The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is giving Link more reason to be invested in the people of Hyrule than ever before. While Link has traditionally been fighting on his own through most of the games, Tears of the Kingdom looks to be changing that, at least in some way. With the people of Hyrule looking set to take a more active role, Link should have a hand in this emerging dynamic in some way. Thankfully, there are already some blueprints for how Link can provide assistance in addition to his own blade.
One of the latest trailers showed that Tears of the Kingdom isn't Link's fight alone. Scenes of gameplay showed Hylians, Gorons, and Gerudo standing up to fight against Ganon's forces alongside Link. While the new generation of Hyrule's Champions are also returning, the presence of these unknown brave warriors may be more impactful. Many of these people may have minimal experience in battle, or even none at all. However, they are willing to fight back against Hyrule's most infamous evil as though they were heroes of legend. This not only hints at a new type of story, but also a new gameplay mechanic.
Link Fuse Ability Could Equip The People Of Hyrule In Tears Of The Kingdom
Even though the people of Hyrule may not be able to directly fight against Tears of the Kingdom's recently revealed Ganondorf, they can still play an important role in protecting Hyrule alongside Link. While they can fight against the monsters that appear in the world, their skill level and the quality of their gear will determine how much help they can be. Of course, it's not fair to expect them to be at the same level as Link, who will always be a cut above due to him being controlled by the player, not to mention his status as the protagonist. Even so, Link may be able to help them further.
There is valid reason to expect Link to be able to empower the civilians of Hyrule, and Tears of the Kingdom's new fusion mechanic would be perfect for such a task. Since Link can create new weapons for himself in Tears of the Kingdom, he could very well do the same for the characters that will be fighting in the fields. They may start with shoddy swords and improvised weapons such as farm equipment, but Link could upgrade them by using materials to forge better weapons and armor, making them much more effective combatants on the battlefield with every new piece of gear that Link gifts them.
In addition to equipping them with weapons, Link might be able to upgrade the civilians themselves. One possible way to aid them against Tears of the Kingdom's enemy camps could be by having the amount of people willing to fight in each area of Hyrule grow as Link completes quests locally. For example, if Link did a lot of missions in or around Kakariko Village, the local fighting force could grow from a small collection of guards and farmers to a more impressive force, potentially including Sheikah warriors. A mechanic like this could add further incentive for players to complete as many quests as possible in Tears of the Kingdom.
Link being backed up by fellow warriors is one of the coolest things revealed so far, and it will be interesting to see how helpful they are in Tears of the Kingdom's war against Ganondorf. The Legend of Zelda series has yet to feature anything quite like it, so it could be a feature that can return in later games if it gets a positive reception. For that reason, it will be important to see how the player can interact with these characters in-game. If all goes well, Tears of the Kingdom could end up with one of the series' best gimmicks.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom will be released on May 12 for the Nintendo Switch.
