Legend of Zelda - Tears of the Kingdom --- Is it worth $70???

The Legend of Zelda - Tears of the Kingdom is a game that truly stands out as a masterpiece in the realm of video gaming. As a sequel to the much-loved Breath of the Wild, it takes the franchise to new heights, improving upon many aspects of its predecessor and introducing innovative elements that make it a unique experience.

Breath of the Wild was a game that I thoroughly enjoyed. Its open-world concept, engaging gameplay, and immersive storyline made it a memorable experience. However, over time, I found myself yearning for more. The map, while expansive, eventually felt restricted. The thrill of exploration waned as I traversed every nook and cranny.

Enter Tears of the Kingdom. This game takes the concept of exploration and amplifies it to a whole new level. The main map, familiar to players of Breath of the Wild, has undergone major changes. These changes breathe new life into the game, making it feel fresh and exciting. The landscape is filled with new areas to discover, secrets to uncover, and challenges to overcome.

But the innovation doesn’t stop there. Tears of the Kingdom introduces a second map located in the sky. The sky map offers a completely different environment for players to explore, filled with floating islands, towering structures, and airborne creatures. It adds a vertical dimension to the game, challenging players to think and navigate in three dimensions.

As if two maps weren’t enough, Tears of the Kingdom surprises players with a third map located deep underground. This was a feature that was not mentioned at all before the game’s release, making its discovery a thrilling surprise for players. The underground map is a stark contrast to the bright and airy sky map. It is a dark, mysterious world teeming with powerful enemies and intricate puzzles. It is also the setting for some of the game’s most important events, adding depth to the storyline and the overall gaming experience.

But, in a snap back to reality, we look at the price tag, and it's $70! Many originally thought this was overkill, as most good Nintendo switch games are at most $60. Let's analyze this. Is it really overpriced? Or does the actual experience of the game make up for it?

The pros:

Honestly, there were a ton of pros to this. The sky islands look so beautiful and well-made. The attention to detail in the maps like the little caves hidden around make the experience so much more charming. And while I was yapping about the map, did I even mention Link himself? Compared to Breath of the Wild, the abilities are WAY more refined and enjoyable. Ascend gives an easier but fun way to travel up and down, ultrahand literally makes me feel like a god, being able to make almost anything with the given Zonai devices and materials. Rewind reminds me of stasis from BOTW, but on crack, being able to return things back to where they were before. And last but definitely not least, fuse improves BOTW's problem of constant breaking of weapons by extending the life of weapons in a fun and enjoyable way. These abilities work surprising well with each other, and unlike BOTW, where the abilities seemed like something extra on the side, I have found myself to use the abilities in TOTK numerous times, with most times using multiple at once. The gameplay is so smooth and fun. But how do these amazing pros weigh against the cons?

Cons:

I wished there were no cons at all. But everything will have their pros and cons. The biggest one being that TOTK was developed for the switch. I have huge respect for the developers for wanting to go as far as they did with TOTK. But I feel as though the switch could not keep up well with these dreams. The refresh rate of the game is still at most 30, with there being some frequent drops here and there. Not to mention, things look grainy. On a TV, not so much. But when I found myself travelling and playing this game on my switch's tiny 720p screen, the image quality lacked, which really is a shame considering that it looks stunning in other circumstances.

Overall, I had a fun time with this game. Sure, the game may be a little more expensive than usual, but I personally think it was worth it. If you're not willing to dish out that kind of money though, I get it. I suggest either waiting to get it as a gift, or the better option, wait for Nintendo to do a sale. It is rare, but there have been a few times where the price of the game dropped down to $50~$60.


Have fun!