is without making Breath of the Wild obsolete. It has so much personality, interesting game mechanics and a huge world to explore. TOTK gives the player so much choice that it is almost impossible to be bored by it since you can always choose what to do next and pick what interests you most. This includes the WAY you play. You can decide how and when to attack enemies, come up with interesting strategies that allow for player expression like never before in a video game. it would have been a 10/10 if not for the common technical issues like frame drops and resolution dropping significantly but it doesn't interfere with the gameplay too much. However as good as this game is, I have to warn players that disliked Breath of the Wild. This game is pretty similar in terms of gameplay and if you hated BOTW you're going to hate TOTK too.… Expand
  4. Sigmys
    May 27, 2023
    9
    TOTK was exceptionally better than BOTW. More expansive, better story, longer main story content, fantastic improved weapon system, and most importantly it actually felt like a Zelda game this go around. 9/10. However my biggest gripe, korok seeds!

    In future entries please remove things like korok seeds, the sign guy, and how the shrines are carried out. I get that it's a children’s game,    TOTK was exceptionally better than BOTW. More expansive, better story, longer main story content, fantastic improved weapon system, and most importantly it actually felt like a Zelda game this go around. 9/10. However my biggest gripe, korok seeds!

    In future entries please remove things like korok seeds, the sign guy, and how the shrines are carried out. I get that it's a children’s game, but the puzzle experience behind these trivial things were just tedious and ultimately unrewarding. I felt Shrines, signs, and seeds were forced tutorials that you had to play through for their mediocre rewards. At this point I kinda miss that heart gems were just findable in cave, the puzzles of those I mentioned above were simply demeaning and time wasting (korok seeds especially). I get it, put the thing in the thing, get the thing to the thing, which translates to stop what your adhd focus is on and do this thing instead so you forget and wander around aimlessly after you’re done. One thing that could remedy this is to instead make the weapon storage more reliant on rare ingredients that you must find in all corners of Hyrule to check the box of needing a player to traverse as much of the map as possible. You could reward players for picking up every rock by finding exclusive ingredients like this. As for sign guy, just don’t… for the shrines make caves this type of puzzle and instead of bubbelgems make the reward heart pieces. You already got rid of Sheika shrines, might as well put caves where they were and call it a day!

    In contrast, I felt the best puzzle experiences were the riddles, armor caves, and random discoveries scattered throughout hyrule (though some of those could’ve packed better rewards than **** like sapphires and ****ty weapons). These experiences felt mystical and gave me the feeling I was actually discovering something no one else had. It was absolutely an enjoyable experience!

    Another thing I enjoyed was the refreshing new enemies and the return of familiar Zelda baddies. It padded out the roster that grew stale in BOTW. Even though these enemies got pretty boring after a while, I found it was enough to make an enjoyable experience filled with enough novelty to keep things interesting. The size of the game is also impressive for only 16gb of space. There are pretty much 3 maps to explore! One of them is filled with much of the same content, but it makes for a good pallet cleanser to contrast the rest of your exploration through Hyrule if it starts getting stale. The last boss felt like a real Zelda last boss, although the challenge isn’t really there. I remember some of the Zelda last bosses actually being difficult before in games before BOTW. The difficulty of this game is very high in the beginning but diminishes to severally easy once you make it past the midpoint of understanding the basic concepts of each aspect of the game from cooking, building, and fusing. That’s a big weakness, but one I don’t have an answer for except that you should make the difficulty scale with the power ups. All in all I had a fun time, even though I collected everything and felt a pang of betrayal at the lack of rewards for all my troubles. I felt the most rewarded for completing all the main story content though, and I feel the game shines with it. (My last small gripe is the a jab at the cutscenes for completing each of the big main milestones in the game… they are all the damn same… what a missed lore opportunity.)    … Expand
  5. TrueJoker99
    May 28, 2023
    9
    It's pretty much Breath of the Wild but with fleshout mechanics and a large amount of areas to explore. Definitely in my Top 3 Zelda games.
  6. ghostcube
    May 30, 2023
    9
    Great game but botw was better imo. Story is much better in tears but breath of the wild felt so much more innovative.
  7. IDKwhy156
    May 31, 2023
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The game is an AMAZING combo of botw, skyward sword, twilight princess, majora's mask and ocarina of time. The Gloom Hands scared the Sh1t outta me. My only gripes are that there ain't more and harder dungeons and that the weapons variety SUCKS. Maybe the DLC will make up for it … Expand
  8. Arrekousou
    Jun 1, 2023
    9
    J’étais très curieux concernant la suite de BOTW. Comment faire pour faire oublier cette révolution ? La réponse est simple : reprendre les mêmes et faire tout en plus gros, en plus audacieux et en plus épique ! Zelda TOTK parvient à faire passer son grand frère pour un brouillon
  9. SPIDER-MAX56
    Jul 17, 2023
    9
    A well thought out video game sequel that improves upon its predecessor but shouldn’t be charged for $70. That said, TOTK goes back to its roots with the traditional style of other Zelda games we know we and love, that includes actual dungeons, a good variety of enemy/boss fights and a broader story.
  10. goofyahhgamer
    Jun 3, 2023
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game had potential, and (almost completely) delivered on it.

