With The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom just on the horizon after its lengthy development, fans are considering how its gameplay might differ from its predecessor, stirring up conversations about missing Zelda series' staples like the grapple mechanic and how the hookshot or an equivalent should make its return. Since The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was a significant departure from traditional formats of Zelda games, it was inevitable that certain gameplay elements were going to be lost in translation as Nintendo established the game's fundamentals. But as a direct sequel, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom could finally absolve its forebear's oversights.
Anticipation is already high for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom as fans are hoping it will simultaneously carry through Breath of the Wild's strengths, improve its weaknesses, and expand anywhere it had overlooked. At present, this ranges from making changes to the kingdom of Hyrule to addressing Breath of the Wild's criticisms over combat and enemy variety. With the game's increased verticality being a core focus of its ongoing marketing, many are expecting Tears of the Kingdom to radically revamp its traversal mechanics. But between Link's paragliders and new abilities, fans believe there's ample opportunity for a grappling mechanic to feature.
Why Breath of the Wild's Cut Hookshot Could Return in Tears of the Kingdom
Unlike most other Zelda games, Nintendo has been abnormally forthcoming about Breath of the Wild's development which has given fans a rather deep look behind-the-scenes into what the game might have been. More outlandish concepts could have seen a modern-day interpretation of Link riding his Master Cycle Zero and even a possible alien invasion of Breath of the Wild's Hyrule. Among the content that had been confirmed cut from the game were tools such as the beetle from The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword and chiefly the fan-favorite hookshot. As with all cut content, fans hope that this proves its potential to return for the sequel.
Despite this, cut content is not always a reliable indicator of what a sequel might provide players, as early ideas exploring both sea and sky in Breath of the Wild seem to have devolved to just Hyrule's skies for Tears of the Kingdom. But critically, this is where the hookshot could shine were it to be included, as the grapple mechanic it provides would immediately improve upon Breath of the Wild's traversal mechanics in new yet familiar ways for players. Since it had also already been developed to some extent during Breath of the Wild's early days, not including it could be a missed opportunity.
How Grapple Mechanics Could Evolve in Tears of the Kingdom
Though it would be exciting to see Tear of the Kingdom blend Breath of the Wild's approach to game design with classic Zelda traditions from its dungeons to its bosses, it would be a sudden transition to reintroduce tools like the hookshot where they hadn't been before. Breath of the Wild stripped these away and gave players an immediate introduction through the Great Plateau, providing and teaching about the game's abilities, basic mechanics, and essential plot points. So while a hookshot could be presented as analogous to something like the paraglider, Tears of the Kingdom could try to be more ambitious.
Instead, Link's corrupted arm could be the missing connection between Breath of the Wild's mechanics and Tears of the Kingdom's own both new and old. Between early trailers and later promotional events, it seems that Link's arm will be important for Breath of the Wild's sequel, with fan theories ranging from a new magic system to possible story directions of Link becoming corrupted by Ganondorf. But this also could suggest that Link's arm could replace the Sheikah Slate's functionality, and with his corrupted arm he might be able to grapple ledges and walls as if he were a Hyrulian Spider-Man.
How Grappling Could Improve Tears of the Kingdom
Whichever way grappling mechanics might be implemented into Tears of the Kingdom, the inclusion of an ability to allow the player to quickly scale and reach difficult places would be just as welcomed as it had been in previous Zelda games. The exception in this case, however, is that Tears of the Kingdom would provide an objectively ideal scenario in which to help improve a player's ability to traverse the world. Early trailers already demonstrate that Tears of the Kingdom is focusing on traversal mechanics, something which will be vital in a new Hyrule comprised of expansive and ever-higher sky islands.
While some early mechanics indicate that Link's capacity to traverse this new world will be facilitated by additions such as a paraglider to a time-reversing ability, a grappling mechanic would benefit these enormously and create a new gameplay loop. For instance, if the paragliders operate just as they did in Breath of the Wild and provide no uplift, or if Tears of the Kingdom's Champions and abilities like Revali's Gale don't follow through into the sequel, players could struggle by relying on climbing alone. A grappling mechanic could therefore help players gain height quickly, with a trade-off tethering the player's grapple to something like their stamina to prevent its overuse or exploitation.
Beyond mere traversal mechanics, however, grappling could have broader applications when lensed through Breath of the Wild's original scope. Previous games limited the hookshot to specific targets and surfaces, but in Tears of the Kingdom, this grapple might be able to attach to almost any surface. As a result, grappling's potential expands, such as being used like a slingshot to gain speed and momentum quickly to send Link soaring into the sky, or it could be worked into improving Tears of the Kingdom's combat to pull light enemies like Bokoblins or Lizalfos to in melee range, or inversely take Link to heavier foes like the Stone Talus or Hinox.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is set to release on May 12, 2023, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.