Though these NPCs and their collectibles weren't the most noteworthy additions in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, the Bargainer Statues and Poes may offer a literal once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for future games to explore the series' afterlife. Like many other games, life and death are central to The Legend of Zelda's stories and gameplay, especially when considering that characters like Link, Princess Zelda, and Ganon are bound together in a cycle of reincarnation. However, despite how vague past games have been about a canonical afterlife, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom might be the first to change that.
According to the Bargainer Statues found throughout Tears of the Kingdom's Depths, its Poes are "spirits that ought to return to the afterlife" and "pitiful beings who have lost their way home and wander this land." Unlike previous games where fans can only infer and theorize about such a realm, Tears of the Kingdom's explicit acknowledgment of the afterlife introduces significant lore implications that are worth further exploration. For a series defined by reincarnation, supernatural forces, and more, it might be time for a future Zelda game to take Tears of the Kingdom's lead and see if death truly is the end.
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With the Bargainer Statues, Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Crosses a Line Few Other Games Could
While Tears of the Kingdom's Bargainer Statues may have said more about the afterlife than most other Zelda games, this isn't to say that the afterlife has been ignored until now. For instance, Twilight Princess' titular Twilight Realm could be interpreted as a potential afterlife, as during the opening cutscene, Rusl remarks to Link that twilight is "the only time we can feel the lingering regrets of spirits who have left our world." Moreover, alongside similar spiritual realms that appear in Zelda games, various ghostly or undead NPCs also support the existence of an afterlife:
- Recurring enemies like ReDeads, Gibdos, or Stalfos.
- One-time enemies like Phantom Hourglass' Reaplings or Majora's Mask's Garos.
- Side characters like Twilight Princess' Hero's Shade or Breath of the Wild's Champions
- Realms like Spirit Tracks' Dark Realm or Skyward Sword's Silent Realm.
Despite how much evidence there might be for a Zelda afterlife, much of it could easily be explained away using magic, mysticism, or other tropes of the fantasy genre. But even when Tears of the Kingdom falls back on these same tropes, such as the hellish realm of the Depths, the Spirit Temple located there, and Mineru's role as the Sage of Spirit, one line from the Bargainer Statues could inadvertently be irrefutable proof of the series' afterlife. Therefore, after nearly four decades, the next Zelda game could mark a turning point by exploring a now-confirmed afterlife, its relationship with the branching timelines, and the curse of reincarnation.
An Afterlife-Centric Zelda Game Could Provide Long-Overdue Redemption
Starting from Skyward Sword and now culminating with Tears of the Kingdom, Nintendo can capitalize on these bookends of Zelda's cyclical timeline by taking players behind the scenes and into this supernatural unknown. While Nintendo wouldn't need to "fix" Zelda's reincarnation narrative altogether, it could be the series' most compelling story if Link attempts to rid Hyrule, the Princess, and himself of Demise's original curse and slay Ganondorf once and for all. Such a game would have the perfect opportunity to refresh expectations of the Zelda series, with its story, gameplay, and characters exploring new ideas away from the likes of time travel and the Triforce.
An Afterlife-Centric Zelda Game Could Pay Tribute To The Series
Beyond the benefit of a different take on the Zelda formula, exploring the afterlife in a future game could allow for a range of familiar and fan-favorite characters to return. Similar to the theory behind the Hero's Shade as a past cycle's Link, an afterlife-centric Zelda game could revive characters like Midna, Sheik, Saria, Groose, and more to aid the player, while underused villains could make a comeback, such as Zant, Ghirahim, Twinrova, or Vaati. With an even broader potential for other returning characters and enemies across the Zelda series, it could serve as a love letter to its fans while still offering something new for all players.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 95 /100 Critics Rec: 97%
- Released
- May 12, 2023
- ESRB
- Rated E for Everyone 10+ for Fantasy Violence and Mild Suggestive Themes
- Developer(s)
- Nintendo
- Publisher(s)
- Nintendo
- Engine
- Havok
- Cross-Platform Play
- N/A
- Cross Save
- N/A
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Adventure, Action, Open-World
