It seems not even the great kingdom of Hyrule is safe from inflation. In a first for Nintendo, the highly-anticipated The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom will be priced at US$70, marking an increase over the usual US$59.90 price for first-party Nintendo games.
The news follows a second trailer drop for the title during today’s Nintendo Direct, which proves to be our longest look at it thus far. The new footage opens with a beleaguered Hyrule stricken by lightning strikes, rainfall, and Blood Moons, before an unknown narrator takes over. “Rise, rise my servants. Sweep over Hyrule, eliminate this Kingdom and her allies, leave no survivors!” the voice, sounding suspiciously like Critical Role‘s Matthew Mercer, says.
But this new threat, whether it’s Ganondorf or otherwise, is a deadly force, with Zelda telling Link she’s unsure if he can defeat it. There are also more glimpses of new enemy types, rune features, and plenty of sky gameplay, including new wyvern-like creatures and a giant mechanical enemy made out of blocks.
The highlight, though, are the traversal mechanics. Link can take to the skies on a massive four-engine drone and in a small hot-air balloon, and navigate on land while riding a huge motorised chariot.
In addition to the new trailer, Nintendo also showed off a look at the Collector’s Edition. The set will retail for US$129.99 and come with a physical version of the game, an artbook, a Steelbook case, a steel poster, and four pin badges. The brand new Link amiibo figure, announced separately, will offer access to materials, weapons, and a special fabric for the warrior’s paraglider.
Tears of the Kingdom was first revealed at E3 2019. The sequel was originally set for launch in 2022, but was later delayed to a release date of 12 May 2023.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
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