The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom gameplay trailer reveals new traversal and abilities for Link

(Image credit: Nintendo)

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has debuted its first extensive gameplay trailer.

With a little under two months to go until launch, Nintendo finally pulled back the curtain on new gameplay details for Tears of the Kingdom earlier today. You can see the full gameplay walkthrough with series producer Eiji Aonuma just below, in which the host demonstrated how Link gets from the ground in Hyrule up to the islands, which Nintendo has dubbed "sky islands."

Link gets up into the air with a power called "recall," which reverses time, throwing fallen objects back up into the sky with our hero atop them. There are actually plenty of ways to reach the islands, Aonuma teased, but didn't offer any further details on the traversal.

Aonuma also demonstrated the new Zelda Tears of the Kingdom abilities, like being able to stick two objects together to form a new weapon. For example, it turns out our hero can construct a new weapon by aligning a stick and rock together, effectively shrinking the rock so it fits on top of the stick.

This is the first time Nintendo has taken Tears of the Kingdom fans on an extensive tour of new gameplay details. Up until now, we've merely had snippets of gameplay interspersed between cinematic cutscenes to go on, which is where we first saw all the new Zelda Tears of the Kingdom vehicles.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom finally releases on May 12, 2023. Recently, it was reported that Tears of the Kingdom pre-orders are outpacing those of Breath of the Wild in Japan at least, a really strong sign for the sequel gearing up for launch.

Check out our The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom pre-order guide if you're looking to reserve your copy at the cheapest price point possible.

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.