Our final verdict on The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom‘, plus hands-on with LEGO 2K Drive, Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores, Tron Identity and Nanoleaf’s Smart Bulbs/Lightstrip.
Let’s not beat around the bush, gamers. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is a work of pure magic. Defying all imaginable odds, it’s a video game that not only manages to match its hugely praised predecessor (Breath of the Wild), but in many ways builds upon it so greatly that it’s almost unbelievable. Almost.
A large part of that is thanks to Link’s new abilities. Gone are the more traditional bomb, Stasis and Cryonis – this time replaced with far more creative options. Fuse, for example, allows you to combine almost any two items (like a rock onto a sword for a much deadlier approach), whereas Ultrahand allows you to freely move around various materials in order to fashion together all sorts of wild creations.
With these new tools on their belt, some people might spend hours creating an intricately designed aircraft to reach unexplored areas. Others might go ahead and create a giant statue with a fire wiener.
The beauty of Tears of the Kingdom is that both of those wildly different examples can serve their own purpose and the game is brave enough to give you the keys to the toolbox and let you run absolutely buck wild. Even wilder is that the whole thing works flawlessly. Yes, the aging hardware behind the Switch means you’re bound to encounter the occasional slowdown, but considering the state in which many triple-a games launch nowadays, Tears of the Kingdom is astonishingly polished from top to bottom. How the creative masterminds at Nintendo managed such a feat, while also offering up a more engaging story and a whole new level of verticality is mindboggling.
For years Breath of the Wild has been recognised as an industry-defining video game, and somehow The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom effortlessly knocks it off its perch. Whether you own a Switch or not, you owe it to yourself to at least try this phenomenal experience.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is out now for Nintendo Switch. You can buy it on Amazon here.
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LEGO 2K Drive (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, XBO, Switch, PC)
It’s no secret that I’m an absolute fiend for LEGO, so when 2K announced its collaboration with the beloved brickmasters, I was psyched. The good news is that LEGO 2K Drive avoids being a simple cash-in by delivering a fast-paced, enjoyable racer that makes the most of its licence and then some.
The light-hearted story mode offers up an arcade kart racer filled with transformable vehicles, power-ups and overdramatic power slides. It’s like Mario Kart meets Crash Team Racing, and honestly it’s not something we get enough of these days. Each course is also well-thought out, with environments that are appropriately LEGO-fied, while still providing a good amount of challenge for lead-heads.
Then there’s all the collectibles to locate and challenge areas to stumble upon as you zoom around, and rest assured some of them are no joke. I spent arguably too long trying to nail the perfect pipe run without a single fall, for example, yet somehow wanted to keep trying over and over and over again. Such is the underlying appeal of LEGO 2K Drive.
Where things slightly fall apart is with its approach to microtransactions, which much like many 2K properties, can get a little out of hand. It unfortunately mars an otherwise excellent racer, so hopefully the devs can build slightly better solution. Get past that and LEGO 2K Drive is highly recommended.
You can pick up LEGO 2K Drive right now on Amazon.
Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores (PS5)
A year on from the main release of Forbidden West, Horizon is back with a new DLC adventure that takes the fundamentals of what you already love, then crafts a fun and engaging new adventure to enjoy. Even more importantly (and without going into spoilers), it directly continues Forbidden West’s ending, doing well to set up some key groundwork for the eventual threequel, while introducing one of the series’ best new characters, Seyka.
Aloy’s newest companion isn’t just a breath of fresh air, but actually helps provide some much-needed depth that Aloy has arguably been missing for a while now.
What the game has never lacked though is absolutely stunning visuals, and that trend very much continues in Burning Shores, with a beautiful recreation of Los Angles that is a treat to explore. Combine that with even more new regions to explore, collectibles to find and machines to best and Burning Shores has plenty to offer hardcore Horizon fans.
Tron Identity (Switch, PC)
While long-time Tron fans sit in wait for another silver screen adaptation, Bithel Games has instead taken the mantle of the sci-fi franchise to deliver a new outing that is a refreshingly unique experience that you probably weren’t expecting. Sure, Tron: Identity takes place in The Grid, (the series’ “digital frontier” where all forms of research can be conducted), but this visual novel skips the action-heavy light cycles and disc wars for a more grounded, noir-inspired detective tale.
As such, it’s your job to solve a mysterious explosion, interacting with a number of denizens who will either help or hinder your progress depending on your choice of dialogue options. Thankfully though, with Identity placing such a heavy emphasis on reading, it’s to the writing team’s credit that they have crafted a unique take on the source material that is engaging and atmospheric enough that will likely have fans itching to replay the whole experience numerous times to see how various decisions affect the wider arc.
There’s also a number/colour matching mini-game that smartly helps switch up the game’s pace. The visual novel approach won’t be for everybody, but this is a must-play for Tron fans, or gamers wanting to branch out of their comfort zone and into the Grid. I’m certainly intrigued to see where things could go next.
Hands on with the Nanoleaf Essentials Lightstrip and Smart Bulbs
No modern gaming setup is complete without a bit of a light show, and Nanoleaf has always been at the forefront of that domain with a healthy range of smart light options. From the classic Shapes, Canvas and Lines offerings, often the only limit to your gaming nirvana is your own creativity. With that in mind, if you’re keen to extend your smart lighting even further into the home, the Nanoleaf Essential A60/E27 bulbs and Lightstrip Starter kit are both exceptional options.
The bulbs, for example, pack a range of over 16 million colours that can easily be adjusted via Nanoleaf’s app. We had no issue constantly altering colours temperate, schedules and brightness on the fly. And speaking of brightness, with a max of 1100 lumens, these are some seriously bright bulbs and did well every room I tried them in. They’re also arguably brighter than Phillips’ Hue offering and more budget friendly (a Nanoleaf 3-pack will set you back $55 whereas a Hue 2-pack costs $49).
Then there’s the Lightstrip- the starter kit offering up a 2m that can spruce up any wall, kitchen crevice or bedroom. I was impressed with how little real-estate the strips take up considering the light they’re able to pump out. They also come pre-primed with 3M adhesive material to ensure they won’t budge out of place.
Similar to the bulbs, the Lightstrip features over more than 16 million colours and can be adjusted via the app as well as the in-built controller (though the latter only handles power, scenes and brightness). It’s a shame only one colour can be displayed at a time, but it’s hard to complain considering the price point – $45 at JB Hi-Fi compared to the Hue alternative that is three times the price.
It’s worth noting that both of these offerings are currently in clearance so may be hard to find, but if you do might just snag yourself a bargain. Alternatively, Nanoleaf is merely updating both products to be compatible with Matter – the new smart home technology standard that aims to allow you buy any smart device and use the voice assistant of your choice.
No matter which option you choose, both the Nanoleaf Smart Bulbs and Lightstrips will do well to light up your life with minimal fuss. Recommended.
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