Highlights
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom introduces new cave systems, Depths, and sky islands to the map, avoiding the risk of being boring by offering fresh areas to explore.
- Zonai artifacts and landmarks play a crucial role in shaping Hyrule's society, surpassing the impact of the Sheikah constructs in Breath of the Wild .
- Nintendo should incorporate Zonai technology in a theoretical sequel, rather than making it disappear like the Sheikah structures, to establish a sense of progression in Hyrule and create a more cohesive and immersive world.
When Nintendo revealed that The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom would use the same map as Breath of the Wild, fans had some cause for concern. Given that many had spent hundreds of hours exploring Hyrule in BotW, returning to the same map risked being a bore. Luckily, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom made more changes than it let on, adding new cave systems to Hyrule as well as the vast Depths that mirrored the surface world and new sky islands. Of particular note were the new Zonai artifacts and landmarks scattered around the world, which left a major impact on Hyrule's civilizations.
In a lot of ways, the Zonai relics occupy the same place in TotK that the Sheikah constructs did in BotW. They're vast and ancient combinations of magic and science that dot the landscape and break up the tranquil wilderness. The Zonai do occupy a particularly important place in TotK's gameplay, arguably even more important than the Sheikah's place in BotW gameplay, but their impact on the world and lore may be the most crucial. Zonai technology has rapidly reshaped society in Hyrule in a way that the ancient Sheikah didn't in BotW, and if TotK gets a direct sequel, it has to acknowledge the impact of Zonai devices.
Zonai Devices Can't Go the Way of Sheikah Shrines and Towers
Perhaps the strangest thing about Tears of the Kingdom is its handling of Sheikah technology and structures. Guardians have all but vanished from the landscape, as have the towers and shrines that once littered the horizon, and none of TotK's characters seem to acknowledge it. It's unclear if they simply disappeared after Calamity Ganon fell, or if Hyrule's citizens dismantled them. It's somewhat understandable that Nintendo would want Tears of the Kingdom to be playable without experience with Breath of the Wild, but it results in a dissonant setting that struggles to feel like a proper sequel at times.
Nintendo seems interested in making more open world Zelda games, and that could mean a direct sequel to Tears of the Kingdom. If so, it needs to incorporate Zonai devices in its own way because simply having the tech vanish would be even more egregious. While only some of BotW's NPCs showed an interest in the emerging Sheikah structures, TotK has tons of NPCs devoted to studying and utilizing Zonai technology, from the scientific Zonai Survey Team led by Purah and Robbie to thrill-seeking racers learning to use Zonai tech for fun. Zonai tech is well on its way to becoming part of daily life in Hyrule, so removing it would feel like a big step backwards.
Incorporation Zonai technology in a TotK sequel may not be easy, since Nintendo would need to contrive a near-identical replacement for Ultrahand if they're still a central game mechanic. Instead of focus on crafting with Zonai tech, these devices could potentially take a backseat while remaining a common sight in the world. Rather than Link himself building with them constantly, he might just see lots of Hyrule citizens using machines they've designed and occasionally borrow some of their tech. Link moving away from Zonai engineering while Zelda NPCs get even more comfortable with them would be a good way to show some proper growth in Hyrule between games.
Odds are low that Tears of the Kingdom sequel would focus on the Zonai; direct Zelda sequels often have stories that are largely disconnected from the previous game, including TotK. Still, if the series keeps taking place in the BotW version of Hyrule, Nintendo needs to establish some sense of progression, or else they'll risk feeling like a bunch of standalone games that simply share a map. In terms of world building, giving Zonai tech an ongoing role in Hyrule's development could be the perfect way to create that feeling of growth.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is available now for Nintendo Switch.
