The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdommanaged to get good mileage out of a rather controversial mechanic, but it won’t continue to be necessary. In many ways,The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdommanaged to expand on whatBreath of the Wilddid. It even managed to throw in completely new elements like the Ultrahand. Much of this experimentation was successful, and helped it become a title that can set the standard for futureZeldagames. Even with so many good ideas, there is one that might not have a place in Link’s next adventure.
Themechanics ofTears of the Kingdommesh well with the game’s nature as an open-world adventure. Cooking and climbing are fun additions that add an extra feeling of rugged survival to Link’s journey. Having so many weapons and sets of armor to use also adds an amount of customization that mostZeldatitles do not have, giving the game even more of an identity in the series. Of course, the Ultrahand is a phenomenon in its own right, letting players put their imagination to use to create all kinds of machines and structures. In terms of gameplay,Tears of the Kingdomdoesn’t disappoint.
Tears of the Kingdom’s Weapon Durability Mechanic Might Not be Necessary in the Series' Future
Breakable Weapons Were a Part of Tears of the Kingdom’s Formula
The introduction ofweapon durability inBreath of the Wildwas one of the more contentious additions to the game, and one thatTears of the Kingdomcontinued. While Link can pick up a lot of weapons inTears of the Kingdom, all of them aside from the Master Sword will eventually break. Theoretically, this could encourage players to try a lot of different weapons, since they’ll be switching them out a lot anyway. However, it has the downside of discouraging players from using particularly strong or cool weapons too much. After all, using them will bring them closer to getting broken.
The Giant’s Knife FromOcarina of Timebroke after a few swings, but it was that game’s only breakable weapon.
Weapon Durability Could Be Another Short-Term Legend of Zelda Gimmick
Breakable weapons might not have a place inThe Legend of Zelda’s futurefor a few reasons. Mechanics have come and gone from the series in an almost game-by-game basis. Things like the three-day cycle inMajora’s Maskand Zelda possessing a suit of armor inSpirit Tracksare specific to those games. A major reason whyBreath of the WildandTears of the Kingdomshared so many mechanics is because they are a duology that follow the same storyline. The nextLegend of Zeldatitle that isn’t tied to them will probably see many mechanical changes, including where weapons are concerned.
The Next Zelda Game Could Consider Multiple Weapons Again
Tears of the Kingdom’s approach to weapons still has one silver lining. Themany weapons inTears of the Kingdomthat were available to Link are an idea that is worth revisiting. After all, Link has historically had access to plenty of weapons in his adventures, including bows, bombs, boomerangs, and more. His arsenal is even a major inspiration on hisSuper Smash Bros.moveset. Letting Link swap to other melee weapons like axes and spears could provide an opportunity for more approaches to combat.Tears of the Kingdom’s ability to make weapons through fusion arguably strengthens that argument.
Weapon durability is one aspect ofTears of the Kingdomthat probably doesn’t need to return. There will probably be anew mechanic in the nextLegend of Zeldathat gameplay will be based around, as has happened many times before. Maybe Link will even be able to wield multiple weapons again. However, the management that comes from breakable weapons may not be necessary anymore. It was a good fit forTears of the Kingdom’s formula, but the nextLegend of Zeldawon’t need such a mechanic, and it could be refreshing to freely wield a variety of weapons again.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
WHERE TO PLAY
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is the sequel to the beloved open-world adventure, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. This installment once again sees Link and Zelda battling to protect Hyrule from falling to Ganondorf. This new adventure takes place in the same land of Hyrule as Breath of the Wild but sees something called the Upheaval, which allows link to travel to Sky Islands, as well as deep into the Depths beneath Hyrule. Players can use special abilities to fuse together weapons, and build items to help them progress through the release.
