Unleashing the Potential of Eventide Island in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Eventide Island in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom falls short of its potential despite the game's successful reimagining of Hyrule. As one of Breath of the Wild's most challenging and interesting shrine quests, the island was a true test of players' mastery of the game's mechanics and strategies. However, Tears of the Kingdom fails to deliver the same level of challenge, leaving the island as nothing more than optional exploration. Despite the introduction of new mechanics such as Zonai devices and Link's Fuse ability, Nintendo missed an opportunity to capitalize on Eventide Island's potential as a defining trial for players, complete with new abilities, enemies, and three different map levels.

Tears of the Kingdom's Shrines Took Over Eventide Island's Role

Instead of repeating the Guardian challenges from Breath of the Wild, Tears of the Kingdom takes inspiration from Eventide Island and tasks players with defeating a shrine's worth of Constructs while facing unique gimmicks in each shrine. While this approach allows for exploration of various mechanics and abilities, it comes at the cost of Eventide Island's original challenge. However, by limiting resources and allowing players the freedom to approach challenges as they see fit, Eventide Island could have been the ultimate test of all Tears of the Kingdom's elements combined.

Eventide Island Could Have Reflected All Tears of the Kingdom's Changes

Expanding on the limited scope of the original Eventide Island in Breath of the Wild, Tears of the Kingdom had the potential to offer players an even more immersive experience by introducing sky islands and a self-contained area below. This would have provided a natural progression for players, challenging them to journey from ground level up to the sky islands and then into the Depths below. The game's new labyrinth puzzles already follow a similar approach, requiring players to tackle the labyrinth on the ground, in the sky, and finally in the Depths for a final enemy encounter. By incorporating Eventide Island into this framework, Tears of the Kingdom could have created a truly scaling challenge, starting players off from nothing and gradually increasing the difficulty of enemies they face, from basic Bokoblins to more formidable foes like Gibdos, Constructs, and mini-bosses. Ultimately, completing this expanded trial would have rewarded players with a sense of accomplishment and mastery over the game's mechanics.

Despite Changing, Eventide Island Has More Potential For Tears of the Kingdom

In order to access the shrine on Eventide Island, players must first clear out dangerous Tears of the Kingdom enemies and encampments, allowing them to use their full inventory during combat. While many of the island's optional activities and rewards are worthwhile, such as the Gloom-resistant Midna's Helmet and the Sage's Will for enhancing the Sages' strength, some players may have hoped for a more significant reward for completing the complex shrine quest.

The reward for completing Eventide Island remains uncertain, but it is possible that the final prize could have been more substantial than just Midna's Helmet from Twilight Princess. One possibility could have been the Ancient armor set from Breath of the Wild, with modified proficiency due to the absence of Guardians. Alternatively, a new armor set could have been introduced, such as one that boosts defense or increases attack during in-air combat. Another option could have been to turn Eventide Island into its own optional dungeon, with King Gleeok as the boss encounter and multiple levels to explore. While this potential may be explored in future DLC, for now players are left with the modest rewards of completing the island.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is available now on Nintendo Switch.