Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom's Opening Scene Confirms 'Weakened Link' Theory

This article contains mild spoilers for "The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom."

Gamers everywhere are finally diving into "The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom," and early reactions are nothing short of glowing. As of midnight, players are already diving into the newly changed kingdom of Hyrule and testing out Link's new powers. By now, some players have also discovered why Link has to go on a quest to build himself back up again. After all, he was so tough by the end of "Breath of the Wild," so what happened?

There have been a number of theories surrounding Link's new arm in "Tears of the Kingdom," as well as his weakened state. One of the most prevalent of these theories has said that a mystical attack from Ganondorf has left his arm ruined and his powers drained. Well, the opening scene of "Tears of the Kingdom" has now confirmed this theory — but things are much more dire for Link and Zelda than anyone could have guessed. Here's how it all goes down.

"The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom" wastes no time in answering the question of how Link gets de-powered. The game's prologue sees the hero and Zelda encountering the mummified remains of Ganondorf, who suddenly snaps to life. Not only does this resurrection cause a huge fracture in the land that sends parts of the kingdom up into the sky, but contact with the living corpse also sets Link's arm ablaze and immediately drains his life force.

Link barely survives this initial encounter with Ganondorf, which leaves him with only three hearts' worth of health and a single container of stamina. Oh, and the Master Sword is pretty much wrecked. We won't go into any further detail so as to avoid major spoilers, but this is just the beginning of Link's worries. It's hard to save the world and the titular princess with but a fraction of your power, but Link is determined to do it!

"The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom" is out now on Nintendo Switch.