Happy New Zelda Day to all those who celebrate. Reviews for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom dropped overnight and, even though you clicked on this article, you must assume “It’s a clean row of tens. Just perfect scores all round, surely.”
And yes, it is. The overwhelming take from the many, many reviews of Tears of the Kingdom is that it is another home run for Nintendo that keeps what worked about Breath of the Wild and meaningfully improves and expands on its predecessor where it counts.
It’s the breadth of opinion within all those 10’s that interests me (and hopefully you), however, so let’s dive into some individual reviews from here at home and from around the world.
For clarity, Kotaku Australia does not have its own Tears of the Kingdom reviews and coverage ready for launch because Nintendo does not provide us with early access code, nor preview access, due to some disagreements with Kotaku US. Unfortunate for us, but it is what it is. Ninty will be sending us a Day One code however, so I’ll be hopping in with all of you today (and honestly, that’s kind of nice. Means I don’t have to crunch on a 100-hour review in my downtime).
Tears of the Kingdom reviews from the Aussies
The way I put these review rundown pieces together is from highest scores to lowest. However, since all the Tears of the Kingdom reviews from Australia gave it a 10 (genuinely don’t know if I’ve seen that happen before), I’ll proceed alphabetically.
ABC Gamer, which uses a Play or Pass system rather than a numbered scale (I approve), awarded it “a thousand times Play”, a ringing endorsement, saying “How do you improve upon what many consider to be near-perfection? Well, you know what? I think they did it. They bloody well did it.”
AusGamers coming in hot with a 10 out of 10, says that Zelda is now irrevocably changed, a sentiment I’ve agreed with since BotW. “Know this, at the very least: I get the sense that this is it. This is now The Legend of Zelda blueprint, and from here on out, we live in this version of Hyrule, and we couldn’t be happier about that. This is both a true sequel and a hoisted flagpole on what this series is and where it’s going into the future…”
The AU Review gave it 5 stars, saying “For the longest time, this review had intimidated me. For something I have enjoyed so much, it felt like a relatively insurmountable task to be able to put into words. But for all I have mentioned throughout this review, what follows encapsulates everything you have read. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom improves on its predecessor in almost every way, providing gamers with one of the greatest sequels ever made.”
Regarding the intimidating feeling of reviewing a game this size: Relatable, Matt. Deeply, painfully relatable.
Checkpoint Gaming with another 10 out of 10, says “The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom finds a way to improve upon its predecessor in almost every way, remixing the format and forcing you to rewire your brain in genius ways to solve devilish puzzles, take on challenging bosses, and explore a dense, captivating open world absolutely chock-full of distractions and secrets. Like Breath of the Wild before it, Tears of the Kingdom is an incredible accomplishment in video games that is set to stay in our collective conscience for the next several years and beyond, and it’s completely deserving of that honour.”
GamesHub gave it 5 stars, saying “Breath of the Wild reinvented The Legend of Zelda. Tears of the Kingdom reimagines it once more, as a somehow more ambitious, freeform and creative game, with even greater highs – literally and figuratively. It’s a staggeringly eye-opening game that expertly cultivates the joy of exploration, discovery and believing in your own abilities.”
Player2 gave it an A+, calling it a “masterfully crafted journey that encourages exploration and experimentation while guiding you on an epic adventure. The perfect next step for the beloved Zelda franchise.”
Press Start gave it a 10 out of 10, saying “The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom builds upon Breath of the Wild‘s robust systems to offer an experience that eclipses the original in practically every way. Not only that, but it works incredibly hard to restore some of the things lapsed players might’ve missed from the traditional Zelda experience, and it pays off in droves. While the novelty of its design will never be as impactful as Breath of the Wild‘s debut, Tears of the Kingdom is one of the best Zelda experiences you’ll ever have.”
Stevivor gave it a 10 out of 10, and found that “Tears of the Kingdom is one of the most creative, satisfying and rewarding games we’ve ever played, all within a familiar Hyrule.”
