Summary
Despite following up the global hit that wasBreath of the Wild,The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdommanaged to set the world on fire again. Millions of players returned to the largest take on Hyrule yet and were promptly hooked byTears of the Kingdom’s groundbreaking new mechanics. Ultrahand, Fuse, Ascend, and Rewind replaced the Sheikah Slate Runes fromBotW, granting players even more freedom in the process. It may take a while for the nextZeldatitle to arrive, butTears of the Kingdomhas more than enough emergent gameplay to keep fans entertained in the meantime.
Unfortunately, some of that mechanical freedom is already on the chopping block. Nintendo staff have confirmed that no further DLC or sequels are planned forBreath of the WildandTears of the Kingdom, andUltrahand won’t return in the nextZeldagame. As some of the most chaotic features to ever graceThe Legend of Zelda, it’s disappointing to hear that Ultrahand and its fellow powers are being retired so soon. The nextZeldatitle is planned to keep the current open-world approach going, so it’s going to need to find something new to keep moment-to-moment gameplay fresh asTears of the Kingdom’s on-the-fly crafting did.
Add Replayability With Features Like Multiplayer
One approach to instilling unpredictability inZeldais to borrow some features that fans have already tested.Zeldamultiplayer mods are popular and could be incorporated in campaign-friendly ways, like finally making Zelda playable alongside Link in a mainline entry. These would not be part of the core experience, but there are ways to reference them in single-player, like with thefirst 3DTLoZinstance of the Four Sword.
Zelda Could Add An Official Randomizer
Other popularZeldamods for adding replay value are randomizers. These bring an element of surprise back into games players are intimately familiar with, allowing for an essentially infinite number of fresh experiences if handled right. Random elements in general, like roaming enemies, severe weather effects, and random dungeon layouts, could add some of that variety to a first playthrough as well.
Emphasis on Elemental and Physical Properties
For a more direct approach to keepingTears of the Kingdom’s emergent gameplay intact, a futureZeldagame could double down on the physics and property interactions present inTotK. Even as far back asBreath of the Wild, players delighted in discovering different ways to use fire or channel electricity through their metal weapons.
This could become the new focus of aZeldagame, with things like temperature, corrosive or expanding substances, or even major seasonal or temporal shifts like theOracle of AgesandOracle of Seasonstitlescould rapidly affect any environment.
Scaled-Back Crafting Mechanics
Ultrahand and Fuse may be gone, but they don’t need to be forgotten. Weapon and vehicle crafting could stick around with restrictions, like needing to be done within specific areas, while also supporting finer details. If thenextZeldatitle also introduced base-building mechanics, they could share functionality with the crafting. It would only be an echo of what was possible inTears of the Kingdom, but it would allow for some player creativity while leaving space for the rest of the game to try something new.
Zelda’s Items Could Be Overhauled
The nextLegend of Zeldacould make a lot of old fans happy by modernizing its traditionalZeldaitems with the open-ended uses ofTears of the Kingdom’s powers. Bows would retain their Fuse functions fromTotKwhile adding new ammunition likeThief’s rope arrows or seeds for organic bounce pads; bombs could make slowed-time or antigravity fields, or implode with a vacuum effect; a Spinner equivalent could double jump and use vertical walls as half-pipes; and theDouble Clawshot’s return alongsideTotK’s climbing and glidingspeaks for itself. Throw in a non-linear acquisition order, and the hole left byTears of the Kingdom’s Ultrahand should be thoroughly filled.
