One of the biggest hits of 2023 is coming to Nintendo Switch in a few weeks. This is obviously The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, already acclaimed by critics.
For Nintendo, this month of May 2023 promises to be crucial. Indeed, in a few weeks, one of the most anticipated games of all time, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, will be released. If that name means anything to you, it’s because it’s the sequel to the revered Breath of the Wild, the open-world RPG that was all the rage when it released the Nintendo Switch in 2017, responsible in much of the excellent launch of the hybrid console. Six years and 122 million consoles sold later, Link returns for the rest of his adventures in Hyrule, this time taking us to the skies of these fantastic lands to once again fight the absolute Evil Ganon. The press has already started to publish their opinions on the one that has been voted the most anticipated game of 2023, and its success seems total.
If we were afraid that Tears of the Kingdom would not exceed the status of a carbon copy of its elder, in particular because of the technical limitations imposed by the now venerable Nintendo Switch, Nintendo was able to prove to us the impertinence of our uncertainties. Tears of the Kingdom peaks at 96/100 average rating on Metacritic, a more than impressive score that puts it on a par with the legendary Elden Ring released a little over a year ago. By reaching this note, Tears of the Kingdom is placed almost at the height of its excellent elder, proving once again that the developers at Nintendo have not lost their hand.
For JVCit is the consecration with 19/20: “By following in the footsteps of its predecessor, it is no longer a “revolution” of course, but it completes the player’s experience in an epic dimension that has no equal. The feeling of freedom, the feeling of living your own adventure without constraint, these are the great strengths of a game with an absolutely exceptional lifespan.“
Always on the French side, gameblog gives it the status of masterpiece with 10/10: “The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom is indeed the masterclass we were waiting for. A game of incredible generosity that once again bury all the competition. Often epic, constantly fascinating, Tears of the Kingdom, however, risks dividing on a few points. The most intransigent players will be able to reproach him for not doing enough to stand out from the previous game. But what good is it when you have already reached heights and are literally flying above the world?“
Across the Atlantic, the critics are just as rave reviews, especially from the side of the respected newspaper Destructoidwhich gives it 10/10, praising the new options offered to players: “The real advantage that separates Tears of the Kingdom from Breath of the Wild is its array of powers. I felt like I was in control every moment, and had the ability to create my own path. For a saga known for its sequence breaking (acquiring objects or powers in a different order from that intended by the developers, editor’s note), this is a strong argument that will allow Tears of the Kingdom to be at the heart of discussions for new many years.“
For the promotion of this major release, Nintendo has not been shy in its communication campaign, providing players with unpublished images of Tears of the Kingdom. What arouse some excitement around the world. We find there the first images of gameplay of this long-awaited sequel, introducing us to the verticality which will be the key word of the landscapes of Hyrule. You can also see the climbing mechanics and some new little powers to find in a few weeks.
Link is back for a new adventure in the land of Hyrule. Tears of the Kingdom intends to pick up where Breath of the Wild left off, with a land still under threat from the terrible Ganon. Our adventurer will once again have to face the threats that darken the land of Princess Zelda, in a plot that is still quite mysterious, distilled to the drop by the Nintendo teams. In any case, Tears of the Kingdom will be a heck of a competitor to Hogwarts Legacy in terms of sales and overall success in 2023.
But these few images already allow us to understand some essential aspects of Tears of the Kingdom. In terms of history, we already know that the game will pick up Link’s story where the first game left off. The knight’s mission will be to defeat the scourge “Ganon” once again, and to find his friend Zelda from whom he seems once again separated. On the gameplay side, we could see in the trailer several things that tipped us off.
First, at the level of the world in which the game will be located. The plains and the Hyrule no longer seem to be the only universe to explore. Indeed the kingdoms of heaven will once again be accessible, which reminds us of the universe of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. Link will be able to vertically traverse flying platforms, and explore Hyrule using various modes of transportation, including through the skies and in a glider. The Cinetis power is back, except that it will no longer be a question of freezing objects in time, but of sending them back to the past. We can also note the appearance of a flamethrower, and other small novelties like Fuse. Fuse is the unique system that allows you to build weapons, items and equipment with the resources around you. Enough to add a lot of depth to your exploration of Hyrule. One could almost say that Tears of the Kingdom is offered a little bit of Minecraft in its gameplay with this extremely original concept.
We can also note the importance given to verticality in the different gameplay sequences that we have been able to distill back and forth and across since the announcement of the game’s release more than three years ago. There are many passages where you can see Link climbing walls, roots, then throwing himself into the void and returning to the terra firma of Hyrule. Because the kingdom of heaven, we can never repeat it enough, are the great novelties of this long-awaited sequel, and just like in Skyward Sword, this involves new means of transport like the famous glider.
Fans can rejoice because The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom finally has a release date. The game is scheduled for May 12, 2023 and promises to be a great success as it was expected by fans since its announcement more than 3 years ago. A release directly and exclusively on Nintendo Switch, of course, and the promise of a huge flag bearer for the Nintendo console which had been in a slight lack of attractive exclusives for a few months.