The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom final prerelease trailer was unveiled earlier this week, and it was everything we hoped it would be: exciting, revealing, emotional, and full of surprises. Some of us have seen it more than once, and no matter how many times people saw it, the sentiment was the same.
Here’s what IGN’s top Zelda fans thought about the final Tears of the Kingdom trailer.
Seth Macy
The final pre-release Tears of the Kingdom trailer is incredible both in its effectiveness in building hype levels to breaking point and in pondering the many questions I still have. We saw something we’d never seen before and every second was thrilling and exciting, but we still don’t know how it all fits together.
Still, it’s even more exciting for me. It was a masterclass in how to present the game in a satisfying way that didn’t ruin it or give it too much. I’ve seen it many times, and each time I’ve noticed something I didn’t notice before. Tears of the Kingdom is the most anticipated video game ever, and the final trailer practically made me even more excited. I can’t wait to get lost in that world, delaying Link’s quest to save Hyrule.
Colin Stevens
Like Breath of the Wild, I was worried that Nintendo wouldn’t be able to pull off the hype for Tears of the Kingdom before its release. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve already pre-ordered the Collector’s Edition and he was going to be off work on May 12th (don’t tell your boss) to play the game, but yesterday’s Nothing came close to the same feeling at the time. Excitement when I entered BotW.
Well, it definitely isn’t anymore. TotK’s final trailer is incredible, showing so many new enemies, locations, weapons, and fresh types of exploration. A fall in the laser corridor? Gravity Jumping Pads??The Legend of Zelda Original Three-Headed Dragon Greek???They nailed it. Sure, they basically took the same pacing and musical cues as the last trailer for Breath of the Wild, but it’s also the best trailer ever made, so who knows what? ? good for them. It’s also one of his best trailers ever made. And it has hot Ganondorf. And return the champion/descendant. I don’t mind if the game’s dungeons aren’t explicitly confirmed (although it kind of seemed like it!), they obviously dominate. Waiting for May 12th will be the longest month of my life right.
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Pier Schneider
What a great trailer! In addition to answering the question of whether Hyrule, initially thought to be familiar from Breath of the Wild, would be worth revisiting, Nintendo claimed it was definitely the “New Hyrule”. All of us respond emotionally to the use of music. It’s easy to get distracted by everything happening in the trailer, but if you watch it again and listen to the music intentionally, you’ll hear echoes of Breath of the Wild, A Link to the Past, and even Twilight Princess.
There’s a lot of Zelda mythology on display, and the score is new and exciting, warm and nostalgic. Then you can open your eyes and catch a glimpse of all new things! A village you’ve never seen before. A mechanism that can build links. A floating island that invites discovery. and boss. Not just the elemental version of Ganon, but the big, nasty classic Zelda boss. rice field. But now I’m literally counting the days.
Ronnie Barrier
After hearing the cool music Easter eggs in the Breath of the Wild trailer, I started listening to more Easter eggs with promotional material for Tears of the Kingdom. This final trailer seems to use a lot more synth noise than I was prepared for: 1:42 Mark’s ominous-looking character with a stabbing after inverted vocal (a trick they did in the first game) and so on, it was mostly jumpscares.! This is not the sound I usually associate with the piano-driven Breath of the Wild. There’s another reverse riser synth sound when the title appears, and the first three sounds of Zelda’s Lullaby at the end of the trailer.
All in all, these are just trailers, and while it’s fun to go crazy about musical Easter eggs, I think they all point to some really cool story points. and all these new motifs seem to point to mechanic changes and Breath of the Wild timelines. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing what Nintendo has in store for Tears of the Kingdom.
Miranda Sanchez
Honestly, the only ones guaranteed to make me cry are The Legend of Zelda trailers. Subtle sweeps of familiar melodies from past games killed me, and this latest Tears of the Kingdom trailer was full of it. Link is about to team up with familiar (and unfamiliar) faces to take on new challenges. My favorite Gerudo chief, Riju, looks a little older and taller, he fights alongside a young Teva Rito, and Prince Sidon is back in style. I can’t wait to see more of them, check in on Tarrytown and hopefully meet lots of new friends. And discover delicious recipes to make!
