The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule's End

The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule's End, is a 2029 action-adventure game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch Infinity. The latest mainline Zelda Game after the massive success of Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Hyrule's End became the largest-selling Zelda Game of all time with over 59,600,000 copies sold as of 2035. Set after the events of the Adventure of Link, the player plays as Zelda who is trying to gain control of the triforce to bring Link back to life after he was killed by a Ganondorf from another timeline who sought to take the body of Ganon and take control of Hyrule. While an entirely new open world was created with the explanation of changes made to Hyrule after Ganondorf's Hyrule merged with the Hyrule of the Downfall Timeline, it was very similar to the worlds of previous, more traditional Zelda games while keeping aspects of Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. Adopting a hybrid system of linearity and sandbox gameplay, the game takes on a much darker tone as Ganondorf slowly destroys the kingdom of Hyrule and the people inside. The first T-rated Zelda Game after Twilight Princess, many people complained about the darker and more mature theme the game took, while others praised it for a story far above that of Tears of the Kingdom. Like Tears of the Kingdom, it features a massive open-world with tons of opportunity for creativity, construction, exploring, and gathering with lots of different animals, plants, and foods. However, it is completed in a linear fashion and open exploration, while possible, is much more dangerous and some areas are virtually impossible to enter without completing the previous prerequisite.

Development started immediately after Tears of the Kingdom's release, although it was put on hold after the remakes of the Legend of Zelda (2025) and the Adventure of Link (2027) as well as a smaller 2D game, Legend of Zelda: The Imprisoning War (2028). Significant work was put into the game's building system, which built off of the Physics engines made in Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom and improved upon them, taking advantage of the Switch Infinity's advanced hardware. Inspiration was taken from Minecraft, Elden Ring, and other games to create moveable terrain that would not have graphics constraints. Randomly Generated Terrain, while not being used in a large amount, was also used in this game. Hyrule's End was originally planned to be a Switch Infinity Release along with the Imprisoning War, although both games and the console itself were delayed until 2028, with the Imprisoning War being a release title.

Hyrule's End was met with generally positive reviews upon its release. Critics praised it for its physics engine that was beyond any other video game in its time, and it was able to use the open-world and building aspects of Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom without reusing the same assets. Additionally, the game was praised for having the first playable Zelda in any mainline Zelda game, though the game was criticized for Link's absence. However, many people criticized the story for being needlessly mature and dark, and the graphics were not as advanced as some other games during its time, perhaps because of the game's building aspect. Additionally, while Hyrule's End would get a DLC that allowed for multiplayer function in the entire game, many people criticized Hyrule's End's multiplayer being locked behind the DLC aspect and being poorly implemented in the game. However, the massive leaps and bounds done by the game's developers meant that Hyrule's End was named as one of the greatest video games of all time.

Development
Following Tears of the Kingdom's release, developer Eiji Aonuma stated that they were looking to expand Tears of the Kingdom's gameplay mechanics to a different world and map. This led people to believe that the next mainline Zelda game would take place in a new world outside of Breath of the Wild's map while keeping its open-world engine and physics.

By 2024, Aonuma stated that the next Zelda game's creation had been delayed and that they were working on a remaster of the original Legend of Zelda which would be released in 2025. He also confirmed the creation of a Switch Pro, the next mainline Nintendo console, and many believed the next game would be a release title with the console.

In E3 2025, Aonuma revealed the Nintendo Switch Pro, a new hardware system that had much better processing power, graphics, a new virtual reality system, different controllers, and improved motion controls. It would be released in 2027. Additionally, a trailer was released for a game that would later be named The Legend of Zelda: The Imprisoning War was shown, leading many to believe that it would be the next mainline Zelda game. No gameplay details were shown.

In September 5th, 2025, the Legend of Zelda remaster was released. It sold moderately well, with many praising the updated graphics of the new game while preserving the original story.

In October 12th, 2025, a Zelda Employee stated his excitement for the upcoming game, saying that the physics of Tears of the Kingdom were "ramped up to 100." He also revealed that it was "very different" from previous Zelda games.

