Common Sense Media Review
By Chad Sapieha , based on child development research. How do we rate?
Brilliant adventure encourages creativity and imagination.
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The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 28 parent reviews
What's It About?
THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: TEARS OF THE KINGDOM picks up after the events of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, with Link and Princess Zelda exploring the underground ruins of a long-ago civilization. They accidentally awaken an ancient evil locked away by the original rulers of the Kingdom of Hyrule, unleashing a devestating event that reshapes the land, throwing floating islands of rock high into the sky and revealing access to an underground cave system filled with a dark magic called Gloom. Zelda disappears, and Link loses all of his hearts, stamina, and abilities as he sets out on a quest to defeat the newly unleashed menace, exploring the new landscape and meeting friends and allies old and new. As with the previous game, players are presented a free-to-roam sandbox world filled with puzzles, obstacles, and fantastical enemies. Link is given several new abilities to help him along the way, including the power to fuse items together to create an almost limitless variety of weapons, as well as the telekinetic ability to move and attach loose objects to create bridges and stairs, carts and ships, and almost anything else players can imagine. He can also reverse the flow of time for specific objects and ascend through solid materials, both of which come in handy while working through the game's 100-plus puzzle-filled shrines. Players looking to wring every last bit of fun out of this huge game can expect to invest somewhere between 100 and 200 hours.
Is It Any Good?
Nintendo doesn't often give players direct sequels to Zelda games, but when it does, you can expect something special. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom builds on everything players loved about Breath of the Wild by tweaking and augmenting play mechanics in meaningful ways. For example, the physics in the original game were brilliant, allowing players to use their intuition to do things like roll rocks down hills, use the buoyancy of water to make less dense objects spring up from the surface, and cause fire to spread through grassy fields and forests. All of that still applies, but with the new building and fuse systems, players can now apply these same concepts to the weapons, vehicles, and objects they create. What happens if you add wheels to a plank? A fan to the back of a raft? A rocket to a set of wings? A sword to a shield? The possibilities are almost endless, and a huge part of the fun is experimenting to see how you can use this freedom to overcome obstacles. There's rarely a single right solution to any problem.
The world of Hyrule, meanwhile, is now somehow even bigger and more fascinating to explore. The addition of floating islands and subterranean caves creates a three-tiered map with an astounding amount of verticality, challenging players to think about how best to navigate this capacious landscape. It's a land teeming with secrets, from strange rock formations and geoglyphs (enormous drawings carved into the earth) to cave systems players can explore Minecraft-style by hammering through walls of rock to find precious ores. It feels like nearly every inch of this beautiful, fantastical land has something waiting for curious players to discover. The compelling characters and memorable stories scattered throughout this picturesque kingdom are just the sugar on top. Such a thoughtfully designed world and the boundless creativity it offers players make The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom a worthy successor to one of the best games ever made.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about violence in the media. Combat in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom isn't graphic, but it can still be intense and dramatic, especially during some boss fights. Is blood and gore the only way in which violence can have an impact on players?
Talk about emergent play. Many games force players toward a single "right" solution to problems, but this game often allows players to find their own answers. Do you feel a greater level of satisfaction when you come up with a way to do something that others may not have thought about?
Link often shows strong characteristics of perseverance, courage and compassion. Why are these important character strengths? How can you strengthen these traits within yourself when playing games like this one?
Game Details
- Platform: Nintendo Switch
- Pricing structure: Paid ($59.99)
- Available online?: Available online
- Publisher: Nintendo of America
- Release date: May 12, 2023
- Genre: Action/Adventure
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy , Friendship , Robots
- Character Strengths: Courage , Perseverance , Self-control
- ESRB rating: E10+ for Fantasy Violence and Mild Suggestive Themes
- Award: Common Sense Selection
- Last updated: September 8, 2024
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