Why Multiplayer Should Be Added to The Legend of Zelda Series

Traveling alone in an open-world game can sometimes feel isolating, which is why the introduction of the Sages in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is such a refreshing change of pace. However, delving deeper into the sense of camaraderie that comes with unlocking the new Sages also prompts a reconsideration of multiplayer in open-world Legend of Zelda titles, and why Nintendo should seriously consider incorporating this concept into future releases.

Fans have been clamoring for multiplayer in Tears of the Kingdom since the early trailers were released, even though it was initially deemed unlikely to be included in the open-world sequel. This demand has even led to Breath of the Wild, the prequel to Tears of the Kingdom, being modded in order to offer players a multiplayer experience as they explore the vast world of Hyrule together.

How the Sages Make Hyrule Less Lonely

Similar to the setting of Breath of the Wild, Tears of the Kingdom starts on Great Sky Island, an isolated location where Link can test out his combat skills and explore the new abilities provided by Rauru's grafted arm. The journey ahead is mostly a solitary one for Link, where he encounters new characters but leaves most of them behind as he moves on from one quest to another. However, this changes significantly when it comes to the Sages who accompany Link on his quest through the new dungeons scattered across Hyrule.

The Sages join Link before they are given their titles at the end of Tears of the Kingdom's new dungeons, and players are rewarded with a permanent spirit version of the NPCs after defeating the boss. Although these spirit Sages do not communicate with Link outside of their designated dungeon, having them as backup can be advantageous for both combat and exploration. Most importantly, the presence of spirit partners makes it feel more like Link and a team of adventurers are venturing through the world, rather than a lone warrior on a solitary quest.

What Nintendo's Takeaway from Multiplayer Mods Should Be

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This sense of camaraderie in Breath of the Wild is a welcome change from the game's previously solitary atmosphere. However, it could be taken a step further by allowing players to control or replace the Sages with another player. Although the fan community has created multiplayer mods for the game, Nintendo has not been receptive to fans' efforts to enhance their gaming experience. Content creators like PointCrow have had their multiplayer videos taken down, and there have been attempts to shut down the mods themselves. Until Nintendo loosens its restrictions on fan interaction or develops multiplayer as a first-party feature, players will continue to miss out on this exciting gameplay experience.

One solution that would benefit both Nintendo and fans of the company is the introduction of an official multiplayer feature to Zelda's latest open-world title. To achieve this, Tears of the Kingdom's Sages could provide a potential avenue, allowing additional players to control one of the NPCs and be limited to their set of weapons and abilities. With this approach, multiple players could explore Hyrule together without the worry of creating an overpowered group by having access to Link's full toolkit from multiple perspectives. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is currently available for the Switch.