The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has been teased by Nintendo a few times, and it appears that Link will be soaring in the clouds for a good portion of his adventure, traveling between floating islands in the sky. In addition to potentially opening the way for new traversal methods and enemies, the sky islands could also cause Tears of the Kingdom to place greater emphasis on bows, especially if long-range battles become more common. The bows players are introduced to in Breath of the Wild are phenomenal already, though they could be improved in a few ways to make them better suited for aerial scuffles.
From the brief snippets shown, gamers have already spotted a few new abilities that they will have in the upcoming game. Link is seen sending a spiked ball uphill, leaping onto gliding stone birds, and climbing up rock debris frozen in place. Breath of the Wild was lauded for how it revolutionized open-world gameplay, and it appears its sequel will do the same.
The Bows of Breath of the Wild
Throughout Link's adventure, he goes through scores of weapons geared for both close-range and long-range combat. Although he starts with sticks, he soon discovers powerful swords, axes, hammers, and more. There are also many bows to find, which end up being very useful as Link can attack from a distance, avoiding melee attacks from enemies. Bows range from the simple Boko Bow which deals minor damage, all the way to the mighty Bow of Light that players get from Princess Zelda.
In addition to having a wide range of bows, players also have various types of ammunition to choose from. Link will come across arrows with elemental effects, such as Fire Arrows, Shock Arrows, and Ice Arrows. These are very useful, as they deal status damage on foes and create special advantages for the player. Ice Arrows temporarily freeze enemies in their place, Bomb Arrows are great for dealing explosive damage at long range, and knowing which arrows to use in what situation is key to keeping Link alive.
Tears of the Kingdom and the Sky Islands
In Tears of the Kingdom, players will return to Hyrule, though it will look quite different. Past trailers have given gamers hints of what to expect, and Nintendo has shown the Malice lifting Hyrule Castle to the heavens. Link has also been seen free-falling through the clouds before landing on a stone gliding device that's shaped like a bird. From up high, plenty of sky islands are visible, and they all appear to be places that players can travel to.
Evidently, much of the gameplay will take place above, which opens up plenty of opportunities for aerial battles, as well as new enemies that patrol the skies. To deal with such foes, it would be useful for Link to be armed with new bows. Sky Islands that are close enough could easily lend themselves to long-ranged battles, which will require Bows that can fire arrows further than ever. A greater variety of arrows could also come to be quite important, especially if there are new types of arrows especially suited for aerial combat.
It appears the Malice will plague Hyrule once again in Tears of the Kingdom, though Link has a few new tools to help him out. On his arm is a strange piece of technology that will likely function much like the Sheikah Slate of Breath of the Wild. New adventures await, as well as new dangers, and fans will be able to get their hands on the latest Zelda entry soon.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is scheduled to release on May 12, 2023, on Nintendo Switch.
