The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – Everything You Need To Know About Link’s New Adventure

Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, the highly anticipated sequel to Breath of the Wild, is about to get released. As the game’s producer Eiji Aonuma recently announced, the development is finally completed. In other words, a new delay is now all but impossible.

Undoubtedly great news for all the fans of the saga, who will soon be able to get their hands on Nintendo's brand-new work, which will follow Link's adventures in the land of Hyrule. In fact, the game’s release is set for next May 12, and by no surprise, it will be a Nintendo Switch exclusive. Expectations are undoubtedly high, and the premises for another memorable game are all there. While we all wait for these weeks to pass, here's everything you need to know about The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.

Release Date, Platforms, Editions

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom was originally announced in 2019 during the E3. The game’s official name was initially undisclosed, and everyone just called it Breath of the Wild 2. As Nintendo’s Bill Trinen said back in June 2021, they were still holding back on the title because, at that point, it would have been kind of a spoiler. Then, they finally revealed it during the September 2022 Nintendo Direct.

During the same event, and after several delays, the final release date also came in. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom will launch on Nintendo Switch on May 12. The game will be the first Nintendo first-party Switch title to feature a $69.99 price tag instead of the $59.99 other first-party titles usually have on the hybrid platform.

However, it won’t be a trend for Nintendo moving forward, as a Nintendo representative confirmed that the company determines the retail price of its games on a case-by-case basis. Moreover, Nintendo of America's president Doug Bowser commented on the price tag by saying it will reflect the full, deeply immersive experience the game is going to offer.

In addition to the digital and physical standard editions priced at $69.99, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom will also come with a collector’s edition priced at $129.99. It will be available on launch day, and Nintendo suggests checking with local retailers regarding its availability. It will include the physical version of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, the Artbook, a SteelBook case, a Steel Poster, and a set of four-pin badges.

A new Link (Tears of the Kingdom) amiibo figure will also be launched on May 12. This amiibo will grant you weapons, materials, and special fabric for Link’s paraglider.

Finally, a Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom’s inspired Nintendo Switch OLED is hitting the market on April 28. It will cost $359.99 and won’t include a copy of the game. It will feature a design that recalls the unique style of the upcoming title. A Zelda-themed Pro Controller and a case will be released on May 12 for $74.99 and $24.99, respectively.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Setting, Genre, Mechanics

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is an open-world action adventure mainly set in the Hyrule we know, although with an interesting addition. The game will feature new sky islands scattered throughout the map. They are of different dimensions, and some of them will be pretty large, almost as big as the Great Plateau from Breath of the Wild. Link will be able to reach them in many ways, with no real limitation to which ones can be visited. Players will also be able to explore the undergrounds of Hyrule, as shown in a recent trailer.

There will be new mechanics, powers, and abilities that Link can use during his adventure to protect the kingdom from unnamed malevolent forces, as shown by Zelda’s producer Eiji Aonuma during a gameplay demonstration video. The one that undoubtedly caught everyone's attention is Fuse, a skill that allows Link to stick almost anything together. You can use it to generate new weapons, such as a pole with a pitchfork. Moreover, this power lets you merge different elemental items to create new arrows and other valuable objects. And you can increase weapons’ durability by fusing them with rocks, for example. If you need to, you can combine various items to generate boats, airships, and other vehicles you can use to move around the map.

The brand-new Ascend ability also makes a great addition to the gameplay. As shown by Mr. Anouma during the same video, it allows you to pass through everything with a ceiling, from caves to buildings and even cages. Undeniably a skill that can significantly transform the already excellent game mechanics to which Breath of the Wild has accustomed us.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom will weigh roughly 30% more than its predecessor and be the biggest first-party Nintendo game to date. As shown on the official product page of the Nintendo online store, Tears of the Kingdom requires 18.2 GB of available space on the console, while Breath of the Wild “only” weighs approximately 14.4 GB. This doesn’t necessarily mean that the game will be bigger, but it still provides quite a hint. However, if we move away from first-party Nintendo games, there are various titles with a bigger size on the Switch. L.A. Noire, for example, weighs almost 30GB.

Trailers And Gameplay Showcases

Written by Agnese Carluccio