The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
The sequel to Breath of the Wild, with sky islands, zonai invention and deep Hyrule depths.
12 May 2023 · $69.99
About The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom expands Breath of the Wild's Hyrule vertically — sky islands above, the dark Depths below. Ultrahand, Fuse and Recall abilities let players build vehicles and weapons, while a subterranean story redefines Ganondorf and the Master Sword.
- • Ultrahand building physics system
- • Sky islands and Depths layers
- • Fuse weapon crafting
- • Geoglyph memory storyline
- • Main quest freedom of sequence
Storyline
Tears of the Kingdom takes place a number of years after Breath of the Wild, at the end of the Zelda timeline. Link and Zelda explore a cavern beneath Hyrule Castle, from which a poisonous substance called "gloom" has been seeping out and causing people to fall ill. There, they find murals depicting the founding of Hyrule and a subsequent conflict known as the Imprisoning War—an ancient battle against a being referred to as the "Demon King"—which Zelda believes to be related to the mysterious Zonai race. Upon venturing deeper, they discover a mummy being restrained by a disembodied arm. The mummy awakens and attacks Link and Zelda; in the aftermath, Link's right arm is wounded and the Master Sword is shattered. Hyrule Castle is raised into the sky, and Zelda falls into the depths below; as Link tries to catch her, she vanishes along with a mysterious artifact. Link is rescued by the arm, awakening later on the Great Sky Island to find that it has replaced his damaged limb. He meets the spirit of Rauru, a Zonai and the source of his new arm, who helps him traverse the island. Once Link reaches his destination, the shattered Master Sword vanishes and he returns to the surface below. Link learns that the event in the cavern, known as the Upheaval, has wrought chaos upon Hyrule, and he sets out to investigate reports of strange phenomena throughout the kingdom. He ventures into ancient Zonai temples after reuniting with his allies: Sidon, the prince and, later, king of the Zora; Tulin, a young Rito archer and son of Teba, a past ally of Link's; Yunobo, a Goron, now the president of the YunoboCo mining company; and Riju, the young chief of the Gerudo. After defeating the monsters that have taken over the temples, Link and his allies find artifacts called secret stones and meet the spirits of ancient sages, who appoint Link's allies as their successors and pass down their secret stones. After numerous sightings of Zelda throughout Hyrule, Link finds her at Hyrule Castle, where she reveals herself to be an illusion created by Phantom Ganon, a servant of the Demon King Ganondorf, the mummy whom Link previously encountered. After defeating Phantom Ganon, Link sets out…
Gameplay
Tears of the Kingdom retains the open world action-adventure gameplay of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017). As Link, the player explores the main setting of Hyrule and two new areas: the sky, which has several floating islands, and the Depths, a vast underground area beneath Hyrule. Link can climb, ride horses, or use a paraglider to soar through the air. Characters and locations from Breath of the Wild were kept and modified to fit the story. The sky is an area composed of several floating islands that contain puzzles, treasure, enemies, and bosses. The Depths is a dark region that requires items to illuminate and contains treasures as well as hazards such as lava and gloom, a harmful substance that temporarily reduces Link's maximum hearts. The player removes this effect by returning to the surface of Hyrule. Tears of the Kingdom features several dungeons that contain puzzles and bosses, similar to previous entries in the Zelda franchise. The four main dungeons, the Water Temple, Wind Temple, Fire Temple, and Lightning Temple must be completed to advance the story. Tears of the Kingdom introduces Zonai devices, which can be used for combat, exploration, or solving puzzles and to construct vehicles, such as rockets, sleds, and fans. Breath of the Wild's Sheikah Slate-based abilities have been replaced with five new powers: Ultrahand, Fuse, Ascend, Recall, and Autobuild. Ultrahand allows the player to pick up and move different objects or attach them together, which can be used with Zonai devices to create vehicles and other constructs. Fuse allows the player to combine materials, equipment, and various objects in the world to a shield or weapon. For example, fusing a rocket to Link's shield allows him to fly through the air. Recall is used on an object to rewind its movement, such as by rewinding a falling rock in an upwards direction. Ascend allows the player to move upwards through solid surfaces, granting them access to previously inaccessible areas. Autobuild instantly recreates a device crafted with Ultrahand, automatically using nearby devices and objects if available, or if parts are missing, creating replacements at the cost of a material…
- Developer
- Nintendo EPD
- Publisher
- Nintendo
- Release
- 12 May 2023
- Price
- $69.99
- Modes
- single-player
- Age rating
- E10+
