All eyes are on Nintendo, and specifically, The Legend of Zelda, as the year enters its final stretch. While Grand Theft Auto VI is undoubtedly the blockbuster gaming release of the fall, set to land with a seismic impact on November 19, the company could still change the landscape of the season fairly notably depending on when it officially dates its Ocarina of Time remake. Tuesday, September 8, should finally answer when the much-anticipated game will arrive this year thanks to a special 40th anniversary Nintendo Direct celebrating a milestone year in Zelda’s history. However, even before the future of the fantasy adventure series is explored, one release is already dated to commemorate the special occasion.
Earlier this year, Nintendo unveiled The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom — Secrets of the Zonai, a new hardcover artbook full of illustrations, insights by the creative team, and Hyrule history from the surface to the sky islands and the titular Zonai themselves. Spanning 472 pages, the book primarily shows the perspective of the developers, with exclusive “behind-the-scenes sketches, notes, rough designs, concept art, and recollections” from throughout the process of bringing the game to life. However, over 80 pages are dedicated to expanding the lore of Tears of the Kingdom, specifically unfurling the past of the Zonai civilization leading up to the beginning of the Breath of the Wild sequel. The cherry on top of this collection is new interviews with producer Eiji Aonuma, director Hidemaro Fujibayashi, and art director Satoru Takizawa, going further in-depth on the creation.
The wait for Secrets of the Zonai won’t be much longer, as it’s locked in to hit store shelves on October 20. Pre-orders are already open for either the standard hardcover at $59.99 or the Hero Edition, which features a few extra goodies, including a green slipcase containing the book with a special green cover, an art print featuring Link with the sages, a cloth map of the depths, and a replica of the Secret Stone of Time. Picking up this version courtesy of Dark Horse Books will be costly, though, coming in at $119.99.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Collider Exclusive · Universe Personality Quiz Which Iconic Universe Do You Belong in the Most? Star Wars · Lord of the Rings · Harry Potter · Game of Thrones · Star Trek
Five legendary universes. Five completely different visions of what the world could be — or already was. One of them is the world your instincts, your values, and your particular way of existing were built for. Eight questions will tell you which one.
🚀Star Wars
💍Lord of the Rings
🧙Harry Potter
Advertisement
👑Game of Thrones
🖖Star Trek
Advertisement
01
What gives your life its deepest sense of meaning? Every universe is built around a different answer to this question.
Advertisement
02
Which kind of world do you most want to inhabit? The environment shapes who you become. Choose carefully.
Advertisement
03
How do you prefer your conflicts resolved? The shape of a world’s conflicts tells you everything about its soul.
Advertisement
04
Who do you want beside you when things get difficult? Your ideal companions reveal the world you were made for.
Advertisement
05
What is your relationship with power? How you seek, wield, or resist power is the map of who you are.
Advertisement
06
How does your universe treat good and evil? A world’s moral architecture tells you more about it than any map.
Advertisement
07
What role would you naturally fall into? Every universe has archetypes. Which one fits you without trying?
Advertisement
08
What do you ultimately believe about the future? The answer to this is the clearest window into which universe already lives inside you.
Advertisement
Your Universe Has Been Chosen You Belong In…
Your answers point to the iconic universe your values, your instincts, and your particular way of seeing the world were built for. This is where you would find your people — and your purpose.
Advertisement
A Galaxy Far, Far Away
Star Wars
You believe in the cause — in the idea that freedom is worth fighting for even when the odds are impossible and the empire is vast.
Advertisement
You are drawn to the moral clarity of a universe where hope itself is a form of resistance.
You’d find your people in the Rebellion — a ragtag coalition of true believers held together by conviction more than resources.
Star Wars is fundamentally a story about ordinary people choosing to matter in an extraordinary conflict — and that is exactly your kind of story.
The Force may or may not be with you. But the will to use it for something larger than yourself certainly is.
Middle-earth
Lord of the Rings
You understand, in the deepest part of yourself, that the journey matters as much as the destination — and that the world’s beauty is worth protecting even at great cost.
Advertisement
Middle-earth is a world of ancient wonder, deep friendship, and a darkness that only retreats when enough small acts of courage accumulate.
You would thrive here because you value the fellowship more than the glory — the road more than the arrival.
Tolkien’s universe rewards patience, loyalty, and the willingness to carry something heavy across a very long distance.
Those are not burdens to you. They are simply how you move through the world.
The Wizarding World
Harry Potter
You believe that love, loyalty, and doing what’s right are not naive sentiments — they are the most powerful forces in any world, magical or otherwise.
Advertisement
The Wizarding World is a place of wonder hidden in plain sight, where learning is transformative and the bonds you form at school follow you into every battle.
You would flourish here because you take both the magic and the friendships seriously — and you understand that one without the other is incomplete.
Harry Potter’s universe ultimately rewards those who choose to stand for something even when standing is terrifying.
That choice — made quietly, without guarantee — is something you understand completely.
Westeros · The Known World
Game of Thrones
You see the world clearly — its power structures, its hypocrisies, its brutal arithmetic — and you are not paralysed by that clarity. You use it.
Advertisement
Westeros is a world that rewards intelligence, adaptability, and the willingness to understand that every alliance is also a negotiation.
You would survive here — possibly thrive here — because you don’t confuse the world as it is with the world as you’d like it to be.
Game of Thrones is a story about what happens when the idealists and the realists collide. You are sharp enough to know which one lasts longer.
Winter always comes. You are already prepared.
The United Federation of Planets
Star Trek
You believe the future is worth building — that curiosity, cooperation, and the expansion of understanding are not just ideals but the most practical path forward for any civilisation.
Advertisement
Star Trek is a universe where the questions matter as much as the answers, and where encountering something utterly alien is cause for wonder rather than fear.
You would belong here because you are fundamentally optimistic about what intelligence and decency can achieve — while being honest about how hard that achievement is.
The Federation is the universe’s most ambitious thought experiment: what if we actually got better?
You don’t just hope that’s possible. You think it’s the only thing worth working toward.
Advertisement
What Else Is Expected at ‘The Legend of Zelda’s 40th Anniversary Direct?
Between Secrets of the Zonai and the anniversary direct, Nintendo still has a lot left in store as The Legend of Zelda‘s 40th birthday year comes to a close. The upcoming presentation, however, should have a lot to say about where the franchise is going in the near future. Ocarina of Time will undoubtedly be a big part of their showcase, but it’s also likely to be where Nintendo provides a new look at the upcoming The Legend of Zelda movie from Wes Ball. Last month, the rest of the main cast was revealed, with Uli Latukefu joining Benjamin Evan Ainsworth and Bo Bragason as the evil warlock, Ganondorf, alongside Yvonne Strahovski, Dichen Lachman, and the late great Sam Neill in his final role. With the film due to be released on April 30 next year, a trailer isn’t out of the question. It remains to be seen if the gaming giant will also tease a proper new game for the Nintendo Switch 2 era, considering it’s been three years since Tears of the Kingdom.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom — Secrets of the Zonai is available to pre-order now ahead of its release on October 20. Check out the cover and Hero Editions in the gallery above.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login