A full gameplay trailer of the forthcoming Nintendo Switch game Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has been released as part of the company’s first Nintendo Direct showcase of the year. And, well, it’s kind of a big deal for gaming. Not only because it’s possibly the most anticipated game of the year – across any platform – but it’s apparently so big that it has the largest file size of any first-party Nintendo Switch release, ever.
There are two intellectual properties that Nintendo are clearly most proud of. The first, Mario, is such a synonymous icon of video games – and entertainment in general – that I’d put it up there amongst the McDonald’s sign and coca-cola as things that will never need an introduction.
The second, The Legend of Zelda is not as recognisable to anyone but gamers, though it still puts up a hefty legacy dating back to the original Nintendo Entertainment System. The evolution of Zelda is the story of Nintendo, and the company is about to pen its biggest chapter to date with Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, which today was given the new gameplay trailer ahead of its May 12, 2023 release date.
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For the uninitiated, here’s a quick run-down.
Zelda is the most seminal adventure-RPG franchise of all time. Without question. Zelda: Ocarina of Time is considered by many to be the most perfect game ever made, and that reputation still holds decades after its release in 1998 for Nintendo 64. Since then games like Zelda: Skyward Sword and Zelda: Breath of the Wild have pushed the series forward immensely, the latter in particular given it was the first truly open-world Zelda.
While Breath of the Wild impressed fans with how expansive it was, it looks like the sequel, Tears of the Kingdom will completely trump that. Reportedly, when the game releases the file size will be a whopping 18.2GB. Breath of the Wild was 13.4GB.
The Nintendo Switch port of Rockstar’s LA Noire was 27.5GB, which is obviously much larger, but that had a lot to do with the graphical engine, the cutscenes and a bunch of other technical considerations. Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is so large because the map Nintendo has created for it is so big – which means players can strap in for something larger in scale than anything the developers have done before.
The Tears of the Kingdom trailer shows off a few new abilities for Link, the primary antagonist, including what looks like homing arrows and something sort of kinetic mechanism that allows you to control vehicles. You can watch the new Zelda trailer above and, if like us you’re keen to get your hands-on what will easily be the best Switch game of 2023, take note of the May 12 release date.
