Six years ago, if somebody told you after the launch of Breath of the Wild that the next Zelda game the developer makes will surpass it in almost every way possible, most would find that hard to believe. Making a direct sequel to one of the greatest games of all time is difficult enough as it is, but to make one that unquestionably improves upon an unabashed, genre-defining masterpiece? That's close to impossible. And yet, Tears of the Kingdom does it in a way that seems almost effortless.

No, we're not anywhere close to as gobsmacked by its newness or its novelty as we were with Breath of the Wild when it came out in 2017, but in nearly every other way, incredibly enough, Zelda's newest outing touches heights even its predecessor couldn't (and yes, I am going to ruin that pun by saying "pun intended").