The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom celebrated its two-year anniversary just recently. It has undeniably been a fantastic Zelda experience, one that expanded on Breath of the Wild’s scale in remarkable ways. But as much as it pains me to say this… it could’ve been more.
After rolling the credits and beating Ganon for what felt like the millionth time, I was left with a lingering sense of longing, like something was missing. I needed more from this story, and it's a shame it never received the kind of DLC expansion Breath of the Wild enjoyed.
A Missed Opportunity
An expansion in the spirit of FromSoftware's Elden Ring could’ve worked beautifully. As an open-world game that masterfully utilizes physics, Tears of the Kingdom was ripe for additional content to push its already impeccable design even further. It feels like a missed opportunity not to add more Shrines or Dungeons to its sprawling, esoteric fantasy world.
Instead of just hunting down the next Korok or tinkering with Zonai creations I found online, the post-game experience began to feel barebones once all the essentials were completed.
More Sky Islands
One of the most glaring missed opportunities was the underutilization of the Sky Islands. Heavily featured in the game’s marketing, they amounted to only a handful of large dungeons suspended above Hyrule. The opening hours, soaring through the clouds, were absolutely breathtaking. But as time went on, reaching the Sky Islands became more of a chore, only to be met with derivative puzzles.
With an expansion, things could’ve been different. Nintendo could’ve added new Sky Islands post-Ganon, revealing a whole network of floating castles cloaked in ancient Zonai tech.
More of the Zonai
The Zonai were another promising element that never quite reached their potential. Sonia and Rauru are pivotal figures in Zonai lore, yet they mainly serve as narrative devices to propel Zelda and Link forward. With additional content, Nintendo would have expanded their story, perhaps taking us to a Dark Souls like twisted timeline where they could serve as extra ‘secret’ Sages or something.
Imagine exploring a massive Zonai city before its fall, glowing with its signature green light and powered by mysterious machineries. It could've felt like a Cyberpunk-infused take on The Legend of Zelda, with Link experimenting with new forms of tech.
A Third Entry?
No one knows for sure what Nintendo has planned for its next open-world Zelda game, but I’m hopeful. I want them to go even bigger than they did with Tears of the Kingdom and Breath of the Wild.
With the Nintendo Switch 2 on the horizon, there’s so much potential and hardware power for Nintendo to experiment with. They’ve got the tools. They’ve got the talent. They could do something extraordinary with their next AAA Zelda title.
But until then, I’m left with this feeling: Tears of the Kingdom was incredible... but it could’ve been so much more. And it’s a shame that it’s over.