The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, the hotly awaited sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, is releasing this month. Nintendo has been quiet about Link’s new adventure and what to expect. With the title’s release fast approaching, here is everything you should know before entering The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Quick Facts
- Release Date: 12th May 2023
- Platform: Nintendo Switch
- Install Size: 16gb
- Genre: Open World Action-Adventure
What’s the story of Tears of the Kingdom?
Little is known about the plot of Tears of the Kingdom; we can say for sure that Zelda will be in trouble, Ganon will be doing evil overlord things, and Link will go on an epic adventure to save Hyrule. Tears of the Kingdom is set after the events of Breath of the Wild, with the lands of Hyrule significantly changed. The sheikh shrines and towers appear missing in the trailers, with new Sky Islands and the Zonai tribe seemingly involved.
Is the Gameplay the same as Breath of the Wild?
The 13-minute gameplay showcase showed several new abilities and ways to interact with the sandbox of Hyrule. Fundamentally Tears of the Kingdom appears to be expanding on the mechanics and systems introduced in Breath of the Wild while adding new Rune abilities:
- Recall: Rewind an object in time.
- Fuse: Fuse two objects together.
- Ultrahand: Link objects to create vehicles or boats.
- Ascend: Shift through a ceiling to come out on top.
These abilities are the most significant change and will allow Link to interact with the environment in new ways. These abilities will also be used in new Zonai puzzles, replacing the Sheikah shrines from Breath of the Wild.
Unfortunately, weapon degradation has returned in Tears of the Kingdom, however the new Fuse ability, allowing you to combine objects with your weapons, will increase the durability of the weapons and shields while adding additional effects such as increased damage or a small explosion when fusing a TNT bomb to your shield.
Does Tears of the Kingdom have pre-order bonuses?
The base physical version of the game does not appear to have additional pre-order content. A collectors edition is available, however, launching with a pin set, artbook, ICONART poster, and steel book cover.
The game will also launch with a new Tears of the Kingdom-themed Amiibo for Link, that when scanned, will unlock in-game materials and a new skin for the Glider.
How much will Tears of the Kingdom Cost?
The price varies in Australia depending on the outlet; here is a list of the major retailers and their pre-order prices:
Stay tuned on Novastream for our review roundup and review after launch.
