The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 will be released in 2022

According to Legend of Zelda producer Eiji Aonuma, the widely anticipated sequel to 2017's Breath of the Wild will appear in 2022.

Image: Youtube

At today's Nintendo Direct, the long-awaited new trailer for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 was finally presented. A slew of fresh facts have emerged, yet the story and release date remain unknown.

It's been nearly two years since we heard anything new about The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild's highly anticipated sequel, but Nintendo has finally broken its silence on what's next for the open-world Action-RPG. Fans got a better peek at this more sinister BotW sequel during Tuesday's Nintendo Direct event.

Nintendo showed new story and gameplay footage of the highly anticipated sequel to Breath of the Wild as part of their E3 2021 presentation. While there was no official release date announced at the Direct, Legend of Zelda producer Eiji Aonuma said that the team is "aiming for a 2022 release" and tell the fan to wait for a little for the next move. The game will only be available on the Nintendo Switch at launch.

What's new in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2?

Despite the brief length of the video, there is a lot to unpack. Nintendo stated after viewing the film that Breath of the Wild 2 will provide Link with additional opportunities to get some air. As a result, Link appears to be able to visit floating islands. They may be seen from the ground as well as from a great distance. The bad news is that blight-infested sky pillars can also get established. Link now appears to be able to teleport, at least to levels above him.

Nintendo also showed off some new physics tricks. It has a considerably different tone from the original trailer, with a more focus on adventure and triumph. Nintendo has announced that Breath of the Wild 2 will be released on the Nintendo Switch in 2022. The game's brief trailer reveals a new malicious enemy that will once again destroy Hyrule Castle, as well as new Link powers such as phasing through walls, enhanced flight maneuverability, and a flame-throwing gauntlet. A link will now be able to go over the air above Hyrule, according to Aonuma.

New powers were also demonstrated, including one that allowed Link to phase through solid matter, another that let him discharge fire from a dragon gauntlet, and another that was similar to stasis but had the extra capability of pushing the targeted item back instantaneously. 

This title appears to be heavily focused on space exploration. Not only is Link shown flying through the sky, but the force that has infested Hyrule Castle has turned it into a floating island near the conclusion of the clip. Other floating islands and ruins are also visible, with Link standing in the midst of the chaos. Nintendo claims that additional sky sections have been added to Hyrule's land. 

During its original unveiling, Link and Zelda were seen traveling deep into a location, presumably raising a desiccated corpse that looked eerily like Ganondorf. Nintendo has since created a Breath of the Wild spin-off prequel that, ironically, takes place after the events of the first game. You've got to adore time travel antics.