Highlights
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom stands out with its heavy emphasis on storytelling and inclusion of Zonai devices, giving players endless opportunities for fun.
- Rauru and Sonia in Tears of the Kingdom serve as important figures in Zelda lore, and developing their characters through DLC expansion would improve the overall story and understanding of Hyrule's history.
- Tears of the Kingdom doesn't actually give Rauru and Sonia all that much screentime, so they need more attention.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is a perfect example of a game that developed upon a winning formula to compliment what came before. The heavier emphasis on storytelling and the inclusion of Zonai devices that granted seemingly-endless opportunities for fun made the new game stand out, even from 2017's Breath of the Wild. That newfound freedom had to integrate into the narrative somehow, and so being treated to a glimpse at Zonai culture as Zelda travels back in time gave Link's quest higher stakes than ever.
Link meets Rauru early on, who tells him that his fancy new arm was Rauru's own, and that it would give Link new abilities. This created a connection between the two, but as Rauru and his wife Sonia's roles are reduced to short cutscenes, they could really use more on-screen time to be better fleshed out. That's something that DLC could help with, and while nothing had formally been announced, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom still has tales to tell with the pair that would be perfect for an added expansion.
Tears of the Kingdom Was a Brief Introduction to Rauru and Sonia
Rauru, a Zonai, and Sonia, a Hylian were an unexpected match, but their relationship went on to define Hyrule and how it would be shaped in the future. It's a narrative wrinkle that does well to show the unity of civilizations that would later define the land. However, as most of the story in Tears of the Kingdom centers around the Imprisoning War in the past and the fight to end Ganondorf's grip on Hyrule for good, they don't get much time to develop the theme.
There's not much that could realistically make the 2023 game much better, but more depth to its side characters is a surefire way to improve the great story. Link's latest journey wrapped up incredibly, with a final fight against Ganondorf that eclipses anything the series has done yet, so a DLC expansion that once again puts players in his shoes could be an unnecessary inclusion. Rauru and Sonia are important figures in Zelda lore, and more content could help gamers understand them better.
Rauru and Sonia are a Glimpse at Hyrule's History
The land in which Tears of the Kingdom takes place has been the center of some of gaming's greatest adventures. The kingdom had taken many forms over the years and decades, but Nintendo's insistence on having a timeline connect the series means that the heritage of Hyrule can be documented in a somewhat cohesive fashion. From Skyloft in Skyward Sword to the Great Sea in The Wind Waker, the iconic setting has been through a lot. With Rauru being the first King of Hyrule, focusing on him and Sonia for the DLC could go a long way to providing a sufficient start point for a place that plenty of gamers are familiar with.
Using the relationship between Rauru and Sonia as an emotional backbone of Tears of the Kingdom DLC would be an interesting narrative decision that could be emotional and profound. Using this to also flesh out a setting that has so much history could contribute to the betterment of the Zelda series as a whole, and not just the 2023 release. They were always an intriguing part of the story in Tears of the Kingdom, but as their tale was largely reduced to what was told in cutscenes, shining a light on them with their own DLC expansion would do well to make the characters and locations Link stumbles on feel all the more alive.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is available now for Nintendo Switch.
