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We're nearing the end of April, which means we're getting closer to the release of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, the sequel to the Switch needle-mover Breath of the Wild. That means gaming personalities are now starting to get preview access to the game, which also means more information about the upcoming title is now coming out in the wild. Among this new information includes what might sound concerning at first, at least on first reading. That is Tears of the Kingdom will feature a gacha mechanic of some sort, but at least it won't be as bad as it sounds.
How The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Gacha Mechanics Work
In The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, many new gameplay features are added that make it a much more different experience compared to the first game. We've included some of them in our feature article on Tears of the Kingdom's Nintendo Direct, but the gameplay mechanics we're focusing on today are the Fuse and Ultrahand mechanics. These two mechanics require the player to interact with tools and environmental objects, allowing them to create makeshift weapons and machines that they can use for exploration and battle. But the more mechanical objects, like engines, are comprised of what is called Zonai parts, which include the likes of rocket boosters and engines. While these items can sometimes be found in the wild, there is actually one reliable way players can get Zonai parts, and that's where the gacha machine comes in.
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Players can collect a special kind of currency called Zonai charges, which they can use to have the gacha machine, which then plops out a dozen or so of these Zonai parts – delivered in what looks like gachapon capsules. True to gacha mechanics, the Zonai parts you get are randomized, which means Nintendo is forcing players to make do with what they are provided, instead of allowing them to be comfortable with one recipe or formula and keep on using the same Zonai parts over and over.
Unlike most other gacha mechanics, this is actually a neat feature. It's a cool way for players to get randomized crafting materials that will make them think harder about the objects they're making in the game. Rather than sticking to a tried and true build that will surely make the game's creative new features get stale and old fast, Nintendo came up with a way to keep things fresh and new for the player by forcing them to be more creative with what they're provided.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom will be coming out exclusively on the Nintendo Switch on May 12, 2023.
