Summary
Since cooking made a return inThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomwith a handy in-game cookbook to keep track of hundreds of recipes, Nintendo now has the opportunity to expand the feature even further for futureZeldagames. Though it wasn’t one of the more ambitious changesBreath of the Wildmade to the series' formula,Zelda’s introduction of cooking and useful recipesallowed players to both heal and benefit from secondary effects. As a substitute for the traditional collectible hearts and health potions, it was virtually inevitable that cooking would return inTears of the Kingdom.
However, despite introducing a cookbook for players to record, collect, and refer to,Tears of the Kingdomdidn’t change much about the mechanic itself. While Zonai portable pots were an equally useful addition and there were new ingredients and recipes on offer, cooking itself remained the same, with players only able to use up to five ingredients thrown in all at once. Now thatTears of the Kingdomand its predecessor have acclimatized players to cooking, the next game should pushZelda’s cooking in creative new ways.
What’s Cooking with The Legend of Zelda?
The Quiet History of Cooking in Zelda Games
Though players were finally allowed to cook for themselves inBreath of the WildandTears of the Kingdom, classicZeldagames have used foodas an in-game item for decades. For instance, the originalThe Legend of Zeldautilized “Food” as enemy bait, similar to the Yiga Clan’s banana obsession, while other games likeA Link to the PastandLink’s Awakeningincluded apples as collectibles. However, the closest the series got to actual meals would have been with the likes ofWind Waker’s Elixir Soup obtained via Link’s Grandmother, altogether demonstrating that food has been in the background ofZeldagames for some time.
Cooking Between Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom
As part of many new mechanics working together to create a cohesive system forBreath of the Wild, cooking was a useful feature that players would need to rely on throughout the game. As a series first, it was likely intentional thatBreath of the Wildkept things simple with a one-dish-fits-all approach limited to just five ingredients, giving players the chance to get to grips with the new mechanic. Its sequel didn’t stray too far from this either.Tears of the Kingdomadded features like portable cooking potsand a cookbook to refineBotW’s in-game cooking instead of attempting to revolutionize the mechanic.
The Future of Cooking Beyond Tears of the Kingdom
Tears of the Kingdomfocusing on cooking’s quality of life gives its successor plenty of newfound potential to work with. Cooking allowed players to have a sense of agency in bothBreath of the Wildand its sequel, such as allowing players to strategize with added status effects to engaging with side quests to unlock new ingredients, as seen withTears of the Kingdom’s Hateno Cheeseand Sun Pumpkins. Therefore, moving past simplified cooking could incentivize players to experiment and discover more through a fleshed-out food system.
Whether these changes are big or small, expanding cooking for newZeldagames could improve both gameplay and world-building for the player. By providing players with more control over how to cook their food, which ingredients to use, when, and how, and a wider range of outcomes for them to discover, cooking could become an intrinsic part ofZeldaas much as fishing or horse-riding are. With several possible examples of how cooking could be changed or improved listed below, the successor toThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomcould spice up the player’s experience and broaden their palates for futureZeldagames.
