September's Nintendo Direct brought with it a few surprises, from GoldenEye 64 coming to the Switch online service to a Tales of Symphonia remaster. The one big thing people have been waiting for, however, is more information about the sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
Fans got what they desired in the form of a new trailer, as well as its official title: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. While the trailer is short, it does offer some interesting previews of what to expect from Link’s latest adventure in Hyrule in Tears of the Kingdom.
8 Is The Twilight Returning?
The trailer opens with runes that tell an expansive story. A snapshot of this shows an army of Bokoblins and Moblins running towards an army, taking down soldiers as they stand in the way. Along their path is a series of perpendicular lines creating branching paths.
These markings bring to mind those associated with the creatures from the Twilight Realm in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, including the portals out of which some of the game’s enemies emerge. These same kinds of lines appear on the sword in the official title art. Signs point that the worlds of light and dark may be joining once again.
7 Back to Skyloft?
Link opens a massive door to an island floating in the sky. Accompanying it are a number of other floating land masses, which have some foliage and interesting ruins on them.
The first thing that comes to mind when it comes to Zelda and floating islands is Skyloft, the central hub world of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, which has its own secrets to explore. It would be great if the franchise revisited the location of this Zelda entry. With Skyward Sword having been brought to the Switch after Breath of the Wild’s launch, maybe Nintendo is preparing gamers for callbacks to this entry.
6 Link Has New Gear
Link relies on a number of weapons in Breath of the Wild, including his trusty Sheikah Slate. The ancient smartphone is making a return in Tears Of The Kingdom, and it looks like it has a hardware refresh.
Attached to the long sides of the slates are a series of transparent cylinders, some of which contain a green fluid. This upgrade could be a potential gift from a Sheikah ancestor, allowing Link to take on the new threat that Hyrule faces. The green substance is likely required for the Sheikah Slate’s abilities. The question is where does this substance come from?
5 The Game’s MacGuffin May Have Been Revealed.
Many of the mainline Legend of Zelda games have a series of objects that the hero of Hyrule must seek. It could be the Triforce from the first game or the mirror shards in Twilight Princess or even the Divine Beasts in Breath Of The Wild.
On the mural at the beginning of the trailer, a figure is surrounded by a series of runes. The objects surrounding the figurehead on this mural are likely the items that Link needs to go after in this new adventure. Perhaps they are the “tears” to which the title refers.
4 Did Link Touch A Horcrux?
Link comes out of the gate running in this trailer. He looks ready for adventure, especially with his wrist guards. Looking closely at Link's right hand, something is off. The tips of the fingers are blackened.
This brings to mind what happened to Professor Dumbledore in Harry Potter when he had an encounter with that Horcrux, an object which contains a piece of Voldemort’s soul. While Harry Potter and The Legend of Zelda don’t share the same continuity, the parallel seems uncanny. Whatever Zelda touched must have held some seriously dark magic that gave him this affliction. It might relate to the new gauntlet he wields in this game.
3 The End Is The Beginning
The image of the serpent eating its tail is commonly associated with the idea of cycles. In the new trailer for Tears of the Kingdom, the official title is encircled in a green ring of two dragon-type creatures eating each other’s tails.
Given that Breath of the Wild is the title where Ganon gives up on reincarnation entirely, thereby ending the cycle that starts in the convoluted Zelda timeline with Skyward Sword, a whole new cycle of events could begin here. It may very well have connections to Hyrule’s past that will shape its future.
2 Going Up
Tears of the Kingdom’s adventure will take place on two interconnected planes: the ground and the sky. This unlocks new opportunities for gameplay, from multi-layered puzzles to high-flying aerial combat, potentially along with some Rito archers.
It looks like both land and air will be joined via an elevator system where Link will hang onto a rock propelled upwards. Given the yellow translucent line the rock rides along, this may be related to the new time-shifting abilities Link has this time around.
1 Link is Free-Falling
One of the exciting elements of The Legend Of Zelda: Skyward Sword was the ability to leap off of a floating island and be caught by Link’s trusty bird, carrying him soaring through the skies above the clouds.
The latest trailer for Tears of the Kingdom has a great callback to these moments. Link makes a run toward a platform off the edge of the floating island and jumps off, spreading his limbs out to control his fall. Seeing the air rush past Link gives a similar thrill of adrenaline. He lands on a giant stone bird that looks to be taking on the role of Skyward Sword’s aviary companions.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom will be released on May 12th, 2023.