When The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom announced itself to the world last September, the sense of relief among Zelda fans was palpable. Sure, taking a closer look at the long-awaited and much-anticipated Breath of the Wild sequel was exciting, but its appearance at this particular Nintendo Direct showcase gave us more than ever before – an official title, and an official launch date: May 12, 2023. The fact that it was definitely still real, and, better yet, coming soon, was a clear source of joy, especially given how little we'd seen of the game since it first poked its head above the parapet during E3 2019.
Fast forward several months, and the Tears of the Kingdom release date is looming. By way of gameplay and story trailers we've now got a clearer sense of what it's about. I once said Zelda Tears of the Kingdom looks ace, but I hope it drops Breath of the Wild's most divisive feature – and now, having gone hands-on in this new skyborne slant on Hyrule myself, I now know stamina-gated traversal is back. I'd otherwise be disappointed by this, if I weren't so relieved by Tears of the Kingdom's exciting workaround.
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