Rebecca Valentine
Did you see Link riding a cool mech?!?!?!?!?!
Jordan Comstock
A great preview of Tears of the Kingdom. Music was the first thing that popped out for me. It was beautiful, thrilling, and nostalgic. It really boosted my mood for my trip to Hyrule. I also really enjoyed the action here. Between combat, new enemies, new characters, and lasers firing all over the place, it was awesome to see all the newness in the world of Breath of the Wild. No. The story here is also interesting and mysterious. where is zelda? what are her tears she’s holding What is Ganondorf this time? I can’t wait to find the answers to the riddles and explore Hyrule again, and this trailer has taken my personal excitement for the game from his 10 to 11. Can’t wait for May 12th!
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Brendan Graver
Tears of the Kingdom’s final trailer rivals 2017’s Breath of the Wild trailer in every way. Drama, action, expansive scenery — not to mention an incredible score that continues to deftly introduce new instruments. Much like his 2017 trailer, Tears of the Kingdom managed to show a lot while saying very little. We finally got a glimpse of how Hyrule and its people have grown since Breath of the Wild. With the townsfolk joining the fight against Ganondorf’s minions and seeing the return of familiar faces like Sidon and Riju, I’m so excited to see how Link will actually interact with Alone Not with saving the day, but with the whole world.
Perhaps new places are more interesting than familiar places and faces. It’s a great way to tie this final trailer to the first by including a mysterious character who looks exactly like the one depicted in the early murals. It’s also almost unfairly hyped that this trailer seems to confirm that there’s a pretty impressive cavern that could itself be an underground dungeon? There is no way to attach a Resident Evil 4-inspired minecart madness ridge. Subtle cues like this make me think, even after three minutes of hype, that we’ve only scratched the surface of what awaits in Tears of the Kingdom.
Samuel Claiborne
I was wondering that the Tears of the Kingdom basemap is not new. obviously not, and balancing my needs for exploration and discovery. I think these are the two fundamental activities that make The Legend of Zelda great. No. The final ToTK trailer showed just enough to see a lot of new features added, while enhancing a great idea.
What happened to this once-familiar town square? It’s a new and discovering twist that allows you to play and enjoy. Majora’s Mask worked as well. What’s the “twist” in the characters and locations? It wasn’t what you expected. Also in the trailer are squirrel suits, crazy new character designs, some sort of mechanical vehicle creation system, and so many weird, bizarre, jelly-ball-touching moments of excitement… but it’s That’s great. For the first time, it feels like this world hides endless secrets. We have to unravel them. now.
chelsea miller
Watching trailers, remembering Zelda games I’ve played before, trying to find Easter eggs related to past games… There’s so much to learn, and I love it all. I was afraid the first few trailers lacked puzzles, but every little puzzle moment in this final trailer reminds me of all the dungeons he puzzles in the previous games I will give it to you. And solve as many as possible. There’s a part of me that wants to rule myself and not hype a game before it’s released, but it’s hard to do that considering how great everything is.
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Nick Mylett
The Tears of The Kingdom trailer is a masterclass in telling a story effectively without being too short-formed, and this final trailer does just that the best way possible. I can gossip forever about how exciting looks like, Link skydiving through laser grids, multiple NPCs fighting heroes, mech battles, and more. It’s the music that brings me back to this trailer, with its masterful use of brass, vocal inversion harmonies, and familiar piano flutter. If the game’s music score is as good as everything else in this trailer, I’d be happy to return to Hyrule for hundreds of hours again, can’t wait for May 12th.
Casey Defreitas
The reason why Ganondorf is hot right now. Was he hot all the time? why is everyone so hot What is Nintendo’s conspiracy? ? ?
I’d love to hear your thoughts in the trailer comments. Did it meet, exceed or fall short of your expectations? And listen to her episode of NVC this week to hear the panel excitedly talk about Zelda.
