This game is a lot more conflicting than I had anticipated it to be because I really want to give it a 5/5 and it feels so close to that mark but just barely misses it. To start with what I enjoyed though, the game is absolutely breathtaking visually and an obvious selling point of the game. Along with this the combat is something I found to be very engaging both mechanically and visually. As for the narrative I think its overall really compelling. The characters are interesting and the stakes are made clear through both the writing and the open world. If I had to nitpick a couple things with it though I would say that both the 3rd act and Jin's willingness to use more dishonorable means of killing the Mongols feel a little rushed. I think to really sell Jin's transition there should have been a couple more instances where he moves backwards and reattempts fighting with "honor", because we really dont see much of that after the first mission or two. Other than that though I really enjoy the narrative the game tells.

My biggest issue with the game, and the thing truly stopping it from being a 5/5, is the open world gameplay, which I found to be very barebones. While the world is visually spectacular it is lacking in engaging substance, feeling almost empty a lot of the time. The quantity of things you can find is but a small handful, either being one of 5 collectables, a Mongol base, or a side quest. All 3 of these, especially the side quests, begin to feel very repetitive very quickly, as there is little variety in the things you can discover, and personally I did not find those things especially engaging. Side quests in particular feel very formulaic and often drawn out, with the Ishikawa and Masako quests being 9 missions long feeling particularly absurd. Random encounters in other games often fill the gaps between discoverable landmarks and while this game does have them they are often nothing more than a simple Mongol patrol to kill time. Had this game fulfilled more on the open world front I think we would easily have a masterpiece on our hands, but unfortunately it is almost frustrating how close it comes.

Ok so I just want to say right out the gate that this is going to be one long ass review. This is one of the biggest releases since its predecessor and so I want to do it justice in this review. I also want to point out that despite the 4 star rating this review will be mostly negative as the entire internet has been singing this games praise since its release and I do want to address many of the flaws the game has, but let it be known that I do think this is a good game and without a doubt a GOTY contender.

To start with the positive things, holy shit they doubled the map size. Like straight up they just doubled the map size and didn't even advertise is whatsoever. In retrospect the ad campaign for this game was genius because finding the depths for the first time was absolutely mind-blowing, plain and simple, making the sky islands, the main focus of many trailers, feel like nothing more than a distraction. I want to also note that I think its incredible that this game plays NOTHING like Breath of the Wild. The new abilities in this game create a playstyle that is incredibly unique to its prequel. Whereas in Breath of the Wild you were forced by the game to make the most of the little resources the game gave you, Tears of the Kingdom gives you every resource you'll ever need and lets you do whatever the fuck you want. This is shown specifically by the Ultrahand and Fuse abilities that fully allow the player to do whatever they wish. There is also a wonderfully expanded upon enemy variety, a common critique of Breath of the Wild, as well as caves scattered around Hyrule for the player to discover, adding yet another wonderful layer of depth to the map.

Alright thats enough praise, time to start bitching about shit. I did say that Tears of the Kingdom plays differently from Breath of Wild, which is great as it justifies this games existence, but I didn't say that is plays better. Giving the player everything is fun to mess around with, but it makes this game so stupidly easy. Like to the point where even the most casual shrines and puzzles are cheeseable without any effort put in at all. 90% of the games shrines can be completed relying solely on the rewind ability, highlighting the lack of proper puzzle design. The dungeons exemplify this as well. While I did appreciate the unique themes compared to the Divine Beasts, the dungeon and puzzle layouts are just as bland, if not more so. Ultrahand's potential as a dungeon tool is completely nullified by the fact that all the materials you need to create a solution are handed to you right next to the puzzle, destroying any insentive for true player creativity and freedom. Exploration is also much less rewarding in this game. While there is much, MUCH more to find, it does not feel satisfying to traverse the map as the new launch towers give you a clear shot to the majority of locations without risk to the player, taking away from the magic of making it to an area on foot or by horse previously felt in Breath of the Wild. I mentioned earlier that Breath of the Wild forced the player to make due with that little they were given, and because of that success and survival felt extremely satisfying and rewarding, and I am sad to say that Tears of the Kingdom does not give me that same feeling.

Onto the story, arguably the worst part of the game without question. The decision to bring back memories as the main method of storytelling completely destroys any chance of this story being written well. While it made sense in the context of Breath of the Wild, memories in this game leave the main game without much going on. The lack of story in the present era screams wasted potential. If I left Breath of the Wild with one feeling, its that I wanted more character interaction between Link and Zelda, and that wish is unfortunately unfulfilled in Tears of the Kingdom. Speaking of lack of character interaction, Ganondorf gets like 10 minutes of screen time tops which is so incredibly disappointing as many including myself were stoked for his return. In fact, the main trio barely interact at all in this game, something seen in other Zelda games such as Ocarina of Time. With the memories being able to be viewed in any order, the entire structure of the story is lost as well. Because I was exploring and happened to find the Dagger memory by the beach second, the twist of Ganondorf's puppet Zelda was instantly revealed to me, making me quickly lose interest in any mystery in Hyrule as it almost always revolved around the puppet Zelda causing something to go wrong somewhere. On another note, I was very interested by Zelda's sacrifice to turn herself into a dragon in one of the memories, as the dragon continued to roam hyrule for thousands of years waiting for Link's arrival, stuck in a state of purgatory. This sacrifice, that created so much sadness and emotion once I simply saw the dragon from a distance, GETS COMPLETLY UNDONE AT THE END WITH LITTLE EXPLANATION???? Like I'm sorry didn't Mineru literally say the transformation was permanent and Zelda just comes back because of some bullshit magic? To top it off Link's chopped off arm is healed too, so any and all lasting impact of the game's events is completely nullified by the end. The entire games story could have never happened any nothing would have changed, and that is just bad writing, period. It doesn't help that the overall tale of The Imprisoning War just isn't really that interesting, but don't worry you're gonna be told the same shit 5 different times after you complete each dungeon without any new perspective or information.

I could nitpick so much about this game. The uninteresting, baby easy Shrine and Temple design, the story that is presented in quite literally the worst way possible, the often questionable writing, the gimped sense of exploration and discovery, and the repetitive shrine quests that almost always boil down to "bring this crystal to the shrine area". But god damn man, I just cant make myself give this game any lower than 4 stars. Despite its flaws, this game is still a masterpiece that deserves to be played solely for the unique experience and shocking amount of new and returning content. Everything great about how the world interacts with itself and the player from Breath of the Wild is still present, and expanded upon, making is so no matter what issues arise there is always some enjoyment to be had. If you actually read this entire review then first of all, you're weird please go do something else, and second of all thanks I guess, it feels good to finally get my thoughts on this game out there.