Though anticipation has been high forThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, many fans are now tempering their expectations due to increasing odds that the sequel won’t be as hyper-engaged with previousZeldagames as had been initially hoped. Ever since it was confirmed thattheZeldaseries spanned multiple timelinesand never-ending cycles, there has been a dedicated effort to not just make sense of the series' continuity but to go beyond this with fan theories. Even between the recentBreath of the Wildand upcomingTears of the Kingdom, neither have been an exception to this.
Early announcements and trailers were consequently picked apart for any and all details that fans could hypothesize over, but as the official release date nears and more is revealed aboutThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom,the more these theories seem unlikely to be true. For instance, while some speculate howTears of the Kingdommight improve onBreath of the Wild’sshortfalls, wilder theories range from old villains or companions returning to potential continuations of previousZeldagames. TheZeldaseries doesn’t have an exact precedent for this, meaning fans might be overestimatingTears of the Kingdom.
RELATED:Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - The Subtitle May Not Be About Hyrule
Zelda Games Are Connected But Remain Independent
Like with most gaming franchises,Zeldapacks in self-referential nods that connect to its broader series. In fact,Breath of the Wildhad multiple references and Easter eggs, arguably more than any other in the series before, which ranged from familiar names and places to items directly lifted from earlier games. But while fans were quick to speculate about the implications of these references, such as the Temple of Time or The Arbiter’s Grounds, it all had little impact to the game overall besides evoking fans' nostalgia, ultimately meaning that sometimes an Easter egg is just an Easter egg.
Beyond just references, there are other ways to connect to the broader series. For instance, prior toBreath of the Wildreceiving a sequel,several otherZeldagames also had direct sequels, with the well-known examples beingMajora’s Mask, Phantom Hourglass,and even the earliest games likeThe Adventure of Link. But while these games share general elements such as key mechanics or surface level plot points, they still focus on a story that is for the most part independent within the series making it accessible to existing and new players. Ultimately, they don’t rely on any previous games' stories to tell their own.
Zelda Games That Broke This Tradition
However, despite the effort to keep eachZeldagame both interconnected and independent, it was inevitable that one or two games would break ranks and redefine the series with lasting consequences. SinceOcarina of Timeis the origin of the series' multiple timelinesit’s arguably the first example of this, but more recent games instead go much further and don’t require Nintendo to retroactively factor in implications forZeldalore. Key examples includeTwilight PrincessandSkyward Sword, both of whom have already been theorized to have some involvement or influence onTears of the Kingdom.
Twilight Princessis already among the most popularZeldagames of all time, not least because of its more realistic and darker style but because it expandedZelda’scanon significantly. With new details such as Ganondorf’s attempted execution and the mythos behind the Twili and the Dark Interlopers,Twilight Princesswas hugely influential. It not only sought to continue the timeline on fromOcarina of Timebut simultaneously introduced a wealth of new lore that radically reshaped and expanded what players knew about Hyrule’s history, ultimately leaving fans with more questions than answers.
RELATED:The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Shares Imagery With Skyward Sword, Twilight Princess
WhileOcarina of Timewas influential for starting multiple timelines,Skyward Swordwas far more ambitious as Nintendo’s effort to explain how theZeldaseries began.Skyward Sword,the earliest game in theZeldatimeline, was significant for establishing the literal foundations ofZeldalore. As a result, everything from characters to locations were either directly informed by previous games, or alternatively they became the standard by which all otherZeldagames would be compared to. Whether through Loftwings' impact on the Rito or Skyloft’s theorized inclusion inTears of the Kingdom,SkywardSwordremains one of the most influentialZeldagames.
Why This Matters For Tears of the Kingdom
Consequently, theZeldaseries finds itself in a precarious position: on the one hand, its games have always endeavored to be as self-contained as possible, but on the other, its most recent titles have been increasingly interconnected and expansive. Despite modern gaming audiences anticipating that franchises will always try to expand their canons with future games,Zeldahas usually had a level of immunity to such expectations, since most of its games are not exactly sequential. But sinceTears of the Kingdomis a direct sequelto the fan-favoriteBreath of the Wild,it no longer has this luxury.
As a result,Tears of the Kingdomis positioned within the perfect storm where fans' expectations and series' precedent has meant it has an exceptionally high bar to clear. For example, surface level parallels surroundingGanondorf has already triggered speculationof possibleTwilight Princessconnections, andTears of the Kingdom’sfloating islands provoked immediateSkyward Sworddiscussions. But despite how inevitable and obvious these might feel to fans, it’s entirely possible thatTears of the Kingdomwill explore none of these, and any similarities to earlier games will be nothing more than coincidence or inside references.
Moreover, the reason why all this has impactedTears of the Kingdommore than otherZeldagames to date could be explained away by sprawling fan communities online, but this undersells Nintendo’s own actions. For instance, positioningBreath of the Wildas the endpoint of all timelinesprompts fans to discuss how this will impact the series and the upcoming sequel. To the same end, when Nintendo teases huge details aboutTears of the Kingdomlike Ganondorf’s return while staying silent and refusing to divulge any further details beyond the cryptic, it is baiting fans into the double threat of rampant speculation and banking on nostalgia.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomis set to release onMay 12, 2023, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.
MORE:Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom’s ESRB Rating Tempers Expectations for Darker Elements