    The story and game play is way more refined than BOTW, and it shows. The dungeons are better (for the most part, which I will expand on) and aren't boring. Almost everything succeeds it's predecessor's.... EXCEPT FOR THE MUSIC!!!!!

    When I watched the 3rd trailer, I thought the music would normally be that good! Most of the tracks in this game suck balls, and the dungeons are no exception! Save for colgeras theme, nothing in this game sounds good! And the towns didn't get new music either!!!!!

    Jokes aside, the one thing bringing this game down from a 10 is the major lack of bangers. Hopefully the dlc can give me what I desire.    … Expand
  11. Aquaticset3245
    Jun 3, 2023
    9
    Leading up to this game I was worried that it wasn't going to be as great as it could be or it would feel like dlc, my worries quickly vanished as soon as I started playing, the game is very close to a perfect score, unfortunately things like occasional frame drops and the major dungeons (while way better than botw) not being on the same level as the classic dungeon designs bring the scoreLeading up to this game I was worried that it wasn't going to be as great as it could be or it would feel like dlc, my worries quickly vanished as soon as I started playing, the game is very close to a perfect score, unfortunately things like occasional frame drops and the major dungeons (while way better than botw) not being on the same level as the classic dungeon designs bring the score down, every other aspect of the game feels amazing.… Expand
  12. Meeerates
    Jun 4, 2023
    9
    Lets say it this is gonna win game of the year 2023 this game has the old breath of the wild map but some of the places are differnet with sky islands A bigger map under ground more bosses but the one promblem i have with it is IM CHEAP ON GETTING ONE SHOTED but the game is fun
  13. RepentantSkyGX
    Jun 4, 2023
    9
    A great game that just falls short of being perfect. If there was any flaw with Breath of the Wild it was the, at times, aimless exploring, so Tears of the Kingdom thought, why not add more of that and gave us more areas to explore, which can be difficult like the sky locations, or a bit tedious like the underground one. Everything else is perfect, including the story, which isn'tA great game that just falls short of being perfect. If there was any flaw with Breath of the Wild it was the, at times, aimless exploring, so Tears of the Kingdom thought, why not add more of that and gave us more areas to explore, which can be difficult like the sky locations, or a bit tedious like the underground one. Everything else is perfect, including the story, which isn't something that can be said about several Zelda games, where the story takes too much of a backseat, and lord knows despite my complaints, I've played the game for over 130 hours so it's not like it's all bad, but it is a bit too much.

