Latest news with #BreathOfTheWild
The Verge
28-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Verge
Digital Foundry: Nintendo's free Switch 2 game updates are more like remasters.
Digital Foundry: Nintendo's free Switch 2 game updates are more like remasters. The folks at Digital Foundry have done more pixel counting , this time looking into the first-party Switch 1 games with upgrades we also found impressive . While Switch 2 Edition upgrades for games like Breath of the Wild cost extra, they found that these updates to games like Splatoon 3, Super Mario Odyssey, and The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening make the games' artwork better, thanks to running at higher framerates and with higher resolution. Is that exactly good enough for the new system?
Forbes
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Switch 2 ‘Zelda' Dethrones ‘Expedition 33' On Metacritic, Which Doesn't Count
Tears/Expedition 33 The Nintendo Switch 2's The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom made headlines yesterday when it officially became the highest-scored game on Metacritic of 2025, dethroning Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, probably the most significant GOTY contender to date. I'm here to say no, that doesn't count. While this is may be subjective, I'm here to give my position that a re-release that is mainly just a graphical upgrade of an already-existing game does not deserve the actual honor of pretending its 95 is actually a true toppler of Expedition 33's 93. And now, Breath of the Wild has just become tied at 93. Does Tears of the Kingdom itself deserve its 96 on Metacritic for its initial release? I'd argue that's debatable, but overlooking that, at least it's an actual game release. Tears of the Kingdom's Switch 2 'edition' is not. Nope, sorry. Also, there's another fact being overlooked here. To get that 95 average for Tears, it's only based on nine reviews. Nine. That's four 10s, a 9.5, three 90s and an 80. That's it. And the tied-for-second Switch 2 Breath of the Wild has 11 reviews. Most major releases of games will end up anywhere from 50-150 scored reviews, and in this case, that very much includes Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which has 84 reviews averaged for its second-best 93 metascore (not to mention it's wildly high 9.7 user score based on 16,000 ratings). FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™ Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase Pinpoint By Linkedin Guess The Category Queens By Linkedin Crown Each Region Crossclimb By Linkedin Unlock A Trivia Ladder The current top 10 list for the year is: I will give smaller indie games a pass on having fewer reviews given the context of their scale, but these Zelda upgrades? Get off this list. Why do I care so much? Well, I am the number one Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 defender, where that game has probably already become one of my favorites of all time. And I will not have its honor besmirched by an upgrade of a Zelda game that came out two years ago. I normally will dismiss all 'remastered' or reissued games from lists like this, and this is no exception. Remakes are a different story, but no, Expedition 33 is still on top here, I don't care what the list says. Follow me on Twitter, YouTube, Bluesky and Instagram. Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.
Metro
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom Switch 2 Edition review
Nintendo's remaster of the sequel to Zelda: Breath Of The Wild has been tweaked and upgraded, with considerably better graphics and a few new tricks and options. We're very jealous of anyone who's playing the two most recent Zelda games for the first time on Switch 2. As we've already explored, with the Switch 2 Edition of Breath Of The Wild, these are essentially just remasters, with no substantial new content, but given both games had issues with performance on the original Switch, enhanced versions are very much welcome. The original version of Tears Of The Kingdom didn't have quite as infamous a problem with its frame rate as Breath Of The Wild but it was still obvious that the original Switch was only just able to run the game at a satisfactory level. On the Switch 2, everything seems a lot more effortless, and it's immediately obvious that this is by far the best way to play the game. Both are 10/10 classics, so really the only question here is which to start with and whether they're worth the price of an upgrade, if you've already played them. One thing to note is that Tears Of The Kingdom is an even bigger game than its predecessor, so the chances are you probably haven't 100%-ed it, and so the new Zelda Notes mobile app will come in extra handy here. PIC 1 As with the Switch 2 Edition of Breath Of The Wild, we're not going to pretend we've completed the whole game again from scratch. It's far too long for that (at least 60 hours if you ignore every possible diversion – which no one ever does) but we've explored the game again in all its glory by using both a new save file and our old one from the Switch 1. Our original review covers everything in detail but, in short, Tears Of The Kingdom is a direct sequel to Breath Of The Wild – a real rarity for any Zelda game. It uses the same map as Breath Of The Wild but altered to account for the passage of time and with the addition of a gloomy underworld and a series of islands in the skies. It's not quite three times as big as before, but it's not far off. Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning. One of the few criticisms of the original version of Tears Of The Kingdom is that while the visual storytelling is clear, in terms of showing a world recovering from the calamity of the previous game, the narrative barely acknowledges the fact, with many returning characters not even seeming to recognise Link. There was also some disappointment, following the original release, that the sky islands and underworld depths are involved in relatively few of the story missions. There's lots of optional side quests involving them, and they're tons of fun to explore, but the existing overground is still the main story focus. Which surprised many given that's not necessarily what the marketing implied. You could also complain that the combat, arguably the weakest element of the original game, hasn't changed significantly but the major focus of Tears Of The Kingdom, in terms of new features, is the Ultrahand ability, which allows you to manipulate objects as if Link has telekinesis. This is used to fuse weapons into stronger forms, increasing the amount of time before they break, but primarily to create complex constructions and vehicles. Most puzzles and obstacles can be overcome in multiple different ways, as you use raw materials like wood and specialist items like items and steering wheels, to create all kinds of Heath Robinson style devices. The only restriction was the limited amount of time that some vehicles, particularly flying ones, had before they automatically fell apart. We're not sure what technical limit it was that was forcing this, but it hasn't changed in the Switch 2 Edition, no doubt because it would unbalance the rest of the game. All the changes in the remaster are essentially the same as with Breath Of The Wild, including higher resolution visuals, 60fps gameplay, and HDR support. There are also the same flaws, in that these improvements make obvious the rather basic textures in some areas, as well as the pop-up for smaller objects like bushes and rocks. But then this is just a remaster, not a remake. Other changes include an extra save file, if you want to start again from scratch, and access to the Zelda Notes app. This is used in an almost identical way to Breath Of The Wild, with an array of mildly useful features, such as the ability to share items with other players, edit photos that you take along the way, and check player data. With Tears Of The Kingdom you can also create a QR code for any of your Ultrahand builds and share them with other people. Tears Of The Kingdom also has new commentary from Princess Zelda, which is just as inessential as in Breath Of The Wild, while the most useful option by far remains a live map which shows you nearby Koroks and shrines, for those that are trying to see and do everything in the game. More Trending There's no question that Tears Of The Kingdom is a great game or that this is anything but a very welcome remaster. The only real issue is whether this or Breath Of The Wild is the better game. That will be argued about for many years to come, as while Tears Of The Kingdom is better overall – fixing a few minor quibbles with its predecessor – Breath Of The Wild is more approachable and the one responsible for all the initial innovation. As much as we'd love to play both games again for the first time, we're not sure we'd advise anyone doing so one after the other, in quick succession. But that's up to you, all we can say is that the Switch 2 now has the definitive versions of two of the best games ever made, and that's not bad going for any console launch. In Short: The definitive version of one of Nintendo's most astounding technical and design achievements, that expands and refines the world of Breath Of The Wild in new and unexpected ways. Pros: The Ultrahand system is an incredible achievement and allows even more freedom in how you approach the game. Immense game world, with a new secret or encounter around every corner. Higher frame rate and resolution are a big help. Cons: As with Breath Of The Wild, some of the texture work is showing its age and the weak storytelling still feels like a missed opportunity. Score: 10/10 Formats: Nintendo Switch 2Price: £66.99 or £7.99 upgrade pack*Publisher: NintendoDeveloper: Nintendo EPDRelease Date: 5th June 2025 Age Rating: 12 *free with Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack Email gamecentral@ leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader's Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. MORE: Stellar Blade's story is 'weak' admits director but there's a reason why MORE: The Witcher 4 designed for PS5 and not PC after 'so many problems' scaling down MORE: Nintendo Switch 2 sales numbers smash records in the US and worldwide
Metro
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Zelda: Breath Of The Wild Switch 2 Edition review - the GOAT gets an upgrade
