Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

[Sonikko]

Is it me or does the game seem to be running at 60fps?
Big if so!

It looks absolutely gorgeous, I love the idea of exploring the skies, on an emotional level I do like Skyward Sword quite a bit, I just think the execution was severly lacking, I appreciate world building and I feel Zelda needs to do that a bit more, and BOTW was a great step in that direction with its environmental story telling.

What I'm curious about is, Link looks very different when he's on the Hyrule we know, and when he's on the sky, almost like they're two different characters.

Could it be the hero of legend? The islands are not in the sky during BOTW after all, and they seem to not be there when Link is on the ground.

Could be some form of time travel shtick, which I love and it's a staple of the Zelda universe, so, go for it.

Gameplay wise it seems they're doing a lot of cool stuff, I really like what I saw. Can't wait to explore Hyrule all over again and soar through the skies.

Also, give me Loftwings, we all love a big bird!

[Sonicka]

Yeah, we need an unlockable loftwing or glider / plane or something. It feels like a natural evolution from the bike if we’re heading Skyward again. 

There are a few theories suggesting that the hole/portal Zelda falls into at the beginning actually leads 10,000 years into the past which could be interesting. This could mean either Link travels into the past or the longer haired, older clothed link is a previous incarnation. However I’m slightly dubious on this due to the customisation that went on in the last game, that could be all that's going on here.

...That being said - as well as exploring the skies above Hyrule, controlling two links from two different time periods would be awesome (not to mention two different time periods of Hyrule's Map). It would be sweet to see them engage in some Timefoolery considering what happens in AOC and this could would work as a way to link the titles together. 

But knowing Nintendo it will just be “you now got the skies to explore” and a bit beyond, because they don't often dabble that much into Universe/Multiversal/Lore storytelling. But I also can’t help but think that they wouldn’t have very much to do in terms of reworking the the ruins of Hyrule for both ages apart from the Topography considering a Hyrule 10,000 years ago. If this was pre Skyward Sword we would still see the place in ruins (for different reasons).

It would just be very cool to go back to that era - especially if it is linked to the present day one (Ancient Tech and the Devine Beasts were buried for Thousands of years after all, and Skyward sword had similar little mechanical robots that indicate of a world even prior to this game). So the fact that Skyward sword is re-releasing before BOTW2 may actually be more than a marketing tool. 

Incidentally, even though Skyward Sword is the first game chronologically, the tie in Manga does give further exposition of what came before - not to mention that there was the Great War that existed before that game, why the Hylians escaped into the sky for a period of time, and some slight backstory to the existence of Demise and the Goddess Hylia and why she reincarnates as Zelda. I would love to see this setting/era explored some more someday if this doesn't turn out to be the case here. 

[Sonictrainer]

We got an update that the game will delayed to 2023

 

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The Legend of Zelda series producer, Eiji Aonuma, has an update to share about the launch timing of the sequel to The Legend of #Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Please take a look.

 

[Sonicka]

Unsurprising really. But with Xenoblade 3 and Pokemon Gen 9 now filling up 2022/23 until then I think I'll survive another year.  

But it further intrigues me as to what they've toiled away on for 6 years. It isn't like they started from scratch... and now the Development time is... longer than the original?.  This 'shares' the originals' game map and only became a sequel because the devs had one too many DLC ideas for BOTW so wow me please Nintendo.

That we have this map and by verticality an extension to the sky above and new areas beyond (they now tell us) with new gameplay ideas - I mean, I can only surmise that perhaps we'll be going under Hyrule as well... or alternate versions will be their play their part his time like previous games. Dark world, Time jumping... take your pick. Maybe something new.

I just really hope we get to play as both Link AND Zelda this time. They talk about breaking conventions... break the biggest one and have her as the second MVP. 

Also unsurprising that they had to nerf the Master Sword. Can't go around with the "unbreakable" sword from scratch... so lets break it right at the start. I wonder if the quest to repair it (and hopefully Fi) will be the optional main quest path in this game (instead of The Devine Beasts for example). 

[Soniman]

I’m gonna guess Covid threw a HELL of a monkey wrench into their development plans so I’m willing to give a year or two up for them because of that as I’m sure it’d be out much sooner otherwise 

[Mangoaxe5]

Will this game have a real soundtrack? I fucking hated Breath of the Wild's soundtrack.

[JezMM]

7 hours ago, Vampfox said:

Will this game have a real soundtrack? I fucking hated Breath of the Wild's soundtrack.

There's no way to know at this stage obviously, but I can't imagine they'll go wildly away from BotW's style considering this is a direct sequel, contained within the same visual style, and is likely to re-use or re-arrange music cues from the first game where appropriate (much as Majora's Mask did with OoT).