    The shrine puzzles are actually better than the original, the characters, even legacy ones like Zelda are somehow more interesting arguably than they've ever been, the new music is perfect and blends in well with music from Breath of the Wild so much so that I almost wonder if they weren't used tracks from the original, because my gawd are they amazing, and the new mechanics, while they have a slight learning curve are absolutely fantastic when you clear it, and while there is an occasional lag spike, it happens so little it barely warrants mentioning, but barely isn't nothing so I did, and it is an overall fantastic game. It probably won't be my GOTY, even though it will be for the Switch, but it is absolutely worth the price of admission, and it's the only hiked up priced game that I think I can say that for. If you can play it, play it, it's a wonderful world to get lost in.    … Expand
  14. Varvein
    Jun 6, 2023
    9
    It fixes a lot of flaws with breath of the wild and some of the combos with the fuse mechanics are just insane, only real problem I have is that the game just feels like its missing something.
  15. MrNook
    Jun 7, 2023
    9
    And I thought Breath of the wild was good... This game is probably the best I've played. This game would probably not appeal to a normal gamer, but to a Zelda fan this is amazing. This is basically a giant add on to BOTW, This will definitely be very complicated to a gamer, but to a BOTW player it will be amazing, the way they have added two extra layers onto the world, Underground and theAnd I thought Breath of the wild was good... This game is probably the best I've played. This game would probably not appeal to a normal gamer, but to a Zelda fan this is amazing. This is basically a giant add on to BOTW, This will definitely be very complicated to a gamer, but to a BOTW player it will be amazing, the way they have added two extra layers onto the world, Underground and the Sky, I know that most players aren't very happy with the ultra hand, but I love it. The way the game rewards with creativity without needing it. The amount of content this game has is a bit overwhelming in a good, I have about 50 hours as of this review, and I still have too much to do, The story on this game is a big upgrade, but that is not true for the music, Zelda music is usually a relaxing and amazing time to listen to, but TOTK and BOTW have not delivered. The dungeons are still not back to their full form, but are still better then BOTW. Even though this doesn't feel like a Zelda game, It is still a masterpiece Nonetheless.… Expand
  16. Dead_Shadow_
    Jun 10, 2023
    9
    Это определенно не 10 из 10 но при этом игра не заслуживает того намеренного хейта от сонибоев
  17. YuraPlay
    Jun 11, 2023
    9
    the funiest game of 2023............................................................
  18. Etdumas1
    Jun 13, 2023
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. -->Negative 1. This is botw 1.1

    2. The combat are kinda repetitive 3. Fps drop

    --> Positive

    1.This game put to shame almost every other AA title. The game is not buggy it has been release when it was polish and done (yeah i know it shouldnt be a point but most AA game are released unfinished or they are rushed)

    2. Amazing soundttacj

    3.The only open world i think off that have all climate on earth (hand crafted map fudge your ai whit no talent) 4.Ambiance sound are spot on ( it is dynamic whit the weather / time of the day)

    5.The side quest dosent feel repetitive unlike all the other open world I have played

    6.Every corner of the map are worth to see

    7.The art style of the game is awsome yes i played game whit better graphics(my pc > next gen console) but they were less breathtaking.

    8.The physics of the game are well made and intuitive


    -->Conclusion This game is near perfect ( perfection dosent exist) there is some minor flaws to me the worst point is the combat, but it is clearly in my top 10 games ever played probably in my top 3. Dont listen to the haters who never played the game: they are just jealous that a outdated system like the switch has a game that anihilate everything their powerfull machine can legaly run.    … Expand
  19. wuw
    Jun 15, 2023
    9
    Ok, now I have finished this game and I can write a review.
    The game was really good but I have to take some points off.
    There was no postgame after ganondorf! -This time I was definitely waiting for there to be postgame: some new side quests would have opened up and I could have explored the rest of the world and help rebuild whole Hyrule. MAP -Sky islands were fun and the    Ok, now I have finished this game and I can write a review.
    The game was really good but I have to take some points off.

    There was no postgame after ganondorf!
    -This time I was definitely waiting for there to be postgame: some new side quests would have opened up and I could have explored the rest of the world and help rebuild whole Hyrule.

