The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom preview

techcrunch.com:

Breath of the Wild never ends. It just sort of sputters to a halt. You spend weeks or months preparing for that final climactic battle, and when you’re ready, you go head-to-head with the giant, shape-shifting fiery bearded spider-crab crab, only to be dropped back out into open-world Hyrule at your last save point. It’s a frustrating and wildly anti-climactic end to what is otherwise one of the most epic and satisfying games of recent vintage.

One can compellingly (and, I think, correctly) make the argument that the debut Nintendo Switch title is one of the medium’s all-time masterpieces. But that end. You can pick up where you left off and take on Calamity Ganon again. Maybe do it with a worse weapon this time or less armor or fewer hearts. Maybe speed-run the thing. Go viral. But we both know it will never be the same as the first time.

Image Credits: Nintendo

There’s a lesson to be found in all of this. You know the deal. It’s the journey, not the destination. Anyone who’s watched all six seasons of The Sopranos can tell you that even the greatest stories of all time can fail to stick the landing. But fading to black on a Journey song will never rob you of Christopher’s final season arc.

A thing you learn pretty quickly about BOTW is something that is true of all great art: Everyone experiences it differently. The spectrum of difference feels somehow infinitely great with open-world, interactive art. One can, by the very nature of the medium, experience it as an altogether different work. I know multiple people who gave up on main and side quests outright, and were perfectly happy to while away hours exploring Hyrule on horseback. I respect that. It tickles the synapses in an extremely pleasing way.

For me, the game took