From my experience playing the Horizon games, Forbidden West especially, I certainly wouldn't mind some more "tuneful" and swelling exploration themes at times, particularly for the sky segments where everything is going to feel more dramatic even outside of combat, compared to the quiet plains of Hyrule.  But I'm perfectly happy with them sticking to the established style for quiet exploration, it really allowed the atmosphere of the natural soundscape to soak in as if the music was a part of it.  I just wish there was a bit more to it - while it isn't nearly as repetitive as a traditional Zelda-style overworld theme would've been, the piano tracks are still only a couple of minutes long as the OST reveals, and I noticed it in-game for sure over the tens of hours spent enjoying the Hyrule countryside in moments of peace.

 

I just hope they aren't quite so restrained on orchestra and percussion for the big moments this time around.  I get what the final boss theme in BotW was going for but it really fell flat to me, not nearly as intense as it could've been.

[Sonictrainer]

Name Reveal & Release Date

 

[Blue Blood]

Cool name. Literally nothing else to say about it though. 

[Chili Dawg]

Ngl can't really get excited. Like more BotW is welcome but like the name doesn't tell me much, and I'm still not really seeing why this game is a big deal aside from just being BotW2, even that is no longer the name. Getting teaser fatigue, which I mostly blame on Covid fucking up the dev cycle, but like yeah, just knowing what it's called kinda does nothing nothing when all we're really seeing is still just Link jumpin' off cliffs.

[Sonicka]

Well, that was needed. Lovely name. But I still want more - I suspect they’ll be a dedicated Direct nearer the time. 

I suppose they want to hold the cards close to their chests with this one as to not ruin all the surprises, so it must be something special. Another 9 months isn’t going to hurt if I get that BOTW magic for a third time running. 

(But FFS still no WW or TP rerelease to tie me over Nintendo)

[Diogenes]

Disappointingly short, but it's nice to have some new information to chew on. Various thoughts/observations:

If the "tears" end up being some physical macguffins, those seven comma-like objects in the mural at the start might represent them. Also the figure there is the same one linking arms with (presumably) Zelda in the mural at the end, with a pair of "tears" over them. Clearly hinting at story elements but not clear enough to be sure what they mean. Maybe there was some pact between two kingdoms that ended in tragedy, thus the "tears"?

Mural's got long-horned bokoblins and long-horned moblins. A previous trailer had long-horned bokoblins but the moblins had shorter, almost ball-shaped horns. Also the moblins look to have some sort of double-bladed scythes? Hope that's an actual weapon you can get.

0:48: Link's got a bunch of glowing green vials(?) on his belt. It's styled like the rest of the sky civilization stuff and it looks like there's some bits missing from it.

0:55: Rewinding fallen debris might be one way of reaching sky islands; he starts in Faron and seems to be riding it up pretty high. Also some kind of bat/dragon creature in the background, probably an enemy meant to be fought with the enhanced midair options we've seen in patents.

1:02: Unlike previous footage Death Mountain seems to be erupting, but it looks like malice, like underneath the castle, rather than lava. All sheikah tech still seems to be gone; there's no tower in Electric Asshole Lake. There's a small structure with some swirling green energy, similar to what was around Ganondorf, at the bottom near the end of the scene.

[Sonicka]

I mean... at this stage I have to wonder if this really is two different Links we're controlling (Past and Present).

Obviously I'm well aware that clothes and hairstyles styles can be changed in BOTW to look different... but I find it interesting that Nintendo have decidedly stuck with showcasing two distant looking variants so far. Not to mention the two serpent/dragons that are eating at each others tails (rather than one) in that familiar looking Ouroboros logo behind the title.   

[Diogenes]

I don't see any reason to think there's more than one Link. They've both got the rotty looking hand, we've seen both of them in the sky, we've seen both of them with some of the same equipment (the shield, most obviously). The new look is probably plot relevant, but I don't think it's anything like him being a different guy. I'd guess the ouroboros-like symbol represents Zelda and the new mystery figure, or their respective kingdoms, and maybe Link's two main looks are him dressed to represent those two kingdoms.

[Sonicka]

That’s also quite true. Easy to theorise. I just like the idea that he could jump between two versions of himself (which is why there are the similarities) and therefore we get two timelines of Hyrule to explore. 

But equally, it very well could be that we start off the game captured and held hostage for months in this new sky kingdom of sorts and you end up looking like (what I will call) “rugged” link.

We can’t start OP with everything from the last game so it would make sense to depower link in this manner, start from scratch and have him appear scrappy and needing to to fend for himself before escaping back to the surface or something.

