TOKYO (AFP) – A six-year wait came to an end for ‘Zelda’ fans across the world on Friday, May 12 as Nintendo released the long-awaited latest instalment of its 40-year-old gaming saga. Gamers began lining up outside a shop in Paris well before midnight, determined to get their hands on The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom the minute it became available.
“I’m going crazy actually, because it’s been six years that we’ve been waiting for this game,” 19-year-old Taylor Meguira told AFP as he waited in line. “When Breath of the Wild came out, it was a real revolution in the world of games,” he added, referring to the 2017 instalment of the saga. Knowing that there is a sequel, which is coming out in an hour or a little less, it’s just incredible, it just makes me so happy.”
The game featuring the exploits of Princess Zelda and the elf-like warrior Link has sold 125 million copies worldwide since its first edition in 1986. It helped forge “open world” games where the player is free to roam in virtual landscapes – an idea later taken up by games ranging from Grand Theft Auto to Skyrim.
Clips circulating on the internet racked up millions of views before the release and the game is expected to be “by far the biggest contributor to Nintendo’s sales this year”, said Serkan Toto, an analyst at Kantan Games.
