Summary
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomhas been out for a while now, and many players have made their mark on the latest iteration of Hyrule. With mechanics encouraging player experimentation and finding unique solutions,Tears of the Kingdomhas endeared itself to many. Building on the base established byBreath of the Wild, it benefits from that game’s own successes, and the end result is a title that will stand as one ofThe Legend of Zelda’s all-time greats for years to come.
At this point, fans doubt that there’s much more to do in this version of Hyrule, and Nintendo has already agreed. Series producer Eiji Aonuma stated thatTears of the Kingdomwill not receive any DLC as the game already represents all that Nintendo wants to do with this era ofZelda. The trilogy ofBreath of the Wild,Age of Calamity, andTears of the Kingdomwill stand as an impressive slate ofZeldagames on the Nintendo Switch, but it’s time forThe Legend of Zeldato move on to a new setting.
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It’s Time For Zelda To Tackle The Modern Day
What that means at this point is hard to say.The Legend of Zeldais known for using a medieval fantasy look in all of its games, withBreath of the WildandTears of the Kingdomintroducing the most futuristic technology the franchise has seen. It feels almost like theZeldafranchise is trying to push away from its normal aesthetic, with strange sights such asLink using a touchscreen tablet and a motorcyclebecoming commonplace. With another setting reset at hand, it may be time to lean into this and make aZeldagame that fans have been discussing for a long time.
UrbanLegend of Zeldais such an old idea that it’s fallen out of contemporary use somewhat. Modern-day or even futuristic elements in aZeldagame have long been theorized, but the franchise never sprung for them. Even with suggestions of modernity in titles likeLink’s Awakeningwith its telephones and crane game, Link has consistently been shown visiting small villages in between bouts of exploring a monster-infested countryside. However, that approach may still work in a more modern context, and could even carry on some of the concepts that madeBreath of the WildandTears of the Kingdomso appealing.
How A Futuristic Zelda Game Could Work
Pivoting to urban fantasy would work well with modernZelda’s open-world identity, which Nintendo has expressed interest in keeping. While fans shouldn’t expect afirst-personZeldagame in the vein ofCyberpunk 2077, the focus on Link’s traversal and manipulating the environment with an Ultrahand stand-in could remain. A car might not always suit the Hero of Hyrule, but the Master Cycle could return with customization features found in bothTears of the KingdomandSpirit Tracks.
As for the rest of the game, Hyrule Castle Town lends itself to becoming a large, central hub that branches off into various fields and dungeons, such as abandoned malls, mystical underground ruins, or countryside with as much to discover as any otherZeldatitle. The end result might end up lookingsomething likeGrand Theft Auto 5’s map, with more wilderness packed into areas without civilians. A futuristic science fiction setting could also be interesting, but with urban fantasy already being such a huge leap for the series, ensuring it can work withZelda’s typical magic and tribes should take priority. There’s no telling exactly whereZeldawill go afterTears of the Kingdom, but it might finally try building an urbanLegend of Zelda.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomis available now for Nintendo Switch.
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