The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom final trailer features the return of King Ganondorf, a sprawling Hyrule and more

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has just received a new three-minute trailer, ahead of its release on May 12, exclusively on Nintendo Switch. Much of it is shrouded in mysterious bits of history, as we follow protagonist Link through the soothing vistas of Hyrule and its densely populated towns and settlements. There are a bunch of new enemies, returning characters, and a new design for Princess Zelda. This new trailer comes after producer Eiji Aonuma confirmed last month that the sequel has finally gone gold after suffering multiple delays.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom trailer opens with a glimpse of the floating sky islands, where we see a construction hacking trees, while another fights a random mob. Similar to Elden Ring, it appears that enemies in this game can turn around, depending on which faction they belong to, allowing you to join midway or wait to claim the spoils of battle. The trailer soon drops a dark turn highlighting the growing threat of Malice, as we’re treated to a close-up of Link’s arm, which appears to have been corrupted. Could this be related to his new powers in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom? A 10-minute gameplay reveal from last month showcased all of Link’s new skills – ranging from the ability to rewind time on an inanimate object, to being able to merge random objects together to create more powerful weapons, and more.

We then get a quick look at what is presumably one of the main antagonists, followed by a brief interaction between Princess Zelda and the voice of a mysterious unseen character, who appears to be of Zonai origin. “Zelda, we rely on your knight and that legendary sword he carries. Our last line of defense will be Link,” he said as he walked over and placed his arm around Zelda’s shoulders. It’s too early to speculate who that would be, but the key takeaway is that Zelda is sporting a new look. Her hair is shorter and she wears archaic clothing, presumably implying that this segment takes place in the past.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom trailer offers a cinematic look at combat – breakable weapons, as previously seen in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, return once again, inviting you to constantly play with the new Fuse ability. Using Link’s new Ultrahand ability, one can also craft contraptions and vehicles to travel the world, ranging from rafts, gliders, carts, or even a tiny rocket you can cling to to reach sky islands. It also looks like you can group up with other characters and go into battle, and there are even implications in team battles. Could just be cutscenes – at this point, it’s too early to tell. The boar-like villain King Ganondorf also returns, imbuing his various foot soldiers with the dark power teased in previous trailers. He’s also buff now, compared to previous appearances where he seemed severely dehydrated.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom releases May 12, exclusively on Nintendo Switch.

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