The Triumph of Zelda
There are game releases, there are blockbuster game releases, and there are releases that arrive with the fanfare of Halley's Comet. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, released by Nintendo on May 12, 2023, was the last. The release, a sequel to one of the best-selling games of all time, pierced mainstream culture with Barbenheimer levels of zeitgeisty energy, and with the receipts to prove it: Barbie and Nintendo's own billion-dollar success on the big screen, The Super Mario Bros. Movierival the game's gross profits – and that's before the holidays.
The numbers come as no surprise to anyone who understands the raging cultural appetite for games. Breath of the wild, the previous Zelda game, was key to the 2017 launch of Nintendo's Switch console, which sold more than 15 million units by the end of its first fiscal year. Now, between Nintendo's legacy of inclusive gaming and the COVID-19 pandemic that drove safe-at-home gaming through the roof, the company has sold more than 132 million Switch units, setting the playing field for another blockbuster -moment. And after years of hype, Tears of the Kingdom was the inevitable and explosive swan song for the console.
Tears of the Kingdom could have been a safe repeat, but for even the most dedicated fans the game was more freeform and daring, evoking games like Fortnite And Minecraft as many as titles within the franchise. In this installment, players were given the ability to manipulate almost every single object in the game, building vehicles, tools, machines, and more in seemingly limitless permutations. Each challenge and puzzle spread across the game's three expansive landscapes offered multiple solutions, making both the journey and the results fun — and videos of those attempts made it an instant TikTok favorite.
Tears of the Kingdom cannot simply be assessed and stored in the annals of history. It's Polygon's best game of 2023, but even as the year comes to an end, it feels alive and will endure. If you've been wary of jumping in, participating, and fully understanding the magnitude of this wilderness, you're in luck: Polygon has gone to the end and back. Here you will find everything you need to know The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomwherever you are during the journey.