Developer Interview Series, Volume 9: The continuing tale of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - Segment 2
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - A Game of Hands
The developers of the highly anticipated game, "Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom" for the Nintendo Switch system, have shared insights about their latest creation, which is set to launch on May 12.
At the heart of the game is the protagonist, Link, who embarks on a journey of joining hands and cooperating with various characters. The developers have intentionally maintained certain aspects unchanged, a concept they refer to as "the Great Mundanity."
In Tears of the Kingdom, Link gains new abilities involving hands, such as the "Ultrahand," enabling him to grab, assemble, and interact with various objects to solve puzzles and create structures. This hands-on mechanic embodies the theme of creation and ingenuity, emphasizing player agency and experimentation as central to gameplay.
Symbolically, hands often represent power, connection, and action, which aligns with the game's narrative themes of restoring and manipulating the fractured kingdom. The hands theme brings a tactile, immediate expression of these qualities by allowing Link to literally reach out and change the world.
The developers have intentionally maintained iconic sounds from the previous game to create a sense of familiarity. Scenes that use hands when opening special doors are also included. The visuals, trailers, and music express the "hands" theme, intertwining all elements of gameplay, mechanics, and story.
During development, the team experienced a feeling of deja vu but learned to differentiate between areas that needed change and those that should remain the same. The "hands" theme is symbolically present in the game's mechanics, reflecting the player's ability to reshape and engage with the world in unprecedented ways compared to previous Zelda titles.
Fan art and community discussions underscore the hands’ thematic significance, often highlighting how the game’s trailer and imagery showcase hands reaching, grasping, or interacting, reinforcing the motif’s importance.
In summary, the "hands" theme in Tears of the Kingdom is significant as both a gameplay mechanic—enabling creation and manipulation—and a symbolic representation of Link's agency and the player's connection to the game world, marking an evolution in the series’ approach to interactivity and storytelling.
Nintendo has included elements from its classic systems, such as the NES, in "The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom" for the Nintendo Switch system. After completing various challenges and acquiring certain items, players can unlock a special bonus game called "Nintendo fun" that features games inspired by classic titles like the original "Legend of Zelda" on the NES.
