The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom: Release Date, Gameplay, and What We Know So Far
Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
The long-awaited sequel to Breath of the Wild finally has a release date.
By Kevin Lee
Updated: Sep 21, 2022 10:22 pm
Posted: Sep 21, 2022 9:15 pm
After years of waiting, we finally know that the sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is officially called The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Announced during a major Nintendo Direct on September 13, 2022, this highly-anticipated follow up is coming out next year, so here’s everything we know about this legendary title.
When is Tears of the Kingdom’s Release Date?
The sequel to Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was given a 2022 release window during E3 2021, but was later delayed to 2023. Now we finally have a concrete release date of May 12, 2023.
The date was announced alongside this brief (and mysterious) new trailer that also confirmed its title: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Nintendo suggested they were waiting to reveal this title because it could be considered a spoiler, though it’s not completely clear what the official title spoils. The game, with beautiful new cover art, is now up for preorder.
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Tears of the Kingdom First Teaser Trailer
Nintendo first revealed the development of a Breath of the Wild sequel was underway with a short teaser trailer at E3 2019.
In the short trailer, we can see Link and Zelda are exploring an underground cavern on the back of an elephant-like mount. They happen across a corpse emanating both tendrils of dark smoke and strings of light. It’s revealed that the strings of light coalesce into an arm of light holding back the darkness leaking through the corpse chest, which appears to be a mummified male Gerudo donning gold jewelry and long hair – this is presumably Ganondorf.
What follows is a series of rapid flashes that shows Link wielding his own arm of light, the original arm of light saving Link from falling, and a glimpse of the sealing ritual placed on the corpse.
The trailer ends with the cavern collapsing, the corpse coming back to life and Hyrule Castle rising into the air.
The trailer ends with a message that reads “the sequel to the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is now in development.”
Shortly after the trailer aired on Nintendo’s E3 2019 direct, The Legend of Zelda series producer Eiji Aonuma explained that his team was working on a sequel simply because it had too many DLC ideas for the original game.
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First Tears of the Kingdom Gameplay Teaser
At E3 2021 we finally get our first look at some gameplay for the then untitled sequel to Breath of the Wild and the trailer started off with a continuation of the last teaser with dark tendrils wapping around Link’s right arm while Zelda falls into a pit of darkness.
From there Link, with a new type of gauntlet on his right arm, falls through the sky, evoking memories of Skyward Sword. Then there are a few new shots of flying islands and some of the new enemies including a fortress of Bokoblin on top of a Stone Talus.
We also get a look at some of Link’s new Sheikah tools built right into his new gauntlet including remote stasis that stops objects before reversing their motion. Link also has a shield that spews flames and he apparently can propel himself upwards from puddles and travel through objects above him.
The Breath of the Wild 2 gameplay trailer also has a hidden easter egg in which you can hear the original Breath of the Wild theme if you play the trailer in reverse.
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Tears of the Kingdom’s Title Reveal, Release Date Reveal, and New Footage
Finally, during the September 13, 2022 Nintendo Direct, Nintendo finally confirmed that the sequel to Breath of the Wild would be called Tears of the Kingdom with a brief, but mysterious, trailer.
This trailer begins with close ups on a stone mural, starting with a figure that appears to be a woman, potentially the Goddess Hylia. Then there’s a wider shot showing several bokoblins and moblins descending upon some warriors with a red sort of energy or design surrounding them.
We then come back to a mid-shot of the goddes-like figure surrounded by what look like tear designs – they look similar to the Amber and Dusk Relics found in Skyward Sword used as crafting materials. These Dusk Relics were found in the Silent Realm while searching for Sacred Tears. The last shot of the mural is a woman with pointy ears — potentially Zelda — joining hands with someone who cannot be seen.
Link then opens a massive stone door engraved with what appear to be dragons designed in the style of Zonai statues found in Breath of the Wild. He then runs out into more floating islands filled with trees adorned with golden leaves, much like the ones seen in the previous gameplay trailer. He skydives to the world below.
Next, Link uses a sort of reverse-Stasis technique to cling onto a large stone that’s falling upwards. Link then climbs a massive tree root on the side of one of these floating islands. Link freefalls again, this time landing on a sort of stone glider shaped like a bird, riding it downwards.
You can see a glowing green symbol on a plateau off in the distance before another glowing dragon/ouroboros symbol appears, creating the title treatment for Tears of the Kingdom. The Master Sword in the title appears to disolve into green symbols, potentially Twili or Zonai in nature.
Note: This story originally ran in June of 2021. It was updated with the latest information available about The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom on September 21, 2022.
Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to [email protected].
Kevin Lee is IGN’s SEO Updates Editor. Follow him on Twitter @baggingspam
In This Article
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Nintendo EPD
Rating
ESRB: Rating Pending
Platforms
Nintendo Switch
Tears of the Kingdom: All we know about BOTW 2 sequel
Breath of the Wild 2 will now officially be known as The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, aka «TOTK», for short or the «sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild,» and it has plenty to live up to.
After all, Breath of the Wild redefined the open-world genre. Gliders, teleportation points, and other small features now taken for granted in modern open-world games call back to this Nintendo masterpiece.
Part of the hype from Tears of the Kingdom comes from the expectation of something equally as good if not better than its mould-breaking predecessor. Breath of the Wild empowered players to aimlessly roam Hylian fields and complete plot points in any order – if they even chose to complete them at all. So, the question stands: what will Tears of the Kingdom bring?
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Tears of the Kingdom has a confirmed release date
After a Nintendo Direct announcement in September 2022, Tears of the Kingdom is now expected to release on 12th May 2023. It was previously announced that the game would be delayed until Spring 2023 and could have had something to do with the news that Pokemon Scarlet and Violet will be releasing on November 18th. Usually.
Two huge Switch titles wouldn’t release within the same space of time, so the delay until 2023 isn’t too big of a surprise.
Like most Nintendo franchises, Tears of the Kingdom will be a Nintendo console exclusive for the Switch.
Pre-orders for Tears of the Kingdom
Tears of the Kingdom pre-orders exist, but there aren’t too many and might still be listed as Breath of the Wild 2. It’s likely that other popular gaming retailers will have listings available later. Pre-order through one of these links to snatch a copy of the game early. There are no confirmed Tears of the Kingdom collector’s editions or Tears of the Kingdom amiibo figures yet, but we’ll make sure to let you know if and when they become available. You can also check our Tears of the Kingdom pre-orders guide for listing the best and cheapest places to pre-order.
Tears of the Kingdom pre-orders in the US:
- Tears of the Kingdom- $59.99 from Amazon US
- Tears of the Kingdom- $59.
99 from Best Buy
Tears of the Kingdom pre-orders in the UK:
- Tears of the Kingdom- £59.99 from Amazon UK
- Tears of the Kingdom- £59.99 from Game
- Tears of the Kingdom- £59.99 from ShopTo
Just a note: Don’t let the placeholder dates fool you. As we mentioned earlier, the exact release date has now been confirmed to be 12th May 2023. Nintendo confirmed Tears of the Kingdom’s time frame in its February 2022 financial presentation to investors, however their promise of a 2022 release has since changed. We’ll update this section with more listings as they become available.
Tears of the Kingdom trailers
Nintendo has relesaed three trailers so far, all giving us a little glimpse of what’s to come.
E3 2019 First Look Trailer
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E3 2021 Teaser Trailer
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Nintendo Direct September 2022 Trailer
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Commentary from Eiji Aonuma
Not exactly a new trailer, but when Eiji Aonuma announced the game was being pushed back to 2023, he also added a little commentary to the teaser trailer from 2021 — it’s worth a watch.
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Breath Of The Wild 2’s name has been revealed
Breath of the Wild 2 was never the actual name of the game. It’s just what fans started calling the sequel after they found out it existed. The sequel has been officially named The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. In an earlier interview with IGN, Nintendo marketing manager Bill Trinen explained that the subtitle might spoil the plot of the new game. So, to keep the secret a little bit longer, the team decided to hold back on revealing the full title.
Internally, Nintendo called the game «Sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.» It was the name used on all its official materials, including the trailer. That being said, Trinen and other reps present at Nintendo Treehouse seemed okay with the public calling the Breath of the Wild sequel whatever they wanted. We expect this will change imminently.
This announcement debunks the rumour that the sequel was to be named ‘Breath of Duality’.
What we know about Tears of the Kingdom’s story
Tears of the Kingdom’s story hasn’t been revealed yet. Perhaps it’s another rescue mission, considering the contents of the gameplay trailer, but the villain’s true identity and the driving point behind the new story remain unknown. Producer Eiji Aonuma said Tears of the Kingdom would be «darker» than its predecessor, which could be a clue.
Producer Eiji Aonuma said Tears of the Kingdom would be «darker» than its predecessor, which could be a clue. The development team, especially younger members, apparently drew inspiration from Red Dead Redemption 2.
