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Our Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom guide is your one-stop shop for all your Hyrule adventures. It's going to be one of the biggest games of the year, and for good reason. Nintendo is returning to the sprawling sandbox version of Hyrule we first enjoyed in Zelda: Breath of the Wild, expanding it to include a kingdom above the clouds.
As the sequel to one of the best Switch games, Tears of the Kingdom expands on what came before by taking us to the skies above Hyrule, as well as offering up new items to play around with. Read on below as we take you through everything you need to know when playing Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
Release date, platforms, and more info
Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom release date
The Tears of the Kingdom release date was May 12, 2023. The original RRP was $69.99 / £59.99 for the standard edition, but the Collector's Edition was $129.99 / £109.99.
Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom release date
The Tears of the Kingdom release date was May 12, 2023. The original RRP was $69.99 / £59.99 for the standard edition, but the Collector's Edition was $129.99 / £109.99.
Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom platforms
The latest Zelda adventure is a Nintendo Switch exclusive. Whereas Zelda: Breath of the Wild was released across the Wii U and Switch, Tears of the Kingdom is only available on Switch.
How long is Zelda Tears of the Kingdom?
That question is essentially as easy to answer as 'how long is a piece of string?' Tears of the Kingdom is a massive game if you want it to be, whereas the current speedrun time is only 92 minutes.
Review
You can now read our full The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom review or watch the video chat above. We've given the game 4.5 stars out of 5, and call the sequel "a rich, robust experience that builds on what came before" with Nintendo proving that it is indeed possible to expand one of the biggest and most popular games available on the Switch. With its fantastic new abilities, stunning overworld, and fantastic approach to exploration and boss design, Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is a truly unmissable experience.
Story
Nintendo resisted revealing the name of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom for fear of the subtitle spoiling too much of the story. Naturally, this has gotten the gears in our brains turning. From everything we've seen of this Breath of the Wild sequel so far, it would appear that the desiccated corpse of Ganon has arisen from beneath Hyrule Castle, and the tendrils of Malice as starting to spread once again. Naturally, the new trailer opened with mysterious Hylian writings and drawings, so that has sent the Internet into detective mode, while the prominence of "tears" in the subtitle has us wondering whether echoes of Zelda: Twilight Princess will play a role here – given the prominence of 'Tears' throughout the game GameCube adventure.
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Map
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom setting and map
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom setting is building on the world we first explored in Breath of the Wild. We once again venture across the vast lands of Hyrule, although you now have a more vertical play space to contend with. The skies have opened up, with Link able to move between floating islands and dungeons. The Zelda Tears of the Kingdom map is much bigger because of that.
General Tips
Before we even get more than a few steps into Hyrule, you'll want to check out our Zelda Tears of the Kingdom tips, which offer up excellent beginners guidelines for things to do and look out for as you explore.
We also have plenty more guidance for those annoying early stages, like where to find clothes, reunite with your horse, and more below.
Travel
Hyrule is huge and bigger than the Breath of the Wild iteration, which means finding out how to travel across it with ease is going to be more important than ever. So, firstly, here's how to unlock Zelda Tears of the Kingdom fast travel, and then below you can find other travel options that you can take advantage of.
Abilities
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom introduces a new suite of powers, all of which are designed to give Link new and inventive ways to combat the forces of darkness which are spreading across Hyrule. Like Breath of the Wild before it, there's a big emphasis on experimentation within the sandbox, and the four new powers will give you plenty of scope to play.
There are five new Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom abilities in total, with Camera returning from Breath of the Wild too. The new ones are as follows:
- Recall – Rewind time and the path of physical objects
- Fuse – Create instant combinations of different weapons and items
- Ultrahand – Combine objects and items to create unique structures
- Ascend – Lets Link teleport vertically to new platforms and locations
- Autobuild - Takes schematics for vehicles and constructions and automatically assembles them
Weapons
Given that this sequel is introducing a suite of new abilities that let you create your own tools, it should come as no surprise that there's a whole load of new Zelda Tears of the Kingdom weapons that you'll be able to find, create, and wield throughout the adventure. This is key, because one of the most divisive elements of the original game is returning – yes, you'll once again need to be wary of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom weapon durability. Thanks to the Fuse and Ultrahand abilities giving you the freedom to play with the sandbox, weapons breaking should only further our desire to build even wilder combinations.
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Vehicles
The Ultrahand ability allows you to create a variety of unique Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom vehicles – essentially, cobbled-together structures that will allow Link the opportunity to explore Hyrule at speed and traverse the expansive sky kingdom above the clouds. It's one of the most inventive parts of the new game, and clearly a response to the creativity of the Breath of the Wild community.
Geoglyph Memories
If you want the full story, you're going to want to find all the Zelda Tears of the Kingdom Geoglyph Memory locations. Just like the Captured Memories in Breath of the Wild, these hidden nuggets provide huge story moments that will hamper your experience of the game if you don't find them. There are 11 to find, so use our map for guidance.
Exploration and Missions
Ho boy, Tears of the Kingdom is huge and filled with awesome things to discover, create, and otherwise figure out. Below you'll find guides to various collectibles, puzzles, NPCs, and more, which should help make your adventuring a little easier.
