The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom release date, trailers, and everything we know

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The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom was initially announced in 2019 but was not given its full title until 2022. The project, known only as the Breath of the Wild sequel then, became known by its own title, Tears of the Kingdom – and now it’s one of the most anticipated Switch games of the year. It’s actually fair to say that it’s one of the most anticipated games of the year, no matter the platform.

Years have passed since The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was released, but the iconic series’ fanbase has been waiting patiently for its sequel – and it looks like the patience will be well rewarded. Gameplay features and pieces of the potential story have since been put together by fans paying close attention to any revealed information on Tears of the Kingdom. From new crafting abilities to the darker take on Hyrule, many additions and changes from its predecessor are expected. To keep you shedding tears of joy for Tears of the Kingdom, we have compiled everything we know about Zelda Tears of the Kingdom below.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom release date

Players can expect to dive into Tears of the Kingdom’s Hyrule on May 12, 2023. While the sequel had been delayed previously, this 2023 spring date is now set in stone. Producer Eiji Aonuma recently confirmed that the game itself is complete and no longer in development, meaning that there is no chance of any further setback. This also indicates that the features shown during gameplay directs and trailers are concrete.

If you are looking to buy the game, be sure to ready your wallets as this will be Nintendo’s first game release under their new price point. Coming in at a slightly higher price than previously released Nintendo titles, the Tears of the Kingdom standard edition will cost $69.99 for the standard edition and can be pre-purchased on the storefront here. The collector’s edition sells for $129.99 and will include an art book, poster, SteelBook case, and four pins – but is proving pretty hard to nail down; let’s hope for some more restocks before the release date itself.

For the more dedicated fans, a special Tears of the Kingdom edition OLED Nintendo Switch will release on April 28, 2023, for a whopping $359.99. Unfortunately, but very importantly, the game is not included with the console and will need to be purchased separately.

Nintendo Switch OLED Model – The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Edition

Screen type

OLED

Storage type

Flash

USB Ports

2

Color

Green (Zelda limited edition)

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The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom story and setting

Unfortunately, Nintendo has not revealed much about the upcoming game’s plot and setting, leaving a lot of folks asking: where is Zelda Tears of the Kingdom set? Nintendo has described Tears of the Kingdom as being “an epic adventure across the land and skies of Hyrule,” stating that players will be able to use Link’s new abilities to “fight back against the malevolent forces that threaten the kingdom.” While this information is vague, it seems as though the story will follow the archetypal Zelda formula in which Link finds himself going up against Ganon.

Much of the story in Tears of the Kingdom has been kept secret by Nintendo, but fans have been able to gather a decent amount of information from the trailers (more on those below). The game seems as though it will be a much darker take on the classic storyline, in a way that almost mirrors Twilight Princess. The blood moon, decaying castle, urgent dialogue, and Ganon are all present throughout the tidbits of gameplay shown. While calamity was central to Breath of the Wild’s story, the sequel’s version seems much more intense.

The malicious power taking over the world is often seen throughout Nintendo’s trailers for the game, but Link’s own light is also shown in contrast to this darkness. Ganon can be seen awakening within Ganondorf’s corpse, as can a melted Master Sword. On the other hand, Link can be seen by Zelda’s side and with a mysterious God-like figure, too. Tears of the Kingdom will therefore feature all of the well-known and loved elements while also introducing players to a new darkness. 

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom gameplay features

Tears of the Kingdom will be introducing players to a variety of new gameplay features. Link will have new abilities that have a strong impact on both combat and exploration. He will be able to use Ascend, Fuse, Recall, and Ultrahand. Ascend will allow Link to phase through ceilings above him for easier climbing with less drain on stamina. Fuse is a crafting ability that lets Link put various items, tools, and weapons together to create new things. Everything from hammers to vehicles will be at players’ fingertips with Fuse. Recall is a time-control ability that sees Link reversing time on an object. For instance, he can use Recall on a floating rock to get up to a sky island. Ultrahand is an ability similar to Fuse, albeit stronger and more useful for building modes of transportation – it will act like glue between objects.

Aside from abilities, players can expect to come across new buildings, enemies, fauna, flora, and the sky islands. We also know that weapon durability is making a return – which has certainly caused some discussion among the fanbase… Elsewhere extra features can also be unlocked in Tears of the Kingdom while playing by using Nintendo’s amiibo. A special new Link amiibo is coming out for the sequel itself, allowing players to unlock such in-game extras. 

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom trailers

Since the first Tears of the Kingdom trailer back in 2019, a variety of other teasers and trailers for the game have been released. All of these show different features that players can expect, with some focusing more on the story and others more on gameplay. 

The first look that players got of the Breath of the Wild sequel was at 2019’s E3 Nintendo Direct event where a teaser was unveiled, as shown above. In the teaser, both Link and Zelda can be seen facing what is likely the body of Ganondorf while creepy music plays. Malice fills the corpse and seemingly revives it as Ganondorf’s eyes glow red and his neck snaps back into place. 

When compared to the first game, Tears of the Kingdom’s initial teaser presented players with what seemed to be a much darker game. In a way that was almost reminiscent of preceding titles such as Twilight Princess, the atmosphere and story both had an eerie feel. 

The second teaser Nintendo showed for Tears of the Kingdom was at 2021’s E3 Nintendo Direct event. The game’s name had still not been revealed, and was still being described as ‘the sequel to Breath of the Wild’. While this teaser started with the same dark tone as its predecessor, it was short-lived as the bright Hyrule from Breath of the Wild was shown instead.

This is the trailer that truly solidified the differences between the upcoming game and the original, showing off Hyrule’s new sky islands and other such features. Some of Link’s new abilities were also shown, such as his ability to ascend through ceilings or reach the sky islands by reversing time. Story elements like the downfall of the castle were also displayed.

The first ‘official’ trailer shown for Tears of the Kingdom was also the first one revealed with the game’s true title. This one started with a much heavier focus on the game’s story, showing seven symbols (likely representing the Seven Sages, protectors of the Triforce). It also shows the resurrection cycle of Zelda herself. Following the story scene, the trailer cuts to more gameplay. Link is shown diving down to Hyrule from one of the sky islands, resetting time on a rock, and flying atop a new gliding contraption.

The second official trailer was also the last one shown, aside from any gameplay footage from smaller Nintendo Directs. It is more extensive than the previous one, showing everything from new enemies to trials. This trailer focuses quite a bit on gameplay features, but it also brings story elements to light. Link is shown with a strange female figure, one not specified. This trailer brings a lot of questions to players’ minds, from whether the mysterious woman is Zelda or even a Goddess to what Link’s role will be in Tears of the Kingdom’s story.

That is everything we know about The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom so far. The release is right on the horizon and there are likely a lot of new features that have not been revealed. Until then, we recommend having another go at Breath of the Wild to refresh your memory or having a look at some other gaming guides and news!