The most successful Legend Of Zelda game of all time is remastered for the Nintendo Switch 2 and gains a significant performance boost. Nintendo may be the most inscrutable video games company in the world, but you didn't need any insider information to know that there was going to be a remaster of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild for the Switch 2. Not even they would ignore such an obvious idea and so it is that both Breath Of The Wild and its sequel Tears Of The Kingdom have been given special Nintendo Switch 2 Editions. Considering we spent literally hundreds of hours playing the original versions of both games, there's no way we, or anyone else, is going to be able to replay the whole thing in a reasonable amount of time, thanks to Nintendo not sending review units ahead of time. But the important thing to note about the Switch 2 version of Breath Of The Wild is that it doesn't contain any new content. There's a multitude of technical improvements, and a mobile app with new features, but the actual gameplay, game world, and story are exactly the same as they were back in 2017. This means that despite concerns about Mario Kart World, the Switch 2 does launch with one of the best video games ever made. Breath Of The Wild is an incredible game. Not just in its own right but as an example of perhaps the most thorough and successful reboot of any media property ever. It's still a Zelda game but the open world gameplay and the lack of traditional dungeons transforms the formula into a freeform adventure that no other game, beyond its own sequel, has come close to emulating. It's an incredible achievement and absolutely deserves to retain the 10/10 score we originally gave it. And that's before we start to get into the changes for the Switch 2 Edition. Naturally, the first thing you notice is the graphics, which despite no obvious changes to the textures or 3D models do look noticeably better. The higher resolution helps a lot but you can also see changes to the lighting, in part thanks to HDR support, and draw distance. We'd also swear the game was using ray tracing at times, especially the way the light glints off metal shields, but Nintendo has made no mention of that, even though the Switch 2 does support the technology. Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning. Whatever's going on the game looks fantastic, although because nothing substantial has changed in terms of the graphics themselves the simplistic textures do stand out at times, since this is still essentially a Wii U game. The desaturated colour scheme is also something we were never too enamoured with the first time around, although we've long since accepted that as part of the game's aesthetic. The most important graphical change is that the whole game now runs at a steady 60fps. When originally released there was some notable frame rate issues but while the most serious instances, such as in Korok Forest, were dealt with via a patch the game could still run into trouble at times, especially when there was a lot of enemies or explosions on screen. Now everything is silky smooth no matter where you go and what you do, which makes a big difference. The Switch 2 also ensures faster loading times and while they're not instantaneous, when you warp from one place to the next, it's now only around a five second wait. Plus, using the Master Cycle Zero motorbike, which you get from completing The Champions' Ballad DLC, is no longer inhibited by juddery performance, as the game struggles to load in new areas of the map quickly enough, for the faster moving vehicle. Although none of the DLC is included with the Switch 2 Edition, so you have to buy that separately. There're no other changes to the game than that, beyond a second save file if you want to start again from scratch, but there is the Zelda Notes mobile app, which is filled with little extras but only one of any real significance. The most useful feature is the ability to link the app with your save and have it direct you, via a map and a GPS style voiceover, to any Koroks or shrines you missed. We 100%-ed the game the first time round, except for all the Koroks, so this is super handy for those that want to catch 'em all. Technically, the only new content in the whole remaster is commentary from Princess Zelda, which kicks in whenever you visit certain areas. None of it is particularly interesting though, and if there's one thing we didn't want more of from Breath Of The Wild, it's the Zelda actress' awful voice-acting. And that's it really, apart from the ability to share items with other players, edit photos, and check your play data and that of other players around the world. Although you can also get a free random item every day and more out of using an amiibo, but as far as we're concerned that's cheating. Despite the understandable concerns about the price of games on Switch 2, this new edition of Breath Of The Wild 2 is quite reasonably priced, at least in terms of the upgrade. It's just £8 or completely free if you're subscribed to Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack. The changes on offer are very clear and if you want to go back to the game and 100% it this is a great excuse, as the performance improvement is very noticeable, even to the non-technically minded. More Trending And if you've never played the game before, and have just got a Switch 2 and