Nintendo spent six years developing Tears of the Kingdom, and it did a great job keeping its story a mystery during that time. As teasers and trailers began to surface in the months before launch, speculation about whether it would feature multiple playable characters ran rife. Particularly so, with respect to Zelda, the iconic heroine who has never actually been playable through the entire series’ history. So, were fans right? Is Zelda playable in Tears of the Kingdom? Here we’ll break it down, but keep in mind there are major story spoilers ahead.
Is Zelda Playable in Tears of the Kingdom? Answered
No, you cannot play Tears of the Kingdom as Zelda. While it did seem as though this would be the first game in the series to offer her as a playable character, it didn’t actually turn out to be the case.
If you remember, following the very first story trailer for Tears of the Kingdom (seen below), fans noticed that Zelda was carrying her own Sheikah Slate. This is, of course, the same device Link used in Breath of the Wild. It’s also closely linked to the technology that powers his Ultrahand ability in Tears of the Kingdom, too. The assumption was that if Zelda was in possession of the kit, it might allude to her having some sort of playable the Sheikah technology Link uses in the game. Of course, none of this turned out to be true.
The revelation is likely to come as a disappointment to many fans, but there’s at least a silver lining.
Speaking to Vanity Fair, long-time Zelda series producer Eiji Aonuma said:
“We feel like what takes most priority is this idea of gameplay. If it turns out that the particular gameplay we’re trying to bring to fruition would be best served by having Zelda take that role, then it’s possible that that could be a direction we could take.”
So, if not in Tears of the Kingdom, then perhaps in the future, we’ll see a playable Zelda character. It’s at least on Nintendo’s radar as a possible option.
That wraps up whether you can play as Zelda in Tears of the Kingdom. We’ll be sure to keep you posted if we hear anything more about a playable Zelda in any future DLC or sequel.
Tears of the Kingdom is available on Nintendo Switch.
