Tears of the Kingdom tasks Link with returning to recognizable areas from the first game, such as Zora's Domain and Death Mountain, but the game is careful to ensure that each of them is noticeably different from previous versions. RELATED: Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom's Hylian Shield is Both Like and Unlike Any Other Shield in the Game Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom's Open World of Hyrule is Familiar But Fresh

Instead, players are treated to a Hyrule that is brimming with life and much more densely populated than before, and they are given two new maps to explore: the skies above Hyrule, and the treacherous area below it, known as the Depths.

Tears of the Kingdom could have used the same map of Hyrule again, tweaking and adding details to freshen it up. Adding in the impact that the change in temperature has on the player gave the game a sense of realism, despite its colorful art style.

Traversing across Hyrule's huge map is an arduous task, with its terrain varying from huge mountain vistas to deep, water-filled caverns. Zelda: Tears of the Kingdommanages to reinvigorate the first game's map by introducing a couple of new areas, as well as Link's game-changing new abilities that allow for a degree of freedom rarely seen before in the genre.Ī large part of Zelda: Breath of the Wild's critical and commercial success was based on the game creating a real sense of isolation and discovery. Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is the most recent example of this, with Nintendo successfully building on the award-winning formula established in Zelda: Breath of the Wild to create an arguably more well-rounded offering. Tears of the Kingdom keeps Hyrule fresh by offering a densely populated world, with changes to recognizable areas and the addition of new maps to explore.ĭespite the open-world genre being fairly saturated, occasionally a game's high quality is such that it can differentiate itself from the rest.The game introduces new areas and game-changing abilities for Link, providing a degree of freedom rarely seen in the genre.Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom successfully builds upon the award-winning formula of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, offering a more well-rounded open-world experience.

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