Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, the highly anticipated sequel to Breath of the Wild, is about to be released. As the game’s producer Eiji Aonuma recently announced, development is finally complete. In other words, a new delay is now virtually impossible.

Undoubtedly great news for all fans of the saga, who will soon be able to get their hands on Nintendo’s brand new work, which will follow Link’s adventures in the land of Hyrule. In fact, the game is slated for release on May 12, and unsurprisingly, it will be a Nintendo Switch exclusive. Expectations are undoubtedly high and the premises for another memorable game are all there. While you wait for those weeks to pass, here’s everything you need to know about The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.

Release date, platforms, editions

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom was originally announced back in 2019 during E3. The game’s official name wasn’t disclosed initially, and everyone just called it Breath of the Wild 2. As Nintendo’s Bill Trinen said in June 2021, they were still withholding the title because, at this time there, that would have been a kind of disclosure. Then, they finally revealed it during the September 2022 Nintendo Direct.

During the same event, and after several delays, the final release date also arrived. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom launches for Nintendo Switch on May 12. The game will be the first Nintendo Switch title to feature a $69.99 price tag instead of the $59.99 that other first-party titles typically have on the hybrid platform.

However, this will not be a trend for Nintendo in the future, as a Nintendo representative has confirmed that the company determines the retail price of its games on a case-by-case basis. Additionally, Nintendo of America President Doug Bowser commented on the price saying it will reflect the full and deeply immersive experience the game will deliver.

In addition to digital and physical standard editions priced at $69.99, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom will also come with a collector’s edition priced at $129.99. It will be available on launch day, and Nintendo suggests checking with local retailers for availability. It will include the physical version of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, the Artbook, a SteelBook case, a Steel poster and a set of four pin badges.

A new Link (Tears of the Kingdom) amiibo figure will also be released on May 12. This amiibo will give you weapons, materials, and special fabric for Link’s paraglider.

Finally, an OLED Nintendo Switch inspired by Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is hitting the market on April 28. It will retail for $359.99 and will not include a copy of the game. It will feature a design that echoes the unique style of the upcoming title. A Zelda-themed Pro Controller and case will be released on May 12 for $74.99 and $24.99, respectively.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Setting, Genre, Mechanic

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is an open-world action adventure set primarily in the Hyrule we know, albeit with one interesting addition. The game will feature new sky islands scattered all over the map. They come in different sizes, and some of them will be quite large, almost as large as the Great Plateau from Breath of the Wild. Link will be able to reach them in several ways, with no real limitation as to which ones can be visited. Players will also be able to explore Hyrule’s underground, as shown in a recent trailer.

There will be new mechanics, powers and abilities that Link can use during his adventure to protect the kingdom from unnamed malevolent forces, as Zelda producer Eiji Aonuma showed off during a gameplay demonstration video. . One that has undoubtedly caught everyone’s eye is Fuse, a skill that allows Link to glue almost anything together. You can use it to spawn new weapons, like a pole with a pitchfork. In addition, this power allows you to merge different elemental elements to create new arrows and other valuable items. And you can increase the durability of weapons by fusing them with stones, for example. If you need to, you can combine various items to generate boats, airships, and other vehicles that you can use to move around the map.

The brand new Ascend ability is also a great gameplay addition. As Mr. Anouma shows during the same video, it allows you to pass through anything with a ceiling, from caves to buildings and even cages. Undeniably a skill that can significantly transform the already excellent game mechanics that Breath of the Wild has accustomed us to.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom will weigh around 30% more than its predecessor and be Nintendo’s biggest proprietary game yet. As stated on Nintendo’s official online store product page, Tears of the Kingdom requires 18.2 GB of available space on the console, while Breath of the Wild “only” weighs around 14.4 GB. doesn’t necessarily mean the game will be bigger, but it still provides a good clue. However, if we move away from first-party Nintendo games, there are various titles with larger size on the Switch. LA Noire, for example, weighs almost 30 GB.

Gameplay trailers and presentations