Recording summary · May 2023
DO NOT BUY The Legend of Zelda： Tears of the Kingdom - VERY Disappointing
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Overview
Daniel found The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom on the Switch OLED bland, repetitive, and overly similar to Breath of the Wild, declining to recommend it at £60 or $75 due to recycled gameplay, visual, and narrative elements.
The graphics in Tears of the Kingdom show no visible improvements over Breath of the Wild, displaying low-resolution textures, flickering shadows, poor draw distance, and hardware constraints relative to handhelds like the Steam Deck and AYANEO 2.
Daniel noted increased voice acting favorably but identified Link's continued silence as lazy writing, criticized the combat for lacking mechanics found in games like Elden Ring or Dark Souls alongside weapon durability and simplistic AI, and found the Purah Pad immersion-breaking.
The open-world design felt empty and bleak with repetitive sky island exploration loops, and the narrative followed predictable tropes, leading Daniel to advise waiting for a price drop and assigning the game a 6.2 out of 10 rating.
Themes
Tears of the Kingdom gameplay, combat, and open-world mechanics compared to Breath of the Wild.
Visual performance, graphics, and Switch OLED hardware limitations compared to other handhelds.
Narrative structure, character voice acting, and fantasy world immersion.
Game recommendation, retail pricing, and final numerical score.