The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – Switch Vs Switch 2

For most Nintendo Switch 2 ports, the difference in gameplay and graphics quality is visible. There’s no denying the new next-gen console offers brighter and smoother visuals. Loading times are negligible. Lagging is completely gone. Nearly every aspect of the new console is better than the original.

It gets a little tricky, though, when you assess the improvements game by game. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, for instance, is one of the new ports on the Switch 2. And it’s going for $79.99, which is $9.99 more than the Switch 1 version. The fact that upgrading your current copy isn’t free warrants a full comparison between the Switch and Switch 2 versions. 

Are the gameplay and graphics updates on Switch 2 worth it? Are there new features besides performance boosts? Let’s find out in our The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – Switch Vs Switch 2 article below.

What is The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom?

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is an action-adventure game, released in 2023 by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. It’s the 20th mainline title in The Legend of Zelda series, and the sequel to the similarly praised The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017). 

Over the years, the series has expanded its setting in the Kingdom of Hyrule, from a top-down 2D perspective to a full-blown 3D open world. Tears of the Kingdom is, by far, the biggest and deepest Hyrule has been, taking you to the skies and the depths of the underground world. And the activities to do in-game are just as vast.

Story

You control Link, exploring Hyrule’s underground, surface, and sky islands. At the heart of your adventure is uncovering the mystery behind a cataclysmic event. But also, searching for Princess Zelda and stopping the Zelda series’ antagonist, Ganondorf, from destroying Hyrule.

As a brand-new adventure, Tears of the Kingdom knocks it out of the park, especially on the worldbuilding. Hyrule is simply delightful to explore, with always something exciting to do. It’s beautiful, vast, and chock-full of content. And the gorgeous world and intricate details of it make it a bliss to enjoy the story, too. Although predictable at times, it does have intriguing twists here and there. There are certainly better Zelda storylines, though.

Gameplay

In addition to Breath of the Wild’s gameplay, Tears of the Kingdom added new features and mechanics. You grappled with new abilities, crafting methods, and building tools. But the major difference was taking to the skies to explore several floating islands and the underground Depths, each region with unique side quests, enemies, puzzles, and rewards of its own.

Switch Version

When the Switch version came out, it was clear it was an improvement over the preceding Breath of the Wild. Nintendo went bigger on the open world, adding new environments with immense verticality. More than that, gamers access new abilities, crafting tools, traversal methods, and more. 

You have two new areas: the floating islands in the skies and the Depths under Hyrule. Using your paraglider, you could access the skies, but also explore the world on horses and through climbing. You also access the new Zonai devices, which come in handy in combat, puzzle-solving, and crafting vehicles like sledges and rockets. Plus, new powers that allow you to move, combine, rewind, and autobuild objects.

Otherwise, other gameplay aspects remain the same as Breath of the Wild. Aspects like the progression, recipe, and inventory systems at the Shrines, and using Korok seeds. Overall, Tears of the Kingdom has been an improvement on its predecessor, thus making the Switch version one of the best action RPGs out there.

Switch 2 Version

For the most part, Tears of the Kingdom’s Switch version remains the same as Switch 2, at least in terms of content. You’re still playing the same game, essentially. However, the major difference that Nintendo would justify the $10 price with is that gamers enjoy better resolution and frame rates on the new next-gen console. 

With the story and gameplay just as fun and engaging as the Switch version, what makes the Switch 2 version more worthwhile is the focus on a better user experience. 

For instance, you can easily transfer your save file from Switch to Switch 2. Perhaps more exciting, though, is the notably faster load times, improved resolution, and high frame rates.

A 30 fps is a thing of the past, with Switch 2 maintaining a steady 60 fps at 1080p. You also get HDR support to enjoy the visual enhancements in handheld mode, too.

New Features

As far as new features go, the Switch 2 version incorporates the Zelda Notes application. This helps you find your way around Hyrule, especially locating Shrines and Korok Seeds. It also shows you your progress, displaying information like the number of enemies you’ve killed or the “game over” screens you’ve had. And this can be useful when competing with friends and online players. 

Moreover, when you log into the game at least once a day, you receive bonuses like meals, hearts, and other rewards. 

And you’ll also access Voice Memories at specific locations, revealing NPC dialogues. 

Notably, the Switch 2 version allows exchanging items with other players, which can be incredibly helpful in your progression. Or, you can share your autobuilds, too, whether rockets or slides.

Verdict: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – Switch Vs Switch 2

Evidently, there is a notable stream of advantages to gain from playing the Tears of the Kingdom Switch 2 version. The most notable are the faster load times, negligible lag, speedy frame rates, better resolution, and more. All visual enhancements are powered by the next-gen console. 

However, Tears of the Kingdom takes it a step further to add new features like item sharing, Zelda Notes, offering several perks, sharing autobuilds, and accessing NPC voice memories. Whether these updates are worth the additional $10 is well up to you to decide.