Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom Showcases Weapon Durability, Makeshift Weapons In New Trailer

Nintendo has uploaded 10 minutes of new gameplay footage for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, showcasing more of the game’s world, combat, and characters ahead of its May release on Switch. Presented by Zelda series producer Eiji Aonuma, this is the deepest dive into Tears of the Kingdom so far, which Nintendo has been incredibly secretive about since it was first announced at the end of the 2019 E3 Nintendo Direct.

The new gameplay footage shows Link using his Recall ability to reach Sky Island by rewinding time on a rock that has fallen off the airborne section of land, hitching a ride up to the location from where the rock first fell from. Some of the other interesting gameplay mechanics shown off include a new ability called Fuse, which allows Link to create makeshift weapons from materials in the environment. One example shown is a combination of a stick and a rock, which Link fuses together to create a hammer.

Fuse won’t just be a handy tool for addressing weapon durability in the game; it can also be used to solve puzzles and enhance Link’s arsenal. In one demonstration, an arrow is fused with a Keese Eyeball, which transforms it into a homing arrow that can seek out and eliminate a pesky bird that’s too quick for regular projectiles to hit.

Another ability, Ultrahand, is used to join objects together to create vehicles. Using a few logs and some fans, Link can turn these materials into a boat that he uses to cross a dangerous river. Aonuma added that the wheeled and flying vehicles seen in previous trailers can also be constructed using the Ultrahand ability to help Link navigate around the world.

Finally, Aonuma showed off the Ascend ability, which allows Link to pass through ceilings marked by a specific symbol. When Ascend is used, Link will pass through solid matter and emerge outside of it, giving him an option to quickly clear vertical challenges.

As confirmed by Aonuma, development on the game is officially complete, and will be released alongside a Tears of the Kingdom Switch Oled Model that features Hylian crest designs on the console dock and controllers.

Originally envisioned as DLC for 2017’s Breath of the Wild, Aonuma said the development team had “too many ideas” for new DLC, so the studio chose to make a sequel instead. Arriving on May 12, Tears of the Kingdom will be the first Nintendo-published game to sell for $70 and is expected to be the company’s biggest release of 2023.

Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser said it will justify its high price tag when fans discover just how “immersive” the new Zelda adventure is.

“I think fans will find this is an incredibly full, deeply immersive experience,” Bowser said earlier this year. “The price point reflects the type of experience that fans can expect when it comes to playing this particular game. It’s actually a fairly common pricing model either here or in Europe or other parts of the world, where the pricing may vary depending on the game itself.”

While the standard price for Tears of the Kingdom is set at $70, there are a few ways to bring it down. You can use Switch game vouchers to get two games for $100, and Tears of the Kingdom is eligible for this promotion. In Japan, preorders of the game will include some very nice cutlery as an added bonus.