I was wrong about Zelda Tears of the Kingdom.

Sure, the game gives a stunning first impression. And a stunning second impression (the moment you discover the depths). After that... it kind of consistently disappoints.

If this had been released as is, without BotW ever existing, it would perhaps be far more impressive. But as it stands, I've already explored this world.

For the sheer breadth of its map, I feel like there’s so little new to explore. I've already gone over every inch of it in painstaking detail before. Sure, there's new stuff, but it's all caves, the depths, and sky islands, each of which has astoundingly little variety among them.

However, if I were to consider it a standalone game without BotW, it kneecaps itself by giving me Ultrahand. Because the vehicles I build undermine the sense of exploration entirely. I cruise by or fly past all the little interesting places. Which I suppose is necessary, because as I pointed out, I've seen them already.

Is it still a masterpiece? Maybe? Between Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, yes, there is a stunning masterpiece in there somewhere. But it’s kind of broken up and diluted by all the extra stuff to make that masterpiece two games instead of one.