Image via Nintendo

Spoiler Alert :

Since the 1980s, Nintendo's "The Legend of Zelda" series has been at the forefront of gameplay innovation. "Tears of the Kingdom" will probably carry on that illustrious history in 2023. The most anticipated game of the year, which launches on May 12, was played for the first time by journalists outside of Nintendo's private area. Those few minutes allayed any worries that this is just an upgrade to 2017's critically acclaimed and commercially successful "Breath of the Wild," which has sold over 29 million copies and was frequently purchased alongside the Nintendo Switch system. 

Many characteristics in "Tears" have never been seen previously in the series. In the past, Zelda games have influenced the direction of the industry. The 1998 video game "Ocarina of Time" is frequently compared to the "Citizen Kane" of video games, in part because it set the standard for how fighting would be shown in 3D space. The open-world game architecture of "Breath of the Wild," the prequel to "Tears," was altered by depending on player interest rather than any narrative to dictate the game's events.

Journalists were given access to the Ultra Hand feature during the demonstration, which enables the hero Link to construct machines out of components discovered all across Hyrule. The 1966 toy that functioned like spring-loaded tongs and is a remnant of Nintendo's past as a toy producer is the inspiration for Ultra Hand. Since "play" and "invention" are promoted as the experience's guiding concepts, the name "Tears" is appropriate. This is a fantasy adventure where the players must create their own paths, whether it be by creating robots or rocket ships.

There are two other standout characteristics, recall and fuse. Players may basically turn back time with recall for a certain thing. Players can manufacture a temporary rocket pack by sticking a random object to one of their tools in the game Fuse, like a rocket onto a shield. It can improve the durability and damage of weapon attacks.

There seems to be a lot more space to explore than there was in past games thanks to the addition of underground and sky sections. The underground cave systems in "Tears" extend both below Earth and inside the Sky Islands.

"Tears" combines the classic Zelda adventure with the DIY recipe system of the 2020 viral smash "Animal Crossing." In that life simulation game, players accumulate resources to learn numerous "recipes" for making diverse things like bug nets, shelves, and even structures. By allowing any type of material to be fused, Zelda is drawing from an endless reservoir of potential. 

Due to all of these features, Link is also far more challenging to handle. Every shoulder button in the game, including the directional pad, is used by the player, and each button has numerous functions depending on whether Link is in fuse mode or Ultra Hand mode. This calls for dexterity. It can be not easy to understand the rotating things that Ultra Hand has grabbed, especially if you were only utilizing the fusion mode.