The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom Trailer Hides A Twilight Princess Connection
While fans are rightly annoyed that the long-rumoured The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess remake didn't appear at the latest Nintendo Direct, we shouldn't quite give up hope of seeing the 2006 GameCube game again. Now, a sneaky Easter egg in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of a Kingdom's reveal trailer has hinted at a return to the Twilight Realm.
Following the runaway success of Zelda titles Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask had on the N64, Nintendo pivoted away from these adult and depressing tales for the much brighter Wind Waker. The cel-shaded Toon Link was slammed for being "too childish," and by the time we got to Twilight Princess, we were back to embracing the darkness.
Does Tears Of The Kingdom Have A Twilight Princess Easter Egg?
Both Wind Waker and Twilight Princess have gone on to earn a cult following, so it makes sense that their influence will be felt in Tears of the Kingdom. After all, Wind Waker's Outset Island returned as Lurelin Village in Breath of the Wild, Ocarina's Temple of Time appears as ruins, and Gerudo Desert looks a lot like it contains Twilight Princess' Arbiter’s Grounds.
Over on Reddit, u/tarantulamoose noticed that fresh artwork seems to show Link with the Vessel of Light on his belt. For those who need a refresher, the Vessel of Light was a mythical item in Twilight Princess that stored Tears of Light and helped disperse the Twilight. Tying this to the title Tears of the Kingdom, and things start to fit together nicely.
Remember, the Vessel of Light appeared again in the underwhelming Spirit Tracks, so could pop up here. The theories are flowing with this one. In the replies on Reddit, one fan guessed it has something to be with tears dripping off shrines to give you special abilities, while others noted a mural that depicted a creature surrounded by seven tear shapes - suggesting Link will have to collect them similar to Triforce shards.
Should You Replay Twilight Princess Before Tears Of The Kingdom?
The similarities don't end there, with others noting that the mummified Ganondorf seen in the first Breath of the Wild 2 trailer looks a lot like the one from Twilight Princess. It's entirely possible that Tears of the Kingdom takes place at the end of the Child Link Timeline (coming after Majora's Mask, Twilight, and Four Swords Adventures). It's never that simple, and as Series Producer Eiji Aonuma told us (via Siliconera), "Hyrule's history changes with time."
The Zelda timeline might have been wrangled by the Hyrule Historia artwork of 2011, but it's a notoriously hot mess that gets only more confusing with each entry. Either way, it could be time to give Twilight Princess another go so you're all caught up ahead of Tears in 2023. Sadly, you'll have to dust off your GameCube or Wii to play - as previously mentioned, there's no mythical Switch remake of Twilight Princess... yet.
