The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has received overwhelmingly positive reviews from critics, with many praising the game’s ability to improve on its predecessor, Breath of the Wild. Critics have lauded the game’s substantial ideas and vast number of quality-of-life improvements. Below are some excerpts from various reviews:
Gameplay
GameSpot
“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.” — Steve Watts
IGN
“The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is an unfathomable follow-up to one of the greatest games ever made, somehow improving upon it in nearly every way–be that with simple quality-of-life improvements, a genuinely exciting story, or wildly creative new building mechanics that make you rethink what is possible.” — Tom Marks
Graphics and Design
VGC
“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.” — Jordan Middler
Inverse
“Tears of the Kingdom is so much more than a sequel–it’s a total reimagining of what Nintendo did with Breath of the Wild in 2017. Sure, there are still some minor quibbles, like tedious cooking and clumsy horse controls. But all of that pales in the face of the many things this game does right.” — Hayes Madsen
Storyline
Nintendo Life
“It’s a glorious, triumphant sequel to one of the best video games of all time; absolute unfiltered bliss to lose yourself in for hundreds of hours. We can’t wait to see what the world will do with the game.” — Alana Hagues
Game Informer
“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.” — Kyle Hilliard
Verdict
GamesRadar
“Tears of the Kingdom builds on what Breath of the Wild did previously – and with a platform like that to work on, the result can’t help but be fantastic. Though with the occasional hiccup in execution, the end result is a game as broad as it is deep, and something that comfortably justifies the six-year wait.” — Joel Franey
Eurogamer
“Tears of the Kingdom is an astonishing, quite literally top-to-bottom sequel, adding complexity and splendor to the Breath of the Wild formula without sacrificing its enchantment.” — Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
Critics Consensus
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is a must-play game for any fan of the series or anyone who loves open-world adventures. With improved gameplay and a captivating storyline, this game is sure to captivate players for hours on end. Despite a few minor flaws, it is a worthy successor to Breath of the Wild and a shining example of what a video game sequel should be.
