As far as big open-world adventure games go, gamers can't get much better than The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Truly putting player-freedom and creativity first, Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom takes its predecessor's innovative approach to open-world design and runs with it, introducing a slew of new mechanics that only continue to make Hyrule one of gaming's best sandboxes. Through Tears of the Kingdom's new Ultrahand ability, players can forge their own unique creations ranging from wooden bridges to ancient robot helicopters, and with Fuse players can access a vast array of different weapon combinations.
As should be the case with all good open-world adventure games, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom makes the player feel as though they are constantly progressing through their own adventure. With every new weapon, every additional Spirit Orb, and every new ability unlocked, Tears of the Kingdom fuels that sense of progression that's so necessary for big open-world games, and that feeling is further enhanced by the game's masterful use of nostalgic music cues.
Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom's Music Rewards Player Progression Through Nostalgia
Much like its predecessor, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has some truly incredible music. Composed once again by Breath of the Wild's Manaka Kataoka, Tears of the Kingdom's score is the perfect punctuation for the game's masterful blend of tones. When the player is making their way through the pitch-black depths of Hyrule's underground, the music is suitably eerie. When the player is locked in an intense boss battle, the music is perfectly bombastic and triumphant. And when the player is just slowly walking through the calm fields of Hyrule, the music is soft and serene. But while all of this type of composition should be expected of a big-budget AAA open-world adventure, it's Tears of the Kingdom's more subtle musical cues that really set it apart from the crowd.
Carrying over from Breath of the Wild, Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom plays a handful of distinct musical cues whenever the player progresses in a significant way. One of the best examples of this is the little ascending jingle that plays when the player unlocks the next stage of a puzzle in a Shrine. This music cue, although short, is repeated every time a puzzle step is completed, and it doesn't take long before it becomes synonymous with the feeling of success.
But Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom's musical cues tap into something much more powerful than just a sense of progression. It's often the case that these musical cues are direct references to past Zelda themes, pairing this sense of progression with nostalgia. Unlocking a chest, for instance, plays a little melody that's essentially a riff on the iconic main Zelda theme, and earning a new ability in Tears of the Kingdom will play the theme most often associated with opening a chest in classic Zelda games, building gradually before ending in that climactic, satisfying symphony.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is a game that isn't afraid to deliver plenty of fan-service and hearken back to some of the franchise's most iconic moments. But, some of the most rewarding moments of fan-service by far are these nostalgic musical cues. Not only are fans rewarded with a fun little melody every time they make significant progress, but that little melody also provides a nice hit of nostalgia. Though it's subtle, it certainly helps to make Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom's gameplay loop feel as rewarding as it does.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is available now on Switch.
