To say that The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has been one of the most highly anticipated games of the last 5 years would be a massive understatement. The hype for Breath of the Wild's sequel was unlike anything the video game industry has seen in a long time, perhaps only being rivaled by the likes of Elden Ring and God of War Ragnarok. Now that Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has been out in the wild for a few weeks, it has proven to be everything fans were hoping for and so much more. This is due, in large part, to the sheer amount of creativity displayed by its playerbase.
One of the key features of Tears of the Kingdom is the Ultrahand ability. This allows Link to take just about anything that isn't glued down in Hyrule and create various structures for mobility, self-defense, or puzzle-solving. While previews of this ability showcased rudimentary watercraft or ground vehicles, the Tears of the Kingdom community has flexed its creativity to create some truly remarkable things. There is one downside, however, as Tears of the Kingdom has no in-game way for players to share their creations with others, and it could draw in even more gamers if it included such a feature.
Community Creations are a Highlight of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Before Tears of the Kingdom was released, many fans theorized just how the game will follow the epic adventure of Breath of the Wild. Some focused on the new list of supporting characters, others wondered how some of the new gameplay mechanics would work, and even more were excited to see what the game would do with Ganondorf after his longstanding absence. Not long after TotK was released, however, it quickly became apparent that the game's standout feature was the Ultrahand ability. All it took was a brief trip to social media platforms like Twitter and TikTok to find out why.
The freedom allowed by Ultrahand is largely unprecedented, and many TotK players approached this freedom with gusto and a twisted sense of humor. In the few weeks since TotK has been out, social media feeds have been filled with everything from Korok torture devices to functioning war machines. Not all of these creations are exactly helpful in the fight against the darkness, but they sure are entertaining to watch in action. They've served to expand the excitement of the game beyond its pre-launch hype, and it's this free publicity that should motivate a new feature in TotK later down the road.
Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Needs a Community Creation Sharing Tool
If Nintendo wants to draw even more players into Tears of the Kingdom, giving players a way to share their creations for others to download could be the answer. For gamers who have seen some of the Zelda community's creations and have been hesitant to jump into TotK, getting to try out those creations could be the final motivator towards picking up the game. It could also help those who are less creatively inclined to enjoy more intricate creations, so long as they have the necessary materials. Such sharing features may add online functionality some fans aren't fond of, but it could bring the Zelda community even closer in the end.
Tears of the Kingdom has been a triumph in almost every sense of the word. Despite the Switch's continued hardware limitations, TotK has been a polished and optimized experience, and its core gameplay mechanics have been a hit. The Zelda community is surely nowhere close to exhausting the capabilities of Ultrahand, and social media feeds will likely be filled with creations that continue to push the boundaries for some time. While it's unlikely Nintendo would add a feature that would require such online functionality, there's no doubting how fun it would be to take other community creations for a spin.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is available now on Nintendo Switch.