[Sonictrainer]

New Trailer from today's Nintendo Direct

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An epic adventure across the land and skies of Hyrule awaits in The Legend of Zelda™: Tears of the Kingdom for Nintendo Switch. The adventure is yours to create in a world fueled by your imagination.

In this sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, you’ll decide your own path through the sprawling landscapes of Hyrule and the mysterious islands floating in the vast skies above. Can you harness the power of Link’s new abilities to fight back against the malevolent forces that threaten the kingdom?

Watch the latest trailer to see what Link’s latest quest has in store, including never before seen weapons and mysterious vehicles…

 

 

[Blue Blood]

Interesting trailer. I've watched it once and won't watch it again. There's no need. Lots of cool new enemies, Ganon's voice is lame, vehicles are very surprising and I'm not sure how to feel about that. I'm a bit shocked that the trailer has left such a small impact on me. I was expecting much more. Still incredibly excited about the game though.

 

And that collectors edition looks beautiful.

 

It wasn't live on Nintendo's UK store in the minutes immediately after the direct, but now the website is creating due to traffic. 

[Sonictrainer]

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Scanning amiibo from The Legend of Zelda series will also give you helpful materials and weapons.  You can receive helpful materials, weapons or a paraglider fabric based on the amiibo you scanned.

 

[SupahBerry]

Yes, the 70 bucks thing is real

[Diogenes]

Still kinda feels like they're not going all-out yet. Might have plans for a TotK focused direct before release, or just pacing out trailers from now until release. Still a bunch of cool stuff, though, so, big exhaustive analysis:

0:14: Another glowing geoglyph, can't make out what it's supposed to be. Two of the new towers that were spotted at the end of the last trailer, with spotlights shining up from the bottom. Also looks like the giant cyclone from the previously released art is visible in the flash from the lightning, though I can't tell what area we're looking at.
0:25: This whole area doesn't look like anywhere from BotW, or like what we've seen of the sky islands. Could this be the heavily-speculated underground caves? We've got a bokoblin miner, hammering away with a possible new weapon. Also some spirit flame wisp things to the right.
0:30: Gleeok on the bridge of Hylia. Or some kind of giant three headed dragon, at least.
0:34: Green energy spiral in Hateno. I don't think it's exactly where the shrine was, but relatively close. Might act as replacement fast travel points. Speaking of, the travel point outside Purah's lab is intact but deactivated, but I'm not seeing the blue fire furnace next to it.
0:47: I can't quite place where these malice missiles are coming down. Looks like the Gerudo Highlands in the background, so is that the edge of the plateau? Also in the explosion shot, it looks like there's some kind of monster in the middle of it. Maybe it's not getting blown up but "evolved" by the malice? Even though it looks like it gets splattered...
0:53: Big fat -blin type enemy on the right, there's a better shot of it later on. But just to its left, is that an old friend?
1:00: Oh hey, actual functional Sheikah tech, for the first time in this game. Honestly wasn't expecting that. IDK if the platform is reused from BotW but the Sheikah text says "transport". Feels like this was probably put together by one of the Sheikah nerds, given the style of the room.
1:02: Better look at that new -blin type enemy. The Bokos here have double-horns and seem to be wielding stone axes and sticks. And just after, a Hinox wearing a hat and a large green gem on its necklace, in some underground tunnel.
1:07: Looks like the new dragonish enemies can aidrop Bokoblins on us. Better look at the stone axe.
1:09: Buffalo horns on one of the Moblins. Looks like they're trying to make the different tiers of enemies more visually distinct than just color. More elaborate-looking skull base on the left.
1:10: Cube robot. This is clearly on a sky island, has Zonai styled details, and it's got that green energy flowing in it, so it's probably got a similar role as the snake-like robot from the previous trailer. Doesn't have any obvious weakpoint, wonder how you actually fight it.
1:21: Big malice-y looking mass in the distance. I think we're looking somewhere towards Hateno Tower-ish? Can't think of any notable landmarks around where that mass is.
1:25: Looks like a big multl-level skull base to the left there, maybe that's the sort of thing in the shot with the Moblins.
1:26: A homing arrow, empowered by green energy. Not sure what's up with the weird ball tip? Kind of feels like the opposite of what an arrow should be.
1:28: Rail grinding. Also a weird rock over on the right. And possible Zonai fans laying around?
1:29: Return of the apparatus shrine. Wonder if they'll give us a non-motion-control option for these.
1:31: Feels like this trailer has more caves than the entirety of BotW. The star of this shot is obviously the bigass Zonai club cannon; along with the flamethrower shield attachment they're definitely getting more creative than just different whacking sticks and pointy metal things. It's also got the same "power on" looking symbol as the snake-like robot at the base of the dragon head.
1:32: Mystery woman. The jewelry's clearly Zonai but there's not much else to say besides that she's probably very important.
1:38: Magnesis replacement, using the arm's green energy. Looks like he's pulling up one of the wheels of the Zonaimobile in the next shot; if Link's going to be building these vehicles, are we going to be limited to preset designs, or are we going full Nuts & Bolts vehicle builder with this? They kinda look like the parts are stuck together with giant wads of green chewing gum, which makes sense if it's player-driven and not preset, developer-polished vehicles. And I mean...crafting, physics wackiness, BotW's player-invented "flying machine", BotW horses sucking ass, having to get around in a massive open world...it kinda feels like a perfect fit?
1:47: Glowing green falling debris. Seems like the perfect thing to time-rewind. I wonder what happens if you don't go after it right away, though; does it just sit around forever until you get around to it? Would there be any indication that it's important once it's landed? Or does it reappear in the sky and fall again if you leave and come back?
1:58: Link's arm and the sword are already malice-damaged at the start of the shot. He's also a lot more burned than what we saw in previous trailers; his side, shoulder, and part of his chest are blackened here, and there's some height mapping or something so it looks like he's actually missing layers of skin, but those areas are looking plenty healthy in the earlier trailers, just with that square line scarring look. He drops the Master Sword as he turns to reach for Zelda; I can't tell if it's burned through like in the delay teaser, but it's stopped glowing. Wonder how he gets it back.

