BOTW 2: What "Tears of The Kingdom" Means For Its Story

Some of the new abilities that Link will use in **The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom ** have been revealed, and they look like they will be quite good and fun to use. There may also be more abilities revealed in the time leading up to release, in addition to the ones that players won't see until they actually pick up the game and possible changes to some of Link's returning BOTW abilities . TOTK releases next year on May 12, so there's plenty of time to reveal more of the powers Link legacy will wield on his new adventure through Hyr

The long-running **Legend of Zelda ** series has seen many entries, but never another protagonist besides Link. While there have been brief instances within games where players have had the chance to play as another character, Link has always been an integral part of each title. In the many stories told by the games over time, however, several other characters have been introduced who could serve as worthy video game protagonists besides Link thanks to their interesting narrative potential and new manners of combat when that could switch things up for the bet

If the Zonai tribe returns in TOTK , it’s possible that the many timeline mysteries raised by Twilight Princess’ plot may finally be resolved. This ancient tribe may even be connected to the Interloper War that threw Hyrule into a state of chaos in the years following Hyrule’s establishment sometime after Skyward Sword , which could have resulted in their imprisonment in the Twilight Realm. While any potential connections between the Zonai and Twili have yet to be confirmed, it would explain both the vanishing of the Zonai and the mysterious origins of the Twili in an ancient era closer to Hyrule’s founding. In any case, it seems likely that Twilight Princess’ plot and lore will be relevant again in Tears of the Kingdom , making it a must-play for fans hoping to catch up on **The Legend of Zelda ** l

The Dark World is a realm of evil created by Ganon’s corruption of the Sacred Realm in The Legend of Zelda series. While the Sacred Realm itself may return in TOTK , it’s possible that the twisted Dark World may make an appearance, too. Ganon’s malice is shown to corrupt most of Hyrule in BOTW, making it possible for it to extend into the game’s iteration of the Sacred Realm as w

In Twilight Princess , Link must work with Midna in order to save both of their realms from Zant as his invasion of Hyrule threatens to resurrect Ganondorf. It’s said that the Twilight Realm, the home of the Twili, served as a prison for an ancient tribe who attempted to use magic to gain control of the Sacred Realm. The connections between BOTW , TOTK , and Twilight Princess thus far seem to suggest that the Twili may be connected to the ancient Zonai tribe that mysteriously vanished from Hyrule long before the events of BOTW , though this is only a theory based on the trailers released for TOTK thus

Despite TOTK ’s ambiguous position on The Legend of Zelda timeline, it seems that the game may connect directly to Twilight Princess , as many fans have already begun to speculate. Not only are the Heroes of Sky, Time, and Twilight directly referenced by Princess Zelda in BOTW , but several notable details in TOTK ’s trailers seem to reference the Twilight Realm as well. Fans were quick to spot the snake and ouroboros imagery in the most recent trailer (seen below), which is strikingly similar to the ornamentation in the throne room of the Palace of Twilight where Link encountered Zant the Usurper in Twilight Princ

While it’s unclear which of these timeline branches BOTW and TOTK belong to, the events of Ocarina are the key to understanding the entirety of Zelda’s overarching lore. It also seems that TOTK will draw heavily on the plot, themes, and mechanics introduced in Ocarina of Time as the latest trailer revealed an owl-like figure surrounded by seven spirals reminiscent of Ocarina’s Seven Sages. BOTW had connections to Ocarina of Time as well, leaving plenty of opportunities for Nintendo to expand upon them in its sequel.