The latest Nintendo Direct was capped off with a look at an all-new trailer for the anticipated sequel for Breath of the Wild, which is now officially named The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Historically, titles in the Zelda franchise have allowed fans to glean insight into the upcoming game, especially with early titles like Ocarina of Time or Majora's Mask, which are entirely centered around the objects mentioned in their respective subtitles. Unfortunately, the name The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom seems to have left fans with more questions than answers.
Immediately, fans glommed onto the possible double meaning in the title, suggesting that it could refer to the kingdom either being ripped apart or the kingdom grieving and shedding tears, both interpretations seemingly suggesting a dark direction for the series. However, the Japanese title suggests that the tears are of the mourning and crying variety. While the trailer for Tears of the Kingdom that accompanied Nintendo's announcement is fairly uninformative about the game's potential plot, it still drops a few clues that could point fans in the right direction.
Princess Zelda Could Die in Tears of the Kingdom
One possible interpretation is that the title refers to the citizens of Hyrule mourning their beloved Princess Zelda. This would potentially set up Tears of the Kingdom to be the darkest Zelda game to date, separating one of Nintendo's most iconic couples. Still, Zelda's death could be integral to furthering the sequel's plot. Since Zelda has slowly become a powerful figure against Ganon and other dark forces, removing her from the equation could leave the realm vulnerable yet again.
If Zelda dies, it would mark Link's greatest failure to date, forcing him on a quest to bring her back. Of course, there are still plenty of ways the plot could continue from there, with Link perhaps gathering ancient artifacts to gather the power to resurrect Zelda, or traveling through time—like in Ocarina of Time—in order to stop the events that led to her death. Regardless, a brutal emotional gut-punch may be just what the sequel needs in order to match its predecessor's success.
Link Will Collect Tears to Restore The Master Sword
It's a near certainty that Tears of the Kingdom will have to strip Link of everything and bring him back to square one. In a launch update trailer released earlier this year, astute fans noticed Link wielding a gnarled, broken version of the iconic Master Sword. In the latest announcement trailer, fans see a mysterious figure surrounded by seven tear-shaped objects—reminiscent of the Sacred Tears from Skyward Sword—possibly hinting at important objects in the upcoming game. It's possible that these two clues are interrelated, with Link forced to seek out artifacts to restore the Master Sword to its former glory.
For what it's worth, in the earlier launch trailer, the Hylian Shield was also conspicuously absent, hinting that Link's tried-and-true equipment may be in jeopardy. While his journey would undoubtedly feature restoring these objects for a greater purpose—such as bringing back Princess Zelda—focusing the game around Link's iconic pieces of equipment could be an excellent way to weave fans' nostalgia into the plot.
The Subtitle Could Refer to The Floating Islands in the Sky
It's confirmed that at least part of Tears of the Kingdom will take place in the sky, with Link zipping around between various floating islands. However, it's far from the first time this has occurred in the franchise, so Tears of the Kingdom will have to take a different route than Skyward Sword. While it's difficult to tell exactly how much of the realm has gone airborne, it could be that this fracturing of the land is the main focus of the new title. The Tears of the Kingdom could simply be referring to the tear-shaped nature of the floating islands.
Still, this interpretation leaves the question of exactly how and why the realm becomes fractured in such a manner. For this, there are a number of likely culprits, such as the return of Ganon in Tears of the Kingdom, the aforementioned possibility of Princess Zelda's death, or any other number of other unexpected twists.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom launches May 12, 2023, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.