The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has been the subject of a rumbling throughout the past few years. Not that any fan of The Legend of Zelda would pass up a sequel to one of the best, or at least most popular, Zelda games ever made. But it seemed as though everyone glanced at one another and asked, “And?” after each fresh Tears of the Kingdom reveal.
The “And” and much more were given by Nintendo in a nearly four-minute teaser packed with stunning details. But the possibility is more significant.
The earlier previews each showed a tiny portion of Tears of the Kingdom, emphasizing specific elements like the darker tone or sky but never combining them in a way that gave players the impression that they were witnessing something new. In the end, each new teaser served as a reminder that, with a few changes, you were returning to the Breath of the Wild universe. It received a lot of flak for calling the sequel “DLC.”
The initial Tears of the Kingdom disclosures heavily leaned toward mystery. What is the purpose of Link’s attire? How did his arm fare? Zelda is missing. Is that Ganon’s shriveled corpse? Nintendo appeared focused on emphasizing the somber tone of the sequel to draw in players. Nevertheless, a grim Zelda game is nothing new thanks to sequels like Majora’s Mask, Twilight Princess, and The Adventure of Link.
Nintendo revealed a teaser at E3 2021 for Tears of the Kingdom under the title “Sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild,” which also briefly glossed over some new gameplay elements, such as the ability Link would later come to know as “Ascend,” which allows him to shoot straight up and pass through ceilings.
However, most of what the teaser showed us was still familiar from Breath of the Wild. The Great Plains, Bokoblins, and Nintendo’s admission that Tears of the Kingdom will use the sky in a manner akin to The Legend of Zelda: The Skyward Sword.
The first substantial gameplay peek, though, focused on what appears to be the sequel’s main mechanics: a crafting system that allows players to create absurd weapons like boulder spears or, as seen in the most recent teaser, a shield sword.
While an initial couple of teases gave information about the sky and the tunnels above and below Hyrule, the gameplay reveal was entirely devoted to the crafting capabilities that legitimized the numerous homemade tools and vehicles that players made utilizing the game’s already-present abilities.
With Each New Trailer and Reveal, the Big Question Was: Why to Revisit Breath of the Wild?
This was meant to be a darker sequel focusing on inventiveness, according to the key lesson learned from this years-long campaign. Although these aren’t uninteresting, there was a general feeling that they were more of the same, which is never really a good thing for a sequel.
Funny enough, the producers’ tendency to “give fans more of what they loved about the first one” ironically results in repetitive bloat, which is why most sequels are frequently unsatisfying. However, until this point, Tears of the Kingdom’s trailers did something different, giving viewers more on top of what they liked about the previous one.
Which also lacks much excitement. Is this asking too much of the fans? Perhaps, but I’m limited in gaming time, and I’ve already finished Breath of the Wild.
As you watched the earlier trailers, you were reminded of the rumored justification for Nintendo’s creation of Super Mario Galaxy 2. There were far too many concepts left over from the original Super Mario Galaxy that they decided to combine into a sequel. This appeared to be the case with Tears of the Kingdom, but this time Nintendo chose to make a sequel with a gameplay focus centered on the community’s ideas after seeing what they were creating with Breath of the Wild.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – Official Gameplay Demonstration – https://t.co/X3q5g6Wabl pic.twitter.com/TfF8j4MJ8Z
— Video Game playin' DJ (@TheReal_DJLemon) March 28, 2023
This is not meant as a criticism of Nintendo’s developers. It’s no secret that the studio only moves forward with titles they firmly believe in, and Zelda fans were undoubtedly waiting in line to play Tears of the Kingdom. One could assume that Nintendo was incredibly coy about the sequel and that once players got their hands on it, all kinds of mysteries would come to light.
It is not unjustified to have faith in Nintendo and the Zelda brand, but relying on blind loyalty does not make for effective marketing.
With each new trailer and announcement, the central question remained why should you play Breath of the Wild again? Particularly for players who never really got into building strange devices? What about the players who truly missed the Zelda games’ more straightforward narratives and authentic dungeons?
What gave the lapsed admirers a reason to anticipate Tears of the Kingdom? At the very least, a brand-new Zelda idea gives both new and seasoned fans the option to support a different vision for the franchise, which evolves with each new installment. A straight sequel, however, faces the challenge of winning over those who weren’t entirely satisfied with the original title.
You may also read more about The Legend of Zelda:
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- The Price of Adventure in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Will Shock You!
- Zelda Tears of the Kingdom: Is its Latest Delay a Good Omen for an Epic Adventure?
There aren’t many specific reasons why fans were anticipating Tears of the Kingdom with less than a month to go before its release other than the fact that it’s a new Zelda game and a sequel to the last one, which was excellent. However, with the release of this teaser, certain items can now be pointed out and named.
You can’t wait to attempt building my mech out of a big cinderblock and some wheels, and you are pretty interested in the armada of sky ships that appears midway through the movie. How horrible will it be if Link misses one of those platforms hundreds of feet in the air if you see signs of actual dungeons making a comeback?
This Trailer Will Get Your Heart Pumping and Your Mind Racing
The new teaser emphasizes the scope of this sequel from a narrative standpoint. Moments that could be from two different histories are already appearing, which raises the idea of a journey spanning not only a vast planet but also a vast timeline. The possibility of time travel would refer to The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time rather than just its sinister sequel.
Breath of the Wild had more than just fancy crafting and skydiving, as the latest teaser reveals Sidonis and the offspring of the Four Champions. This most recent teaser was great because it included characters you loved and missed instead of a feral Link or an undernourished Ganon. In just four minutes, Nintendo showed the audience something unique, genuine, and substantial.
Many components from previous trailers and gameplay releases are combined in the brand-new Tears of the Kingdom trailer, published today, to declare, “This is why we’re revisiting Breath of the Wild.” The trailer lets players and fans know this is a fresh experience rather than just a rehash.
It serves two purposes: it makes fans want to return to Hyrule from Breath of the Wild and reminds them how many promises there were for a sequel. You keep thinking that Super Mario Galaxy 2 is superior to the original along the way.
Join us on April 13th, 7 a.m. PT to watch the final pre-launch trailer for The Legend of #Zelda: #TearsOfTheKingdom, livestreamed on our YouTube channel. The trailer will be roughly 3 minutes long.
▶️ https://t.co/cwlMFlzLAb pic.twitter.com/pTht2yUaTc
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) April 12, 2023
The online eye test indicates that many concur that the most recent trailer for Tears of the Kingdom is a legitimate cause for excitement. This Trailer Will Get Your Heart Pumping and Your Mind Racing. And the “You want to play this right now” type of trailer, perhaps one that should have arrived sooner but one that makes you happy it did. You are excited now that there is just one month until Tears of the Kingdom.