Daily Debate: Does the New Tears of the Kingdom Trailer Portend the Return of Classic Dungeons?
Posted on September 15 2022 by Mike Soldano
Here it is! Finally, a name and release date for the sequel to Breath of the Wild. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom comes out May 12, 2023 and I can’t wait. Like most of you, I combed through the trailer, searching for any clues as to how the game may progress. And, I think I found one. It appears around the 24 second mark of the Nintendo Direct trailer, a mural similar to the one seen in the previous game appears on screen. A Sage of some sort, or perhaps a dark wizard kneels in meditation. Surrounding this mysterious figure are seven runes. This image sparked something in my mind, something I’ve longed for for years. Are these runes the special quest items we are to collect to vanquish the evil that will plague Hyrule in this new installment?
The number seven reoccurs quite often in Zelda lore. There are seven sages in Ocarina of Time that Link has to help. Seven maidens in A Link to the Past. Will there be seven runes in Tears of the Kingdom? And if so, will each be accompanied by an elaborate dungeon filled with puzzles, new items and bosses? The absence of classic dungeons in Breath of the Wild was greatly felt. The Divine Beasts did what they could to make up for it, but even so, they lacked the core essentials and general feel of the Zelda dungeons we all know and love.
Because the seven runes are all the same, you might say that this theory isn’t plausible. I say thee nay! Color is not portrayed on this mural and each rune could be reflected by its own spectrum of the rainbow. Using color to differentiate certain elements is nothing new to Zelda, just look at the Sage Medallions. Harkening back to the original Legend of Zelda game, my hope is that we are not given the dungeon’s locations, but must discover it ourselves using clues and side quests. Perhaps the color could offer some kind of indication as to where they might be. You see a big swath of forest on your map, chances are the green rune will be hidden somewhere there.
Do you think this image foretells the return of more classic dungeons? Please let us know in the comments below!
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