The release of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is inching closer by the day, and so it's no surprise that some fans are eager to learn all there is to know about the title. Following the critical and commercial success of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, many players immediately began speculating on how Nintendo would follow up the overwhelming success of its latest Zelda game. As such, a lot of pressure has been placed on its sequel to perform - but from everything that's known about Tears of the Kingdom so far, things are looking quite promising.
Naturally, Nintendo has remained somewhat secretive about the game's contents, but since it's one of few direct sequels in the Zelda series, players can anticipate Tears of the Kingdom to generally share many similarities with its predecessor. That being said, TOTK has advantages over BOTW already, such as not being a cross-generation release, and the development team already having a wealth of assets from the previous game. With these prospects in mind, alongside the exciting clues present in trailers and gameplay clips, players may be interested in getting a heads-up on what to expect from Tears of the Kingdom.
What is Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom's Release Date?
The release date for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is May 12, 2023. This puts it over six years after the release of Breath of the Wild in March 2017, but the sequel entered development almost immediately after BOTW's launch during that same year, with Nintendo planning to make use of assets and ideas that had been left over. Tears of the Kingdom's release was initially planned for 2022, but after delays were made apparent in late 2022, Nintendo confirmed the March 12, 2023 release date and the game's official title.
Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom Trailers
Nintendo has released five official trailers for Tears of the Kingdom: the First Look Trailer from E3 2019, the E3 2021 Teaser, and Official Trailers #1, #2, and #3, accompanied by a Launch Timing Update video and a Gameplay Demonstration from producer Mr. Aonuma himself. Most teasers have been rather short, only giving glimpses into the changes and some cryptic clues as to what the sequel’s story might entail. The most obvious revelation they contain is that TOTK takes place in the exact same iteration of Hyrule as Breath of the Wild, which is the first time this has been done in the history of the series.
That's not to say that things will be exactly the same; Hyrule has changed drastically since the previous game. Clouds of Malice have propelled chunks of ground high into the sky, including Hyrule Castle, which now hovers ominously above Hyrule Field. Death Mountain can also be seen in Tears of the Kingdom trailers, spewing out Malice from within. Link and Zelda are seen in TOTK trailers walking through a labyrinthine network of caverns as well, suggesting that part of Tears of the Kingdom may involve spelunking to uncover Hyrule’s terrible past.
Mr. Aonuma's Gameplay Demonstration, ed to new abilities for Link in TOTK, too. Recall, which enables players to send objects back through time, will open up a whole new world of gameplay opportunities. Fuse will let Link create brand-new weapons by combining items, and Ultrahand will work similarly, allowing for the creation of vehicles. Ascend will let Link directly through ceilings, even as thick as entire mountains - which will be a major time-saver for players in TOTK.
Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom Story Details
Since Tears of the Kingdom's story follows BOTW, the backstory is exactly the same. This iteration of Hyrule is plagued by a cyclically recurring evil known as Calamity Ganon. Ganon is able to spew forth Malice, an energy that gives life to monsters and infects the world around it. At the end of Breath of the Wild, Link was able to deal a devastating blow to Calamity Ganon and, with Zelda’s sealing powers, once again put it to rest. However, Link and Zelda appear keen on breaking the destructive cycle once and for all.
In the First Look Trailer, Link and Zelda are shown descending into caves with oddly carved murals. Deep inside they find a Ganondorf's corpse with Malice flowing from it, poised in a vulnerable position by a spiral of green energy. His corpse then springs to life, its eyes filled with hate, before the trailer cuts to show Hyrule Castle rising into the sky.
Every other facet of Tears of the Kingdom’s story is based purely on speculation derived from the aforementioned murals. One mural shows a mysterious being surrounded by seven tear-shaped icons, potentially the titular Tears of the Kingdom. Additionally, the style of the carvings matches the aesthetic of the Zonai Ruins from Breath of the Wild, structures left behind by an ancient tribe of magic wielders known as the Zonai. While the title of the game is ominous, Tears of the Kingdom won't be exceptionally dark because of its E10+ ESRB rating, though it's expected that Hyrule's potentially unpleasant past with the Zonai will be explored.
Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Returning BOTW Characters
Naturally, Link and Zelda will be making a return to the sequel, but other characters are confirmed to return in TOTK as well. As some sharp-eyed fans had previously suspected, Ganondorf will be the main villain of Tears of the Kingdom, but Tulin, Price Sidon, and Riju will also be making an appearance in the game. Interestingly, Princess Zelda appears to be playing a much more active role than she did in Breath of the Wild, where she was sealed inside Hyrule Castle keeping Calamity Ganon at bay.
Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom File Size
According to the official Nintendo page for the game, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom's file size is 16.3 GB. While the page previously reported the size as 18 GB, 16.3 GB is still considerably large, outdoing Breath of the Wild by almost 2 GB. This is promising for the contents of the game, as those extra gigabytes will assuredly contain plenty for players to chew on. Luckily, those who want to jump into the fun right away already have the option to preload Tears of the Kingdom.
Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Weapon Durability, Explained
Undoubtedly to the relief of many players, Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom's weapon durability system has fixed one of Breath of the Wild's biggest problems. Instead of worrying about the limited durability of each item, players will actually be able to craft weapons of their own. Thanks to Link's new Fuse ability, he'll be able to mix and match various items from his inventory to invent new armaments whenever his current weapon breaks. Depending on the materials used to craft them, weapons will feature different levels of durability, so players will need to experiment with various combinations.
At its core, Tears of the Kingdom's gameplay and story remain faithful to its predecessor, with many elements of Breath of the Wild also being present in the title. However, from what's been revealed through trailers and gameplay clips, the sequel looks to be nothing short of an expansive, refreshing, and highly polished return to Hyrule. Until March 12 though, players can only imagine what adventures and secrets they'll encounter in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
