While it could be argued that The Wind Waker was the Zelda series’ first foray into an open-world experience, Breath of the Wild was the first to really commit to it. Divine beasts, shrines, and side quests could be done in any order, and even the story provided room for imagination, the memories a skeleton for us to fill in the gaps the way we see fit.

Tears of the Kingdom, the sequel to Breath of the Wild that is releasing on May 12th of this year, seems to get more and more real as time passes. In fact, Nintendo has not delayed it any further as has begun to advertise for it more. In multiple places, the game is officially described as follows:

“An epic adventure across the land and skies of Hyrule awaits in The Legend of Zelda™: Tears of the Kingdom for Nintendo Switch. The adventure is yours to create in a world fueled by your imagination. In this sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, you’ll decide your own path through the sprawling landscapes of Hyrule and the mysterious islands floating in the vast skies above. Can you harness the power of Link’s new abilities to fight back against the malevolent forces that threaten the kingdom? Watch the latest trailer to see what Link’s latest quest has in store, including never before seen weapons and mysterious vehicles…”

In this description, pulled straight from the second official trailer as posted on YouTube, I am particularly drawn to the statement about a world fueled by our imagination, and can’t help but wonder what it could mean. Obviously it must be a large part of the game, being used for marketing in such a way.

The Hyrule in Tears of the Kingdom is very much torn apart, segments of the land ripped from the ground, floating in the sky, or falling upon Hyrule. Whether time travel is involved or not, this Zelda game is incorporating the literal land of Hyrule in a way never explored before. Will our imagination fuel the way these pieces of land come together or is it just referring to the odd vehicles we saw Link operating? Does the imagination comment refer something more psychological like Link’s great fears being realized? Will we have some agency as far as decision making in the story? I personally would love this freedom story-wise, as it would allow for multiple options for endings, pleasing every player in their unique way.

What do you think? What will become of Hyrule once this bout of imagination has run it’s course? Will Nintendo be taking open-world video games to yet another level? Is this necessary to surpass the success of Breath of the Wild? Let us know in the comments below!

Source: Nintendo

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