When The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild hit shelves, existing fans and new fans were blown away. The vast, beautiful open world of Hyrule was ours for the taking. We could explore every part of this massive world. Never had we seen a game like this in the Zelda series, and it blew our minds. Fast forward six years and we now have a direct sequel to BoTW, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.

         There was a lot of anticipation with this game, and developers knew that the fans were excited for another entry in the Breath of the Wild Hyrule they had created. But it couldn’t simply be another copy of the Breath of the Wild map and quests. It needed to be fresh. What enemies would we face? What kind of leveling system would they give us? Would Zelda be a playable character? These questions and so many more surrounded the sequel for years. But in March 2023, we finally got more details.

         From the looks of the preview we were given, there would be sky islands and all new abilities for our hero, Link. We also got to see the Fuse Ability in action when an eye was fused to an arrow, resulting in a direct hit without the need for exact aim. For Nintendo and The Legend of Zelda in general, the graphics were simply stunning. And I couldn’t wait until the midnight release in April to get my hands on it!

         So, what do I think of the game? As far as a sequel set in the world we were given in Breath of the Wild, this game was, of course, gorgeous when I pulled up the start screen and began my journey. We began beneath Hyrule Castle, with some never-before-seen areas. It was enthralling. My eyes were glued to the screen and my hands were tightly gripping the controller as I watched in anticipation. Without too many spoilers, the underbelly of the castle is where our game begins, when our foe is revealed. And the depth below the castle is where our game will end.

         After our opening scene, we are transported to the Great Sky Island. Our first look at the gorgeous world above Hyrule is an experience I’ll never forget. I was captivated by the beauty of the island and the Zonai robots that I encountered. Who were the Zonai, and what do they have to do with Hyrule, though? As you proceed with your journey, you’ll be given the answers.

         Once we were back on the familiar ground of Hyrule, we noticed a lot of things were the same, while others were very different. Hyrule had been cleaned up quite a bit from the destruction left over from the Calamity in the previous game. But there were still ruins strewn across the kingdom. We also see that Hyrule Castle hasn’t been repaired, but an outpost had been constructed nearby. Which is where you’ll begin your main quests and visit frequently throughout your gameplay.

         We are greeted by familiar, yet older faces. Purah is back in her wildly fabulous way but seems to be a teenager now. Gone is the tiny child appearance from the previous game. She is our go-to person during our quests within this new entry. We will also see our old friends, the decedents from the Champions in Breath of the Wild. It was a really great experience for me to see these old allies back in the latest entry and witness their actual growth in terms of age and size, but also their maturity.

         Throughout the game, players are greeted by familiar foes that they faced in the previous game. But there are also a lot of new enemies to encounter. You’ll see the Bokoblins, Stalkoblins, Chuchu, Keese, Lizalfos, Salizalfos, Lynels, Moblins, Stalmoblins, Octoroks, Wizzrobes, Pebblits, Stone Talus, Bottomless Bogs and the Yiga Footsoldiers and Blademasters that you fought in Breath of the Wild. Yet the developers were able to make these enemies a bit different to fight. It was refreshing to see the old enemies but have a completely new experience with them.

         Added to the lineup of enemies in Tears of the Kingdom are Boss Bokoblins, which are giant Bokoblins. You’ll have Constructs in various difficulties to fight as well. These are the robots created by the Zonai. You’ll face them on the sky islands but may also run into them across Hyrule. As you stroll through the trees or down a road, you may encounter an Evermean, which is disguised as a regular tree. Horriblins were another addition to our enemy line-up in Tears of the Kingdom. These enemies like to hide out in caves or giant skeletons, clinging to the ceiling.

         The Like Like is another new enemy in this entry of the series. I found them to be quite fun and easy, but don’t get too close to them. Especially if you’ve only got a few shields and weapons! Aerocudas are another new entry for the sequel. These dangerous looking, flying creatures can seem intimidating, but they are easy to defeat. Gibdo and Moth Gibdo both make their appearance in Tears of the Kingdom as well, in the Gerudo Desert. You’ll find the drops after defeating them rather helpful with a powerful enemy added to the sequel, the Gleeok. The Gleeok is a crazy looking, three-headed dragon that has elemental powers. They are an enemy I strongly recommend taking on once you’ve had a chance to upgrade your heart containers and stamina wheels.

         Our crazy friend Kolton is back in this sequel as well. You’ll meet his kid brother who sends you on a monster related task of his own. This is where our next new enemy comes in, the Bubbulfrog. They aren’t difficult enemies to face, but you do need to hit them quickly to avoid the bubbles they send your way. You’ll collect the Bubbul Gem they drop and trade them like you traded monster parts with Kolton.

         The next area of this new entry in The Legend of Zelda is called the Depths. This is a completely dark underworld located beneath Hyrule. Throughout this area you’ll find Lightroots that you can activate to light a specific area of the Depths. This area of the game is a mirror of the Hyrule located above it, as far as how large it is. You’ll find new openings throughout the world that lead to the Depths. This leads me to our next “enemy”, Gloom. Throughout the game you’ll find openings or wells that lead to the depths, and they will be surrounded by Gloom, which will wound you.

         Speaking of Gloom, players will get a nasty surprise when they face the next new enemy, Gloom Hands. These nasty enemies will randomly pop up when you’re exploring areas of the game. My first encounter with them was utterly terrifying as I tried to fight them and run away at the same time. They seem virtually indestructible and are very intimidating when you only have three hearts and puny weapons. To avoid spoiling the game, we won’t go into more detail on these guys. But I should mention that after defeating some of them, you’ll encounter Phantom Ganondorf, which is as the name states, a Gloom Phantom of our villain.