Tears of the Kingdom has now won the Most Anticipated Game award not once, but twice. First, the sequel to Breath of the Wild earned the prestigious title at Geoff Keighley’s The Game Awards 2022. Now, it swoops in to stash another Most Anticipated Game award at the Famitsu Dengeki Game Awards 2023.
Eiji Aonuma, longtime producer of the Zelda series, attended the Famitsu Game Awards as part of his 60th birthday celebration last week. He also took the opportunity to tease more about the game to us while he accepted the award on behalf of the Zelda development team. Here is a rough English translation of what he said, thanks to YouTube Channel and Twitter account Genki_JPN:
“In the previous title, Breath of the Wild, you were able to experience a new world of Zelda with the “freedom to go wherever and do whatever you want.” In the sequel, Tears of the Kingdom, furthermore, the player’s free imagination will be filled with new gameplay that will bring about changes to the game world.
I think that everyone who voted will feel pleasantly surprised and I hope you can enjoy the “unknown” Hyrule as you like. Thank you!”
Mr. Aonuma’s statement holds about as much mystery as the next “Sherlock Holmes” novel, and yet, he somehow excites us about the game all the more. Though the tweet is no longer available, the translation adds up to the game’s product description on Nintendo’s online store too, which says in part, “An epic adventure across the land and skies of Hyrule awaits in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom for Nintendo Switch. The adventure is yours to create in a world fueled by your imagination.”
What on earth could Nintendo mean about a “world fueled by your imagination?” Is it possible for the player to change Hyrule’s landscape, or even the events of the story? We’ll find out in less than two months!
