There’s a part of me that still feels a little sad for Tears of the Kingdom – a title that seemed destined to sweep all the Game of the Year awards.

It had every right to do so. Truly, it’s a marvel of engineering, it’s a continuation of the brilliant formula Breath of the Wild set but evolves it in a way that iterates and evolves the genre into something quite extraordinary.

And don’t get me wrong, I adore Baldur’s Gate 3. It deserves all of its success and thensome. Heck, I was even rooting for it to do the seemingly impossible. But looking back, I wish two games had been able to win that award that year.

Replaying the game on Nintendo Switch 2 is bringing back a lot of conflicted feelings, for sure, but also reminding me of just how good this game is. And how much better it has become in glorious 4K at a smooth stable framerate.

In fact, it’s kind of blowing my mind a little how this game was even able to run as well as it did on Switch 1. Tears of the Kingdom is one of the most ambitious Zelda – heck, Nintendo – games ever made, with almost unlimited possibilities in creation and for solving puzzles in order to reach your objectives.

Then you’ve got the wider scale of the world, not just a massive open scale Hyrule map, but also an underground beneath it and heavens above it. And for me, I still can’t quite believe this game was ever conceived and in a weird way, reminds me that it might also float under the radar as being a tad underrated.

Because it might just be the best Zelda game ever made. It’s certainly the biggest. And what Nintendo achieved here is astounding. On Switch 2, it’s a wonderful reminder of just how good it is and a hopeful indicator to a brand new audience of the standard and quality bar the franchise now has to hit for its next game. No pressure…

On the surface, yes, it very much follows the mould Breath of the Wild set. Weapons deterioate, you cook your own food, you use unique powers to solve the various shrines scattered throughout the game and collect orbs which will either level up your stamina or health bar.

Only with Tears, they went bolder and bigger by having you create things from the items you find around you, fusing objects together to create all new weapons and armor, and even letting you levitate through the ceiling to reach new heights.

The game is stunning, and the texture and shadow and lighting effects just absolutely flourish on Switch 2, even more so than Breath of the Wild which was a massive upgrade in of itself.

Even the scale of the world is something to behold, from when you’re diving down on high or you’re observing the lay of the land far off in the distance, even gazing up to see islands floating in the sky and the clouds passing peacefully along. Tears of the Kingdom feels like it’s a game of more details than its predecessor – as it should, seeing as Tears was not a dual console release.

Any hiccups you had while diving through the skies or letting the world pop in or come together are gone. And interestingly, you see the benefits of HDR in all the small details, but when in the depths and you’re firing lightbloom arrows, gradually illuminating areas, the effect it has on the exploration but also just observing how the world transforms is really quite something spectacular.

And just like Breath of the Wild, the game runs lightning fast now, feeling much more comfortable and at home on Switch 2, as it should. Even though the game isn’t new, this is about as important a launch title as Switch 2 could get, considering there are still lots of people yet to play through or even beat the game.

Of course, same as before Zelda Notes is a lovely addition but perhaps even more valuable here with the volume of collectibles and things to gather in Tears. There’s so much to keep track of but you can use the Navigation tool in a similar way to find your way to everything and anything. It’s a dream come true for completionists who’ve been struggling.

The Voice Memos are also present as before as are stats, but the really awesome feature this time is Autobuild Sharing. This essentially lets you scan a QR code from anyone and bring their creations into your game. And there’s already some wild and awesome use-cases for this. Go hunting online and you can bring just about anything into the game, with Nintendo even getting into the act themselves and putting some cool creations in.

You can even share items, so you could theoretically use your old saves and share items from that in your new playthroughs or even gift things to your friends as a way to be interactive with the game. Zelda Notes really comes into its own with TOTK, moreso than it did with BOTW and it’s pretty wonderful to behold.

As for the game itself, it’s truly a masterpiece. There’s few other words worthy of describing Tears. It’s a phenomenal game that has so much to discover, unpack, see and do. The possibilities can be endless and it of course plays as the developers surely originally intended, making this even more of an essential purchase.

I am absolutely flawed at how good Tears is and it almost makes me think the game could and should be eligible for Game of the Year awards again, it feels like that much of an upgrade. But I think even for those who feel like they’ve seen the length and breadth of TOTK already, the Nintendo Switch 2 edition is such a grand overhaul and evolution that it almost feels like a must to replay.

If you thought BOTW was special, you’ve seen nothing yet. TOTK is almost worth a Switch 2 purchase on its lonesome. Definitely if you’ve never touched it before. Worth every penny!

Verdict

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Nintendo Switch 2 Edition is such a good upgrade that it might even be worth reconsidering for Game of the Year all over again. Loading times have been dramatically cut, visual quality is eye-meltingly good, everything feels smooth as silk and the Zelda Notes really do enhance and improve the experience. All to compliment what is already one of the best video games ever made, and quite possibly the greatest Zelda of all time. It’s the surprise must-own Switch 2 launch title, even if you thought you’d already seen everything it has to offer. An absolute masterpiece made to look and feel even better than before, preserved almost as perfectly as any of us could have ever hoped.

Pros

+ One of the richest gaming worlds is now slicker, smoother, and more beautiful to explore
+ Everything runs so much better than it ever has before and as intended, especially in handheld
+ Zelda Notes really adds something to the experience