There is a lot of text in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. To Nintendo’s credit, they have gotten better with this series thanks to the last game including voice acting. Link is still silent and probably will be a silent protagonist until the end of time.
For some, it’s hard to forget how obnoxious he was in an 80s cartoon which is why Nintendo has probably been hesitant. Link’s silence aside, there are quite a few fun and dramatic quotes worth remembering in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. There will be some spoilers although a majority of the story content isn’t given away.
8 “Link, This Is A Huge Discovery!”
The beginning of this game is dark and mysterious. It has Zelda and Link exploring a dark cavern that is barely lit thanks to their torches. Eventually, they find a mural and Zelda goes absolutely bonkers over it. It depicts something she calls The Imprisoning War which involves the first king of Hyrule sealing away the Demon King.
This reaction is a fun line read from Zelda because it shows another side to this character rarely seen in The Legend of Zelda series. It’s a shame she isn’t more in the game after this.
7 “A Blade That Shatters So Easily Against My Power Cannot Save You From Me.”
Metroid is one of the few Nintendo franchises that follows an established timeline. Players upgrade Samus in each game with tons of gear and powers. These powers are taken away from her in some way or another at the start of each adventure.
Link gets absolutely "Metroided" after he and Zelda discover the mummified version of the Demon King. He breaks the Master Sword, says this line to Link, and also zaps him of all his strength. Now, players have to build up Link all over again.
6 “You’re Gonna Get It All Dirty!”
In Kakariko Village, there is a vendor by the temple named Koko. Players can buy a wreath from her for a small amount of Rupees in the game. This wreath, if purchased, will appear in stables throughout Hyrule. If players jump on top of her table, she will yell at Link with this line.
This could be a slight reference to the Netflix show I Think You Should Leave. One of the sketches has a woman telling about people getting her tables dirty by standing on them.
5 “Demon King, Secret Stone?”
Like the first game, there are four major temples that players will revisit in their journey. The first stop on the list should be the Wind Temple which involves Rito Village in the North. Tulin returns as a character and even accompanies Link on his mission which also unlocks an air dash ability for the Paraglider in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
After defeating the Wind Temple boss, Tulin’s ancestor appears and begins to weave a tale about the Demon King and his war. Tulin’s responses sound like Solid Snake asking about Metal Gear in that titular franchise which makes them hard not to laugh at.
4 “Don’t Worry Mr. Hudson, I’m Here For You.”
There are a lot of ongoing quests that start simple but cascade into a world-trotting adventure. For example, players should meet Addison on their way to investigate Hyrule Castle for Purah. All Addison wants to do is hold up a sign for Mr. Hudson, his boss at the construction company.
Addison is deeply in love with the man as if Hudson was a god. It seems a bit unhealthy for the man but helping out with these various signs will earn players nice rewards in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom like Rupees and food.
3 “Shakala!”
Hestu is another returning character in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom who first appeared in the last game. Hestu is a giant Korok tree who loves to play his magical maracas. With the help of players, they can restore his maracas to full power by giving him Korok Seeds.
Hestu will return the favor by giving players an upgrade for their weapon, shield, and bow inventories. After a quick dance with other Korok, he finishes with a mighty “Shakala!” and it is infectious every time.
2 “Now Stop Flapping Yer Rock Chompers, And Get Over Here, Goro!”
Yunobo was one of the more timid characters in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. When he gets introduced in the sequel, he is brash and uncaring. He looks like a Goron version of a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle too but with a gangster attitude.
This colorful language is but a taste of the saucy things he shouts to his Goron community before players finally free him of his spell. It turns out that his mask was hypnotic and told Yunobo to do terrible things for profit.
1 “You Always Show Up In Unusual Times.”
Riju, like Yunobo, is one of the Sages in the game. She can grant Link powers with his bow and players will first discover her in some desert ruins practicing with this new power. Her comment on his random appearance is funny because realistically Link is a strange character.
He can traverse an entire world in seconds, helping everyone he comes across. Yet he never speaks or shows emotions besides occasionally opening his mouth to grunt in shock.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom was released on May 12, 2023, and is available on Switch.