What's Come Out Recently?

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Since I wrote last, a lot has come out about Tears of the Kingdom:

• Official gameplay video
• Final trailer
• Various commercials
• Multiple gameplay previews through Zelda streamers/YouTubers and gaming outlets
• Leaks -- first (allegedly) some cutscenes, and now the whole game (confirmed)

I've purposely avoided previews (though I've come into contact with a few small details through my partner and the odd stray post) and, of course, the leaks, since I want to go in not knowing too much. (It's much more fun that way, I think!)

Zonai Stuff Confirmed?

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This is a little thing, but I wanted to give it its own section since the fandom focus (and my focus) on the Zonai during the TOTK hype cycle has been so notable. We got confirmation in the gameplay video that the magic is Zonai in nature, as one of the constructs powered by that magic drops a "Zonai Charge" containing that energy.

When Is The Game Set?

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We have a few reasons to believe TOTK is set a few years after BOTW based on the final trailer:

• Riju is taller and has longer hair
• Tulin has grown
• Sidon is wearing the king's crown
• New settlements

What's Going on With Ganondorf?

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This is the question to me. Some details from the trailer and official materials that stand out to me in relation to Ganondorf:

• This is the first time we've seen Ganondorf proper -- not Demise or some stripe of Ganon -- since Twilight Princess!
• His physical form is so old that he still has rounded ears, contrasting with how all modern Gerudo have pointed ears by the time of the Calamity.
• His design here seems to be more rooted in Gerudo culture than previous iterations.
• He's much more solemn and serious than other iterations, who are often smirking and cocky. (Tumblr post)
• His attire is quite vulnerable and reservedly authoratative, rather than kingly or god-like. (Tumblr post)
• His design strongly evokes Fudo Myoo, a venerated deity in Japanese Buddhism with the power to defeat demons. (Tumblr post)
• We see a Demise-like figure separately from Ganondorf proper in the trailer, with the flowing flame-like hair and black scaly skin, that has not been officially discussed/shown otherwise or tied to Ganondorf.
• According to his profile on the official Japanese site, as translated by James Galizio, Ganondorf "appears to have a connection to the disaster transpiring in Hyrule," and is not explicitly said to be the cause of it.
• The thing he's connected to is called the "Upheaval" (it's been referred to this way on on the official Australian site and a Nintendo of Europe Tweet). Note that this is not inherently negative language -- it refers to change, albeit chaotic change.

And here are some ideas about what might be going on based on these details:

• Ganondorf may actually not be up to anything himself. In fact -- and this is wishful thinking -- he may even be fighting against the cycle, Demise, his fate, etc. Maybe he even sealed himself away.
• If the Demise figure actually is Demise, it's possible we'll see him awaken in Ganondorf during the events of TOTK, but I also think it's possibly we're seeing flashbacks of the past (which would explain why we see an ancient Zelda or Hylia). He's also the one that probably spoke the "don't look away" line.

Anything Else?

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• I've really warmed up to the weird building-things mechanics.
• I truly have no idea who the horned guy in the trailer is.
• Fans figured out where multiple characters were in the trailer (all were on the Great Plateau -- finishing things where everything started?) fairly quickly after the trailer dropped. People have been referring to it as "doxxing" the characters. This is a silly fandom history detail I don't want to be lost to time.
• I'm hoping there's a little more care put into localization for TOTK. I am pro-localization (translation vs. localization continues to be a weird culture war issue among gamers and weebs) and understand that translators often have to do their best without access to a line's context, but I do feel we lost some things in BOTW's English release. Revali's personality came across more abrasively, the "Special Delivery" sidequest came off as unsavory to many (myself included), and, most notably, we lost a lot of Link characterization.
• As linkbetweenlinks writes, "I love that in botw Link was alone, like very alone in a big world full of ruins and dwindling societies. And NOW in totk it's shown that he won't be alone at all, he's got the new champions and all the people he's met on his journey have got his back too [...] It's very literally everyone going 'you helped us and saved Hyrule, now it's our turn to help you'."