Less than two months are left beforeThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomreleases on the Nintendo Switch. As the surprise sequel toBreath of the Wild, this title has generated tons of hype, even though not much has been seen of it yet. The picture thatTears of the Kingdom’s trailers have painted is of a remixed Hyrule with far more content found above and below its surface. Only time will tell what players will find, but hopefully more trailers in the coming weeks will shed some light on this mysterious title.
Putting together what little the public knows, it seems like a fair amount of the game will be spent adventuring through the sky. Upon the resurrection of acorpse-like figure resembling Ganondorf, many islands have either appeared or risen into the air above the kingdom of Hyrule. Exactly what’s going on isn’t clear yet, but it’s likely that Link will have to venture through these skybound locales on a quest to restore the Master Sword and deal with this new threat. Most of what’s been seen floating around has been an assortment of islands, but fans couldn’t help but notice that there were several other things dotting the skies.
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Tears of the Kingdom’s Skies Should Be Packed With Variety
Among the scattered glances atTears of the Kingdom’s aerial environments, a wide variety of objects can be seen floating through the open air. Some things like rocky islands, ruins, and giant roots sticking from floating outcroppings can be found all over the place. Even though thesky islands are presented as more unique experiencesthan the wide-open ground, there will still be a degree of uniformity throughout the upper regions. Such things as a storm wall that Link will have to circumvent should break up the action, and there’s no telling what else could be found in the highest reaches.
Anything from airborne towns to floating dungeons could be hiding just off camera, and should provideTears of the Kingdomwith a meaningfully different map to adventure through. The simple act of usingTotK’s various airborne mechanicsto get around Hyrule’s skies will provide these places with a novel atmosphere, especially as one goes higher in Hyrule’s own. The differing amounts of sky objects between the game’s trailers implies that more attractions will gradually reveal themselves over time, so players should be able to experienceBreath of the Wild’s iconic sense of discovery once again.
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A Floating Cube Stands Out On Hyrule’s Horizon
That goes double for when they find something wholly unique. One of the most bizarre sights that fans have seen in a trailer’s background is a giant floating cube, positioned over where one ofBreath of the Wild’s Labyrinths once stood. While the older title wassparse onZelda’s distinctive dungeons, it did have a few uniform ones in the form of the Divine Beasts, Hyrule Castle, certain longer Sheikah Shrines and Shrine challenges, and the Labyrinths. Those in particular were navigational puzzles where players were tasked with finding a Shrine at the exit, though this was easier said than done.
InTears of the Kingdom, it looks like these enormous mazes are getting an upgrade. Having been lifted to expose their hidden subterranean layers, it now appears that Labyrinths will serve as even larger puzzle boxes for players to comb through. It’s not yet clear how the Labyrinths' unclimbable walls will interact with these changes, as it seems like verticality will be a more important part of traversing them. Perhapssome of Link’s new vehiclescould be necessary to fully explore these massive cubes. Regardless, players are definitely going to see these distinct objects from across the map and feel compelled to enter them one way or another.
There Really Could Be Anything In Tears of the Kingdom’s Clouds
Players could be looking at a whole host of surprises inTears of the Kingdom’s skies, and it will take standing among them to finally realize that. One thing that trailers have revealed is a strange, bird-like stone platform that seemsdisconnected from both Link’s vehicle arsenaland any other object in the sky. What it’s tied to may not have been revealed yet, and could be some sort of aerial platforming challenge or another trial akin toBreath of the Wild’s Korok puzzles.
The other thing players have spotted is a distant dragon, and one noticeably different from those present inBreath of the Wild. Not only will this be a fun element exclusively found while exploring the sky, it may also be a teaser for more giant flying creatures. Anexplanation ofBreath of the Wild’s leviathan bonesis feasible, especially since a couple of those beasts were based on flying whales from olderZeldatitles.
There’s no telling what else could be up above Hyrule. Anything from fortress-like airships to combat arenas similar to Maz Koshia’s inBreath of the Wild’s DLC could be waiting. Going high enough could even reveal a floating continent with enough clustered islands to create a cohesive environment.Calling back toSkyward Sword’s Skyloftwould be a great surprise, and there’s plenty of room for revelations about the Zonai and perhaps even the mysterious Heavens where the Goddesses dwell. Fans are already pumped to get their hands onTears of the Kingdom, and the promise of adventures above Hyrule’s clouds can only make them more excited.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomwill be released on June 08, 2025, for the Nintendo Switch.
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