Tears of the Kingdom: Six Things We Can’t Wait For

As winter coats go into hibernation, sunglasses get dusted down with the edges of t-shirts and the faint, idyllic sound of cans being cracked open in the park serenades the sun’s emergence, the staff here at Industria Studios are planning something all good nerds should be: closing the curtains, spending too much on Deliveroo and sinking their summer into the new Zelda game Tears of the Kingdom. Here’s what our Industria Studios staff are excited about in Link’s latest adventure:

Narada (Designer): Fusion. This construction mechanic in Tears of the Kingdom looks really interesting. It seems like it has aspects of Minecraft, where you’re really rewarded for your creative thinking, so depending on what you have around you, you could construct Link a new weapon, or a boat, or something else altogether. I’m excited to find out what. 

Talie (Head of Social): Side quests. One of my favourite things in the series has been the detail that’s gone into the surrounding world, and in Breath of the Wild I was happy to leave the main story for a long time and just explore, picking up tasks from strangers across the world. The main story of Tears of the Kingdom does look interesting, but I’m more excited about all the little stories that I’ll be a part of in every corner and island of Hyrule. 

Max (Producer): Fowl play. If Breath of the Wild taught me anything, it’s how much I enjoy being able to throw virtual chickens. If Tears of the Kingddom can expand on that, maybe a pheasant or a goose, I’d be thrilled. 

Jake (Head of Creative Development): The music. I logged 200 hours of gameplay on Breath of the Wild, but if you tallied up all the time I’ve spent listening to the music from it (especially ‘Relaxing Breath of the Wild music with rain‘) that number would be in the thousands. It’s ambient and atmospheric, but entirely invigorating and full of soaring melodies. I’m really hoping Tears of the Kingdom’s score can reach those same heights. 

Jonathan (Designer): Interactions. For a franchise built around a character who we never hear talk, Breath of the Wild had some really funny, really silly dialogue (“Bananas that are so yellow, they’ll make you yell ‘oh’””), that really helped shape the world of Hyrule and I can’t wait to meet more of them. 

Harry (Designer): New maps and old maps. As someone who spent enough time exploring Hyrule that I was bestowed the turdally amazing reward of Hestu’s Gift (a faecally shaped in-game trophy rewarded for only the finest explorers/time wasters), I’m just hyped to see how the original Breath of the Wild map has changed, as well as what new territories, like the floating islands, I can explore.