Longtime Nintendo die-hards Vooks gave it 5 stars, saying “Tears of the Kingdom is Nintendo’s most grandiose game ever. It’s now the best Zelda game ever crafted, and again one of the best games of all time. The two titles will go down in history as one of the best back-to-back releases in any media of all time.”
And finally, WellPlayed gave it 10 out of 10, saying “Tears of the Kingdom will overawe you with its scale and its imagination. It will demand your creativity and ingenuity in a way that few games would dare demand. It pays tribute to the things that have made this series so timeless, while also innovating so relentlessly that it will be the better part of a decade before any game is able to follow in its wake. Nearly four decades after The Legend of Zelda series made its debut, its latest instalment is a breathtaking high-point for the Zelda franchise, for Nintendo and for video games.”
Wowee. There you have it. Reviews from the local contingent shower Tears of the Kingdom in glowing praise. Let’s see what the overseas outlets thought.
Tears of the Kingdom reviews from the rest of the world
Tears of the Kingdom reviews from around the world rolled our further red carpet treatment.
TheGamer gave it 5 stars, saying “The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is a masterpiece that not only equals what came before, it does everything in its power to surpass it. Even as it presents endless possibilities for me to indulge in and push my creative potential, it all comes back to the intimate gravestones or superfluous conversations that bring its world to life. Fading memorials and lone flowers cement the loss this vision of Hyrule has felt, and my unpredictable path is determined to piece it all back together.”
The Guardian also awarded it 5 stars, saying “I feel as if I will never finish this game. Every time I think I’ve got a handle on it, it reveals a new expanse. I haven’t even mentioned the depths, the particularly dangerous pitch-black underground world that exists below Hyrule. (Man, I do not like it down there.) I am walking around looking at all the clutter in my house and imagining ways that I could fuse it together. I invite my kids on to the sofa with me to watch Link’s adventures, and we all scream as I’m pursued by a terrifyingly fast gloop-monster made of grasping hands. In an airport recently, surrounded by bored people staring at their phones, I was so absorbed in a labyrinth I’d found at the edge of the map that I nearly missed my boarding call.”
Dexerto, another 5 stars, saying “Overcoming Breath of the Wild’s exceptional quality was never going to be an easy feat, but The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has achieved a small miracle. There is more creativity and choice than ever before, which will undoubtedly have a long-lasting influence on both the series and the wider gaming industry. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is not so much a tearful goodbye from its historic past, but a fresh new beginning – one that embraces the building blocks set down by its predecessor, and transforms them to further push this beloved action-adventure series ever forward.”
IGN gave it a 10 out of 10, saying “The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is an unfathomable follow-up, expanding a world that already felt full beyond expectation and raising the bar ever higher into the clouds.”
Destructoid gave it a 10 out of 10, saying “The real kicker that helps separate Tears from Breath of the Wild is its power set. I felt like I was in control at all times, and had the ability to create my own path. For a series known for sequence-breaking, that’s not just a perk; it’s a strong argument for why Tears of the Kingdom will be talked about for years on end.”
Gamespot gave it a 10 out of 10, saying “Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is a canvas for your own creativity, a book to write your own stories, a world to create your own legends. It gives you back as much as you put into it, and beckons you to soar, burrow, engineer, solve, adventure, and explore.”
The Telegraph gave it 5 stars, saying “I felt like a hero at every moment, whether I was saving the princess or exploring hidden passageways or helping rediscover the lost recipe for that aforementioned cheese. But I felt like a hero not because the game told me I was but because it showed me. It showed me that my wacky ideas for building silly motorcars were clever and fun. It showed me that with a bit of bravery I could beat a swarm of enemies with nothing but sticks and stones. It showed me that I could dive off a flying island into the unknown and find my way.”
VG247 gave it 5 stars, saying “Although it takes place on the same map as Breath of the Wild (with a few key changes owing to the time-skip and Upheaval, of course), Tears of the Kingdom feels different enough from its predecessor thanks to the new powers and mechanics to stand all on its own. It’s a massive open world that feels dense and exciting without getting clogged up with icon fatigue, since so much of the play is based around physics interactions with the core mechanics, rather than rigid systems.”
