The sequel to the revered Breath of the Wild was finally unveiled at the end of March. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom impresses with ambition despite a great resemblance to its elder.
To say that The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is one of the most anticipated games of 2023 is to kick open doors. Nintendo’s new production will be watched very closely by the millions of Nintendo Switch owners, following the success of its first episode Breath of the Wild. For the first time since its announcement in 2022, the game revealed itself in more than ten minutes of raw gameplay showing us some of its enticing innovations such as the crafting of objects or equipment that made a strong impression on us.
But these few images already allow us to understand some essential aspects of Tears of the Kingdom. In terms of history, we already know that the game will pick up Link’s story where the first game left off. The knight’s mission will be to defeat the scourge “Ganon” once again, and to find his friend Zelda from whom he seems once again separated. On the gameplay side, we could see in the trailer several things that tipped us off.
First, at the level of the world in which the game will be located. The plains and the Hyrule no longer seem to be the only universe to explore. Indeed the kingdoms of heaven will once again be accessible, which reminds us of the universe of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. Link will be able to vertically traverse flying platforms, and explore Hyrule using various modes of transportation, including through the skies and in a glider. The Cinetis power is back, except that it will no longer be a question of freezing objects in time, but of sending them back to the past. We can also note the appearance of a flamethrower, and other small novelties like Fuse. Fuse is the unique system that allows you to build weapons, items and equipment with the resources around you. Enough to add a lot of depth to your exploration of Hyrule.
We can also note the importance given to verticality in the different gameplay sequences that we have been able to distill back and forth and across since the announcement of the game’s release more than three years ago. There are many passages where you can see Link climbing walls, roots, then throwing himself into the void and returning to the terra firma of Hyrule. Because the kingdom of heaven, we can never repeat it enough, are the great novelties of this long-awaited sequel, and just like in Skyward Sword, this involves new means of transport like the famous glider.
Fans can rejoice because The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom finally has a release date. The game is scheduled for May 12, 2023 and promises to be a great success as it was expected by fans since its announcement more than 3 years ago. A release directly and exclusively on Nintendo Switch, of course, and the promise of a huge flag bearer for the Nintendo console which had been in a slight lack of attractive exclusives for a few months.