Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom Leak Confirms A Massive, Elden Ring-Like Feature

The game files for "The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom" have been leaked and emulations of the game are already available online. This has caused spoilers to spread like wildfire across the internet, which is bad news for Nintendo as well as any fans who were hoping to go into the game blind. While the conditions of the information's release certainly aren't ideal, these leaks have confirmed numerous details about the game that some fans have been dying to learn. One detail of particular interest involves a fan theory that the new game will make use of a feature many associate with 2022's Game of the Year, "Elden Ring."

It might not initially seem like these two games have much in common thematically — one is gruesome and bleak while the other is much more cheery and colorful — but they're actually a lot more alike than one might think. They are both action RPGs set in massive open worlds that revolve around fierce combat and exploration. It's in this open world that fans have noticed a glaring similarity — it turns out that the Lands Between from "Elden Ring" and the reimagined kingdom of Hyrule from "Tears of the Kingdom" both feature an underworld that's just as big as the world above.

Fans first noticed during the launch trailer for "Tears of the Kingdom" that the game would include a subterranean dungeon area. It was impossible to know exactly how large the region was going to be at the time, but many noted that it looked like it might cover quite a large area. This is very similar to the worldbuilding design found in "Elden Ring." FromSoftware's fantasy RPG also features a labyrinthian underworld that's just as large as the already considerably sized world above. This is a largely secret area that players don't need to access in order to complete the primary campaign, but it offers hours of extra exploration for those who wish to spend more time in the game.

The underworld featured in "Tears of the Kingdom" is reportedly called The Depths. It's still unknown exactly what players will be doing in this subterranean realm, but it seems clear that they will be spending a lot of time down there. Many who've been playing the emulations claim that they've been having issues with the area's floor textures not loading properly and have therefore been unable to properly explore the area as of yet. This might be due to that version of the game being unfinished or it might simply be the nature of the emulation itself, but fans will likely have to wait until the game officially releases on May 12 before they can learn all that The Depths have to offer.