Nintendo rounded out the September 2022 Nintendo Direct with a new trailer for their Breath of the Wild sequel. Now officially called The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, they’ve also given it a release date of 12th May 2023.
This is the first time in quite a while that we’ve had an update on this long-awaited sequel. The gameplay reveal trailer from E3 2021 showed some off the epic new sky island gameplay that will see Link adventuring high in the sky, skydiving, and using an ability to transform into a drop of water.
This trailer also showed the ability to levitate stones and ride on large stone bird things. It will be really fascinating to see how these elements come together.
‘Sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’ was announced back at E3 2019, as Nintendo decided to expand what was originally planned as a DLC expansion into a full new game. That original trailer focussed on underground elements, but the real adventure expands high above Hyrule, as last seen in Breath of the Wild. While the game had been planned for release in 2022, Aonuma-san gave an update earlier this year to say that development had been pushed back to 2023.
Launching alongside the Nintendo Switch as a cross-generational release also on the Wii U, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was a masterful reinvention of the series, incorporating a more dynamic open world to explore, bringing in elements like weapon durability, and more emergent gameplay elements.
In our The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild review, I wrote:
“The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild dramatically updates this venerable and beloved series, bringing new ideas into the fold which, while seemingly taking inspiration from others, seamlessly adapts them to fit and never loses its own identity. It’s refreshingly new and familiar at the same time, making for both one of the greatest launch titles and the sweetest swan songs any console could wish for.”