    MAP
    -Sky islands were fun and the underground world is huge!
    -But I expected to find slightly different biomes there, tough I won't take any points off from this.
    -Still.. With this game alone I wasn't quite able to fully achieve that same adventuring feeling than in Botw. Mostly because I already knew every major location on the ground, even tough there were a lot of caves and new enemies.
    -I would have liked that they expanded the hyrule ground map even little and add new cities (even one) and would have made the old cities bigger!

    RUNES
    -All the runes were good/great and somewhat surprisingly I liked the Ascend
    the most!

    WEAPONS
    -Weapons still break but fuse was ok/fun so no points off. Tough I still would prefer that you would be able to build/upgrade your own weapons with blacksmith/anvil and they wouldn't break

    SHRINES & DUNGEONS
    -the shrines were generally more fun than in Botw.
    -I liked these dungeons better than Divine beasts

    Summary
    -I would say it is as good as botw but for new players it's even better.
    But for those who already completed Botw and are really familiar with the old the map,
    you might not be able to get the same level of adventure feeling when exploring on ground, witch is a HUGE part of the game.

    But since this is direct sequel.. If you think Botw and Totk as one experience, then totk is pretty much a perfect postgame for Botw! ...well it's kinda overly large to be just postgame but if I think it this way then its 100/100!

    Next game should be on whole new world! third time would be way too much..    … Expand
  20. DasCarnifex
    Jun 15, 2023
    9
    Masterpiece no doubt. They literally put open world games to the next level
  21. Lutuzel
    Jun 16, 2023
    9
    This game is for me one of the best The Legend of Zelda games existing. The story is very good and fun to play. But its better if you weren‘t 100% Breath of the Wild befor, because the overworld exploring isn‘t that good in some places. But the underground and the sky exploration is good. Very good game!
  22. Poggo
    Jun 18, 2023
    9
    Tears of the kingdom are another level! I really enjoy it.
    The graphic, the music, the gameplay, the map and also the story! I give it a 9/10. Really well done.
  23. limamura
    Jun 19, 2023
    9
    I was pleasantly surprised with this game. I had no intention of playing this after watching the first gameplay trailer, the new core mechanics just looked like boring gimmicks on a clone of the first game's map.
    However, seeing people around me playing it and having a blast made me give it a try and I'm glad I did. -most- of the shrines are fun and challenging, dungeons are short but    I was pleasantly surprised with this game. I had no intention of playing this after watching the first gameplay trailer, the new core mechanics just looked like boring gimmicks on a clone of the first game's map.
    However, seeing people around me playing it and having a blast made me give it a try and I'm glad I did. -most- of the shrines are fun and challenging, dungeons are short but creative, building contraptions is an open gate for player creativity, without mention the excellent physics mechanic. I don't care very much for the story as it is just a remix of the same legend of Zelda formula (that can be good or bad depending one one's perspective) and the characters can be vastly generic.    … Expand
  24. Dogstomp
    Jun 19, 2023
    9
    You wouldn't think they could really top Breath of the Wild at its own game, but they blew it out of the water. Although it's (mostly) the same Hyrule as in Breath of the Wild, it feels entirely new to explore.
    Though I would confidently bet my life's savings on Tears of the Kingdom winning game of the year, I did rate it only 9/10, because one very large and important area of the game    You wouldn't think they could really top Breath of the Wild at its own game, but they blew it out of the water. Although it's (mostly) the same Hyrule as in Breath of the Wild, it feels entirely new to explore.
    Though I would confidently bet my life's savings on Tears of the Kingdom winning game of the year, I did rate it only 9/10, because one very large and important area of the game (If you've played it, you can probably guess) clearly doesn't live up to its full potential, often feeling repetitive and empty. But despite that, I still thoroughly enjoy every aspect of this game.    … Expand
  25. Mrpb5540
    Jun 20, 2023
    9
    this game is soooo much fun and I can recommend but I'm getting this game a 9/10 because the sand temple is rally confusing and once I got thew that but it got wore for the boss now i might
    just be bad but the game is fun so I'm going to try to beat it sooner or later.
  26. AGCR
    Sep 4, 2023
    9
    It's my first Zelda since WW and it's a masterpiece, even better than BOTW.
  27. theolife_goeson
    Jun 28, 2023
    9
    Great music, great story. The story makes me feel peace.
    But I want to 1 point off for Map data reused. Except for this, I think is the great game:)
  28. Nibbana
    Jun 24, 2023
    9
    The only bad thing is the bad story but overall is fckng good