Fun fact: the development team, especially younger members, apparently drew inspiration from Red Dead Redemption 2. Breath of the Wild also took inspiration from The Elder Scrolls, especially Skyrim. Director Hidemaro Fujibayashi played the game while developing Breath of the Wild.
Tears of the Kingdom’s gameplay
Tears of the Kingdom seems to largely build off the mechanics of the first game, but seems to bring in new powers as showcased in the trailer.
Link phases through the floor of a floating road, and drives a giant spiked ball up a mountain and through some enemies. This seems to be related to the Stasis rune from the first game. It stands to reason that the other new abilities will also expand on the Sheikah Slate abilities.
Interestingly, some patents filed by Nintendo have been dug up, and they seem to shed light on some new mechanics coming to the game. One seems to show that more actions will be available while falling or diving, another is to do with Link’s new ability to phase through platforms, and the third is an item ‘reversal’ ability that is seen in the trailer.
In addition to the lush, open landscapes that Breath of the Wild exemplifies, there will be some sporadic, explorable terrain above the clouds too. This reminds our Assistant Editor, Alex Donaldson, of Zelda’s earlier instance of remote islands in Wind Waker, where each island features unique quests and mini-games to differentiate them from each other instead of just existing as bland landmasses.
However, that’s more of a hope and not actually a confirmed feature.
Similarly, the game seems to draw from Skyward Sword’s lofty design — given that the title is canonically the first Zelda story, set the furthest back in time, this is entirely possible. The connection has mainly been drawn due to the floating islands in the sky, which are very reminiscent of Skyloft and other locations in Skyward Sword.
Tears of the Kingdom theories
Hold on to your hats here, players, this is where it gets wild (no pun intended). Since the confirmation of a BOTW sequel, fans have come up with numerous theories as to what, who, and where. The best part is, a lot of them have substantial reasoning.
The Zonai tribe, and Typhlo Ruins
One theory suggests that Tears of the Kingdom will have Link and Zelda head back in time — specifically to 10,000 years ago to when Ganondorf was sealed away by the Zonai. This would explain the similarities to Skyward Sword with the floating islands, and the different monsters and different structures seen in the landscape.
The Zonai, confirmed as a ‘warlike’ and magic-using tribe that lived in Hyrule, built the ruins in the Faron region of BOTW, as well as the Typhlo Ruins that remain shrouded in darkness. These bear a striking resemblance to the area that is seen in the BOTW2 trailer, with similar motifs and brick patterns. This could mean that wherever Link travels to is related to the Zonai — possibly finding out where they went, or if they truly left at all.
Twilight Princess, and the Twili people
Next up is an amalgamation of theories involving a previous game, Twilight Princess, and the Twili race that features in it. Both trailers that Nintendo has released have had visual parallels with Twilight Princess and its motifs; bright teal colors have only really been used in conjunction with the Twili and their magic, and the strange symbols floating in the air look like those of the Twili. This theory points to the magical blue hand (holding the mummified character in place) drawing power from the Twili and their realm, suggesting that they will appear or influence the story.
Link, but evil.
Another interesting theory is that Link and Ganondorf are interconnected. Let’s say for argument’s sake that the mummified creature is Ganondorf.
Or is it? A Reddit user posited that the angry-looking character isn’t the usual Ganondorf, and is in fact, Link. Specifically, the Link that is depicted in the tapestry showing the original fight between Calamity Ganon and the Hyrulean armies. The theory suggests that the portions of the trailers in the overworld are actually back in time, and that Link succumbs to the Malice, and becomes Ganondorf. There are admittedly design similarities between the two, giving some credit to this.
These are just a few choice theories that make the most sense, and only scratch the surface of the BOTW 2 theory rabbit hole, and we highly suggest jumping further into it. Of course, these could all be nothing — just the game designers utilizing older games’ influences without any particularly deep reasoning. Something tells us that isn’t the case…
Do you get to play as Zelda?
Probably not.
After all, the trailer shows her falling down a deep, dark hole and Link running around on his own. It was a nice hope while it lasted, though. Unless Nintendo is holding something back and we’re in for a surprise when more information is released!
That’s all the scoop we have on The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom right now but, hey, listen! We’ll be back with more TOTK updates as and when they happen so be sure to bookmark this page and fast travel back when we have new info.
In the meantime you can also check out our best Nintendo Switch deals page- just in case you fancy playing the sequel to Breath of the Wild on a shiny new Switch OLED, or you want to pick up any other Zelda games like Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, Skyward Sword or Link’s Awakening while you wait for this game’s release.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2
This article or section contains information about a video game that is still in planning or development.
