Nintendo’s most important game in years is coming soon.
Nintendo hasn’t introduced a new Zelda game since 2017 and the excellent Breath of the Wild that accompanied the Switch when it launched.
Tears of the Kingdom not only stands as the sequel to one of the best games of all time, but it’s also one of the few times that two Zeldas have been offered in the lifetime of one. console.
How much does the game cost?
Zelda : Tears of the Kingdom coûte 69,99 € in physical or digital format, it’s pricey, but given the huge play value, it’s understandable. You could spend hundreds of hours on this game. Moreover, it is already possible to find offers on the Internet with a price that sometimes approaches 55 € (delivery included).
There is also a Collector’s Edition, which includes a steel case, book, poster and pin set, however pre-orders have sold out at most stores.
De quoi parle Tears of the Kingdom ?
Nintendo has already shown a good part of the story through various trailers as well as releasing gameplay videos. Like Breath of the Wild, the game seems to span a massive open world. But this time, the skies are filled with floating islands and destinations to explore. It’s a return to Zelda: Skyward Sword (an old Wii game also available on the Switch), which was focused on the aerial universe.
The latest trailer gives even more glimpses of the seemingly vast world, and it looks like many citizens will join forces in an attempt to defeat Ganon. Zelda will be there, but we do not yet know to what extent.
Here is the gameplay video with the series producer, Eiji Aonuma:
Crafting will be even more prominent in Tears of the Kingdom. Along with food and elixirs, new skills allow you to fuse weapons and items, as well as build vehicles and other machines. Several trailers have shown rockets, carts, cars, boats and more.
In any case, what we remember from the various Nintendo announcements is that the universe is even larger, there are many more surprising objects and devices and, we hope, more dungeons (but maybe that’s wishful thinking).
Should you play Breath of the Wild first?
Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a fantastic game, so yes, you should play it, but in general, you don’t need to have played previous versions to appreciate the new ones. Besides, Link never seems quite made aware of his former adventures.
Still, the mechanics and gameplay of Tears of the Kingdom resemble that of Breath of the Wild, so it can be useful to get familiar with the game. It never hurts to play old Zelda titles and appreciate how new games intersect.
Is it made for children?
Zelda games aren’t terribly violent, but Breath of the Wild is a very in-depth and sometimes very challenging open-world role-playing game.
Lots of kids play Zelda games, but if you’re looking for a game for younger kids, Link’s Awakening might be a better option. That said, Tears of the Kingdom is where almost everyone who owns a Switch will dive into this summer.
Should we wait for a Nintendo Switch 2?
The Switch is already six years old, and Nintendo has often made sure that new consoles are launched at the same time as new Zelda games. That doesn’t seem to be the case here, barring a last-minute surprise.
Although the graphics capabilities of the Switch are inferior to those of the PS5 and Xbox Series X, Nintendo has still been able to optimize its games to get the most out of its hardware. Some Pokemon games haven’t looked great, but all of the Tears of the Kingdom footage shown so far looks as smooth and detailed as Breath of the Wild, a game that was released in 2017, however…
An interesting possibility for the future would be for Nintendo to develop a more demanding variant of the game that could support a more capable next-gen Switch. It’s total speculation, but not impossible to imagine. In any case, be aware that the Switches all use the same type of graphics, even if the Switch OLED has a larger screen, with the most vivid colors.
CNET.com with CNETFrance