7 points of interest from the latest Tears of the Kingdom trailer

Nintendo capped off a tremendous Direct presentation earlier today with a brand new look at the next great Legend of Zelda adventure. The entry formerly known only as the Breath of the Wild sequel is now titled Tears of the Kingdom, and currently holds a release date of May 12, 2023. The latest trailer for the upcoming game provided a brief look at fascinating iconography in Hyrule’s rich mythos as well as more clips of the awe-inspiring sky islands that Link will explore, all of which have ignited fans’ curiosity. These are the seven most intriguing moments in the thrilling trailer that will keep Legend of Zelda fans speculating and theorizing for the foreseeable future.

7. An enigmatic figure, and seven symbols

We don’t know who this enigmatic figure is yet, but given their prominence in the trailer, it’s safe to assume that they’re going to end up playing a pivotal role in Tears of the Kingdom. Toward the end of the trailer, we see them locking hands with what is almost certainly a depiction of Zelda. They’re wearing some type of elaborate mask or headdress, or it’s entirely possible that their head is that of an animal’s, while the rest of their body is more humanoid.

The pose they are depicted in implies a divine nature, their graceful stance like that of Buddhist and Hindu entities, or as an example directly from The Legend of Zelda, the Sheikah Monks in the Era of the Wilds (which take inspiration from the Buddhist mummification practice of Sokushinbutsu).

Yet their origins might not be Sheikah at all. Some of the imagery around them is similar to the imagery associated with the Zonai ruins in the Era of the Wilds, which evokes the artistry of some ancient Mesoamerican civilizations, such as the Maya, Aztec, and Olmec.

The most intriguing visual surrounding them are those seven swirl-shaped symbols. Any longtime Legend of Zelda fan knows the importance of the number seven to the series’ many tales. Seven Sages, Seven Maidens, Seven Heroines — whether it’s groups of powerful guardians or pieces of a supernal relic to be collected, the number seven has had great meaning throughout The Legend of Zelda series. Could those symbols be the eponymous Tears of the Kingdom? If so, perhaps we already saw one earlier this year when the game was delayed to 2023, in a brief clip where Link stands before a floating, golden light.

6. A concerning look at Princess Zelda?

A mural like this is never a good thing for whomever it is depicting. This person may very well be one of the many incarnations of Princess Zelda, but unfortunately, it shows her in a troubling state. It actually recalls the moment in Skyward Sword where she is offered by Ghirahim during his sinister ritual to revive his master, Demise. If it’s not referencing the fate of a Zelda from the past, it could instead be a portent of what’s to happen to Zelda in the Era of the Wilds.

The last time we saw her in Tears of the Kingdom, it was during the June 2021 trailer, where our only glimpse of her was falling into a void. Given that the end of the trailer shows Zelda communing with the aforementioned enigmatic figure, fans should still remain optimistic that our brave princess will overcome whatever threats are thrown her way.

5. The serpentine crest upon the doorway

The symbol on these doors appears to depict two serpents, whose heads bear a resemblance to the serpentine statues that were found in the Faron Region of Breath of the Wild, sculpted by the ancient Zonai tribe. This particular symbol is shaped much like the ouroboros, which is the symbol of a dragon or snake consuming its own tail. The ouroboros finds its origins in several real-world ancient civilizations and is meant to represent the eternal cycle of destruction and rebirth.

The serpentine design is later shown to be part of the official logo for Tears of the Kingdom. If those serpents are indeed connected to the Zonai, then that long-lost tribe is sure to have an important role in the story. We can also wager that the narrative will bring special attention to the theme of an endless cycle playing out in Hyrule.

On a smaller note, just what kind of structure do those doors belong to? As we see once Link pushes them open, he’s exiting something as opposed to entering. Could he be leaving a shrine, or even a dungeon, perhaps?

4. Heading skyward

In what is the most fantastical scene of them all from the new trailer, here we see Link riding a large stone block up through the sky. This sequence has some similarities to the new Stasis action that debuted in the June 2021 trailer, suggesting not just wild physics manipulation but also potentially time manipulation. Is that rock being lifted from the surface of Hyrule to the skies, or is Link reversing time for that rock alone and returning it to where it fell from a sky island?

Off to the side, there appear to be a few sky islands subsumed by a mass of storm clouds. This begs the question of if some areas are blocked off more purposefully than in Breath of the Wild, with environmental hazards or narrative blockades keeping us from traveling or completing objectives in any random order we please. There is also a winged creature that briefly flies by, and it certainly doesn’t look like any ordinary bird. With its visible wing membranes, long tail, and what are either horns or pronounced ears, it doesn’t appear to be any kind of bird.

3. Death Mountain suddenly got a lot more dangerous

Even though we’ll be returning to the very same Hyrule that we explored in Breath of the Wild, the overworld map is sure to look a little different here and there for Tears of the Kingdom. There are a few new features of note in the sweeping view as Link plummets from the sky, but the most intriguing one is that Death Mountain is spewing Malice as opposed to lava. That is not good. That is not good at all. An active volcano is dangerous on its own, but Hyrule’s civilizations and wildlife had learned to coexist with that in the Era of the Wilds.

A volcano that releases the concentrated essence of the greatest evil known to all life is a much larger problem to deal with. What’s interesting is that in the very first trailer for Tears of the Kingdom from E3 2019, Death Mountain appeared to be dormant, so something set off this new Malice-related activity. It’s not a stretch to believe that the undead figure who awakened in that first trailer (aka Zombiedorf) has his fingerprints all over this.

2. A new means of air travel

With sky travel poised to be a central theme in Tears of the Kingdom, Link is going to need a means of flight other than simply gliding with his Paraglider. If he’s not growing wings or getting a loyal Lofting companion, then this hovercraft-like apparatus will do. It will be interesting to see how early in the adventure we acquire this and exactly how much maneuverability will be afforded to the player. Hopefully, the device lets us soar about like we’re the Green Goblin from Spider-Man, especially considering the leaked patents for the game that suggest some very elaborate and exciting forms of midair combat.

Also, what in the world is that huge symbol glowing on the hillside? It has the same line strokes and ghostly green color of the other [presumably] Zonai imagery we’ve seen thus far, but what exactly is it indicating on the surface of Hyrule? The location of one of the Tears of the Kingdom? A dungeon?

1. The Master Sword gets a makeover

In addition to the ouroboros-like symbol, the official logo for Tears of the Kingdom has another very interesting feature — a different version of the Master Sword than we’ve ever seen before. Fans may remember from the footage shown during the game’s delay announcement from earlier this year that the Master Sword takes an absolute beating at some point during Tears of the Kingdom (possibly from when Malice swallows up Link’s arm as shown in the June 2021 trailer).

Link will no doubt have to repair the legendary weapon somehow, and the title logo depicts much of the blade being replaced by that same glowing, greenish line work like what is theorized to be connected to the Zonai. There’s no way to tell if it is only a temporary fix or if it actually ends up being the new form of the Master Sword. But one way or another, the mythical blade is going to undergo some major changes along the way in Tears of the Kingdom. It now marks a trend in the Era of the Wilds games where the title logo features the Master Sword in an unusual state. Breath of the Wild did this with the rusted, battered form of the blade as it appeared during the Final Memory when Link nearly falls to the Guardian Stalkers.