Earlier today, Nintendo project manager Eiji Aonuma showcased some gameplay fromThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomin a 13-minute video. In the trailer, some of Link’s new abilities forThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomwere shown by Aonuma. However, one of the new abilities was compared to a toy from Nintendo’s past, which may be considered either an Easter egg or a coincidence.Releasing in just over a month,Tears of the Kingdomis the sequel toBreath of the Wild, which was both a launch title for the Switch and the final Nintendo first-party release for the Wii U. Taking place after the events ofBreath of the Wild,Tears of the Kingdomsees Link with a new outfit and new powers that are channeled through his right arm. With it, Link can phase through ceilings, fuse weapons to enhance their capabilities in battle, and rewind the motion of specific objects to reach new areas. These areasinclude the new sky islandsfloating above Hyrule. However, one of Link’s new abilities may be a callback to Nintendo’s past that not many people know about.RELATED:More Unique Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Pre-Order Bonuses RevealedOne of Link’s new abilities, called Ultrahand, allows him to grab and combine items to use for a variety of purposes inTears of the Kingdom. In today’s presentation, Aonuma used Ultrahand to combine some nearby logs to form a makeshift raft to float across the water. He then used Ultrahand again to attach some conveniently-placed fans to use as motors on the back of the raft and reach the other side. If Ultrahand sounds like a power with a strange name, the “Ultra Hand” was also the name of a toy that Nintendo made in 1973.
As shown by a picture from CoolBoxArt on Twitter, the Ultra Hand was an extendable arm toy that could grab and place items in a short range. Though the Ultra Hand toy was never seen outside of Japan, it fits within Nintendo’s profile of oddities and niche items that it manufactured before its rise as a leading video game company. As far asTears of the Kingdom’s iteration goes, Ultrahand and Link’s other arm powers were shown in the game’s UI in the same spot thatthe Divine Beast abilitieswere inBreath of the Wild, which indicated that they are a replacement for the latter.
In addition,Tears of the Kingdomwill havea new Switch OLED model, a Pro Controller, and a carrying case to commemorate the game’s release. Near the end of the presentation, Aonuma stated that players will have to discover for themselves what else Link can do with his new powers. Only time will tell what combinations players will come up with.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomlaunches on May 12 for Nintendo Switch.
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