On February 18th, 2026, the new Zelda Game was named the Legend of Zelda: The Imprisoning War, and another trailer was shown. While this one also had very few gameplay details, there were two shots that revealed that it was going to be a 2D Zelda Game. Many were upset about this, while others voiced their faith in Nintendo that they would make good on their promises.

On April 17th, 2026, a Zelda Employee stated that the first two zelda games were "very important" in the context of the upcoming release of the next mainline Zelda game.

In E3 2026, more shots of the Legend of Zelda: the Imprisoning War were shown, and the new Switch Pro console was named the Nintendo Switch Infinity. The Imprisoning War was confirmed to be a launch title for the Switch Infinity. Additionally, a remaster of the Adventure of Link was announced with shots from it as well. Many fans voiced their complaints that Nintendo seemed to be returning to lower-effort, 2D games after the massive effort and success of Tears of the Kingdom.

In a Nintendo Direct following the E3, a trailer for "the next mainline Zelda game" was shown, followed by a speech from Eiji Aonuma that the Imprisoning War was not what they had been working on this time and that it was intended for players to have some "side fun" while they enjoyed the actual game. Shots for the game were very dark and gloomy, showing off a completely new Link and Zelda, as well as shots of Hyrule Castle, a large forest, and a snowy mountain.

In Q1 of 2027, Nintendo announced that both the Imprisoning War and the Switch Infinity were to be delayed until 2028. More shots were shown of the remastered "Adventure of Link" and it was confirmed to be releasing in April of 2027. Aonuma said that the Adventure of Link was essential to the next Zelda Game.

In E3 of 2027, another trailer of the next Zelda Game was shown, where it still remained unnamed. Zelda's voice actress was revealed, as well as a shot of several nature sceneries, one of a spectacular waterfall in a jungle, another of a massive desert, and a third of a quaint village. Aonuma announced that there were more delays on the release of the game, and it would not be a launch title with the Switch Infinity. He also said that the Imprisoning War's release was going ahead as planned and would be released on April 17th, 2028 along with the Switch Infinity.

In February of 2028, right after the Imprisoning War's final trailer, a third trailer for the new game was shown, and it was named "The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule's End". A shot of Ganondorf was shown, confirming he was in the new game. Many people feared because they saw no sign of Link in any of the three trailers. There was also a shot of two large blue birds flying in the sky, leading to speculation about the return of a sky map above the new open-world Hyrule. Aonuma gave an expected release date of early 2029.

In Q1 2029, after silence for almost a year, another trailer was dropped, showing gameplay footage of a playable Zelda, which caused the audience to give an uproar. Additionally, there were sightings of both Link and Ganon, as well as the triforce. Aonuma also announced a collaboration with Illumination Studios to make a Legend of Zelda Movie based off of the events of Hyrule's End, which would be released in 2031. Zelda was shown riding both a Horse and a Loftwing, as well as diving underwater in what looked like Zora Armor. Shots of Goron City and Zora's Domain were also shown. The release of Hyrule's End was stated to be June 2nd, 2029.

In the last trailer for Hyrule's End in April 2029, Aonuma showed gameplay footage of Zelda being able to change Hyrule's terrain and build things. The official art cover of the book was Zelda holding her sword, fighting a strange black beast. Additionally, she was seen on a moving ship, able to walk around and preform tasks, and cutting through wood and building a house. There was also an instance where she talked with several NPCs who had voice acting. Link was absent from the final trailer.

Release
At launch on June 2nd, 2029, the game launched along with several pieces of merchandise, collector's kits, and amiibo, but particularly the Zelda on a Horse amiibo, which was pushed heavily along with the release of the game. By the end of the month, over 5,000,000 copies were sold worldwide. By 2031, the game had surpassed Breath of the Wild to become the largest-selling Zelda game. By 2034, it had passed the Original Super Mario Bros to become the third-largest selling Nintendo Game behind Wii Sports and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and had became the most successful action-adventure game of all time.