want to check out the many classics released for its predecessor, then this is the perfect opportunity. The only problem is that if this was any other eight-year-old game its price would've shrunk considerably over the last few years, but it hasn't – because it's Nintendo and their prices rarely ever decrease. That's unfortunate but the simple reason as to why, is that people are willing to pay that much to play great games, and there are very few, if any, that are greater than Breath Of The Wild. In Short: One of the best video games ever made gets a substantial performance boost on the Switch 2 and provides the perfect opportunity for new players to jump in or for veterans to hoover up every last Korok. Pros: A stone cold classic that has lost absolutely none of its allure over the course of the last eight years. The graphical upgrade is significant and the navigation feature on the mobile app is very useful. Cons: Some of the texture work is beginning to show its age. Not including the DLC is a bit cheap and we still resent not being able to change Link's name. Score: 10/10 Formats: Nintendo Switch 2Price: £66.99 or £7.99 upgrade pack*Publisher: NintendoDeveloper: Nintendo EPDRelease Date: 5th June 2025 Age Rating: 12 *free with Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack Email gamecentral@ leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader's Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. MORE: Resident Evil Requiem preview – first and third person horror MORE: MindsEye still has no reviews but plenty of bugs in 'disastrous' launch MORE: Nintendo Switch 2 officially breaks record for fastest-selling console ever
The Verge
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Verge
Breath of the Wild's Switch 2 enhancements have me exploring Hyrule all over again
Last night, I stayed up way too late playing through the Great Plateau section of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, and I'm falling in love with the game all over again. The opening moments of Breath of the Wild are iconic. The wide shot of Hyrule you see after leaving that first cave is breathtaking, showing you the world of possibilities ahead. Solving the puzzles on the Great Plateau requires some real creativity and experimentation, especially to survive the colder parts of the area. All of that magic is still there with the Switch 2 version of the game, which you can get as a $9.99 upgrade if you already own the Switch version or as a standalone $69.99 purchase, but it all plays better. As far as I could tell, the frame rate stayed at a steady 60fps no matter where I went in my initial explorations, which makes the game feel much smoother and more responsive. That was nice for my skirmishes with the Great Plateau's Bokoblins; they're basic enemies, but I liked sparring with them at the faster frame rate all the same. The game also has a higher resolution on Switch 2, and while the graphics aren't improved too dramatically from the original game, I thought the Switch 2 version looked great on my 4K TV. (I did notice things like grass or rocks popping in as I got close to them, though.) Best of all, the load times are much faster, which could be the improvement that really makes the Switch 2 version worth it. On the original Switch, the load times weren't too bad, but they would regularly force you to pause as you waited for the next area to load. On the Switch 2, it felt like I was loading into shrines or a fast-travel point with only a brief delay, and over the course of an entire playthrough, those shorter loads will add up. In my initial testing, the Zelda Notes companion app's navigation tool (found within the Nintendo Switch app) also seems like it could be a big time-saver. The feature functions like a GPS for all sorts of things you can discover, including shrines, towers, enemies, and even Korok seeds. I opened it up, picked a Korok seed that was apparently near me, and the app guided me toward it by showing my position on the map in the app and telling me what direction to go. It even nudged me to climb upward, which was helpful because I happened to pick the Korok that's found on the highest spire of the Temple of Time. The navigation feature arguably takes away from the self-guided exploration that makes Breath of the Wild so special. Since it's an optional feature, though, I don't think it takes away from the experience too much — especially since it requires booting up an entirely separate app on a separate device, so you have to do some work to get it up and running. If you're playing through the game on the Switch 2 for the first time, I'd recommend that you don't use it. But if you want to find every single Korok seed, it could be a lifesaver. What surprised me most with my first couple hours with the Switch 2 version of Breath of the Wild was that I was getting into its captivating loop all over again. Even though I've played through the game multiple times on the original Switch, I still found myself darting around the Great Plateau to take on random camps of baddies, diving into a pond to get a Korok that I knew was hidden there, and marking shrines and towers on my map. On the Switch 2, it's all much more refined, making it an excellent way to play one of Nintendo's best games.
