The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has improved upon nearly every aspect of what made Breath of the Wild so special. Where Breath of the Wild saw Nintedo’s push to revolutionize open-world RPG design, Tears of the Kingdom builds on it with great ambition. It creates a vast open world filled with hidden secrets, exciting mysteries, and challenging battles throughout Hyrule.

Tears of the Kingdom has been out for a while, and fans have been diving deep into this adventure to revive the same sense of wonder they received when they played Breath of the Wild. Here is how Tears of the Kingdom improved upon Breath of the Wild and went further.

10.    The Open Word

Breath of the Wild was a revolutionary title that paved a new path and changed expectations for the RPG genre. The vast open world showed Hyrule devastated and broken, perfectly capturing the sense of isolation and loneliness while providing small batches of hope and civilization throughout the land.

Tears of the Kingdom builds on that premise and shows a new Hyrule being rebuilt with more settlements, NPC interactions, dynamic events and moments that immerse you into the journey. Every interaction and setup is meaningful while maintaining that sense of wonder and interest in this enormous land.

9.    The Voice Acting

Breath of the Wild is still one of the best games ever, but the voice acting wasn’t Nintendo’s best work. There were many missed beats, while some fans argue that voice acting was never the game’s focus, still it remains the bane of an otherwise fantastic game. 

Tears of the Kingdom focuses more on voice acting with better story elements and more robust character development. Not to mention the talented Mattew Mercer, who is playing the voice of Ganondorf, has all the fans excited.

8.    Changes to the Overworld

Breath of the Wild consisted of a dense Overworld with points of interest scattered all over the map keeping the player interested in moving from one spot to another. Hyrule was a fantastic place to explore, and Tears of the Kingdom builds upon that base.

The introduction of Sky Islands is the biggest and one of the best additions to the game, which creates a new avenue for the players to explore. Hyrule has been changed immensely, with old towns re-populated and civilization bustling again. I believe the best part is free falling from the sky; it always feels thrilling and gives a great sense of Hyrule’s vast scope.

7.    Wildlife and Inventory Management

Breath of the Wild was terrific, with epic wilderness and wildlife. As you explore the new yet similar land, you will run into new plants, materials, and beasts. The game has exceeded expectations, providing unique ways to enjoy the world.

Not only did it improve the wildlife, but it also added excellent quality of life improvements. You can now see the recipes you have created, and every item briefly describes what it can help you create. This is incredibly helpful when attaching an item to your bow.

6.    Ganondorf

Calamity Ganon was an exciting addition to the storyline in Breath of the Wild. Still, it didn’t have the same impact that a final boss should have. Tears of the Kingdom bring back Ganondorf, who brings back the oomph in spades.

Fans of the series are delighted to see the traditional villain make a savage comeback. The voice acting by Mathew Mercer is amazing and adds depth to the story. Ganondorf’s story and presence creates a stronger sense of urgency and danger to the game.  

5.    The Depths

The land is beautiful, and the sky is open. Still, another section of Hyrule is more dangerous and different than any other. The Depths are one of the most considerable additions to Tears of the Kingdom, shifting it to an entirely different game.

The Depths are underneath Hyrule, and they span the entire map. The place is filled with hidden treasures, quests, and dangerous bosses that provide a new sense of thrill that the overworld could never give. You need to prepare carefully and be ready to take on insidious foes residing there to survive and we are all for it.

4.    Side Quests

Breath of the Wild was an immersive game. Still, the only side quest I found memorable was arranging a wedding while creating Tarrey Town. Tears of the Kingdom is filled with memorable characters and more intricate methods of giving out and accomplishing side quests.

Now it’s much easier to keep track of these quests, and NPC interactions are always fun. Most NPCs you speak to will lead you to a monster, an investigation, or an exciting spectacle, and some just have amusing dialogues.

3.    Movement

Getting around was always one of the most fun things in Breath of the Wild, and if you include all the speed run methods, it makes the game more interesting to explore.

Tears of the Kingdom offers more mobility options with the ability to create vehicles and utilize Zonai elements. Still, the crowning feature would be the Ascend ability. Breath of the Wild consists of some tedious sections where traversing the landscape would be time-consuming for no effect. Ascend takes care of this problem by easily taking you to the top of caves, mountains, and buildings.

2.    Weapon Fusion

Breath of the Wild divided fans over its weapon durability system. Most fans enjoyed it and thought it forced players to experiment with various weapons. In contrast, others lamented it and thought of it as tedious.

Weapon fusion with the Ultrahand ability solves this problem by allowing players to fuse even their damaged weapons with available elements creating a new weapon with mostly better stats. This adds experimentation to the game and restores the weapon’s health, providing a better option than weapons breaking. Arrows can be fused with items to create specific types of arrows. For example, a normal arrow can be combined with a bomb plant to create an explosion.

1.    Creativity

Players had a lot of freedom to use and even exploit the physics and systems of Breath of the Wild, which led to many creative and fun inventions.

Tears of the Kingdom lets players allow their imagination to go wild; the Ultrahand ability can combine multiple elements, which, when coupled with Zonai devices, leads to crazy and interesting creations. The physics engine encourages creativity,  there are multiple ways to solve a problem, and the fun never ends. This makes me  excited to see what the speed running community comes up with.

Conclusion

Tears of the Kingdom is undoubtedly one of the best games ever created, and we find the player interactions, quick thrills, and creativity inspiring. There is no doubt that Tears of the Kingdom adds to the base game and is a worthy sequel to the record-breaking title. We can’t wait to dip back into Hyrule and see what secrets await us. Hopefully, you are having as much fun enjoying this adventure as we are.