[Diogenes]

Some official art:

Interestingly they point out that Zelda's holding something "unfamiliar"; that's not BotW's slate, that's basically a Sheikah tech Switch. If they went to the trouble of designing a new slate for her...well, maybe the playable Zelda dream isn't dead quite yet.

[Ryannumber1gamer]

If you’re a NSO member and you aren’t getting the collector’s edition, it’s worth noting that Tears of the Kingdom is apart of Nintendo’s Game Vouchers lineup.

Given the idiotic price hike on a Switch game of all things, you’d probably be better off picking the vouchers up for the additional 20 pound/dollars it is, and at least get a substantial discount on another Switch game. Switch game vouchers are also valid for a year, so you can hold onto the second one for Pikmin 4 or whatever other Switch game tickles your fancy that’s due to drop this year.

[ZinogreVolt]

I really hope they go all in on Hyrule just being completely and maliciously decimated. It's a nice contrast to Hyrule being reclaimed by nature in BotW, and about the only thing that makes me feel like this game isn't just "Breath of the Wild but more". The sight of the giant dragon (I think it's a new form of Gleeock?) on the Lake Hylia bridge has me hopeful there'll be a lot more chokepoints around the map and I'm not just free to ignore basically everything like the first game.

[Sonicka]

 

9 hours ago, Diogenes said:

Some official art:

The Artwork of that style of link being promoted in particular is interesting.

I'm still questioning if this is just another alt costume out of a potentially 100+ combinations like the first game did it, or if we are looking at a different Link from the past (that also held the same weird arm)...

More likely I reckon it's just the same link and he just survived whatever cataclysmic event happens at the beginning of TOTK, is probably in stasis again for some time, grows out his hair and then this could simply be what he looks like when he steps out into the world from high above the clouds (like nekkid link in BOTW on the clifftop). he just looks this way before he returns to his usual rags and the surface world. 

Of course, another thing I'm pondering is the Zonai/Malice/Shiekah arm thing and how Link specifically acquires it (I mean, we sort of know from past trailers) but we don't know who he gets this specifically from. I ponder if this could be a Timeloop type scenario (just as the Ouroboros Zonai logo hints at behind the title). Perhaps link gets the arm attachment thing from himself at the beginning and watches himself die, so he knows his impending fate for the endgame and this title could be about trying to subvert destiny.

Could easily be none of that, but it's fun to theorise. There's been a lot of time travel nonsense in Zelda already, so I wouldn't put it past Nintendo. 
 

[Sonicka]

Rather excitingly, The 200+ page art book that is due to come with the special edition of the game has leaked in its entirety online. 

Having waited 6 years already for just slithers of details (that the trailers give nothing away on), I couldn’t help myself. (But those that don’t want to know or stay spoiler free - be warned - it’s out there!).

Being the accompanying Artbook for the games initial release, it doesn’t appear to spoil the entire game thankfully which makes sense - but I do have many questions about multiple pieces contained inside (especially since this hasn’t been directly translated yet). And other than a few potential narrative questions, I do have a large amount of excitement simply for one specific costume link will eventually get to use and another specific new mechanic ability. 

At this stage, I think any concerns that TOTK might feel like just an expansive DLC more than a sequel can safely be put to rest at least as Nintendo appear to have really gone all in on this again. May can’t come soon enough.