Let’s break down the Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom final trailer

Here’s what caught our eyes in the final pre-launch look

We have a new trailer for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, the last one we’ll see ahead of the game’s launch next month. While it gave us some answers, we still have a boatload of new and old questions.

For a three, almost four-minute video, it’s absolutely stuffed with things to talk about. Ganondorf has officially returned, there may be other forces at play, and theories about what’s to come are being forged as we speak. So, we’ve gone beat-by-beat to piece apart some interesting tidbits we can glean from the video.

This is all, obviously, speculation. But what we saw today, at the very least, gives a clearer idea of what Nintendo’s got in store for May. And also, you know, raise as many mysteries as there are floating islands in Hyrule’s skies. Let’s dive into it.

Zonai can protect… but also attack

Right away in the trailer, we pan over sky islands that seem central to Tears of the Kingdom‘s exploration, and get a glimpse of some Zonai constructs. These glowing green automatons seem to have various tasks, as we see one chopping a tree. But in a prior part of this pan upwards, we see a warrior bot getting surprised and fighting what looks like a blue Chuchu. Maybe they aren’t just here to preserve nature? Or at the very least, the monsters and robots may not be a united force against Link.

Those curious markings

As Link soars over Hyrule, we see more of the curious landmarks and animal shapes on the surface. They’re almost like crop circles, but seemingly made of glowing stuff that Link should probably not touch without gloves. No indication of what they indicate, but they do look neat.

Towns and shrines

We see some towns, with a surprising number of inhabitants milling about, as well as small tents set up around the ruins of Hyrule. But this shot in particular caught my eye, as it gives us a look at what might be a Shrine? It feels like we haven’t seen much about Shrines or what their role will play, but these buildings do give off a similar vibe, albeit with a green-energy twist. Whatever that might be, it certainly seems like a point of interest for Link’s adventure.

Sky boat

That’s it, that’s the blurb. Big boat. Sky boat. Flying sky boat. I have no context for what this is, or why it’s happening, and I do not care. Link will become the sky pirate he’s always meant to be.

A possible wingsuit?

As Link plunges through a laser maze that would give Tom Cruise pause, we see him slow up a bit. Not with the glider, but with what looks like a wingsuit. Does this mean we could see a wingsuit in game, or is this a special situation? It certainly seems like a pre-built area meant for one specific situation, but I dig the potential of a wingsuit in this significantly more airborne game.

Villager joins the battle!

As Link rides into the middle of an ongoing rumble, we can see some villagers taking up arms, ready to fight a big lanky Moblin. Kudos to them, though they’re probably in for a rude awakening once that big boy starts swinging. I also dig the frameworks of fortification you can see going up behind them.

Mysterious dino person

This is one of the greater mysteries: who is this person? They seem, at least in this one scene we get, to be an intimidating presence. Are they friend or foe? I’m definitely curious to learn more about them.

Here we go again

Okay, this might be the most interesting tidbit to me. Here we see Link, viewing a version of Hyrule temple that has not fallen into disrepair and ruin. Coupled with the glowing particle effects, this sure seems like a flashback or some other time-warping weirdness.

Zelda’s new look

Here’s Princess Zelda, after we see her falling into an abyss at the start of the trailer, now with a new look. Shorter hair, big earrings, a magatama necklace (we’ll talk about that in a moment), and also some kind of tear-shaped tattoo. Did Zelda kill a guy? We’ll have a to find out in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Also, there’s someone else here, who seems to have an arm that’s reminiscent of Link’s newly corrupted limb.

That’s no moon

We already landed on the Divine Beast Vah Medoh, but now Link will have to land on some sort of floating orb. I presume the interior is filled with wacky contraptions and death traps. I cannot wait to plunge headfirst through that opening and get walloped by whatever’s inside.

Rock me mama like a wagon wheel

Hey, you. You’re finally awake. And here’s everyone, riding along in Link’s merry wagon, pulled by a horse. This is one of the cooler little pieces, as we can really see all the different pieces of this contraption and how they latch together. I’ve been curious about the upper limits of Link’s ability to Ultrahand items together, but here I can see a good few connections, as well as a link to have a horse power the whole thing. Speaking of possibilities…

Giant robot fighting

Honestly, Nintendo could’ve sold me on this game with just this image. This is the coolest, silliest, wildest thing in the whole Tears of the Kingdom trailer. Link bolted wheels and an arm onto a giant rock to make his very own Gundam, and the Bokoblins have done the same, erecting a platform for war on top of a Talus. Could Link just pick them all off with arrows? Yeah, probably. But this is so much cooler.

Look out for the lasers

We also see Link firing an arrow and activating some kind of contraption that sends lasers spinning out. A neat touch that, again, there are multiple forces at play here. And those poor, poor Bokoblins had very little idea what kind of pain they were bringing on themselves when they made this little laser box the centerpiece of their new home.

The mysterious magatama

As noted before, these crystals pop up in a few places. With Zelda, on the strange person’s hand, and maybe even in the forehead of Ganondorf. This jewelry seems to be styled after magatama, and even have some etchings. Fans are theorizing as to what they might mean, but they do seem to play a role in whatever’s happening in Tears of the Kingdom‘s story.

Yeah, he’s back

Ganondorf makes one heck of an entrance. After an initial tease earlier in the trailer, we see Ganondorf in full regalia here, with some shining crystal in his forehead, enacting a blood moon and corrupting Link’s arm. The king is back, and he’s even got Matt Mercer voicing him.

This mysterious elf lady

It’s not clear who, exactly, this is. Some aspects indicate a link to Zelda, from blonde hair and general attire matching Zelda’s new look in the trailer to the golden magatama around her neck. She also looks pretty different from Zelda too, though. I like one theory I’ve seen, that this could be Hylia. But either way, that’s another mystery appearance we’ll have to wait to uncover.

Raising an army

Further egging on the idea that Link will have some allies to team up with in this game, we see him at the fore of a band of NPCs, gathered from various parts of Hyrule. There’s a standard bearer on a horse, too. But really, I’m all about bucket head guy. He’s ready for war.

Also, Sidon

Just as importantly, we see Link and Prince Sidon fighting side-by-side in the next scene, and that is all we need to know. This is the key feature update.

Gleeok is back

One of the excellent but under-utilized Zelda enemies makes a big debut in this Tears of the Kingdom trailer. This is a seriously pyro-powered, King Ghidorah vibe going on here. I’m not surprised Link is recruiting the assistance of the other Champions, the people of Hyrule, and the greatest warrior, Dude With Bucket On Head.

Zelda has the Master Sword

At various points in the trailer, we see both Zelda and Link holding the Master Sword, despite them being seemingly separated. We also know that, at some point, the Master Sword gets corrupted and/or destroyed. Does this lend a little more credence to the time travel theories? Oh, for sure. But I’m curious to see how exactly they pan out, and how Nintendo will use this framing as motivation for Link’s new adventure.

Eric Van Allen

Senior News Reporter