Allow me to be literally the first to say:Breath of the Wildis one of my favourite games of all time. Revolutionary take, I know. Back whenTears of the Kingdomlaunched in 2023, I was excited for a darker, refreshing follow-up to its gargantuan predecessor.While I do love Tears of the Kingdom, it’snot quiteas special as its predecessor for a few reasons, but something that always stuck out to me was the performance.
Tears of the Kingdom uses the same map as Breath of the Wild, with some additions and changes here and there. However, it also adds a huge sense of verticality, not only with the numerous floating islands you could dynamically explore, but also The Depths - the dark, deep underground map that is a mirror of Hyrule’s terrain in its entirety. Suddenly, that 2017 tech in theNintendo Switchwas beginning to sputter.
It wasn’t unplayable, and it was still incredibly impressive on a technical level - especially when compared to the optimisation (or lack thereof) offered by mainline Pokemon titles - but it did suffer from plenty of frame drops and the weight of its emphasised physics system.
Now, with theSwitch 2, we can stop crying Tears for this Kingdom and experience the anticipated sequel in the way we were anticipating - and it’s glorious.
The Kingdom’sFirstSecondThird??? Apocalypse, Now In 60fps!
I’m relatively satisfied, though underwhelmed, with the Nintendo Switch 2, as many are, but replaying Tears of the Kingdom was one of those things I was holding out for. I’m interested in the fact that Breath of the Wild has this upgrade too, but seeing as that one struggled a lot less on the original Switch in comparison, and having played it through five times, I was happy enough to settle for the follow-up experience again.
Right off the bat, I was excited to dive back into Hryule, as I - quite literally - dove back into Hyrule from the clouds above. The Great Sky Island that walks you through the basics was beautiful, surrounded by gorgeous lighting and clouds floating by, as the yellow grass and trees were swaying smoothly in the wind. It suddenly gave me a new sense of wonder for this world I was already relatively familiar with, and that only continued once I touched down on the surface of the map.
Landing there, looking around at Hyrule Field, with Death Mountain and the surrounding regions inviting me in every direction (well, to call Death Mountain ‘inviting’ might be a bit much), I felt like I had just returned home. In a state of despair, the Kingdom looked better than it ever has before, and I could feel the game’s hooks sinking in once more.
The Game Has Always Boasted Freedom, But Only Now Do I Feel Free
My first delve into The Depths was a smooth ride down too, as the 60fps frame rate stuck it out without a single drop, and suddenly I felt like I had so much more to properly explore. No hindrances, no limits, just a wonderful world (okay, calling The Depths ‘wonderful’ is also a bit much - I need to work on my choice of words).
As I begin tinkering with the building physics of the game, I’m suddenly excited to start dreaming up all sorts of contraptions. I always avoided exploring the building possibilities on my first time around, and I think that partially comes down to the struggles I knew the game could - and would - face. But now? Now, I could push the building limits to their… yeah, and still never see a frame drop.
Well, I’m suresomeoneis going to push it far enough.
Tears of the Kingdom feels like it was always meant for the Switch 2, and honestly, I kind of wish it had held out a little longer. Sure, it was a good game in 2023, but it would have made for an incredible game had it launched now, as well as making the Switch 2 itself so much more exciting and significant.
