Nintendo has released 10 minutes of gameplay footage for their highly anticipated upcoming game, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. In the footage, we get a detailed look at Link’s new abilities and the unique world of Hyrule that players will get to explore.
Exploring Hyrule on Horseback
The footage opens with Link on horseback, galloping through Hyrule. The landscape is breathtaking, with expansive fields and mountains in the distance. As Link rides through the world, we see areas of land floating high in the air, known as Sky Islands. Suddenly, a large piece of rock falls from one of the Sky Islands. Link runs over to it and uses one of his new abilities, Recall, which allows him to rewind time. By standing on the rock and using Recall, Link can reach the Sky Island as the rock travels back to its starting position.
“There are lots of ways to reach the Sky Islands, so we hope you’ll try a few different methods,” says series producer Eiji Aonuma.
New Abilities
The footage then shows off some of Link’s new abilities, including Fuse, Ultrahand, and Ascend. With Fuse, Link can merge different objects together to create new weapons and tools. For example, by fusing a tree branch with a large rock, he creates a makeshift hammer. Players can also fuse arrows with different materials to create unique effects, such as freezing enemies.
Ultrahand allows Link to join together large objects with a sticky substance. In one example, he joins three large logs together to make a raft, then detaches and reattaches some logs to change its shape. He then attaches two fans to the raft to power it, allowing him to travel across a large river. Aonuma notes that the wheeled vehicle and flying machine shown in the previous Tears of the Kingdom trailer aren’t actually readily available in the game like that, but were crafted using the Ultrahand ability.
Finally, the footage demonstrates Link’s new Ascend ability, which allows him to pass through some ceilings. While the move has some restrictions, Aonuma says “as long as there’s a ceiling, you can use it anywhere”. In an example shown, Link makes it to the top of a large hill by entering a cave and using Ascend to pass through its ceiling and emerge on the hilltop.
New Enemies
The footage also introduces some new enemies that Link will have to face in Tears of the Kingdom. One such enemy is the Construct, a powerful foe found on the Sky Islands. Another is a bird that’s too fast for Link to shoot down with a normal arrow. However, by fusing an arrow with a Keese Eyeball, the player can create a homing arrow that’s able to hit the bird.
Tears of the Kingdom, the newest entry in the popular franchise, appears to be shaping up to be an exciting one. Players can expect plenty of adventure because there are new enemies, abilities, and a distinct world to discover. We are eager to find out what other treats Nintendo has in store for us.