This article may contain conjectural or inconclusive items that need to be corrected or attributed.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 — An action-adventure game announced at at the end of the Nintendo Direct during E3 2019. It is the twentieth game in the The Legend of Zelda franchise. Its release is scheduled for 2022.
Summary
- 1 Development
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2 Notes and references
- 2.1 Notes
- 2.2 Links
Development
Breath of the Wild 2 is revealed during a Nintendo Direct broadcast during E3 2019. Planned as a direct sequel to Breath of the Wild ; It was originally intended as a serious sequel to the original work:
“At first we thought we would only do DLC. And then we had a lot of ideas. So we said to ourselves: “There are too many of them, you might as well develop a new game from scratch.
«»
— Eiji Aonuma, game producer.
At , while introducing the game Hyrule Warriors: Age of the Scourge , Eiji Aonuma says, “As for [ Breath of the Wild 2 ], to make the huge world that you loved to explore in the original game, even more impressive, our team is working hard on its development. So you will have to wait a little more before we can tell you more. «.
At , the game was nominated for the Game Awards in the most anticipated games category. However, the award goes to Elden Ring .
At , during an interview with Polygon, Doug Bowser, president of Nintendo of America, said that he could not provide any new information about the game, but that Nintendo would reveal some when it knew the right time was right.
time.
At During the new Nintendo Direct, Eiji Aonuma apologizes for not having anything new to present on Sequel breath of the wild . However, he says: «Development continues and we […] will be able to say more this year».
At During E3 2021 and once again for the Nintendo Direct, Eiji Aonuma shares new information about the game and unveils a new trailer revealing more of the game’s gameplay. A 2022 release date has also been announced.
Notes and links
Notes
- ↑ Assumed and unofficial name.
Recommendations
- ↑ a and b midnailah, « E3 2019: Eiji Aonuma details Breath Of The Wild 2 » on Jeuxvideo.com, (accessed July 11, 2019)
- ↑ Loreli Birba, « Zelda Breath of the Wild 2: Why did you bet on a sequel?» Nintendo Explains Itself » at JeuxActu, (accessed July 11, 2019)
- ↑ Erwan Lafleriel, « The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild 2: Fans will have to ‘wait a little longer’ «, on IGN France, (accessed February 18, 2021)
- ↑ MGG, « Game Awards 2020 Results: Full List of Winners, List of Winners» at Millenium, (accessed January 11, 2021)
- ↑ (c) Russ Frushtick, « Doug Bowser obsession with Nintendo since March 31, more Joy-Con drift and Switch Pro rumors » at Proving Ground, (as of January 11, 2021)
- ↑ Nicolas Werlet, « Zelda Breath of the Wild 2 will have to wait again for «, on Gamekult, (accessed February 18, 2021)
- ↑ Maxime Claudel, « Gorgeous New Images of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 Save Nintendo’s E3 «, on Numerama, (as of June 15, 2021)
- ↑ (at) Michael McWhertor, « The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild sequel comes in 2022 » at Proving Ground, (accessed June 15, 2021)
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Breath of the Wild 2: hand fan theories Link’s
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 has been officially pushed back to 2023, but that hasn’t stopped the game from teasing enough details, including a look at Link’s strange new hand, to keep the buzz going until then. The latest announcement video detailing the delay featured fantastic footage of Link exploring the game world, as well as a very small clip that caught the attention of fans. A discussion posted by MarcsterS on Reddit quickly focused on this detail and the many theories surrounding it.
While hints about Link’s new arm have already been given in previous trailers, this latest update provides the most detailed view, and its appearance has sparked speculation from fans debating whether it’s a coincidence. how similar it is to the hands of Ganondorf . Considering that Link’s right hand, the same hand shown here, was seen being captured by something strongly resembling the Rancor left behind by Ganon, it was quickly assumed that his hand was somehow possessed by the classic villain.
Zelda fans were quick to compare this to Prince Ashitaka from the movie Princess Mononoke, whose arm is similarly possessed by a demon. Metal Gear fans might appreciate this too, given how Ocelot gave players the impression that his grafted prosthetic arm, reminiscent of Liquid Snake’s, had taken over his psyche. Honestly, it’s a great idea, something fresh in Zelda canon, and players are pushing the idea that this possession will make Ganondorf serve as a sort of the Navi-type anti-hero guides Link around the world for unknown purposes.
Another theory is that his hand was glowing green like Farore, Goddess of Courage and user Spider_Riviera believes this is a connection with Ancient Hero who fought Ganon generations ago.
