The Kingdom of Hyrule is the primary setting for many games inThe Legend of Zeldaseries. However,fewZeldatitles feature a return to the same version of Hyruleas their predecessors, which is whatThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomwill boast upon release next month. A lot of attention has been paid toTears of the Kingdom’s sky islands, landmasses that Link can find high above the Hyrule players will be familiar with fromBreath of the Wild. These islands are certain to add plenty of variety, but a recent gameplay showcase also suggests the islands themselves may giveTears of the Kingdomsome of the series' most unique environments yet.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomis largely shrouded in mystery, with the majority of known details stemming from a 10-minute gameplay showcase conducted by producer Eiji Aonuma in March. He introduced Link’s newest abilities, which allow players to fuse objects, rewind item trajectories, and traverse vertical landscapes with ease. These abilities were demonstrated alongside an introduction toTears of the Kingdom’s sky islands, giving players their first glimpse at the enemies and structures atop these unique additions that are sure to offer more than meets the eye.
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Tears of the Kingdom’s Sky Islands Feature Unique Environments
DuringThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom’s gameplay demonstration, Aonuma made a point of drawing attention to the golden trees featured atop the sky islands, which cannot be found anywhere on the surface of Hyrule.Tears of the Kingdom’s larger machinations have been completely under wraps for years, so it’s likely the full extent of the sky islands' unique geography is extensive, setting the stage forTears of the Kingdomto offer the most varied and diverse landscapes in the series' history.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomwill change Hyrule in more ways than one, and its floating islands are indicators of a bigger story. The demonstration also features the return ofBreath of the Wild’s dragons and an overhauled blood moon, leading fans to speculate on what all of these changes might mean for Link’s next adventure. Some longtime fans believe Nintendo may be pointing to the inclusion of a well-known but hardly explored divine location.
Tears of the Kingdom’s Sky Islands May Be Pieces of The Golden Land
The gold trees onTears of the Kingdom’s sky islands may find their origin in references throughoutThe Legend of Zelda’s loreto the Sacred Realm or Golden Land. This concept made its debut inThe Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, where it is described as the home of the Triforce. The realm exists in a separate dimension, but is connected directly to the land of Hyrule through that all-powerful object.A Link to the Past’s artwork portrays the Sacred Realm as a collection of floating islands bathed in golden light, suggesting that the sky islands could be extensions - or even actual pieces - of the Sacred Realm.
Anticipation is high for the next entry inThe Legend of Zeldaseries, and so far signs point toTears of the Kingdommeeting those expectations.The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomhas already won awardsdespite being a month away, so fans hope that the game can leave just as big an impact on players when its full narrative and scope are finally revealed.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomis set to release onMay 12, 2023, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.
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