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. ig0tfish
    May 13, 2023
    5
    Pretty fun game so far but it’s basically BOTW 1.5. If you like doing mindless open world content and liked BOTW you can expect a similar experience here
  2. BuckWild
    May 23, 2023
    5
    It's fine. The story is basically nonsense and disregards Botw by acting like it never happened. Building stuff is kinda cool at first but after a few hours it becomes very evident how clunky the mechanics are and it starts to feel very tedious. Farming quickly gets out of hand and so this becomes VERY tedious. The whole game is about exploration, but the rewards for exploring areIt's fine. The story is basically nonsense and disregards Botw by acting like it never happened. Building stuff is kinda cool at first but after a few hours it becomes very evident how clunky the mechanics are and it starts to feel very tedious. Farming quickly gets out of hand and so this becomes VERY tedious. The whole game is about exploration, but the rewards for exploring are lackluster at best. The answer to the question "Oh what's over there?" 95% of the time "it's a shrine." The other times you just get boring crafting materials or armor that's just cosmetic unremarkable nostalgia bait. Weapons are still boring and armors are still as boring and useless as in Botw. Get this if you have a hard-on for Zelda games, I guess. But unless you identify with that remark, just do yourself a favor by skipping this and saving $70 in the process.… Expand
  3. Arngrim560
    Jun 24, 2023
    5
    Sorry but cant say i enjoy this like a new brand game, constructions at first stage feels new but when u play like 40h+ are just another secondary thing.
    The sidequest are awful with stupid rewards (100 rupee, mushrooms with rice etc), the combat system keeps being old and easy while you have food in the saddlebag you are unbeatable making all bosses a pile of trash including Ganon, the    Sorry but cant say i enjoy this like a new brand game, constructions at first stage feels new but when u play like 40h+ are just another secondary thing.
    The sidequest are awful with stupid rewards (100 rupee, mushrooms with rice etc), the combat system keeps being old and easy while you have food in the saddlebag you are unbeatable making all bosses a pile of trash including Ganon, the poor Gerudo dies as fast as you press 1 button, his 3rd phase is like ... Ok QTE escene would be work better than this.
    The armors are just a collectible you wont use more than 3 or 4 and are from bow literaly the rest still there for nothing cause the bonus they give are another trash.
    Music is impressive, the rest is plenty of flaws.
    Feels strange that in the scenes link keeps being a mr bean and another characters asks and answers by themselves, even the master-sword talks more lol.
    Definitely not perfect, being fanboy dont make any favor to the franchise, needs a big update on the combat, side-quest, Link and even in the main history, and make sure the rewards are worth, not just a farm of masked collectibles    … Expand
  4. CyberRobotnix
    May 14, 2023
    5
    It's about the same as last game, it's not any better or any worse TBFH. Maybe they could've tried instead of being lazy.
  5. rob_innes23
    Jul 20, 2023
    5
    To say that I'm disappointed would be a gross understatement.

    To clarify, The Legend of Zelda is my favourite series in gaming and has never failed to impress, move and floor me with every one of the games. This is the very first time I've felt let down. And it hurts. I so desperately want to agree with all of the rave reviews, but I just can't. To me, Tears of the Kingdom is    To say that I'm disappointed would be a gross understatement.

    To clarify, The Legend of Zelda is my favourite series in gaming and has never failed to impress, move and floor me with every one of the games.

    This is the very first time I've felt let down. And it hurts. I so desperately want to agree with all of the rave reviews, but I just can't.

    To me, Tears of the Kingdom is effectively a repurposed Breath of the Wild.

    - There are no fundamental differences with the way this game looks plays or feels. The combat mechanics are untouched and play exactly as they did in BotW (flurry rush and bullet time galore). The fusion mechanic makes the weapons look cooler and adds more longevity to even the weakest of base weapons... but I struggle to care beyond aesthetics when the combat encounters are the exact same mechanically against opponents that are also largely the exact same ones from BotW.

    - The new mechanics are fun to muck around with, particularly "Ascend", however the whole "Ultrahand" vehicle building gimmick never really stuck for me. I only ever engaged with it as a matter of convenience in the overworld, and while the shrine puzzles were mostly well designed, it all felt a bit samey after a while. I understand that this is preference, but when this is the foundation of new mechanics that the game is built around in the stead of actual puzzles akin to the classic titles that made them as fun as they are... I don't see it as a worthy successor.

