The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is set to reach Nintendo’s next platform as a launch title. Previously released on the Nintendo Switch in 2023 to major critical and commercial success, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom built upon the open-world gameplay of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild with an even greater level of creativity thanks to its crafting abilities. Now, the game will join Breath of the Wild as part of the launch lineup for the Nintendo Switch 2 with a massively upgraded release that should become the new definitive version of the game.
Much ado has been made about this new version of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom because of its price, something that has been at the center of the discussion surrounding the Nintendo Switch 2 prior to its release. Notwithstanding, this new version of the acclaimed Zelda game should still prove to be a worthwhile purchase in the early days of the new Nintendo console. Notably, this Zelda re-release offers some new content, which partially (and thankfully) breaks a prior promise made around the game.
Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom's Switch 2 Edition is a Warm Send-Off for Ultrahand
Ultrahand is one of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom's best features, and the Nintendo Switch 2 edition of the game is the perfect send-off for it.
The Legend of Zelda's Switch 2 Release Offers Plenty Of Extras
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Was Not Intended To Receive Additional Content
Previously, series producer Eiji Aonuma confirmed that Tears of the Kingdom would not receive any additional content. This was in stark contrast to the developer’s approach with Breath of the Wild, which received a pair of expansions in The Master Trials and The Champions’ Ballad. It seems Nintendo decided from the earliest stages of development that Tears of the Kingdom would not receive any added downloadable content following its release.
It does help that Tears of the Kingdom was initially conceived because of the sheer amount of ideas for downloadable content that the team initially had for Breath of the Wild. The sheer depth and amount of plans for added content exceeded its scope so much that the developers simply chose to make it a brand-new game. Considering its evolution across its development, it seems like downloaded expansions may have never been in the cards for Tears of the Kingdom, and the team may have explored all of its ideas in its base form.
The Zelda Notes App Brings New Features To Tears Of The Kingdom
With that said, the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 release of Tears of the Kingdom skirts that initial promise of “no additional content” to some extent, as it includes a few new features without properly committing to a full-blown expansion. Naturally, with the Switch 2 being a far more powerful machine than the previous iteration of the Switch, this new version will play at up to 4K and 60 FPS when docked, while also featuring HDR support on compatible televisions. The Switch 2 version is also set to offer a second save slot, meaning that returning players will have the chance to start the game over without losing the hours they put in on the original version.
The real meat and potatoes of the new features come in the game’s compatibility with the Zelda Notes feature on the Nintendo Switch app. Among numerous features, the Zelda Notes app gives fans helpful navigation options, the ability to share builds, and access to Voice Memories that provide even deeper lore in the game. This feature also (to a rather light extent) addresses one of the biggest criticisms of the recent Zelda games by giving players a method of repairing weapons in some cases.
Nintendo Finally Offers Some Form Of Achievements With Zelda On Switch 2
With the Zelda Notes feature on the Nintendo Switch app, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom will also feature one of Nintendo’s first earnest attempts at adding in-game achievements. Previously, Nintendo didn’t offer anything comparable to PlayStation’s trophies and Xbox’s achievements feature, and even the Switch 2 at large will not feature a unified achievement system. The addition of achievements for the Switch 2 Editions of these Zelda games through Zelda Notes does at the very least inspire some confidence that Nintendo will at least offer something close to achievements on a case-by-case basis.
Of course, all of this doesn’t mean that Nintendo will suddenly start releasing new DLC expansions for Tears of the Kingdom in the future. Nintendo is surely hard at work on the next major entry in The Legend of Zelda series, and the publisher is probably better served focusing its attention on that project. Even so, this new version of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom offers plenty of new content that should be appealing to both longtime players and newcomers grabbing the Nintendo Switch 2 at launch.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 95 /100 Critics Rec: 97%
- Released
- May 12, 2023
- ESRB
- Rated E for Everyone 10+ for Fantasy Violence and Mild Suggestive Themes
- Developer(s)
- Nintendo
- Publisher(s)
- Nintendo
- Engine
- Havok
- Cross-Platform Play
- N/A
- Cross Save
- N/A
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Adventure, Action, Open-World
