The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom: Release date, gameplay, trailers, and more

For a long time, we had no name to refer to the Breath of the Wild sequel, but after the recent Nintendo Direct which took place during September, we now know it will be called The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.

Since Breath of the Wild was released and changed the game when it came to open world experiences for many people, we've all been wondering how Nintendo were planning on following it up. Many trailers have highlighted the more vertical nature of the sequel, but we're yet to fully see how expansive the realms above Hyrule really are.

So if you want to know everything there is to know about The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, including the release date, trailers, and more, we've got you covered.

The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom release date

With the announcement of the game's title at the September Nintendo Direct, we also learned the release date. Tears of the Kingdom is set to launch on May 12, 2023, placing it in Spring. Initially, the game was supposed to release sometime in 2022, but earlier in the year it was delayed to 2023 with no official date given, but fans didn't have to wait long before finally getting one.

The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom trailers

The first trailer we received for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom trailer came back in 2019, at the Nintendo E3 conference. It showed a series of fast-cutting scenes in that iconic BOTW art style, depicting a series of scenes with Link underground, along with some floating green runes, a tentacle-like corruption, and an undead person coming back to life. After this, it cuts to an outside view of Hyrule, before a castle in the distance begins to rise out of the ground, toward the sky. 

The second trailer came two years later, giving us a lot more information by building on what little we learnt from the first one. It jumped into things by showing Link skydiving through the air, before cutting to scenes showing the various locations in the sky. It also gave us a look at some new areas and enemies, such as the giant stone golem, and a flying machine. There were also some familiar things thrown in, such as showing Link on the Hyrule surface, and your standard dungeon diving.

Trailer three came during the Nintendo Direct in September 2022, which didn't show much new in terms of gameplay and scenery, but it did finally give us the official name and release date. We finally received a fourth trailer during the February 2023 Nintendo Direct, which gave viewers their most in-depth look at the game so far.

All the trailers have clearly highlighted the aspect of the sequel which involves the skies above Hyrule, and all its floating dungeons, temples, and towns. 

The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom gameplay and story

It's safe to assume that the gameplay of Tears of the Kingdom will be very similar to the first game, but built upon, and added to with new features and mechanics. One of the game's producers, Eiji Aonuma, has spoken on this before stating: "As previously announced, the adventure in this sequel will take place not just on the ground as in the previous game, but also in the skies above."

He continued: "However, the expanded world goes beyond that and there will be an even wider variety of features you can enjoy, including new encounters and new gameplay elements." What all these new gameplay elements remain to be seen, but we can assume most of them will relate to the new vertical focus of the game. 

More recently, Nintendo also teased a bit more about the skies above Hyrule with a press release. It states, "in addition to the vast lands of Hyrule, the latest entry in the storied Legend of Zelda series will take you up into the skies and an expanded world that goes beyond that!"

We don't know much about the story officially, but there have been some now-removed leaks from 4Chan before that have detailed more specific aspects of the game. While this should be taken with a grain of salt, none of the reported leaks has been out of the bounds of reason. 

Firstly, the game is supposed to take place immediately after the events of Breath of the Wild, with a focus on time manipulation and another dimension. Zelda is supposedly trapped in this alternate dimension, so she and Link need to work together to fix things. This may mean there will be sections where you can play as her as well. Presumably, the big goal of the game is to also slay Ganondorf once again, and the leaks claim that he'll need to be restored to his physical form before this can happen.

In March 2023, Zelda fans were finally treated to 10 minutes of pure Tears of the Kingdom gameplay. Many new mechanics were introduced, including an ability known as Fuse. This allows players to create their own weapons by melding two different materials together. The gameplay also showcased the ability to teleport through roofs and structures to reach lands above you as well.

The Legend Of Zelda Tears Of The Kingdom platforms

The game is only set for the Nintendo Switch, like the previous title. If the rumoured Nintendo Switch Pro is set to release at any point, it's safe to assume it will also be available for that console.