SomeZeldafans are so eager to playTears of the Kingdomthat they’re camping out for three whole days in order to grab it early on release day.The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomis set to go on sale Friday, May 12.Tears of the Kingdomis the much-anticipated sequel toThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, 2017’s Game of the Year. Footage shown thus far promises everything fans loved about the original, plus expanded gameplay mechanics likeLink’s new Fuse abilityand vertical traversal to floating islands high above Hyrule’s surface. With the game’s release mere days away, the hype has reached a fever pitch – and some fans are taking all the necessary measures to get a copy of the game as soon as possible.RELATED:New Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Merchandise Has Been Revealed Ahead of Game’s LaunchOneZeldaenthusiast, going by OfficialCND on Twitter, is camping out for a full 72 hours ahead of the game’s release. The fan posted an image of themselves in line at Nintendo New York in Rockefeller Plaza, where they are clearly one of many prepared to fight fatigue and back pain in order to be among the first to help Link take his first steps on a new adventure. OfficialCND wrote: “10am today till 10am Friday = 72 full hours. This will be the longest I’ve ever waited without leaving the line.”
For more casual gamers, the wait time might seem exorbitant. After all, those who want toplayTears of the Kingdomas soon as possibleapparently can boot up the digital version as early as 9 PM PT on the night of Thursday, May 11, according to Nintendo. But people still love physical media, especially for highly anticipated titles. And waiting for a physical release allows players the feeling of community via hanging out with other fans and eagerly anticipating the opportunity to secure their own copy.
Plus, some of those waiting outside Nintendo NY might have already preloaded the digital version ofTears of the Kingdomand brought along their Switch to play it Thursday night – that way, their first experience with the game can be a communal affair with the hardcore fans stationed around them. One thing is certain: The gaming scene rarely sees anticipation at this level. It’s a credit to Nintendo and the developers ofBreath of the Wildfor building this kind of loyalty – or maybe everyone’s just relieved thatZelda’s traditional dungeons are back.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomlaunches exclusively for the Nintendo Switch on May 12.
