Parts of the great Kingdom of Hyrule have been split apart and turned into the Sky Islands that float over the land. Zonai Construct robots take over what remains in small numbers, adding another new foe for Link to fight on his latest quest. Using his trusty paraglider, fans, and even some strange new abilities with his new arm, players once again have an entirely new world to explore in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. After waiting for so long for Breath of the Wild's sequel, the game is almost in fans' hands.
Even though there's been very little information, trailers, and teasers to go off of towards launch, what has been shown gives off the vibe that this might be the biggest challenge Link and his allies have ever faced yet. Not only is Zelda somehow with the lost Zonai tribe, but Ganondorf has made a return after being trapped underneath Hyrule castle. Unlike Breath of the Wild, Link has the Champions and more supporters by his side from the start, it seems, but things are far more dire than just a missing princess and ancient evil this time.
Tears of the Kingdom's Smaller Conflicts Spell Big Trouble
In the third trailer, there's a moment that players might blink and miss that may imply greater things for TOTK's scope. At the very start, a Construct and a Chuchu are fighting each other if one looks closely. While this may seem like an incidental detail, it tells fans that even when they're not around, the enemies may start fights with each other once they've entered into each other's territory. It says more about The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom than many fans likely suspect at first glance.
This little interaction says that the developers have made it that the enemies can autonomously fight without Link around, be it because they spawned near each other and recognized their opponents, or because these enemies can travel around the map on their own without Link going near them. It's one of many details that make the latest Tears of the Kingdom trailer say more than what a gameplay overview video might have in a fraction of the time.
The World Building in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
No matter how these enemies get into their little spats across the map, it says quite a lot about the level of detail that is going into the world found in TOTK, as this detail helps make everything in the game feel alive. It's understandable why making Hyrule feel like a proper living, breathing place was something on the developers' minds as Breath of the Wild focused on helping restore the kingdom. Tears of the Kingdom shows that the efforts in the first game weren't in vain.
While not much is known about the story of TOTK just yet, the threat against Hyrule has clearly scattered things around. The kingdom isn't gone, just fractured. This is shown through large, important details such as the Champions returning, and even the smallest ones such as the Construct and Chuchu fighting. There are numerous different pieces at play, and seeing them all play even the tiniest role in the grand scheme of Tears of the Kingdom makes the game feel less like Link's millionth destined adventure, and more like a mess he found himself wrapped up in.
All of this comes together to make Tears of the Kingdom feel larger than the game before it, which only helps keep fans excited as they count down the days until launch. However, since early copies of the newest Zelda game may already be out in the wild, fans should be mindful of spoilers if they want to see how everything comes together for themselves.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom launches May 12, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.
