For many, the Legend of Zelda series will always be associated with ancient dungeons and temples, usually each with its environmental theme and unique mechanics related to that theme. Breath of the Wild 's shrines were great in their way but fans' fondness for this traditional style has only grown as a result of the absence. That means Tears of the Kingdom presents the perfect opportunity to bring them back and satisfy f

Now, the recent release of an official Tears of the Kingdom gameplay teaser shows exactly how Link will face the challenges Ganon throws him this time around. Although nobody will know for sure how things play out in Hyrule until it releases, there are a couple of enticing details the trailer hints at.

To make up for the Giant Boomerang's slightly lacking attack strength, we'd combine this huge weapon with the Royal Guard's Claymore, another enormous fighting tool that's slightly more damage-heavy. This simple combo could grant your projectile weapon the power it needs to truly be utili

While the ancient weapons are some of Breath of the Wild's most appealing, fusing the Ancient Short Sword with an elemental weapon like the Thunderblade could give the sword even more of an edge. Aesthetically, this would make for a fascinating combination while also infusing a popular sword with electric abilities during bat

Although the land of Hyrule looks familiar to anybody who played Breath of the Wild, the skies above are an entirely different matter. Similar to Nintendo's Skyward Sword , Hyrule appears to have a completely separate world all located within its cerulean blue atmosphere.

Improving on the exploration of its predecessor is a tough ask but it's one way that The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom could expand on what made Breath of the Wild such an amazing explorative open-world game . Redditor NotThatValleyGirl was surprised there was "still NO WAY to explore underwater" at the end of the game, howe

During one of the more ominous shots in the trailer, the game's villain - presumably the threatening voice of Gannondorf - can be heard commanding his minions to raze Hyrule and destroy the kingdom. We see various enemies manifested through bursts of malice, but one in particular certainly stands

Interestingly, however, despite indications that Zelda might be reprising her perennial role as a damsel in distress, the final trailer for Tears of the Kingdom seems to suggest otherwise, despite her separation from Link in what appears to be an early part of the game. Cutscenes, presumably from later in TOTK , separately show Zelda interacting with a currently unknown character, holding the Master Sword, and awaiting Link at an unknown location, suggesting that she has a larger role to play in the game's story than in B

For some fans, the lure of an exploration-based game like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is helped by having a lively hub world that's enjoyable to spend time in. Redditor jaspergants wants it to truly be a fantasy world fans would want to live in and thinks that would be helped by a return to "a bustling Hyrule" in the Breath of the Wild seq

Some weapon combinations feel like they could make normally weak tools into true threats. Take the Torch, for example. The classic tool allows you to make your way across dark and dangerous areas with a source of light – an ability that's come in incredibly handy across multiple iterations of Zelda titles – but it doesn't pack much of a pu

Even when it received universal critical acclaim upon its release, the one drawback of Breath of the Wild that critics and fans alike complained about was that weapons are far too flimsy, and having to find new ones when they break is frustrating. There would be no shame for Nintendo in admitting weapon durability was an unwise experiment and scaling back the mechanic to remove this frustrat

My key takeaway is the bravery Nintendo has shown when it comes to expanding upon Breath of the Wild with a sequel that not only takes place in the same world, but questions its history and the characters within it we’ve already come to know and love. No longer confined by tragic flashbacks and environmental storytelling, Link and Zelda now occupy the present day and will make choices lined with immense and immediate consequences. We are set to learn so much about them and likely come to view them as different people by the time it’s all over. Not just in this game, but how these two iconic characters have been portrayed throughout history.

The Legend of Zelda: tears of the kingdom prequel of the Kingdom seems likely to follow a similarly open-ended format to the one that made Breath of the Wild the Zelda series' most successful title but there's one thing about the formula it could change for the better. Redditor GoldenTirade certainly thinks so, commenting that they want to see "a postgame/epilogue aside from the main story" in the seq

The gameplay demo shows Link attaching a Tree Branch to a rock and an abandoned pitchfork for long-range, more powerful attack weapons. Like Breath of the Wild's campfire-cooked potions and meals, this new Fuse ability will be a game-changer for how Link uses the landscape to his advantage. You can even craft arrows with special abilities. Keese Eyeballs anyone?