There are hints throughout the new trailer forThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomabout how much time might have passed between this game andThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. One of the easiest ways to try and gauge this is by looking at Link’s friends as they appear inThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
Riju, Tulin, and Sidon allappeared inThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wildas well. Riju is the Chief of the Gerudo, although still just a child because her mother passed away without any other heirs. Tulin is a Rito child, whose father was taking him flying in the hopes of him becoming a warrior, although his mother thought him to be still too young for that. Sidon is a prince, the son of King Dorephan of the Zora. He’s already an adult when Link meets him, and they fight the Divine Beast Vah Ruta together. Throughout Link’s adventures, he encounters all three and forms a bond with them. Now they’re back to aid Link inThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, after he helped their people in the previous game.
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It seems, at least a few years have passed between the two games, and it’s the easiest to see when looking at Riju and Tulin. Riju seems to have cut her hair, which is certainly a difference, but moreover, she seems taller than before. Considering Tulin was not deemed to be ready to become a warrior inThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, the fact he now flies with Link into battle, taking up his father’s mantle as a Champion seems to be a big change and shows he has aged. Tulin is different in his looks as well, also appears to be taller and has grown a feather ponytail. The change in Prince Sidon is the most subtle but also hints at a meaningful development. In earlier shots in the trailer, Sidon still wears the circlet he did inBreath of the Wild, but in a later shot, he appears with the crown his father had. This shows the very real possibility that players will seeKing Dorephan’s death duringTears of the Kingdom.
It’s obvious the land itself has changed too. There are sky islands throughout the scenery, but it’s difficult to say whether this could be a natural phenomenon or something that happeneddue to the interference of Ganondorf. But what’s obvious is all three of Link’s friends are now adult enough to fight and defend Hyrule alongside Link.
The trailer does a good job of raising the stakes once again and making the fans worried about the fate of the game’s characters. But until players canget their hands onThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, they won’t know the full scale of how much the world has changed.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomlaunches May 12 for Nintendo Switch.
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