Many mysteries still surroundThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. The trailers released so far have been a mix of cinematics and scenes of Link traveling through Hyrule. Some of these shots are set around the new floating islands that dot Hyrule’s skies, and something new is always visible. Still, the fan base is left with the feeling that they don’t know much about the game at all. Screenshot comparisons toBreath of the Wildhave confirmed thatTears of the Kingdomis indeed using the same map for the surface, but even that has undergone some notable changes to its landmarks.
A lot of outstanding questions revolve around the mechanics ofTears of the Kingdom.Breath of the Wildwas undoubtedly a great game that gracefully explored the open world formula in ways that few other games have matched. This focus, however, made it suffer as a traditionalZeldagame, and some fans took issue with things likeweapon durability and dungeon density. Players spend a lot of time inBreath of the Wild’s Hyrule, so anything they don’t like will probably be a constant companion in the sequel. Many are keen to see how differentTears of the Kingdomis, and some would like to see a combat overhaul.
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Breath of the Wild’s Combat Could Be More Compelling
Combat inZeldagames is almost never an in-depth feature, but achieves satisfaction nonetheless. The most basic strikes in Link’s arsenal are often polished to perfection, with each quick slash conveying its power without slowing down the player. Some games likeThe Wind WakerandTwilight Princessintroduced extra wrinkles with contextual actions and special skills, whileSkyward Swordgave the player full control over Link’s sword arm. Certain items can also be used to stun or swiftly dispatch enemies, though this varies from title to title. Outside the twoHyrule Warriorsgames, combat needs to share the spotlight withThe Legend of Zelda’s signature exploration and puzzle solving.
Breath of the Wildis no different, although it does give Link a little more to work with than normal. In addition to the standard sword and shield,Link can opt for a two-handed swordor a spear as well, each with a different move set. Bows and arrows are diverse and plentiful, and shooting them in the air triggers bullet time. This same slowdown can be prolonged if Link perfectly dodges an attack and zooms in for a Flurry Rush. The final piece of the puzzle is the parry, a signature ofBreath of the Wildthat allows Link to disarm most foes and reflect deadly lasers. The combat is more detailed, but thanks to low enemy variety, it doesn’t take long for this side of gameplay to become rather repetitive.
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Refreshing Old Skills Could Make Tears of the Kingdom Feel New
WithBotW’s weapon types possessing limited move sets supported by a very small pool of item-like abilities, the joy of combat is left to the player’s creativity. Even then, there’s not much to do against strong enemies like Lynels and Blights besides either using perfect dodges and parries to open them up or cause precise glitches to pile on damage. The feeling offighting being the most streamlined part ofZelda’s formulahas never been quite as pronounced as inBreath of the Wild, andTears of the Kingdomshould try to improve it. A simple and effective way of accomplishing this is drawing on the extra wrinkles that otherZeldagames used to build out their combat options.
Link being able to shoot Sword Beams at full health has been part of the series since the beginning, often enabled by a magic sword upgrade.Skyward Swordgave players the chance to use them all the time with the Skyward Strike.Breath of the Wild’s Master Swordwill produce Sword Beams at full health with the usual “throw weapon” command, though they come at the cost of durability. However, there is another type of Sword Beam that onlyMinish Cap’s Link has had access to. When Link’s health is at one heart, he gains access to the powerful Peril Beam. A reason to stay at low health may significantly change how some players approachTears of the Kingdom’s combat, and its implementation could make encounters more exciting.
The Zelda Series Has Plenty of Options For Expanding Combat
A Peril Beam wouldn’t come to Link naturally, even after he progresses on fixing the Master Sword. Instead, skills like it would come from finding a special scroll or tutor. A lasting gameplay reward for exploration is one of the main draws ofcompeting open-world gameElden Ring, andBotWlacks it due to durability devaluing most weapons. Once Link has a Peril Beam, it could replace all one-handed swords’ weapon throws at low health until they run out of durability. Equivalents could be gained for other weapon types, and there’s no reason to stop there. The series is full of special skills just using Link’s sword, andTears of the Kingdomcould bring some of them back.
Twilight Princessis notablein that, outside the mandatory Ending Blow, its Hidden Skills barely add anything to its combat. With complex enemies like Lynels and Guardian Scouts in the open worldZeldagames, these techniques would be able to take on a new life inTears of the Kingdom. Adding a damaging Shield Bash would practically turn shields into a new class of weapon, which shows the versatility just one revamped skill could bring.
There could also be new skills introduced based on the Champions. Only Urbosa’s Fury and Daruk’s Protection directly enhance Link’s battle abilities, so perhaps therumored second set of distant Champion ancestorscouldn’t provide combat-centric powers for their associated weapons. There is a lot thatTears of the Kingdomcan accomplish by adding more skills to its combat, and they would help the game feel like a true sequel.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomwill release on June 19, 2025, for Nintendo Switch.
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