The developers were inspired by social media posts to create gameplay mechanics that encouraged experimentation and sometimes struggled to differentiate the sequel from its predecessor.

[1][2] The Depths is a dark region that requires items to illuminate and contains treasures as well as hazards such as lava and gloom, a harmful substance that reduces Link's maximum hearts until the player removes this effect by returning to the surface of Hyrule.

[6][3] Tears of the Kingdom introduces Zonai devices, which can be used for combat, exploration, or solving puzzles as well as to construct vehicles, such as rockets, sleds, and fans.

[13] Link and Zelda set out to explore a cavern beneath Hyrule Castle, from which a poisonous substance called "gloom" has been seeping out and causing people to fall ill.

There, they find murals depicting the founding of Hyrule and a subsequent conflict known as the Imprisoning War—an ancient battle against a being only referred to as the "Demon King"—which Zelda believes to be related to the mysterious Zonai race.

There, he learns that the event in the cavern, known as the Upheaval, has wrought chaos upon Hyrule, and he sets out to investigate reports of strange phenomena throughout the kingdom.

After defeating Phantom Ganon, Link sets out to find Mineru, the last of the ancient sages, who remains in the physical world via spiritual projection.

After Ganondorf killed Sonia and used her secret stone to become the Demon King, Rauru appointed his older sister Mineru, Zelda, and the leaders of the Zora, Rito, Gorons, and Gerudo as sages.

In order to repair the Master Sword and bring it to Link in the present, she swallowed her secret stone and underwent "draconification", becoming the immortal Light Dragon and losing her sense of self.

In the present, after ridding the Great Deku Tree from gloom in Korok Forest, Link retrieves the Master Sword from the Light Dragon and heads below Hyrule Castle to confront Ganondorf.

Some time later, on the Great Sky Island, Mineru bids farewell to Zelda and Link before fading away, while the new sages vow to protect Hyrule.

The developers had thought of several features to include as downloadable content (DLC) for Breath of the Wild, but the sheer number of ideas inspired them to create a new game instead.

[16][17] While he was shown early demos, the role of Zelda creator Shigeru Miyamoto was minimized due to scheduling conflicts as he was producing The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023).

Technical director Takuhiro Dohta cited Wii Sports Resort as an inspiration when adding new mechanics, also noting that using familiar locations is useful for players when skydiving.

According to Dohta, the dungeons were designed with regional characteristics to make them unique to their respective environments, similar to previous games in The Legend of Zelda franchise.

As such, the development team created more tools in Tears of the Kingdom to give players a unique gameplay experience, inspired by videos of their accomplishments and activities posted on social media after the release of Breath of the Wild.

[33][34] More information was revealed in the Nintendo Direct presentation held in September 2022, including the title Tears of the Kingdom and a release date of May 12, 2023.

[47] While feeling that it did not replicate the experience of playing through its predecessor, Game Informer wrote that Tears of the Kingdom evoked a compelling response by how it revisited previous locations.

[1] Eurogamer felt that the player could spend their entire time exploring the Depths, but would need to return to the surface for useful tools, helping create a compelling gameplay loop.

The reviewer contended that the skies were more fun to explore than the Depths, praising their designs and comparing them to environs from Skyward Sword and The Wind Waker.

[45] Polygon said that learning how to use the powers was one of the main appeals of the experience, and likened Ascend to a noclip mode and the rest to cheat codes.

[49] The Guardian felt that the powers allowed for the player to circumvent every object in multiple potential ways, writing that this freedom to progress was novel and fun.

[7] Nintendo Life said that the narrative was more compelling than that of its predecessor, adding that the characters featured in the story and related side quests were more engaging.

[47] Polygon felt that the dungeons featured alongside the story were among the weaknesses, feeling these areas infringed upon player freedom and that Link's allies were too verbose.

[1][7][42] Nintendo Life wrote that Tears of the Kingdom highlighted the Switch's limited capabilities, mentioning the falling frame rate while saying that it was only a minor problem.