When unpacking my Nintendo Switch 2 for the first time, I didn’t expect a 2023 game I had already sunk 70 hours into to be the title that pulled me in the most. But with its mostly one-note launch lineup (there’s only so much Mario Kart one can play before needing a break from its cacophony of cartoon noises and randomized chaos), experiencing one of Nintendo’s finest in a brand new way is where I’m having the most fun.
Two of the best games to play at Switch 2’s launch are upgraded versions of The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild and its direct sequel Tears Of The Kingdom, especially if you somehow missed out on either of them the first time around. Both get a significant boost from Nintendo’s new hardware, boasting better resolution, textures, and a steady frame rate. As has been said all over the internet, particularly with Tears Of The Kingdom, these Switch 2 versions play like what they should have at launch.
But the improved fidelity isn’t what got me back into the groove of scoping out Koroks and Shrines again. It wasn’t even the comfort of returning to two games I thoroughly enjoyed the first time around. It was the added Nintendo App functionality that the Nintendo Switch 2 version wisely includes.
When Nintendo first revealed Zelda Notes during the Switch 2 reveal last April, I admittedly didn’t think much of it. It was a neat bonus for those who wanted to return to these games. But as someone who beat Breath Of The Wild long ago and bounced off Tears Of The Kingdom’s building mechanics and overwhelmingly large world, I wasn’t jumping at the chance to do it all over again. Trying these features out for myself, however, proved there is actually a lot of value to this gimmicky new feature.
The biggest game changer is the navigation feature. At any point, players can open up a map of Hyrule, toggle any points of interest they’d like to see, and set a waypoint. Doing so activates an optional voice guide that points you in the right direction like a GPS. This feature alone goes a long way in making the gigantic map feel a little more manageable. It’s all the functionality you’d get from online guides without the constant back-and-forth of reading text in your browser. Smartly, players can also toggle whether or not they want these points of interest spoiled for them before they reach the destination, meaning fans who still want discovery to feel more organic can still use this feature.
This isn’t the first game to do second-screen experiences. I experimented with Red Dead Redemption 2’s second screen map for increased immersion. I’d even used Smartglass way back in the Xbox 360 days. But for the first time, a second screen feature feels like a meaningful addition and not a party trick. Playing through Tears back in 2023 felt like pushing through an enjoyable but insurmountable amount of content. Two years later, it’s become the perfect game to chip away at in my downtime thanks to Zelda Notes.
And that’s before I even get to the new Voice Memories, audio logs left behind at specific locations throughout the map. This adds depth and context to the game’s already fragmented story. While it’s questionable that these bits of story are being gated behind an app, a paid update, and a $450 console, it’s an undeniably fun addition for the fans obsessed over the continuity and lore of the series. Daily bonuses and stats tracking features tie a tidy bow on what players get for linking their phone or tablet to their new console.
Players are right to debate the price of upgrading each of the Switch’s flagship Zelda titles. It would have been nice to see Nintendo take a similar approach to Microsoft’s consumer-friendly Smart Delivery feature across all its titles. But if you’re a Nintendo Switch Online subscriber or are willing to bite the $10 bullet, what you get are some worthwhile features that add to the experience.
If you’re someone who succumbed to the sheer size of Tears Of The Kingdom the first time around or fell into any of the other fantastic 2023 games before you could reach the ending, this new-gen upgrade does a fantastic job pulling you back into its quaint fantasy world.
