

Just about every major plot point Skyward Sword puts forth is paralleled in TotK in some way but ends up muddling their relationship instead of connecting them. However, despite multiple references to Skyward Sword, Tears of the Kingdom does not lean on its predecessor's story, and may even contradict it. Now that TotK is out, some theories such as Tears of the Kingdom partially taking place in the sky proved correct, and it could even be considered parallel to Skyward Sword as the final game in Zelda's known timeline. Since Skyward Sword shared a writer and director with BotW and TotK, fans took the ascent of Hyrule Castle as early confirmation that Tears of the Kingdom would tie up the trilogy. It contextualized many key events like Hylia's mortal reincarnation, the first assembly of the Triforce, the creation of the Master Sword, and, depending on how one interprets Demise's final words, the start of Link and Zelda's eternal struggle against evil. Having been declared the earliest canonical entry, Skyward Sword fills a vital spot in Zelda lore.

RELATED: Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Massively Improves on a Core Idea From Skyward Sword Skyward Sword Seemed Like An Obvious Precursor to Tears of the KingdomĪs soon as the teaser trailer for Breath of the Wild 2 showed Hyrule Castle rising from the ground, the entire Zelda fandom thought of the sky islands from The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. This article contains spoilers for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Going in, players thought that the prominent sky islands would surely connect Tears of the Kingdom to Skyward Sword, but couldn't have known how distinct each game really was.

The only issue is that this has made placing TotK into the Zelda timeline more difficult than expected.

Combined with story events and flashbacks all over the map, there are plenty of lore and references to past lore throughout Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Plenty of secrets and Easter eggs dot the landscape, with the items referencing past games from Breath of the Wild's DLC now worked into the game as special treasures. With an epic story pulling Link between all three elevations, players can once again take their time soaking in all that Tears of the Kingdom has to offer. Not only does the surface of Hyrule feel refreshed, but there are also traversable sky islands and even an entire underground map. Critics and fans alike have been excited to get back lost in the world of Hyrule all over again, and Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom provided all that and more. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has been released to an impressive amount of praise.
