Summary
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomtakes place across thousands of years due to a bit of unintentional time travel. But because time travel easily causes strange events to happen later,TOTKposes more questions than it answers. However, the implications of Zelda’s adventure through time open up new possibilities for interesting plots that could appear in future games set between the first king of Hyrule’s reign and when Link faces Calamity Ganon. If this timeline is going to be the primary one used in future games, then there’s the opportunity to use paradoxes in new plots.
[Warning: Spoilers for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.]
Time travel is a tricky and convoluted feature to include in games, or any type of medium, because it almost always leads to the creation of paradoxes. In the case ofTOTK, Zelda going back in time would result in two Zeldas technically existing at the same time at multiple points in history. Additionally, the ability to travel through time being canon opens up the chance to include more time-travel shenanigans in the future, and that could even lead to another co-op game likeFour Swords. It could even open up the chance to use aDark Soulsstyle of co-op, summoning Links from parallel timelines for help.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Review - Building Excellence
Tears of the Kingdom takes Legend of Zelda into mostly familiar ground, but it remains an excellent, must-play title with plenty of innovation.
The Existence Of Multiple Master Swords In Zelda’s Timeline
A Co-op Opportunity
Although Zelda travels back in time by herself first,Link sends the broken Master Sword back in timeto Zeldawhen he arrives at a certain point and finds what seems to be some sort of time rift. This means that there would be the broken Master Sword being kept by Zelda as the Light Dragon and the whole Master Sword – presumably in Korok Forest – existing at the same time for most of Hyrule’s history. Considering that the developers have confirmed that there won’t be a third game followingTOTKto make a trilogy, it’s possible thatthe next game may be placed somewhere else in this new timeline.
How To Get The Master Sword in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
It’s not an adventure without the Master Sword and Tears of the Kingdom is no exception. Here is exactly how to get Link’s classic sword.
Between the time travel paradox of two Zeldas and two Master Swords and time travel being a real possibility that has been seen in theZeldauniverse, the next game could use these paradoxes to create fun plots that could include multiples of the same characters.A new game coulduse these paradoxes as a foundation for a co-op experienceusing multiple versions of Link, likeFour Swords, or having Link and Zelda work together. The potential is truly endless, andthere’s already a precedent in theZeldauniverse for new timelines branchingoff from the existing main timeline.
Zelda Is In The Perfect Position To Become A Soulslike Title
A New Level Of Difficulty
BOTWandTOTKhave already taken a different direction compared to past games,featuringanopen-world map, crafting systems, and a new style that uses shrinesinstead of classic dungeons. If Nintendo wanted to capitalize on the use of time travel paradoxes, the possibility of limited co-op features, and the popularity of Soulslike games, then it would use the nextZeldagame to commit to that transition. The timing is perfect, since the next game won’t be tied toBOTWorTOTKdirectly, and the franchise is a perfect fit for the extra difficulty that comes with Soulslike titles.
One Year Later, How Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom’s Legacy Compares To BOTW’s
It’s been one year since the release of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, which was critically praised. Why don’t we talk about it like BotW?
Many games in the franchise already have tones that are reminiscent ofDark Soulsgames. Link is almost always the sole protagonist,filling the role of the chosen one who’s the only hope for the land’s problems to be solved, and facing the villain and winning. However, the core story formula ofZeldadoesn’t need to change for it to be considered Soulslike. The games already have, and have had for a while now, a lot of themain elements that make games Soulslike. Now, there’s an opportunity to take it further and include the ability to summon other Links for co-op, using the idea of paradoxes or parallel timelines as an excuse.
As a franchise,Zeldahas never been afraid of using time travel and other story elements that create paradoxes. While it might be sad that the next game won’t continue the story that’s been built inBOTWandTOTK, starting a fresh story that isn’t tied to other titles is the best decision in this situation, and it brings more opportunities for the developers to be creative without restraints. This lack of constraints combined with time travel paradoxes leaves open a lot of potential for the game that will eventually follow upThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is the anticipated follow-up to Breath of the Wild, released in 2017. A rare occurrence in Zelda titles, Tears of the Kingdom is a direct sequel instead of loosely connected. In Tears of the Kingdom, Link will take to the skies and learn about a mysterious kingdom in the clouds.
