After a painful six year wait for the sequel to “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild,” it has finally been released. It’s safe to say the wait was worth it because “The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom” is unbelievably good. It somehow makes “Breath of the Wild” look like a tech demo with all the improvements and new mechanics. It’s simply remarkable how a game this advanced can even exist.

Link has several new abilities in this game, the most notable being Ultra Hand which allows the player to pick up nearly any object and attach to another object. Whether that means building a large bridge or an elaborate flying machine with the open-ended puzzles of “Tears of the Kingdom,” there’s an infinite amount of creativity to be achieved. 

The other three powers at Link’s disposal are Fuse, allowing for the player to fuse weapons and materials together, “Ascend” which grants the ability to go through any reachable ceiling, and Recall which’ll reverse the motion of an object. While none of these skills reach the same level of usability as Ultra Hand, they add to all the different achievable solutions for traversal, combat, and puzzles.

One of the biggest worries many had about “Tears of the Kingdom” was how it would make exploring the same Hyrule from “Breath of the Wild” fun again. However, this was achieved because exploration is just as if not more fun and exciting than it was in the first game. There are just so many new secrets to discover in caves and in the sky. While the sky islands aren’t quite as expansive as one might hope, this is more than made up for with the depths. 

The depths are located deep beneath Hyrule and are shrouded in darkness and gloom. They are only accessible through specific chasms and just about double the size of the map from “Breath of the Wild.” The depths are filled to the brim with bits of loot and treasure to find all aiding in the player’s journey. 

Another area where “Tears of the Kingdom” greatly improves upon is its predecessor in the story. Not only does the player feel more involved this time, but the story is  far more intriguing. There are more moving parts and interesting characters that keep the player guessing what could happen next,and that doesn’t just go for the main story because the side quests also leave a greater impact on the player and the world.   

“The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom” is truly special. It’s one of those games that the player will be completely immersed in throughout the whole experience. It most certainly lived up to the hype and isn’t just a strong contender for game of the year, but a contender for the greatest game of all time.