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The Legend of Zelda producer Eiji Aonuma recently released a gameplay demonstration to highlight some of the biggest features of the upcoming Nintendo Switch title Tears of the Kingdom. This included a look at several new abilities Link can use in Tears of the Kingdom.

This long-anticipated Breath of the Wild sequel was first announced in 2019. Now, after four years of waiting, the game is almost here. Here’s a closer look at some of the biggest gameplay changes coming to The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.

What are the new abilities in Tears of the Kingdom?

There are four new abilities that have been confirmed so far for Tears of the Kingdom: Recall, Fuse, Ultrahand, and Ascend. Keep reading for an overview of how Link can use each of these techniques to his advantage as he navigates Hyrule.

Recall

The Recall ability allows Link to rewind time and reverse an object’s movement in the process. This ability’s primary function is allowing Link to travel from the ground to one of the islands in the sky above Hyrule.

If an object has fallen from the sky, Link can stand on top of it and then use Recall to make it return to the sky. From there, Link should be able to jump and use his paraglider to reach the nearest sky island.

Fuse

As its name suggests, Fuse is an ability that gives Link the power to fuse two independent items together in order to create a brand new item. For example, Link could fuse a tree branch with a rock to create a makeshift hammer that has much more durability than a standard branch.

The gameplay demonstration also showed Link attaching a pitchfork to a stick to create a long-range weapon and sticking a White Chuchu Jelly to an arrow in order to freeze an enemy from afar, among other things. Ultimately, Fuse adds a unique twist to the durability mechanic from Breath of the Wild by allowing players to constantly create new and unique weapons.

Ultrahand

Similar to Fuse, Ultrahand lets Link join independent objects together. However, the main purpose of Ultrahand is that it allows Link to join objects together to create certain structures by rotating them, placing them on top of each other, and detaching and repositioning them as necessary.

For example, Aonuma showed Link attaching three logs and two fans together to create a makeshift raft. Using Ultrahand will also enable players to make other kinds of vehicles and flying machines that can help them traverse Hyrule.

Ascend

Ascend was the last of the new abilities revealed for Tears of the Kingdom during the gameplay trailer. It allows Link to rise upward and teleport through any ceiling above him. Notably, this can be used inside caves to transport Link to the top of a mountain. As a result, players should have an easier time reaching high places without burning Link’s stamina to climb to the summit.

Changes between Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom

All of the previously-discussed abilities are new additions to Tears of the Kingdom. As a result, this game should innovate when it comes to the ways players can battle enemies, craft weapons and navigate the vast, open-world region presented in the game.

To that end, one of the biggest changes from Breath of the Wild that Nintendo has marketed is the addition of the skies above Hyrule. With Recall and other new abilities, Link can explore the surrounding area in different ways. For this reason, it is likely that this game will provide an even more expansive experience than Breath of the Wild did.