After years of anticipation, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has finally launched on the Nintendo Switch and is already hailed as a critical darling and blockbuster success. Building upon nearly every aspect of Breath of the Wild's design, Tears of the Kingdom is being praised as a bigger, better version of its predecessor. With so much buzz already surrounding the game and near-perfect reviews for Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom across the board, it's easy to understand why it is already at the forefront of conversation for what will ultimately win Game of the Year.
Of course, Tears of the Kingdom isn't the only major video game release this year, and it is only May, with several months ahead for more great content to become available. Once the hype for Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom dies down, the likes of Starfield and Marvel's Spider-Man 2 are just around the corner, and likely to give it a run for its money when the year-end 'Best of' lists start to be compiled. Based on what's coming up further down the line, as well as re-examining Breath of the Wild's performance during the Game of the Year awards, some early predictions can begin to be made.
The Impact of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Back in 2017, Breath of the Wild remained at the forefront of many gamers' minds for the entire year. Not only did it kick off the Nintendo Switch's lifecycle with a bang, but it also reinvigorated The Legend of Zelda series with new energy after some franchise fatigue had begun to set in. Its sprawling open world and near limitless amount of discoveries to be made resulted in a thrilling, memorable adventure that immediately set it apart from the rest of that year's offerings.
This is not to downplay the other excellent games that released in 2017, as there were several. Sony's Horizon: Zero Dawn also put its own interesting spin on the open-world genre and Nintendo's Super Mario Odyssey was a smash hit in its own right. However, the proof was in the pudding at The Game Awards 2017 when the accolades were being handed out. Nominated in nearly every conceivable category that the game could fit into, Breath of the Wild took home Best Action Adventure Game, Best Game Direction, and Game of the Year. This isn't even mentioning its winning top honors from numerous gaming publications and websites such as IGN and GameSpot.
What Tears of the Kingdom Can Win at The Game Awards
Looking ahead and trying to examine things under the same lens, Tears of the Kingdom is already eligible to at least be nominated in many of the same categories that Breath of the Wild was before it. It can already be almost guaranteed that the game is a lock for certain categories, as The Legend of Zelda franchise typically excelled in these areas even before this new open-world formula graced Link and company. For awards such as Best Score/Music and Best Art Direction for games, it would be a safe bet to see Tears of the Kingdom show up in these categories, and potentially even win.
While music isn't as orchestral and present as in classic Zelda games, it is still used in a subtle and clever way to help guide players with audio cues and help set the different tones in unique locations. Furthermore, while not as much of a technical powerhouse as things like Horizon: Forbidden West on PS5, Tears of the Kingdom still boasts a stunning art style all its own. The visuals look can occasionally look like an oil painting come to life, injecting Hyrule with color and personality. The award for Best Action Adventure Game could also be a lock, as the Zelda franchise has become synonymous with the genre since it was created back in 1986.
2023's Competition - Starfield
Naturally, an awards season is nothing without competition, and by the time the year is up, Tears of the Kingdom may be facing some tough contenders for top honors. The coveted Game of the Year award is a representation of a game firing on all cylinders, with nearly every component of its design being given the same level of polish and care to ensure the highest level of quality possible. Nintendo may have poured a bunch of resources into Tears of the Kingdom to make it the best that it can be, but other studios have been just as busy the last few years.
For example, Bethesda's Starfield has been in development for even longer than Tears of the Kingdom, with the team toying with the idea in the conceptual phase as early as the late 90s. Gameplay previews for the game have been impressive, boasting all the top-tier RPG mechanics fans of Bethesda have come to expect, as well as a gargantuan open universe to explore that would make No Man's Sky blush. Based on the studio's past works, Starfield seems like it will be Skyrim in space, on an even larger scale. Tears of the Kingdom may be an open world, but Starfield aims to be an open universe, and that level of ambition is not to be written off.
2023's Competition - Marvel's Spider-Man 2
In the other corner is Marvel's Spider-Man 2, the follow-up to 2018's blockbuster hit PS4 exclusive. Insomniac has blossomed from an already respected developer to one of the premier PlayStation first-party studios in the last few years, largely due to its efforts with Marvel's web-swinging superhero. The original game is considered one of the best comic book games to date, rivaled only by Rocksteady's Batman: Arkham series. While little has been shown off, hype is at an all-time high, and with the power of the PS5 behind it this time, Marvel's Spider-Man 2 may be a thrill ride not soon forgotten by gamers.
It almost seems fitting that each major platform (Nintendo, PlayStation, and Xbox) will each likely have a game representing them during the year-end awards season. It could be anyone's game when it comes time to duke it out, as each title exhibits qualities all worthy of Game of the Year. As it stands right now, Tears of the Kingdom's glowing review scores already sets the bar extremely high.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is available now on Nintendo Switch.
