Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is the latest video game craze from Nintendo that has already sold 10 million copies. With so many people talking about it, it’s easy to see how some might mistake it for something else entirely, such as Kerry’s famous loss to Dublin in the GAA All-Ireland Senior Football Championship a few years ago.
But, in fact, Tears of the Kingdom is a video game featuring an elf named Link and a princess named Zelda. Although she’s the princess, Zelda isn’t actually the main character; Link is. As he journeys through the game, his primary goal is to rescue Zelda.
Even the names of the characters in this game are somewhat unusual. Nintendo, the game’s developer, has a reputation for coming up with quirky and unusual names for its games and characters. For example, the main character in Super Mario Bros. was named after the landlord of an early employee at Nintendo’s offices in America. “Donkey Kong,” one of the company’s first games, is a name that is puzzling in both English and Japanese.
The name “Link,” meanwhile, actually has some logic behind it. In one of the early Legend of Zelda games, Link was on a quest to connect two parts of a magical object called the Tri-Force. He was, in essence, the “link” between those two parts.
So why is everyone so excited about Tears of the Kingdom? For starters, it’s a sequel to a widely-acclaimed game called The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. This earlier game was praised for its use of a giant open world where players could essentially do anything they wanted. Within the game’s Middle Earth-esque Kingdom of Hyrule, players could roam freely and interact with the landscape in any way they saw fit.
With Tears of the Kingdom, Nintendo has once again created an expansive world for players to explore, complete with a compelling plot and riveting gameplay. In this game, Link and Zelda are exploring Hyrule Castle when a demonic force from the past (not the Dublin footballers) bursts onto the scene and blasts the fortress to pieces. Link wakes up on a floating island in the sky with a metal arm grafted on, in a scene reminiscent of Luke Skywalker.
One of the most notable innovations in Tears of the Kingdom is the ability for Link to graft together random objects found around Hyrule to create new structures. It’s a unique twist on the classic game mechanic, allowing players to improvise and come up with creative solutions to the obstacles they encounter.
One thing to note, however, is that Tears of the Kingdom is an exclusive game for Nintendo’s console, the Switch. This means that players who own other consoles such as the PlayStation 5 or the Xbox will be unable to play it. While the Switch is not as powerful as some of the other systems on the market today, Nintendo’s in-house development team is known for squeezing every last drop of performance out of their hardware. And with a game as popular as Tears of the Kingdom, it’s clear that they’re doing something right.
In summary, Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is the latest video game sensation from Nintendo, featuring an elf named Link and a princess named Zelda. With its vast open world, engaging plot, and unique gameplay mechanics, it’s no wonder that it has become such a hit. Whether you’re a seasoned gamer or just starting out, this game is sure to keep you entertained for hours on end.