    The fight with ganon was...holy sht so bad ☠️ boring and literally full of reused moves from other enemies
  29. GenericZeldaFan
    Jun 24, 2023
    9
    The legend of Zelda is a bigger and better breath of the wild and I love it, I think the fuse ability was done to perfection with (the exception of not being able to put fish on your sticks), ultrahand is an amazing addition and really brings out your creativity, recall although being my least used ability, is still cool and you can definitely use it in creative ways, and ascend makes myThe legend of Zelda is a bigger and better breath of the wild and I love it, I think the fuse ability was done to perfection with (the exception of not being able to put fish on your sticks), ultrahand is an amazing addition and really brings out your creativity, recall although being my least used ability, is still cool and you can definitely use it in creative ways, and ascend makes my life so much easier! The added difficulty of the enemies is great and the return of dungeons and dungeon bosses is really nice. While the game is amazing it doesn’t mean it’s perfect and I still have a few gripes with it. The lack of connectivity between the two games is definitely one of the biggest flaws in my opinion, as well as the low amounts of sky islands. The dungeons, while I’m glad they are back feel kind of the same besides the environment, “activate 4 of this thing and fight the boss” that’s basically it. The sage abilities are also really underwhelming compared to the champion abilities in botw. But even with these flaws, I think the game is still the best Zelda game, even topping botw in my opinion.… Expand
  30. ShadozeGG
    Jun 24, 2023
    9
    Experience the extraordinary achievement of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom, a game that astounds with groundbreaking gameplay mechanics and pushes the boundaries of Nintendo's hardware. Hyrule is more vibrant than ever, offering a plethora of mysteries in its vast skies and deep chasms. While not revolutionizing the gaming landscape, Tears of the Kingdom empowers players to be innovativeExperience the extraordinary achievement of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom, a game that astounds with groundbreaking gameplay mechanics and pushes the boundaries of Nintendo's hardware. Hyrule is more vibrant than ever, offering a plethora of mysteries in its vast skies and deep chasms. While not revolutionizing the gaming landscape, Tears of the Kingdom empowers players to be innovative architects within its expansive sandbox, consistently awestruck by its unrivaled game world and intricate puzzles. It surpasses its predecessor, Breath of the Wild, in almost every aspect, delivering an unforgettable Zelda experience. However, while possessing exceptional qualities, Tears of the Kingdom feels more like a refined iteration rather than a completely new adventure, relying heavily on its predecessor and lacking a distinct "wow factor."… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

1
#1 Best Switch Game of 2023
1
#1 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2023

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
96

Universal acclaim - based on 150 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 145 out of 150
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 150
  3. Negative: 0 out of 150
  1. Nintendo Force Magazine
    Mar 18, 2024
    100
    I wasn't sure how Nintendo would find a way to top their work in Breath of the Wild back when it came out, but I feel they have here – with years of more polish applied and refined exploration. [Issue #66 – July/August 2023, p. 71]
  2. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Jan 22, 2024
    100
    The good thing is that, thanks to the limited possibilities, the creators couldn't go crazy and swing for hundreds of game miles. Instead, they created what could be called Elden Ring in a travel pack. [Issue#328]
  3. Shacknews
    Dec 28, 2023
    100
    The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has lived up to the high expectations created by the success of Breath of the Wild with its exquisitely intertwined gameplay systems, outstanding music, and a legendary story culminating in a magnificent denouement. It's not every day that such a special video game like this comes around. Truly the stuff of legend.
    Read full review
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