Story
Hyrule's End takes place more than 100 years after the events of the Adventure of Link. In a newly-prosperous Hyrule, more exploration has been done and the kingdom has been fully mapped out, with contacts being made to various tribes that were previously unknown, such as the Gorons and Koki. Normal relations have been established with the Zora and Hyrule now lives in peace with them. The player begins the game as Zelda inside of Hyrule Castle, where she is preparing for her wedding to Link. Both Link and Zelda have voice actors during cutscenes. There is also a scene where Zelda fights her father, King Monaghan, in a mock battle that teaches the game's combat system. The game starts in Zelda's bedroom, and she immediately gains the Princess' Tunic, Princess' Boots, Princess' Leggings, and the Princess' Tiara, as well as the Map of Castle Town

Zelda must gather wood from outside with an axe given to her by the royal family and make a fire to cook the steak for the wedding banquet. She meets several characters in Hyrule Castle, including the King of Hyrule, Zephyr, the head cook, Impa, the leader of Kakariko Village who is attending the wedding, Doruna, the chief Goron, and Saro, a Koki girl. Link invites Zelda for a peaceful horse ride the night before their wedding. Zelda obliges, and the two of them travel outside of Hyrule Castle into Hyrule Field, though they are only allowed to stay in a specific area, as Link will call Zelda back if she travels too far. They are ambushed by Bokoblins, and Link remarks it is strange that there are so many of them, but shrugs it off. The two of them will fight off the Bokoblins and Link will decide it is time to return to the castle. There is another sidequest where Zelda has to travel to the castle basement, where she obtains the Fishing Rod and a Fishing Line. Link will then tell her it is time to sleep, and that he will see her in the morning.

The next morning, Zelda is urgently woken by Impa, who informs her that people are falling ill all around the castle and that she must stay confined to her room. She then leaves and locks the door. Zelda has two options: she can either open the closet in her room to obtain a Slingshot and Pellets, which she can use to break her window and escape into the Castle Grounds and obtain several types of foods, and can talk to an NPC to obtain information that they need a Hylian Dogfish for the medicine. Zelda can then use her fishing rod to catch the Dogfish and deliver it to the Castle Infirmary. The healer will then make an Orange Potion, and uses it to heal a dying boy. The boy exclaims he has nothing he can give Zelda except an Iron Band which she can put on either her left or right finger. This is not very useful right now, but Zelda will be given gifts by the villagers in Mido Village if she talks to NPCs while wearing it, as well as being given a discount in the shops.

Alternatively, Zelda can skip this sidequest, and choose to sleep in her bed. She will never obtain the Iron Band but the Slingshot will be obtained in a later quest. Either way, the game continues as normal. Impa will find Zelda and chastise her for leaving if she chooses the infirmary quest, or wake Zelda a few hours later if she chooses to sleep. Either way, Zelda must go to Mido Village to obtain her Bridal Gown set from a local artisan Ravio. If she has the iron band with her, there is a customization option that Ravio will allow her to have. Along the way to Mido Village, she fights off numerous enemies. The map is still only open to two sections of Hyrule Field, but at this point, Zelda can explore both Castle Town and Mido Village and interact with the people and NPCs there. Once she obtains the Bridal Gown Set, she must change into it before going into the wedding banquet cutscene. There are more NPCs to talk to and collectibles to obtain, but it will ultimately end in a lengthy cutscene where the King of Hyrule celebrates the fall of Ganon, and walks Zelda down the aisle to marry Link.

However, the ceremony is interrupted by thunder outside and news that the castle is being sieged by Monsters. Several monsters burst into the Dining Hall and a large battle ensues. While Zelda's items and weapons are unavailable at this time, she can use the materials available to help fight off the monsters. Several knights as well as Link and King Monaghan will continue as well. Once the last monster is defeated, another cutscene will play where the castle will split in two, and a beam of purple light descended in, and Ganondorf appears along with several Silver Harbingers. Link attempts to fight him, but he is quickly blasted to the ground. The Harbingers and other monsters that are unfamiliar quickly take out the unprepared guards while the King flees the room. Ganondorf goes into a speech about how he will destroy the kingdom of Hyrule and remake it in his own image as Ganon, and that all he needs is the triforce. Zelda protectively steps in front of Link and exclaims that without the blood of the hero, he wouldn't be able to do anything. Ganondorf uses magical powers to fling Zelda into the air and bind her with dark chains. Ganondorf draws his sword and kills Link, causing Zelda to scream in pain. With the Triforce of Courage in Ganondorf's possession, he bursts with energy, causing the screen to darken.