VGC ALSO gave it 5 stars, saying “The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom reinterprets Breath of the Wild for the better. Instead of removing all the aches and pains of that game, it completes the circle by adding gameplay-based solutions to annoyances and encourages you to let your imagination run free. Easily one of the very best games on Nintendo Switch.”
At this point the scores finally, at long last, begin to dip below perfect 10’s. Let’s push on.
Game Informer gave it a 9.75 (which, come on, just round up at that point, let’s be honest), saying “Video game sequels are often iterative on what came before them. It looks a little better, plays a little smoother, retains important mechanics while introducing new ones, and continues the story. Tears of the Kingdom checks most of these boxes, but getting rid of the Runes from the first game and giving players new ones to use in exploring a familiar but undeniably new world is ingenious. Nearly every encounter, whether puzzle, traversal, or combat, must be reconsidered. It makes you think in new ways. I didn’t get the same goosebumps exploring Hyrule as I did in the past, but I did experience new emotions both on a granular level from solving individual puzzles and on a larger scale by going back to one of my favorite video game locations. They say you can never go home again, but I adored returning to Hyrule with all new tools.”
Forbes gave it a 9 out of 10, saying “Overall, Tears of the Kingdom is a genuine improvement and evolution over Breath of the Wild. While I still think the Link’s Awakening remake has been the best Zelda game on the Switch thus far, Tears of the Kingdom comes very close to that. The story is also a lot more poignant than many of the other games in the series and consequently Tears of the Kingdom feels a lot more considered. So get ready to go back to Hyrule, because it’s all very new again and entirely massive with it.”
Games Radar gave it 4.5 stars, saying “Though almost intimidatingly big at times, Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom manages to keep focus and provide a rich, robust experience that builds on what came before.”
Eurogamer gave it 4 stars out of 5, saying “A terrific Breath of the Wild follow-up with some brilliant new systems, amazing views and more dungeon-type spaces, plus a slightly deadening emphasis on gathering resources.”
The 6 out of 10 in the room
It was Gfinity, however, that found itself the band apart, scoring the game 6 out of 10, saying “If you’ve yet to step foot into the open world of Hyrule, Tears of the Kingdom is the best way to experience it, with just enough new ground to keep things interesting. But if you didn’t gel with the 2017 release, the story alone might not be worth the second attempt.”
I have to commend Gfinity for being brave enough to publish a 6 out of 10 review on a game where the monolithic critical consensus is “it’s perfect.” Gfinity’s reviewer is absolutely right — if you didn’t click with Breath of the Wild, and there were a LOT of people that didn’t, then Tears of the Kingdom won’t do a lot to bring you around. That’s clear as cavalier, just looking at the trailers. This obviously a game with little interest in appealing to those that weren’t in love with the original. Rather, as we can plainly see from the long, LONG list of 10/10 reviews, it is a game that caters to those that already loved BotW, tightening up its features and making it flow that much better.
There are going to be people who are furious with Gfinity for this take, but they shouldn’t be. It has offered valid and valuable critique for a significant chunk of Tears of the Kingdom‘s potential audience. In games media, we all know what we’re getting ourselves into when we publish a review like this. It sounds horribly grandiose to put it this way, but it takes a certain amount of bravery to hit publish on this kind of review. We know that the second it goes live, we’re painting a target on ourselves that will attract the worst, most boneheaded people on earth. People that will threaten to kill you and your loved ones over a review score for a video game they haven’t even played yet. I wish the Gfinity staff peace on what will definitely be a shit day in the office, all because they spoke their truth.
In conclusion
Game good, it seems.
We did it, gang. Not only did we live to see Tears of the Kingdom reviews drop, we lived to see the damned thing launch. Happy Friday. Enjoy your weekend in Hyrule.
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