    - The dungeons themselves are an improvement over the Divine Beasts - however still follow that same formula of do the thing five times then fight the boss. Also, here are the five places you need to go to marked on your map from the get go. It's all so watered down. Half the fun of the old dungeons was navigating, now that's all done for you! At least we've got actual bosses now good god, the Ganon Blights were dismal in BotW.

    - The story is bad. It's a bad story. Not necessarily because of the content, but certainly because of the structure and how it's conveyed to the player. There is absolutely no agency whatsoever as soon as the intro to the game is over. They just do the memory thing again, except this time they aren't even Link's memories and he therefore has no role in the story whatsoever. It's a story that has already happened that the main character isn't involved in that barely affects the game's actual proceedings??? How are we supposed to care? It's so clear that NIntendo didn't want to sacrifice the freedom and wanted to have it both ways, which has resulted in one of the most poorly delivered stories I've ever seen with no weight whatsoever. This is helped in no part thanks to Link's complete lack of characterisation. He is as stiff as he ever was in BotW but at least in the game it was somewhat justifiable as he was a soldier with amnesia. They even had an in game explanation for it. You'd think after years of peace with Zelda he'd have dropped the act just a little. It makes it so embarrassing when scenes are supposed to have weight and he's just standing there looking like he's fresh out of a lobotomy procedure. Agonising to watch. I know he's always been somewhat of a blank slate but come on!

    - Ganondorf, as a result, is a total wasted opportunity. He is hardly in the game at all. Could they not have sacrificed just a smidge of the freedom to provide a sense of stakes, weight and agency to this game?! We already got boundless freedom in BotW, reign it in a bit!

    - The sky and depths definitely exist. They both harbour some great main story stuff, but the remainder of both is just lacklustre. Sky has a load of islands to discover but they all amount to the same thing of just super simple shrine puzzles and then a Rauru's Blessing. The dephs are even worse. A great big giant pit of the same biome strecthed across the enitre map with a whole ton of copy paste enemies and armour from the amiibos. On that note, there is barely any new armour, which is hugely dissapoiting.

    - I don't know some of the new bosses are cool, but there aren't nearly enough. The caves on the surface are cool for a while but most look and play the same. There are barely any new enemy types, hardly matters though because the mechanics are the exact same and aren't conducive to engaging combat. The Map is the same, they've revamped it with different enemy base layouts and way more of them but who cares when it's just the same assets from BotW but more abundant?

