This game has been out for five days, and I fully believe it’ll be the game of the year. In the sequel to Breath of the Wild (BotW), Nintendo has knocked it out of the park again with their new release of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (TotK). Getting straight to the point before diving a bit deeper, it’s amazing, and I have loved every second I’ve spent exploring the land of Hyrule again.

(Somewhat small spoiler alert for the first part of the game) 

This game is an instant continuation of Breath of the Wild, where you see Princess Zelda and the main character, Link, investigating this gloom from underneath the castle that’s been making Hylians sick. While underground, they find a mummy that reanimates itself, which signals the beginning of the new game. This mummy heavily wounds Link and then triggers the upheaval, where Hyrule’s castle is lifted off the ground and Zelda disappears into the abyss that’s left behind. You’ll take control of Link as he wakes up on sky island with a new, half-mechanical arm. 

While on the sky island, you explore the remnants of an archaic civilization called the Zonai and dive into the new content. Remember that half-mechanical arm that Link gained, well, it allows you to perform new and unique abilities that will allow for new interactions with you, the land, and enemies. These abilities help make the game easier and create unique solutions to some puzzles and problems you’ll encounter throughout your journey. After exploring the parts of the islands, you’ll return to the Kingdom of Hyrule. 

Once back on the mainland, you’ll explore how the upheaval has affected Hyrule and its inhabitants. You’ll interact with some new characters and some familiar faces while on the quest to find Zelda and stop that mummy reincarnation from the beginning. You get to see the technology that they’ve developed to get around the land and fight enemies that’ll get in your way of exploration. 

So TotK adds two new areas to Hyrule, the Sky, and the Depths, and they’ve been my favorite parts of the game so far. To explore the Sky you’ll have to launch yourself from Skyview towers to glide where you want and on the other side, you’ll have to jump deep into the ground and slowly light up the underground to find where you need to go while discovering the Depths. While exploring these areas, you’ll see how each affects the other, whether it’s the gloom rising from the Depths or the Sky falling onto Hyrule, it’s unique and fascinating.

I have probably barely passed a fifth of the content that TotK has to offer, but I’m not even mad about it. I am so excited to be back in the Zelda series after having such an enjoyable experience in BotW back in 2018 and I’m ecstatic that it’s carried on all that greatness while simultaneously adding more, so despite the commitment that this game needs, I’m ready to bask in its glory again.