Nintendo has premiered a very special Nintendo Direct focused entirely on The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom, bringing with it the biggest look at proper gameplay that we’ve seen to date.
This look was particularly special, with producer Eiji Aonuma personally walking us through the game in some extended gameplay sequences, rather than the flashy, quick-cut trailers we’ve already seen. The video begins with Aonuma-san riding across the land on horseback, before seeking out an object fallen from the sky and using Link’s new ability to reverse the object’s movement and ride it back up into the sky.
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From here, Aonuma can explore the “Sky Islands” which seemingly add a whole new dimension to the game’s world. The video also shows off a new mechanical enemy type called a “Construct” as well as another new ability, Fuse, that Link can use to stick objects onto weapons to make them even more useful and powerful – the example here is a comical giant rock attached to a half-broken stick but there are sure to be some creative combos to be discovered, including combing two pole weapons together. Arrows and shields can even be Fused with materials to create new properties.
Next, the “Ultrahand” ability lets Link literally build things out of nothing by attaching them together, with a makeshift log raft being the first example, to which Aonuma attaches a mechanical fan device to make an actual boat. Then we see the “Ascend” ability which has featured in some early looks, which Link can use to scale anything with a ceiling to attach to, including scaling cliffs that have overhanging structures.
Watch the full Nintendo Direct for The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom below:
Alongside the gameplay reveal was the unveiling of the very special (and very leaked) The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom Edition Nintendo Switch OLED, which has a striking design based on visual motifs from the game and is launching earlier than the game on April 28th. A special Pro Controller and OLED Carry Case for the game are also coming on May 12th.
A Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom Nintendo Switch OLED And Pro Controller Have Been Officially Revealed
You can pre-order the standard edition of The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom, the Collector’s Edition, and the Link Amiibo right now with local pre-order availability for the OLED console hopefully just around the corner.