    I'm being harsh I know. This isn't a bad game, just one that's disappointed me greatly especially considering the development time. I have had enough of this formula, this franchise needs at least some amount of linearity to work!    … Expand
  6. Zatoo0
    Jun 28, 2023
    5
    Story & Plot : 6
    Art Direction: 7
    Gameplay Experience: 7
    Level Design & Enviroment: 6
    Progression & System: 5
    Graphics (shadows, textures, light, etc) - 2
    Performance (framerate, bugs, resolution ) - 2
  7. ErrorSource
    May 27, 2023
    5
    Its pretty well made and i see the potential in it, but beeing honest i dont have fun at all. They really put every unnecessary feature in the game again. It almost feels like a soulslike at some points. I really hate the weapon break and the stamina drain. Sure it gets better longer in the game. Performance is also way worse then predicted in all the reviews and yeah i have every patchIts pretty well made and i see the potential in it, but beeing honest i dont have fun at all. They really put every unnecessary feature in the game again. It almost feels like a soulslike at some points. I really hate the weapon break and the stamina drain. Sure it gets better longer in the game. Performance is also way worse then predicted in all the reviews and yeah i have every patch installed. Ultrahand is also very clunky with it controls.… Expand
  8. ChangoGamer
    May 21, 2023
    5
    Cómo es posible que los gráficos sean tan pésimos?
    Existe una zona en donde está completamente oscuro.
    Y cuando finamente lo iluminas, todo está lleno de neblina. INACEPTABLE!!
  9. Juan19892020
    May 13, 2023
    5
    Overhyped game. This is BOTW 1.5, graphics technically the same. Controls suck. The new glueing/weapon fuse thing is a waste of time not fun after the first 10min. Weapons break after 5 hits WTF. I would say this is a wait for a deep deep sale but we know Nintendo will never drop the prices on their overrated franchises.
  10. ferplus
    Aug 17, 2023
    5
    Mostly the same we saw on the first, I mean Zelda BOTW, but with limitless high level engineering capabilities. I had enough of the same with BOTW and I didn't enjoy the new stuff.
  11. Nimmgreen
    May 14, 2023
    5
    Simply brilliant. A fantastic sequel to BotW. This will have unbelievable replayability and keep engagement high.
  12. ALonelyOrphan
    May 16, 2023
    5
    I wanna love this game I really do but once again I can't find myself exploring this vast open world similarly to that of BOTW. The world is gigantic but so much is just empty space and wandering aimlissly. The main reason I can't fully enjoy this game is the absolute complete control to do anything you want... I mean this totally ruined the game for me. YOU LITERALLY CAN CHEESE ANYI wanna love this game I really do but once again I can't find myself exploring this vast open world similarly to that of BOTW. The world is gigantic but so much is just empty space and wandering aimlissly. The main reason I can't fully enjoy this game is the absolute complete control to do anything you want... I mean this totally ruined the game for me. YOU LITERALLY CAN CHEESE ANY DUNGEON ANY SHRINE and solving the "puzzles" hardly ever feel rewarding because they don't have one clear solution. The side quests are boring and the NPCs are so abundent they all just blend together and have very few memorable characters outside your teammates. To put it simply this game is to big for it's own good. They really should of just shrunk the map by like 10 times and filled it with much more interesting stuff to do. This is a prime example of quantity over quality. Comparing this to a Read Dead Redemption or Grand Theft Auto or any open world game in the last 5 years does not do it any favors.… Expand
  13. MazzLink68
    May 14, 2023
    5
    About 15 hours in and I will say that it has exceeded the hype. Zelda fans and fans of BOTW will undoubtedly rate this a 10, while casual gamers new to it will enjoy various aspects of the mechanics and gameplay. It takes a bit to learn the mechanics and get on track with the story but once you do the sky is the limit! Hidden secrets and various new areas and moments of awe have alreadyAbout 15 hours in and I will say that it has exceeded the hype. Zelda fans and fans of BOTW will undoubtedly rate this a 10, while casual gamers new to it will enjoy various aspects of the mechanics and gameplay. It takes a bit to learn the mechanics and get on track with the story but once you do the sky is the limit! Hidden secrets and various new areas and moments of awe have already been a part of my experience. Hoping the many hours I play coming up will be as enjoyable.… Expand
  14. Tavo1994
    Jul 15, 2023
    5
    It feels like a DLC or a Mod for breath of the wild. The dungeons are just go here and activate this and makes them irrelevant when you have a flying bike.
    To be honest I prefer Breath of the wild.
    This game is just Breath of the wild Nuts and bolts. Also minus 1star for increasing the price for the same map. Heck Far cry primal did the same but it looks different at the same time. In this    It feels like a DLC or a Mod for breath of the wild. The dungeons are just go here and activate this and makes them irrelevant when you have a flying bike.
    To be honest I prefer Breath of the wild.
    This game is just Breath of the wild Nuts and bolts. Also minus 1star for increasing the price for the same map. Heck Far cry primal did the same but it looks different at the same time. In this game only a few things changed.    … Expand
  15. misazx
    May 14, 2023
    5
    It's an amazing game, why? Because it's extremely similar to BOTW.
    What is wrong with that? It's extremely similar to BOTW! This game was ready years ago, they were just waiting a good time to releas it.
  16. funkata
    May 14, 2023
    5
    Does very little to build on what we got in BotW, feels a lot more like DLC for that game than it's own.
  17. JustADude15
    May 25, 2023
    5
    IF you missed BOTW, this is a must play. But listen carefully…

    If you didn’t miss BOTW (no matter how much you loved it) — TOTK plays and feels like a poorly timed remaster (on a console at the end of its lifespan). I hate to say it, but the folks looking forward to this game most will likely be the ones most disappointed. In the time since BOTW left its mark on gaming, we’ve seen its    IF you missed BOTW, this is a must play. But listen carefully…

    If you didn’t miss BOTW (no matter how much you loved it) — TOTK plays and feels like a poorly timed remaster (on a console at the end of its lifespan).

    I hate to say it, but the folks looking forward to this game most will likely be the ones most disappointed. In the time since BOTW left its mark on gaming, we’ve seen its mechanics recycled 100 times over in other games.

    This might sound like typical sequel nitpicking, but I enjoyed both Ragnarok and Forbidden West quite a bit despite beating the original releases… The problem is that BOTWs unique charm was largely a product of its inventiveness and novelty — in that way, the sequel is NOTHING like its predecessor… closer to the opposite.

    Iterative installments work better when leveraging improved tech to benefit QOL / graphics. This is literally the same game with superimposed map expansion & some minor tweaks.

