Nintendo combines the best of 3 Zelda worlds

Nintendo has let the cat out of the bag: since the last Direct we know what the long-awaited sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is called and when it will (hopefully) be released. The gameplay shown so far gives me hope that Tears of the Kingdom can combine the most popular elements from 3 predecessors – and make them even better.

A comment by Martin Hartmann

Will The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom become the ultimate Zelda?

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom faces a difficult legacy. After all, the predecessor counts one of the most popular video games ever. However, Nintendo is well on the way to repeating this success. For this, the game has to be based on Twilight Princess, Skyward Sword and of course Breath of the Wild.

Nintendo has so far held back on Tears of the Kingdom gameplay footage. Based on the few game scenes, however, we know that the basic structure will continue to work as in the predecessor. That’s a good thing. BotW gave the players a lot of freedom. You were able to set the pace at which you explored Hyrule and freely choose how you approach the many challenges. Nintendo just puts more toys in your hands now. So you can now turn back time and reach new areas.

Check out the new trailer for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom below:

The new The Legend of Zelda aims high again

Zelda: Skyward Sword is arguably one of the most controversial games in the series, mostly because of the sword controls on the Wii. To glide through the sky with your own cloud bird, but it’s just fun. It’s all the better that Tears of the Kingdom also goes vertical.

Nintendo has already revealed that the sky over Hyrule, with all of its floating islands, will be the main attraction. Next to his trusty glider Link now even has a bird again. This time, however, made of stone and not of flesh and blood. So hopefully the new Zelda will be able to offer a lot of flying action again.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword has been slightly adjusted for the Switch:

The BotW successor needs a real badass

Finally, Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom can be better than Breath of the Wild in one respect in particular. While Hyrule’s backstory in BotW is fascinating, the actual story of the game was rather thin. This is where Nintendo can start – and seems to be doing just that. The first teaser three years ago even hints at the return of villain Ganondorf. In his human form, he certainly represents a more personal opponent than a large demon pig.

The new trailer also radiates a lot of mysticism, which makes me curious about what Tears of the Kingdom is actually about. The greenish magic that is always present in the game scenes also reminds some fans to the shadowy world of Twilight Princess. In addition to the then boss Ganondorf, is there a return of fan favorite Midna? Both could only make Tears of the Kingdom better.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is scheduled for release on May 12, 2023 for the Nintendo Switch. You can already pre-order the BotW successor (for example at Amazon).