Tears of Joy: The Legend of Zelda tops itself again

BRADY HENDRICKS, A&E REPORTER

Legends of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is considered one of the best games of all time, it’s hard to find someone who doesn’t at least appreciate something the game does. So when Nintendo announced a sequel lots of people were nervous about whether or not it could be as good.

Thankfully Legends of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom surpassed my expectations more than I expected.

Tears of the Kingdom’s Biggest strength is its sense of exploration. Exploring the world of Hyrule is addictive and feels rewarding. Finding new areas is fun because you never know what kind of cool or weird things you’ll find. For instance, in my travels, I found a green gem that I had to figure out how to get past this trail so I had to make something to help me get to where it goes. Making unholy contraptions to complete a challenge is fun because having limited resources can lead to inventive solutions that turn out to be really fun.

The brand new draw for the game is the addition of the great sky islands. Starting the game in the sky island was a great idea because of your lack of knowledge about how the game works to have you figure everything out without being explicitly told. It made me feel like a genius for finding the stupidest way to solve a problem. Doing anything in this game makes you feel like a genius and it is so rewarding to finally figure out a puzzle after trying for a long time. 

The addition of fusing things to weapons is my favorite addition because of the combos that you can do. If you think you can do something then you probably can. Something that can save you a lot of time is fusing an explosive barrel into a shield then shield riding will send you into the air saving time you spend climbing. Finding new combos is fun because it’s a way to change up your play style or tackle a hard enemy. Nothing is cooler than finding a special ability you had no clue existed.  

I think Tears of the Kingdom is the best game on the Switch. Tears of the Kingdom is an experience that feels like no other. Nintendo made a masterpiece that feels like something only they can provide. Tears of the Kingdom is looking to be the game of the year already.