    TOTK is not bad, but it is essentially large DLC & the critic reviews are EXTREMELY hyperbolic. Maybe I would have enjoyed it had I not sunk 400 hrs into the original, but that was a long time ago — I felt nothing on this one.    … Expand
  18. Kramirez87
    May 14, 2023
    5
    2nd only to Ocarina of time. Breath of the wild feels like a demo. This game builds on the BOTW blueprint and gives it a better story and some traditional zelda elements that we're missing in BOTW.
  19. nnja
    May 26, 2023
    5
    MY SCORE IS 5/10 not 10/10 : please metacritic DO NOT CHANGE THIS!!!

    All the other 5-7/10 reviews nailed all the aspects of my review : This feels like BOTW 1.5 All the core mechanics are the same as BOTW; Link has no voice (WTF); People saying graphics are so much better are only talking about draw distance, not actual graphics quality (no HDR, unstable 30 FPS); The switch    MY SCORE IS 5/10 not 10/10 : please metacritic DO NOT CHANGE THIS!!!

    All the other 5-7/10 reviews nailed all the aspects of my review :

    This feels like BOTW 1.5
    All the core mechanics are the same as BOTW;
    Link has no voice (WTF);
    People saying graphics are so much better are only talking about draw distance, not actual graphics quality (no HDR, unstable 30 FPS);
    The switch becomes very hot, watch out in summer days;

    Hopefully I will update my review with more hours on this game but so far 100$ with taxes in canada i WAY too much to ask for this...

    PS : Davie504 said "behind each hate comment is a sad person" : YES! I am sad. Nintendo disapointed me, Skill Up disapointed me, MVG disapointed me. I'm selling my copy 24 hour after I have bought it. I'll never buy a nintendo game ever again.    … Expand
  20. Mike_Rotch
    May 14, 2023
    5
    Just like with Breath of the Wild they lacked the true essence of a Zelda game. Completed the story in 2 days and the rest is just a scavenger hunt. There was always collecting in the games but it wasn’t 90% of the game. Found it very boring as I did with BOTW. Hopefully they will revamp the next one.
  21. Rebtain
    May 21, 2023
    5
    Más de lo mismo respecto a su precuela, y su sistema de construcción no es algo que no se haya visto antes en otros mundos abiertos
    El asunto de que puedas hacer mil virguerías con los poderes de la ultra mano caen en saco roto cuando muchas de las cosas se pueden lograr con los mecanismos más simples y anodinos, o simplemente caminando, peleando y usando la paravela, siendo útiles solo    Más de lo mismo respecto a su precuela, y su sistema de construcción no es algo que no se haya visto antes en otros mundos abiertos
    El asunto de que puedas hacer mil virguerías con los poderes de la ultra mano caen en saco roto cuando muchas de las cosas se pueden lograr con los mecanismos más simples y anodinos, o simplemente caminando, peleando y usando la paravela, siendo útiles solo en los santuarios donde te fuerzan a ser creativo, los cuales son muy pocos.
    Ya si hablamos desde el punto de vista narratológico, BotW era más sólido y menos discordante, aquí el argumento se siente demasiado vacío.    … Expand
  22. Lil_Caucasian
    May 22, 2023
    5
    After 6 years, the only thing this game has going for it is the original stuff from Breath of the Wild. This makes the game feel like a retread of the original, but with worse runes and one of the worst main stories of any Nintendo game I've ever played. Those temples are terribly designed. All in all, play the original. This one is skippable.
  23. Trunyk
    May 15, 2023
    5
    Es mas un DLC que un nuevo juego por muchas razones, el mejor DLC que vi en mi vida si, pero un DLC y que este juego salga a 70 euros y que apenas veo cambios visuales con BOTW pues deja mucho que desear por esa parte.
    El apartado de jugabilidad es lo mismo pero la parte de creatividad y rienda suelta al jugador si que es una maravilla, el resto es normal
  24. VivaSaselandia
    May 13, 2023
    5
    La prensa a mi me ha dicho que con este juego iban a regresar las mazmorras clásicas o un Ganondorf de verdad, tal fue mi decepción al ver que las grandes mazmorras son igual de malas que las bestias divinas y que Ganon es una maldita decepción como jefe y como villano.
  25. Fugitivo
    Sep 9, 2023
    5
    Ótimo jogo mas péssima empresa (de games), uma vergonha um jogo AAA vim sem opção em português em pleno 2023, vergonha maior ainda saber que quem tem o console desbloqueado (pirata) tem acesso a tradução feita por fãs poucos meses depois do lançamento, enquanto uma super empresa igual a Nintendo vem com desculpinha que não consegue traduzir o jogo. Minha nota ruim vai por isso, fora oÓtimo jogo mas péssima empresa (de games), uma vergonha um jogo AAA vim sem opção em português em pleno 2023, vergonha maior ainda saber que quem tem o console desbloqueado (pirata) tem acesso a tradução feita por fãs poucos meses depois do lançamento, enquanto uma super empresa igual a Nintendo vem com desculpinha que não consegue traduzir o jogo. Minha nota ruim vai por isso, fora o preço super salgado do jogo, ridículo não ter nosso idioma.… Expand
  26. aaty
    Aug 10, 2023
    5
    I guess only me excepting some good graphics from nintendo. Also i dont like puzzle so if u dont like puzzles definetely stay away from it :D
  27. SaltyMarky
    May 18, 2023
    5
    All these years waiting for this - a BOTW map-pack. It's not innovative enough for a sequel. They've changed nothing about the feel of the BOTW gameplay. Bad swimming controls? Check. Bad starting stamina and slow regen speed? Check. Inexcusable slow camera movement, even at the highest setting? Check. Poor combat? Check. It's basically identical. Pity. BOTW was good, but flawed, and itAll these years waiting for this - a BOTW map-pack. It's not innovative enough for a sequel. They've changed nothing about the feel of the BOTW gameplay. Bad swimming controls? Check. Bad starting stamina and slow regen speed? Check. Inexcusable slow camera movement, even at the highest setting? Check. Poor combat? Check. It's basically identical. Pity. BOTW was good, but flawed, and it had a lot of improving to do. I guess they got more fawning praise and didn't feel the need to change anything.… Expand
  28. beliatcho
    May 13, 2023
    5
    Unfortunately the game did not give me anything new Zelda needs a new world because throughout the game I felt that I was still in the previous part
  29. jacobhaskins222
    May 15, 2023
    5
    I'm a fan of Zelda. I can get behind BOTW, but not TOTK. And yes, I've experienced every aspect of both games (shrines, plot, exploring the world, quests, sky, depths). After 30 hours in this game, I know I'm in for a building slog.

