After years of silence when it comes to information regarding The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Nintendo has released a 10-minute gameplay overview trailer that showcases some of the additions and improvements that are coming to this eagerly anticipated sequel. Those hoping for a huge mix-up over Breath of the Wild won’t find that here, but fans of Zelda’s open-world angle should be delighted at what is on offer.
Right off the bat, we’re shown one of the ways that you’ll be able to access the sky portions of Tears of the Kingdom. Link’s Sheikah slate will have access to new powers, one of which is Recall. By standing on a piece of fallen debris and using Recall, you’ll be able to rewind the rock back to the sky and can jump off once higher up.
A new enemy is introduced in the form of the “Construct.” It looks like a smaller version of the Guardian Scouts and is able to wield weapons from the environment just like Link.
The trailer then shows that weapon durability will still factor into Tears of the Kingdom, but there is a new angle. Utilizing the Fuse ability, you’ll be able to combine weapons with items in the environment and with other weapons to create newer and stronger weapons to deal with foes. You can also use this as a semi-repair function.
A few different executions of the Fuse ability are shown, too. The first has Link combine a tree branch with a boulder, creating a makeshift hammer. After that, Link attempts to shoot a bird from the sky but can’t keep up with its speed. He fuses some arrows with Keese eyeballs and creates a homing arrow. It feels very reminiscent of the weapon combo system from Dead Rising 2, just a little more freeform.
Continuing with that experimentation angle, another new ability is what Nintendo calls Ultrahand. This is where the vehicles seen in previous teasers come into play. Link can join large objects together with Ultrahand and a sticky substance.
In this Direct trailer, we see a makeshift raft being built, which can then be modified on the fly to change its shape. Series Producer Eiji Aonuma added that the vehicles shown in previous trailers aren’t available just like they were seen since everything is customized by the player.
Lastly, the Direct trailer covers the Ascend ability, which was seen in a previous teaser. This will let Link phase through ceilings, though it does have some restrictions. Aonuma does say that “as long as there’s a ceiling, you can use it anywhere,” but you likely won’t be able to clip through massive rocks.
To round out this Direct, Nintendo unveiled a special edition OLED Switch console themed for Tears of the Kingdom. Retailing for $359.99, it will release a few weeks ahead of the game on April 28, 2023. Tears of the Kingdom will follow on May 12, 2023, and will retail for $69.99. A Special Pro controller will also be available.
Featured image via Nintendo.
