Zelda fans rally around Tears of the Kingdom leaks that confirm Hyrulian cheese

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom screenshot
(Image credit: Nintendo)

Forget your flashy gameplay demos - The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom fans are excited about cheese.

Over the past weekend, Tears of the Kingdom's forthcoming art book leaked online, unveiling unannounced details and spoilers for the new game. One slightly less headline-worthy point of note in the new art book, as you can see via the Reddit post below, is that cheese is apparently a thing in the new Zelda game.

That's "Hateno Cheese" specifically, as the caption in the Japanese artbook reads. Perhaps instead of pieces of the iconic Triforce, Tears of the Kingdom will see Link scouring Hyrule to recover three triangles of cheese, representing courage, power, and wisdom.

The Zelda fandom is, erm, weirdly excited about the prospect of cheese in Tears of the Kingdom. While some are just praising the item, others are thinking in more granular detail, with one Reddit user hoping for "a way to have an unbroken cheese wheel that could be dropped whole and rolled downhill." God knows how Breath of the Wild trickshot players could incorporate this.

"100 metacritic score incoming," writes another Reddit user. "Spoiler alert: cheese in the game will also have "durability"...if Link eats it when it's past it's best, he'll lose hearts," says another creative Tears of the Kingdom fan. One wonders if the Hateno Cheese could even transition to Blue Cheese if Link has it in his backpack too long.

Given the artbook leak though, you will want to be wary online if you're looking to avoid details that aren't as granular as cheese in Tears of the Kingdom. Big plot points are leaking online thanks to the artbook, and it's a while until Tears of the Kingdom launches later this year on May 12.

Elsewhere, Tears of the Kingdom fans think it's a prequel to Skyward Sword, as the Zelda timeline rears its head once again. 

Hirun Cryer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.

Read more
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is at the front line of the debate over the Nintendo Switch 2's computing power, because if the Switch 1 can load three worlds at once, imagine what its sequel can do
Monster Hunter Wilds characters share a meal
"Thank you, Monster Hunter": Japanese restaurant's sales jump after Monster Hunter Wilds gives millions of players a hankering for stretchy cheese
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom screenshot of Link riding a horse across a vast field.
The best Zelda games of all time
A screenshot shows a teardrop-shaped protagonist smiling.
The Metroidvania gods have spoken and answered my prayers with this horror game that looks like Majora's Mask if it let you play as an onion-headed freak
The Knightling standing in a sunlit field
This open-world game imagines a cartoony Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom where the Master Sword is the Master Shield – it's coming to all platforms and I dig its Steam Next Fest demo
Zelda holding up a collected item in Echoes of Wisdom, with the screenshot framed by GamesRadar+'s Year in Review artwork
2024 was the year The Legend of Zelda lived up to its name, and the result was a bit like mixing rock salt and floral nectar
Latest in The Legend of Zelda
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time screenshot showing Link, a young boy with elf-like ears and blond hair, with a surprised expression on his face
"I can't go through [with] this": The weirdest Zelda ad didn't get Nintendo's approval, but it probably happened anyway because the marketing execs were already on-site
Link and Epona
A Zelda movie is finally happening, but Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto used to adamantly oppose the idea even "if Steven Spielberg himself" wanted to do it
A screenshot of the moon in The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask.
Despite Zelda: Majora's Mask basically being a horror game, one of its key devs didn't think its creepiest features were scary at all: "People on the team were like 'whoa!'"
The Witcher 3 next-gen
Zelda and Star Fox legend Takaya Imamura would "love" to make a Star Wars game with The Witcher 3's CD Projekt Red – and now I'm desperate to make it happen
Botw
Legendary Zelda dev "wasn't too pleased" about working on A Link to the Past as it robbed his enjoyment of playing the finished game: "I still really don't want to play that game"
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is at the front line of the debate over the Nintendo Switch 2's computing power, because if the Switch 1 can load three worlds at once, imagine what its sequel can do
Latest in News
Nintendo Switch 2, dock and TV
Report: Nintendo analysts expect Switch 2 to cost at least $400, have a great launch lineup with new 3D Mario and Metroid Prime 4, and be the biggest console launch in history
Silent Hill f
Famed Higurashi When They Cry creator Ryukishi07 says he worked so hard on the Silent Hill f story that "I don't think I would mind if it was the last thing I ever wrote"
Vampire Survivors
Vampire Survivors devs launch official wiki "free of ads, banners, and all of the junk that gets in your way," joining Stardew Valley and Terraria in community wikis with minimal intrusions
Gachiakuta season 1 promo art featuring Rudo
The anime for stylish action manga Gachiakuta will be a Crunchyroll exclusive, and the hit series could be the next big shonen star
WalkScape
"Staying MTX and advertisement free is absolutely key": Almost 20 years later, RuneScape fan turns his MMO love into an old-school RPG where fitness is the grind
Death Stranding 2 Collector's Edition Magellan Man
Hideo Kojima says Death Stranding 2's Collector's Edition 15-inch Magellan Man is part of his studio's "spirit and soul," so the crew went to China to make sure it's good enough