Zelda is awoken below Hyrule Castle by a strange black imp who goes by the name of Hezla. Hezla explains that she is one of the Twili, who were servants of Ganondorf. Zelda tries to attack Hezla, but Hezla quickly uses her powers to stop Zelda and urges her that she is too injured to get up. Zelda cries for Link, but there is no one there. Hezla explains that Link has died and that Ganondorf has taken over Hyrule. Zelda shakes her head and says that Link can't be dead. Hezla says it is possible to revive Link with the power of the Triforce, but that the three pieces were separated throughout Hyrule: Ganondorf holds the Triforce of Courage after killing Link, the Triforce of Wisdom is lost to time, and the Triforce of Power is in an underground castle below Hyrule. However, first Zelda must escape Hyrule Castle. If the Slingshot was not obtained before, it will be given to you by Hezla, who explains that it was all she could recover from the wreckage of Zelda's tower.

The first dungeon, the Hyrule Castle Catacombs, is a huge underground complex that spans several rooms, some of which are simply there for plot significance and others being necessary to the story. The two halves of the catacombs are connected by a massive room which used to have a huge spiral staircase that leads to the above. Zelda obtains the Zonai Gloves from the dungeon miniboss and kills the boss, Solgard, earning a heart container and escaping the castle.

Zelda is now able to explore the entire Hyrule, but is urged by Hezla to go to Kakariko Village. If Zelda obeys, she can reunite with Impa and heal her in an optional sidequest, and though Impa does not know the location of the Underground Palace, but that there was strange things happening in the Hidden Village in Faron and that it was Zelda's best interest to travel there. Zelda can try to get through the open world to go there, but it will be difficult, and it is better to go along the Forest Path, though you will have to deal with monsters. If she is successful in defeating the monsters of the Hidden Village, the Koki will reward her with an Axe, which she can use to break wooden items outside of villages. The Koki girl Saro from Zelda's wedding explains there is an important secret hidden in the temple to the Southeast. With the Axe, Zelda is now able to enter the Jungle Temple in the Lost Woods.

In the Jungle Temple, Zelda activates several beacons around the perimeter that restore light to the main area and open the central temple. She obtains the Shovel from the dungeon Miniboss and can dig through areas to get to deeper parts of the temple. When she gets to the boss room, she fights a massive Tree Monster named Laraavuk where she must use her shovel and axe to destroy the beast. When Laraavuk is defeated, an entrance to a hidden room opens, showing the location of the Palace of the Depths. She also gets another Heart Container.

Zelda, now able to both build and break, can interact with Hyrule in numerous ways now, and several new items are allowed to be purchased around Hyrule that will aid her in this mission. Since only the Shovel is required to enter the Underground Palace, technically only half of the Jungle Temple is required to be beaten to enter. Going to the Gaepora Hills west of Kakariko Village, Zelda cannot enter the third dungeon without dying from the fall. When she does, a scene will appear where Bulblins capture Zephyr and Zelda must chase them on a horse ride. She will then return Zephyr to his hometown in Kasuto Village, and be rewarded with the Sailcloth, which can be used to break her falls. With the Sailcloth in hand, Zelda can safely enter the Palace of the Depths.

In the Palace of the Depths, there is constant haunting by Undead Enemies, which Zelda cannot see. This dungeon is almost impossible to complete without a candle. Luckily, there are several torches around the dungeon that can be used to light the undead on fire, making them visible. After the miniboss, Stalwraith, is defeated, Zelda obtains the Firestone, an item which can spray Fire at will, allowing the undead to be defeated much easier. At the center of the castle, the Triforce of Power is visible. However, before Zelda can get it, Ganondorf appears in the room and steals it for himself. Hezla attempts to attack Ganondorf, but is thrown to the side. Ganondorf regrets that it is the last time he will see either of them, and summons an undead monster named Mortis to kill them. Zelda can use the Firestone to destroy Mortis, and obtain a heart container.