The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has officially completed development, says series producer Eiji Aonuma. The confirmation dropped this morning together with a 13-minute gameplay preview showcasing Link’s new abilities, as well as a closer look at the floating islands that make up a large portion of the game.
Here’s everything you need to know before the game drops this May 12th.
Ability #1: Recall
The first ability, “Recall”, allows Link to rewind an object’s movements within a certain time limit, and manually freeze it in place once it reaches a favourable position. In the video, Aonuma-san uses it as an elevator to reach one of the many sky islands. This is one of the stronger tactical abilities, although it is yet to be seen if it can be used offensively in combat.
Ability #2: Fuse
Easily the most useful ability of the bunch, “Fuse” allows Link to create new types of weapons on the fly using items he finds around the world. Some interesting examples include fusing a stick and a boulder to create a crude-looking hammer; fusing your shield with a mushroom to create a smoke bomb; fusing elemental materials with arrows to trigger elemental reactions; and fusing monster eyeballs with arrows to create homing arrows.
Ability #3: Ultrahand
For the players who found creative ways to travel in Breath of the Wild, you’ll be delighted to know that “Ultrahand” takes that to the next level. Craft motorised boats, cars, and even flying machines by attaching planks, logs, and mechanisms together in new and imaginative ways.
Ability #4: Ascend
A space-warping upgrade to Revali’s Gale, “Ascend” gives Link the ability to warp through ceilings and emerge at the top in one quick move. The video demonstrates the full extent of this ability, showcasing Link warping from the cave at the bottom of a mountain right to the mountain’s peak. No more hoarding stamina potions!
Bonus: Nintendo Switch Tears of the Kingdom Edition
Of course, it wouldn’t be Nintendo without one final surprise. The video closes out with a preview of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Edition, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch OLED model. This beautiful limited edition console will be available starting April 28th, with the matching Pro Controller and Carrying Case following closely behind on May 12th.
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For the full gameplay preview, watch the video here:
