This article contains spoilers for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is my favorite Zelda story. That may seem strange given that, like Breath of the Wild, it can be experienced in roughly any order you choose and doesn’t have the linear trappings of narrative-focused entries like Twilight Princess and Ocarina of Time.
But uncovering Tears of the Kingdom’s story by finding the Geoglyphs etched into the earth around Hyrule is part of what makes it so powerful. When you finally discover what happened to Princess Zelda, it feels too big and important to be unveiled in this way. The method by which you discover it gives it an impact that it wouldn’t have if it was simply revealed in a cutscene in a linear story. It feels like you're making a significant archaeological discovery, not just setting the controller down to watch a movie.
And, once you uncover that story, you’re hit with the realization of how much Zelda has sacrificed to take down Ganondorf. I wrote previously about how Tears of the Kingdom wrings tragedy from time travel, and a month later, I’m still amazed by the turn that the game’s story takes and how impactful it was. I enjoyed the stories of Ocarina of Time and Wind Waker as a kid because they were more serious and mythical than the bulk of the stories I would experience as a child. But Tears of the Kingdom is the first Zelda story to really hit me as an adult. When I realized Zelda had been trapped in dragon form for centuries, I felt the weight of Zelda’s loss come sharply into focus.
So, when you finally come face to face with Ganondorf, the stakes feel more real than they ever have before. Saving the world is boring. Saving someone the main character loves? That's the good stuff. I don't like it nearly as much now as I did in 2016, but this was a big hook of the first Deadpool for me. It was the rare superhero movie that wasn't about saving the world. It was about Wade Wilson reconnecting with his fiance after a near-death experience. Both of these stories, ultimately, boil down to a female character being saved by a male hero which, you know, isn't the greatest or most unique story. But that doesn't change the fact that deeply personal stakes are always more exciting than world-ending ones.
Plus, Tears of the Kingdom makes Zelda an equally active participant in the story. You may play as Link, but Zelda's role is just as vital. She imprisons Ganondorf. She makes the game's big sacrifice. She restores the Master Sword. And, in the final leg of the battle against Ganondorf, she joins Link in the fight.
It helps that the fight really changes when she’s at your side. The first few legs of the Ganondorf fight are some of fights the hardest in the game because every successful attack Ganon lands does gloom damage, so any healing items you prepared ahead of time are useless (and fast travel is locked so you can’t go upgrade your armor). When you finally get out of the Depths and are joined by Zelda in the skies, you can feel the contribution her teamwork lends. Once you finally defeat Ganondorf, it’s the end to a satisfying fight, true. But it’s also the climactic moment in Zelda’s centuries-spanning arc.