Nintendo has finally lifted the lid on Breath of the Wild 2, even giving it a full title and release date recently. It’s called Tears of the Kingdom, and will launch in May of 2023.
Finally revealed with a proper trailer in June 2021, Breath Of The Wild 2 looks set to continue where things were left off in the first Breath Of The Wild, with Link and Zelda finally reunited. Things don’t stay normal in Hyrule for long however, and soon we see Link soaring above the clouds and exploring a world that looks like it’s been significantly shaken up since our last stint there.
Though details are still tight – it’s to be expected, when Nintendo only just revealed the title – there’s a surprising amount to be gleaned from the game’s last trailer. With that being said, here’s everything we know about The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom release date, platforms and price
The Legend Of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom only has a release date of May 12, 2023, having been delayed out of its 2022 window.
The game is coming exclusively to Nintendo Switch. No special editions have yet been announced but we would expect it to sell at the stand price as other first-party Nintendo games for £49.99 / $59.99.
It is however worth noting that Breath Of The Wild was an outlier, which has an RRP of £59.99, despite still costing $59.99 in the US. It stands to reason the same thing could happen again here.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom first look and trailers
The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild 2 was confirmed to be in development during E3 2019, where Nintendo premiered a first look trailer. The clip shows Link and Zelda exploring a creepy dungeon that’s potentially deep within Hyrule Castle. The subterranean area is home to a malevolent force, as well as a corpse that seemingly belongs to the series’ biggest villain, Ganondorf. In a moment, everything goes wrong as the corpse seemingly reanimates anda mysterious power raises Hyrule Castle from the ground.
During E3 2021, Nintendo provided another teaser for what was then known as The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild 2, which – while still cryptic on plot information – nonetheless included a glimpse of new gameplay and locations we can expect in this sequel.
In the trailer, which follows on directly from the first teaser, Link can be seen soaring through clouds and visiting islands of land that are floating in the sky – something that features prominently in The Legend Of Zelda: Skyward Sword.
The teaser also shows new enemies roaming Hyrule, though Link has some new Sheikah powers to combat them. These new abilities seemingly allow Link to phase through surfaces and even reverse the flow of time on certain items.
Again, the teaser ends with a shot of Hyrule Castle floating above the ground and covered in the same malevolent energy that was present in the first trailer.
The most recent trailer for what we now know to be Tears of the Kingdom was shown during a September Nintendo Direct in 2022. This is where we got the name reveal, alongside a full release date. Check it out below:
The Legend of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild 2 story and setting
As the placeholder title suggested, The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild 2 is a direct sequel to the events of Breath Of The Wild released in 2017. However, we still don’t have any concrete information on how long after that game it is set, and whether or not it will have any relation to the events from the spin-off Hyrule Warriors: Age Of Calamity.
What we do know is that the game will be set in the open world of Hyrule introduced in Breath Of The Wild – albeit it with new structures such as the floating islands in the sky. This feels reminiscent of the world of Skyward Sword but also Wind Waker, which featured a Hyrule submerged in water while small scattered islands resided above.
Recent patents filed by Nintendo suggest that in Breath Of The Wild 2, Link will have much more manoeuvrability in the skies. The patents suggest that Link may be able to use his Sheikah Slate to reverse time and move through solid objects.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – can you play as Zelda?
Many fans have been hoping that we will finally be able to play as Zelda in Tears of the Kingdom. While she is only seen falling into the abyss in the original teaser, other hints suggest that she may take a playable role.
In the first 2019 teaser, Zelda is seen sporting a new shorter haircut compared to her long hair in the first game. Hair physics can be difficult to animate so some people believe this new hairdo may make it easier to developers making Zelda a playable character.
During this teaser, it also appears that Link may have been trapped or corrupted by the malevolent force they encounter. Who else to come to the hero’s rescue than the princess herself?
The following teaser also appeared to show two versions of Link, one in the sky, the other on the ground, but they also look different, with the first sporting longer hair (undercutting the theory of Zelda’s shorter hair) and what appears to be a corrupted right arm. Meanwhile, the Link on the ground is wearing blue tunic first introduced in Breath Of The Wild.
In either case however, the clips are presented with Link’s back to the camera while we never actually see his face. Some have suggested that the blue-tunic Link may just be a placeholder for Zelda that Nintendo want to keep under wraps, but it’s also not certain if the figure from the sky is actually Link. He could in fact be another character altogether, perhaps from another time.
It’s only got fans speculating even further. Here’s a more thorough breakdown of what’s going on in the new Breath Of The Wild 2 trailer and what it could mean.
That’s everything you need to know about Tears of the Kingdom. As more info is revealed, we’ll be sure to update this page.
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