On the Australian side of Nintendo’s marketing in early May 2023, fans’ attention worldwide was captured by a special Tears of the Kingdom advertisement featuring a morose, middle-aged man going about his workday finding peace in the evening as he picks up the game for the first time. His commute is rather gloomy, but at home, the combat challenges and Ultrahand puzzles on the Great Sky Island bring a smile to his face. He is seen afterward taking his Switch on the bus, proudly defeating a Boss Bokoblin’s squadron in the plains of Hyrule and enjoying the soaring view from a Zonai wing. The ad is a hopeful little piece, no doubt similar to the real experience of many players today, and the sympathetic character was a swift hit with Aussie Zelda fans and beyond.
A few months after the game’s release, the man has returned in a new trailer calling on players to “decide [their] own path”, and this time, his wife gets to show off her skills, too.
The man is working through a shrine with large gaps bridged by rails, and only a few stone slabs for crafting a path forward. His first attempt leaves his sliding platform too wide to take off from the start, but his wife interjects with a particular suggestion, and it turns out to be the exact change necessary to get his platform moving. Later on, she takes out her own Switch and shows her husband a new trick. Instead of sliding down the rails, she connects the slabs to make a long ramp which she dashes to the top of and leaps from, gaining such height that she’s able to paraglide all the way to the other side. The couple shares a laugh, delighted by the thought of endless possibilities and solutions.
These advertisements capture the feeling of playing Tears of the Kingdom very well, in this writer’s opinion. They convey the game’s ability to brighten one’s day, show the joy derived from all the unique forms of play possible, and highlight how nice it is to share the experience with others. Above all, they introduced us to a charming new character who we hope to see in more promotional material in the future.
