"The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom": New gameplay and new Nintendo Switch model unveiled

So far, Nintendo has held back on information about The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Since the official announcement at E3 2019, there have only been two teasers and two trailers with short gameplay snippets.

Nearly six weeks before launch, Nintendo is serving hungry fans a small nibble. "Zelda" producer Eiji Aonuma presents numerous new features and gameplay elements from the game in a ten-minute video. He also confirms that the development of the game is finished. So nothing stands in the way of the launch on 12 May.

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Nintendo The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

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This is particularly striking

Unlike the trailers released so far, the video with Eiji Aonuma shows real, uncut gameplay. Many gameplay elements already hinted at and new features are presented in detail in the video.

Five points in particular stand out to me.

"Tears of the Kingdom" is huge

Hyrule has changed a lot since Link's adventures in Breath of the Wild. Even if you know the predecessor well, Aonuma says you'll find plenty of surprises and changes on the updated map.

New are the "Sky Islands" that float above the kingdom of Hyrule. The flying rocks expand the map and offer completely new towns and enemies. The flora and fauna of the islands also differ significantly from Hyrule.

You can jump down from the floating islands at any time. There are no loading times. Jumping down you get a sense of how huge the world really is in Tears of the Kingdom. I hope that the aging Switch hardware can handle such a huge game world. In any case, there are no framerate drops or jerks to be seen in the video.

Turning back time made easy

The Sky Islands can be reached by Link using his new "Recall" ability. With this power, he turns back the time of certain game objects. Huge boulders keep falling out of the sky. In the video, Link climbs onto such a rock and activates the "Recall" ability. The rock is transported back towards the sky together with Link.

It is not yet known whether other objects can also be manipulated with the new ability. However, past trailers have hinted that Link will also use the ability in battle.

The "Fuse" ability is a real gamechanger

. In "Tears of the Kingdom", Link no longer has to rely on pre-made weapons. With the new "Fuse" ability, he combines various objects to create new weapons. In the video, Link makes a hammer with a tree branch and a rock.

Not only objects, but also weapons can be fused together. In the video, Link makes a long weapon from a pitchfork and a baton.

Arrows can also be combined with different objects. Link combines a monster eyeball with an arrow. As a result, he only shoots roughly in the direction of the target and the arrow automatically tracks it.

On the defensive, the "Fuse" ability is also handy. Link combines an exploding mushroom with his shield. If an enemy attacks him, the mushroom explodes and a dense cloud of smoke is created. Link can reposition himself, sneak up and defeat the enemy in one blow.

The new ability is a real gamechanger and a perfect complement to the physics-based sandbox gameplay of its predecessor. Watching it, dozens of crazy combination possibilities spontaneously run through my head.

Can I combine a sword with a red chuchu jelly and make myself a burning sword? What happens if I stick a bomb to my weapon? Can I fly if I cross monster wings with my shield? The possible combinations are almost endless.

And yes, the weapons in "Tears of the Kingdom" also break with increasing use. Thanks to the new combination options, this limitation will limit you less than in the predecessor. Your hammer is broken? No problem, make a new one. Or invent a completely new weapon.

Build your own vehicle

. With the "Ultrahand", Link can also build vehicles. In the video, he puts together a boat. It consists of three tree trunks and two fans. Link will also build cars and planes in the course of his adventure. The numerous vehicles have already been hinted at in earlier trailers.

Clever players have already put together crazy vehicles with the available objects and abilities in Breath of the Wild, even though this was not officially possible. I'm excited to see what wacky companions the "Zelda" community will create with the new tools.

By the way, Link no longer controls the Ultrahand ability and other powers with the Sheika Stone. Instead, he uses his right hand. Why Link has these abilities and why his arm is completely black is still unknown.

Link can jump through the ceiling

. Also new is the ability "Ascend". This allows Link to jump through ceilings and rooftops. The ability is said to be applicable to almost all ceilings. In the video, Link jumps through a metre-high cave ceiling and emerges unharmed at the top of a hill. This ability was also hinted at in earlier trailers. So Link no longer has to laboriously climb up walls to reach mountain tops or tall buildings.

"Ascend" is a nice addition to Link's movement repertoire. It makes the blonde hero more agile and flexible than ever before. With such a huge open world, I'm glad for every new transport ability.

New and familiar creatures

In the gameplay presentation, there were also some new enemies to see. On the "Sky Islands" Link fights against so-called "Constructs". Visually, they are reminiscent of the Guardians from "Breath of the Wild".

At two points in the video, a huge dragon can be seen in the distance. It is not yet known if this is the serpentine creatures from "Breath of the Wild" .

Also new is a bat-like figure that appears to be transporting a Bokoblin. The flying critter can be seen in the skies above Hyrule.

Surprise before launch

Somewhat surprisingly, Nintendo announces a new Switch OLED model in the "Tears of the Kingdom" design at the end of the video. The console is expected to be available before the game's launch on 28 April .

In addition, there is also a Nintendo Switch Pro Controller and a Switch carrying case coming to the launch of the game.

Are you looking forward to the new "Zelda" game? Which ability from the video impressed you the most?

To help you pass the time until the release, you can watch the old teasers and trailers again here .

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