    The framerate isn't gamebreaking. It's mostly noticeable for me with the camera because I can't turn lol. But that isn't what holds TOTK back. What holds    I'm a fan of Zelda. I can get behind BOTW, but not TOTK. And yes, I've experienced every aspect of both games (shrines, plot, exploring the world, quests, sky, depths). After 30 hours in this game, I know I'm in for a building slog.

    The framerate isn't gamebreaking. It's mostly noticeable for me with the camera because I can't turn lol. But that isn't what holds TOTK back.

    What holds TOTK back is Ultrahand. Ultrahand = SS motion controls. And I like Fi more than most of this cast. SS is a low bar that TOTK should be able to beat, but doesn't. Ultrahand takes far too long because it introduces a linear way to puzzle in a BOTW format. You have to gingerly aim where you place objects or risk having to start over. Maybe I'd like Ultrahand more if there were other items I could use to impact puzzles. But Ultrahand's gravest offense is that it promises a fun time because it allows for "player creativity", and then eats the player's time by requiring them to build exactly as the game designed. And despite a brilliant start, the plot felt lazy (the story did do better than BOTW though. At least Nintendo tried).

    The world is emptier. It is straight up harder to collect materials AND materials are worth less (prices are the same btw). Luminous ore, for example, used to be worth 70 rupees but now grants only 20. Your best bet for money is probably cooking, but to do that you have to travel quite a ways across open space to gather sparse materials.

    This game won't age well. It can't for the reasons I've mentioned. Once the rabid excitement of the game wears off, I don't think this game will be seen favorably. Sure, I might spend more time with it than BOTW, but that's because this game doesn't respect my time. A long game with Ultrahand puzzles building the same machines got old fast for me, and I wager it'll be the same for a large portion of the player base.

    That said, this game is salvageable--if it takes a leaf out of SS's book and streamlines Ultrahand, combines the content with DLC I'm sure is coming to address some of the emptiness, then maybe TOTK has life. That leaves a bad taste in my mouth though, since TOTK took 4 years to develop and it took players only a few days to notice that Ultrahand is supposed to take 20+ hours of a serious player's playthrough, but is NOT fun with trial and error.    … Expand
  30. Osman5678
    Jul 2, 2023
    5
    Entretenido, pero aburridisimo, su mundo abierto es aburrido a morir, en lo personal, un juego que esta sobrevalorado.
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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.
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