[Console Games] Breath of the Wild 2: release date, trailers and gameplay for Tears of the Kingdom

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Breath of the Wild 2 is coming next year

Breath of the Wild 2 is officially coming in 2023. Not only that, but we finally know what it's called—Tears of the Kingdom. So far, we've seen a couple of trailers, some gameplay, and heard many comments and tests from the games developers. By all accounts, it looks set to build upon the original, while trying some new ideas out.

Tears of the Kingdom is the sequel to 2017’s The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild so it understandably has huge shoes to fill. Being the Nintendo Switch’s biggest launch title and still widely considered one of the best Switch games ever – which is quite a feat given there’s no shortage of excellent Switch games – Breath of the Wild set the bar very high indeed.

Time-mani[CENSORED]tion, sky-diving and brand new combat systems are all on the cards. Trailers released so far show a game that is more vertical than its predecessor, though there's certainly a lot that we don't know yet.

Here's everything you need to know about The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, including a look at trailers, and all the latest news and rumors.

Breath of the Wild 2: cut to the chase
What is it? The upcoming sequel to 2017's Breath of the Wild
What can I play it on? Nintendo Switch
When can I play it? May 12, 2023

Thanks to September 2022's Nintendo Direct presentation, we learned that The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom launches on May 12, 2023. Unsurprisingly for a first-party Nintendo game, that'll be exclusive to the Nintendo Switch console family.

We initially thought that Tears of the Kingdom would release sometime in 2022 but in March of that year Nintendo pushed the date into 2023, with series producer, Eiji Aonuma, telling fans it was out of a desire to "extend out development time a bit".

TEARS OF THE KINGDOM TRAILERS
Nintendo Direct September 2022 trailer
We got a brief new look at Breath of the Wild 2 during the latest Nintendo Direct, only we learned it's officially called The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. While we didn't get a particularly in-depth look at gameplay, it appears to show seamless travel across Hyrule, alongside a new glider. You can watch that in full below: 

 

 

E3 2021 trailer
We got our best look yet at Tears of the Kingdom during the E3 2021 Nintendo presentation, with a trailer showing off the vast, expansive world of Hyrule – expanded even further with navigation into the skies, despite the more dungeon-crawling feeling of the original 2019 teaser.

There's some paragliding up in the clouds, along with more a freefall mechanic that seems ripped right out of Skyward Sword, and a new glove that looks to be taking the place of the Sheikah slate for Tears of the Kingdom. 

There's even a short clip of a splashed puddle... reverting in time? We're not entirely sure, but it's clear that some new mechanics will be introduced into the Zelda formula, while one of the first game's sentient boulder enemies (that's Stone Pebblit to you) is shown with a Bokoblin fort on its back for Tears of the Kingdom, suggesting even more dynamic interplay between the game's many enemies. 

Take a look below...

 

Announcement trailer
We got our very first glimpse of Tears of the Kingdom at E3 2019, with this spooky trailer that shows Zelda and Link exploring an underground chamber – with some mysterious runes, glowing hands, and a brand-new haircut that has set the internet on fire. Suffice it to say we're excited.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom trailer that first revealed the game is just 82 seconds long and there's no dialogue whatsoever, but there are some clues to be gathered from it.

It features a torch-carrying Link and Zelda traversing a dark dungeon beneath Hyrule (no big surprise there). Spirit-like tendrils creep around the musty tomb they're exploring, with the pair riding a large elephant-like beast. Something shocks the pair, and then we cut to what appears to be the resurrection of some long-dead (and creepy looking) warrior. Could this be the return of Ganondorf?

The video then cuts to a long shot of Hyrule Field, with Hyrule Castle in the distance. There's a tremor, the castle is smothered with dust... and that's the end. The clip finishes with a message that reads: "The sequel to Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is in development."

We wouldn't usually expect so much animation to be done so early in development, but it probably helps that Nintendo already has the in-game engine from Breath of the Wild.

link: https://www.techradar.com/news/breath-of-the-wild-2