Best Zelda Games to Play Before Tears of the Kingdom
Breath of the Wild’s long-awaited sequelThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomis almost here, but there’s still plenty of time to brush up onlore before then. While each generation ofZeldagames can stand on their own,Breath of the Wildhas a lot of callbacks for those who have played through previous titles.Tears of the Kingdomwill be no different if its trailers are anything to go by, but there are a handful of previous adventures that seem to be the most important.
While playingBreath of the Wildshould go without saying, the best way to start a story is going back to the beginning.As revealed in the Hyrule Historia,Skyward Swordis the first game in the timeline, detailing the reincarnation of the goddess Hylia, her Chosen Hero, and the demon they are locked in eternal combat with: Demise. While Demise would later become Ganondorf, his power only seems to have grown with each reincarnation, andTears of the Kingdomlooks like a culmination of this growth.
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How Older Zelda Games Influence Tears of the Kingdom
With the recent release ofSkyward Sword HD, some players have speculated that another important character might make a return - the spirit of the Master Sword itself, Fi. Whether Fi makes an appearance or not, seeing malice corrupt the Blade of Evil’s Bane will be all the more impactful knowing about the spirit that once inhabited it. From the Master Sword to the ruins in the sky, it’s clear thatTears of the Kingdomdraws a lot of inspiration fromSkyward Sword.
The next game to consider would beTwilight Princess.While players could run around with Wolf Link inBreath of the Wildif they had the correct amiibo,Twilight Princessoffers more than simple cameos. Locations fromTwilight Princessfeature heavily inBreath of the Wild; from the iconic Bridge of Hylia to Arbiter’s Grounds buried beneath the sands in the Gerudo Desert. Theextinct Zonai tribe played a subtle but important role inBreath of the Wild,and it has long been theorized that there is a connection with the mysterious Dark Interlopers fromTwilight Princess.
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Twilight Princess' Connection to the Zonai
While the Dark Interlopers would become the Twili after they were banished from Hyrule, there are also parallels to Zonai stories, magic, and iconography. Zonai iconography is found all over the floating structures in theTears of the Kingdomtrailers, with the structures themselves being reminiscent of floating islands in the Twilight Realm. It’s currently unknown why Hyrule Castle is raised from the ground, or how islands above Hyrule suddenly appear, but alternate realms feature heavily in theZeldaseries.
Tears and alternate dimensions have been a consistent theme sinceTwilight Princess.Link had to collect Tears of Light scattered about a Twilight-infested Hyrule to renew its guardian spirits, and this feature carried over intoSkyward Sword, where Link had to collect Sacred Tears in the Silent Realm as a test by the goddesses. This concept will likely playan important role inTears of the Kingdom,judging by name alone.
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The Seven Sages of The Legend of Zelda
Another recurring theme throughout theZeldaseries is the seven sages. They made their first appearance inA Link to the Pastand in the second trailer forTears of the Kingdom,a mysterious glowing woman in an ornate robe appears and offers her hand to Link. While it is speculated that this character could be anyone from Zelda to Hylia herself, a recent leak from theTears of the Kingdomart bookshows a brand-new character in a similar outfit. They are reminiscent of the maidens inA Link to the Past, descendants of the sages, who use their powers to seal Ganon (the seventh being Zelda herself).
The next game to consider would beOcarina of Time, as many of its themes are echoed inBreath of the Wildin a way that builds up toTears of the Kingdom.The Shiekah were introduced inOcarina of Time, though its story implies they existed long before the events of the game in a way that gets reflected throughSkyward Sword. As devoted protectors of the royal family of Hyrule, this secretive race has done horrible things in the name of their oath. The consequences of their actions play a major role inBreath of the Wildthrough the corrupted Guardians and a rebel offshoot - the Yiga clan. Even inOcarina of Time, Link can travel to the bottom of a well that doubles as a literal dungeon.
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Where Ocarina of Time Fits In
Ocarina if Timeis also whereGanon’s connection to the Gerudo begins. The Gerudo are a race of warrior-women who only have a male born to them every 100 years, so they instead choose to take husbands of other races. Prior to the events ofOcarina of Time, the demon king Demise was reincarnated as Ganon. As is tradition, Ganon became their king, and the Gerudo race has suffered ever since. This leaves many questions open for Ganon’s return inTears of the Kingdom- whether the Gerudo will split as a faction and choose to follow their undead leader, or finally take a stand against the monster.
From everything seen thus far,Tears of the Kingdompromises to be an ambitious game that ties together stories that came before. These theories, mechanics, and story beats only scratch the surface of connections between games, and more will undoubtedly be uncovered after release. While players can look forward to the game without having played previous entries,Tears of the Kingdomoffers much moreto those who have been long-time fans.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomwill release on June 16, 2025, for Nintendo Switch.
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