Tears of the Kingdom is a game that allows the player’s creativity and imagination to roam free. Its predecessor, Breath of the Wild, opened the door for that freedom with its open air style of adventure. Capitalizing on that success, the Zelda team decided to create the sequel to have even more of a DIY-style approach to the game. The game’s director, Hidemaro Fujibayashi, recently gave his thoughts via email response to National Public Radio (NPR) on how the player base has taken their designs for Tears of the Kingdom even further than what they expected.
In response to questions asked by the interviewer, NPR’s James Perkins Mastromarino, here is what Fujibayashi had to say:
“Right after Breath of the Wild was released, we had the idea that it might be fun if in Tears of the Kingdom, you could construct things like vehicles by sticking things together… We were confident that a variety of things could be done with a system like that and that we could make it into an enjoyable experience, so we developed the final prodcut with the goal of allowing players to create things with as few limitations as possible…. However, players are making vehicles and creations that are far beyond what we had expected, so we are really amazed at the imagination of our players.”
It’s probably no surprise to fans of Breath of the Wild because many of us were testing the limits of that game and its mechanics for years. Even back then people were building Bokoblin cages and contraptions to fly into the sky. The physics engine was put the test so much that it was probably a no-brainer for people to create something out of nothing, and then go even further when Tears of the Kingdom implemented a true building system. With the crafting system being as open-ended as it is and even being reinforced by the addition of the Autobuild system, many saw some truly genius inventions within days of the release.
Although it has been confirmed by Fujibayashi and Aonuma that there are “no current plans for DLC” at this time, it seems they are quite happy with the way things turned out. The ability to create these vehicles is also assisted with Zonai devices which are found and unlocked as you play through the game. These devices can be anything from a wing device to a steering wheel to car tires. Combine them with objects you find throughout Hyrule, and your building options become almost limitless. The combinations players have come up with are in the thousands. There is really no wrong way to build what you want. One of the questions that Mastromarino asked Fujibayashi was whether there were any devices they wished they had added to the game. Fujibayashi’s response was as follows:
“We actually thought that there shouldn’t be too many types of Zonai devices… It was important to have players take a limited set of functions and appearances and use their ingenuity to create new functions. So at this point there aren’t any devices that I wish we could have included, and I am actually glad that we kept the number of devices low, because we have really enjoyed seeing the unbelievable things that the players have created with such limited resources.”
Tears of the Kingdom has been out for about four months now and players have already discovered and created so much. Breath of the Wild was out for several years and players were already knee deep in discovery then, coming up with some of the greatest things that game had to offer. With Zelda players making waves in Tears of the Kingdom, one can only imagine the things they will create in the months to come. Even if this game never sees a DLC, I’m sure the players’ imaginations will come up with their own entertainment using the tools this game already has. Who knows, maybe next year someone will have an Autobuild for a jet airplane… Or maybe they already have one now.
