Forspoken takes a unique approach to open-world travel. A classic Zelda item could bring some of the same ideas to Tears of the Kingdom.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom follows up on a groundbreaking open-world game, but Breath of the Wild isn’t the only modern title it could take lessons from, as Forspoken – the new action RPG from Square Enix – employs some exciting design decisions too. Although it might be too late for any inspiration to leak into the upcoming Legend of Zelda game, the series already boasts an item that could bring Forspoken‘s best features to Tears of the Kingdom.
Forspoken places its protagonist Frey in a world called Athia, gifting her magical powers that come from a talking cuff. These abilities unsurprisingly offer her an advantage in combat, but they also impact the traversal that makes up a large part of the gameplay experience. Frey can run at inhumanly fast speeds and glide over water thanks to Forspoken‘s magical open-world parkour, kicking off surfaces and slowing her falls with ease. These features make exploring terrain more exciting and dynamic, turning the space between objectives into playgrounds to master. The advanced movement possibilities also add another layer to combat, raising the skill ceiling of truly dominating an enemy.
Pegasus Boots Bring Forspoken’s Dynamic Movement To Zelda
Forspoken‘s Frey might need a magic cuff to master maneuvers, but in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, it’s footwear that could be the key for Link. Pegasus Boots, which first appeared in A Link to the Past, have offered advantages to Link’s movement in a number of Zelda games. In A Link to the Past, the shoes serve the primary function of increasing Link’s running speed, which also allows him to bash into certain objects to break them or drop items. Link’s Awakening allows the Pegasus Boots to be used simultaneously with some of the best Legend of Zelda items to unique advantages, increasing jump distance and creating a dash attack.
Tears Of The Kingdom Is The Perfect Game For Link’s Pegasus Boots
The Pegasus Boots have made their legacy across 2D The Legend of Zelda titles, but Tears of the Kingdom provides the perfect opportunity for the shoes to leap into 3D. Breath of the Wild largely turned away from the focus on linear puzzles and progression, incentivizing the player to tackle the game’s problems according to their own initiative. Adding Pegasus Boots to Tears of the Kingdom could progress this gameplay ideal, giving players more power to create their own paths. Like Forspoken‘s parkour, the movement possibilities unlocked by Pegasus Boots would also improve exploration in the Breath of the Wild sequel, incentivizing world traversal over fast travel.
Implementing the Pegasus Boots into Tears of the Kingdom is a taller ask than their involvement in 2D titles, but Forspoken shows how much parkour can offer an open-world fantasy title. The physics engine established in Breath of the Wild allows for extensive possibilities, and taking fuller advantage of these opportunities with Link’s own movement is an exciting idea. With the enormous legacy of ideas from classic Zelda games for Nintendo to draw on for the franchise’s next game, the swift shoes may not make the cut. All the same, Forspoken shows that Pegasus Boots could be just what The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom needs.
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