Summary
In celebration ofThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom’s one-year anniversary, Nintendo has released a brand-new piece of artwork based on an important scene from the game. Nintendo has typically prepared anniversary celebrations for its titles, andTears of the Kingdomis no exception. Nintendo already announced aTears of the Kingdomsoundtrack and artbook releaseearlier this week as part of its celebrations. Now fans can enjoy a piece of artwork from Nintendo that mirrors an iconic scene from the game that fans will recognize.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomwas released exactly one year ago, on June 09, 2025. The game is a sequel to 2017’sBreath of the Wild, continuing the adventures of this world’s incarnations of Link and Zelda. The game also introduces a number of new mechanics that help Link explore the vast open world of Hyrule. Fans and critics praisedTears of the Kingdomfor its new features and more intricate storytelling, giving a bunch of new scenes between Zelda and Link that furthered their relationship in many fans' eyes. One of these scenes is captured in the first-year anniversary artwork forTears of the Kingdom.
In a new tweet posted to Nintendo’s official account, it shows Link and Zelda falling out of the sky, with Link reaching out and grabbing her hand. The tweet celebrates the occasion, asking fans about what their favorite memories are ofexploring Hyrule inTears of the Kingdom. Astute observers note that this piece of artwork mirrors a piece of artwork that was released for the launch ofTears of the Kingdomlast year, which fans appreciated as a fun call-back.
Tears of the Kingdom’s Anniversary Art Mirrors an Important Scene
The two pieces of artwork, when put together, also mirror two important scenes fromTears of the Kingdom. The 2023 launch artwork mirrors the game’s opening cutscene, where after Link and Zelda meet Ganondorf, the dark warlord ends up corrupting Link’s arm. Zelda then falls into a pit underground, which spurns Link to try and save her, reaching out with his corrupted arm as they fall. The anniversary artwork, on the other hand, is taken fromthe endgame ofTears of the Kingdom, where Link tries saving Zelda again in the same way, with the two falling out of the sky this time.
Many fans joked that it took Nintendo an entire year to “press A,” as this artwork was based on a quick-time event scene that is impossible to fail in-game, while others gushed about how it capturedZelda and Link’s relationship inTears of the Kingdom. Many were happy about this piece of artwork celebrating the 2023 game and were excited about what will be next for the long-running franchise’s future.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
WHERE TO PLAY
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is the sequel to the beloved open-world adventure, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. This installment once again sees Link and Zelda battling to protect Hyrule from falling to Ganondorf. This new adventure takes place in the same land of Hyrule as Breath of the Wild but sees something called the Upheaval, which allows link to travel to Sky Islands, as well as deep into the Depths beneath Hyrule. Players can use special abilities to fuse together weapons, and build items to help them progress through the release.
