Though Princess Zelda’s role has always been hit-and-miss at best across the series, many are anticipating that much like its predecessorThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomwill be another game in which the titular princess is kept tangential to its story. After her role inBreath of the Wildwas split between backstory told through flashbacks to her imprisonment with Ganon, there were hopes that PrincessZelda might be more involved with Link andTears of the Kingdom’sstory. But as the game’s release nears, it’s becoming unlikely she will finally break with tradition.
Predictions about Zelda’s role withinThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomhave ranged from her becoming a playable character as a series' first to wilder theories about being potentially killed in-game. Despite long-running hopes among many fans that Zelda will sooner or later take on a more engaged role in the series named after her, it seemsTears of the Kingdomwill continue to focus on Link, a renewed war with a revived Ganondorf, and potential revelatory secrets unearthed throughout Hyrule and the sky above. Details from Link’s arm to snippets of trailer footage all seem to indicate that Zelda will once more take a backseat in the upcoming sequel.
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Link Always Takes Center Stage in Zelda
It has become a running gag online that Link is often called “Zelda” by unwitting outsiders due to the incongruence of the series' name where he’s the main character. But ultimately this demonstrates that most, if not all games in the series have always put Link front and center and not Zelda, where the story is told through his eyes and gives him the most agency. Therefore,Tears of the Kingdomis highly unlikely to suddenly change this, especially when several ofZelda’sprevious direct sequelsfollow stories that omit Princess Zelda entirely, such asMajora’s MaskorLink’s Awakening.
However, there are already early signs thatTears of the Kingdomwill also be putting the spotlight on Link, not just because he’s the main character but because the game’s story could be intrinsically linked to him and his relation to Ganondorf. For instance, Link’s corrupted arm is one detail that indicatesTears of the Kingdom’sstory could be about Link battling an infection of malice or fulfilling a purpose forced onto him by those who sealed Ganondorf away. Additionally, Ganondorf’s revival could also hint atTears of the Kingdomreturning toZeldatradition, possibly bringing with it expanded roles forthe Triforce and the Master Sword. A return to tradition, then, would not bode well for any possible fan theory regarding the princess.
Zelda’s Fate Has Already Been Hinted At
As with mostZeldagames, players will typically see the princess sidelined throughout the majority of gameplay. While she is invariably a central part of the game’s story,Princess Zelda’s relationship with Linkusually has her holed up off-screen while he adventures away.Breath of the Wild, for instance, saw her trapped in Hyrule castle alongside Calamity Ganon, and other games consistently show Zelda being abducted by the game’s antagonist from Agahnim inA Link to the Pastor Ganondorf inThe Wind Waker. Judging by early trailers forTears of the Kingdom, it seems Zelda could also be absent for much of the game since she ends up separated from Link once again.
One such trailer released back in 2021 at E3 has a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment where Zelda is seen falling down a chasm in an environment similar to the caverns from other trailers. Though some theories parallelTears of the KingdomtoMajora’s Maskas darker direct sequels and suggest that players will seePrincess Zelda fridged, it could just be an early part of the game that sets up Zelda becoming Ganondorf’s prisoner once more. The story might explore how Ganondorf became mummified below Hyrule and how Link can defeat him, but ultimately Zelda’s involvement is likely to be reduced to the damsel in distress all over again.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomis set to release onMay 12, 2023, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.
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