The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom likely represents the last great hurrah for Zelda on Nintendo Switch, and it ended what Breath of the Wild started. Despite being the most direct example of a sequel in the Zelda franchise, Tears of the Kingdom distinguished itself from Breath of the Wild by expanding to the skies and the subterranean Depths, as well as reorienting itself around new mechanics like Ultrahand and Fuse. No one is going to mistake Tears of the Kingdom for its predecessor, and it has earned its place among the Zelda series’ most successful titles.
However, spending an entire console generation on one iteration of Hyrule has led to some exhaustion, so the next Zelda game is officially moving on from Tears of the Kingdom's setting. By the sounds of it, this will include a mechanical refresh as well, with even celebrated TotK mechanics like Ultrahand on the chopping block. An open world will likely stay in play according to series producer Eiji Aonuma, but it's too early to guarantee anything right now. Seeing the next reinvention of The Legend of Zelda is exciting, but there's one ability that it should keep from BotW and TotK: shields.
Shields: Crucial Elements in Combat and Traversal
Breath of the Wild's combat and weapon durability have sparked plenty of debates, but one of their more successful aspects is found in shields. Although shields exist alongside BotW and TotK's other weapon types, they have several qualities that help them stand out. For one, they only synergize with one-handed swords, giving that fighting style defensive advantages over the powerful two-handed swords, and ranged bows and spears. Shields and bows also have their own dedicated buttons, meaning a shield can still be used when Link has an incompatible weapon equipped but sheathed.
Mastering Shield Surfing: A Unique and Thrilling Experience
As expected, shields mitigate damage at the cost of durability, but it's the two game mechanics unique to them that make shields so prominent. Blocking and pressing the action button will cause Link to attempt a Perfect Guard, a parry function that can deflect most attacks and spends no durability if successful. Getting good at reflecting Guardian beams is a classic BotW pastime, but shields have one other use in its, and TotK's, traversal. By jumping while blocking and pressing the action button in midair, Link will begin shield surfing, a mechanic too cool to just be in two Zelda games.
The Case for Shield Surfing: A Must-Have Movement Mechanic
There are many uses for shield surfing, with the extra height in its activation alone enabling tons of speedrun strategies. Different terrain and shields affected the movement speed and durability loss of surfing, and Tears of the Kingdom's Fuse combinations increased that variety even further. Fused shields could incorporate bombs for high jumps, fans for gliding, and minecarts for better rolling, and Tears of the Kingdom’s abundant rails for Ultrahand vehicles supported shield grinding just as well. A new Zelda game would probably lose some of this nuance, but shield surfing should still return.
Future Prospects: Integrating Shield Surfing in Zelda's Gameplay
If the next Zelda title introduces another open world, shield surfing would be a slightly quicker downhill travel option when horses or vehicles aren't available. This could be especially helpful if BotW and TotK's controversial durability does not return, granting players freedom to experiment with shield surfing anywhere while doing various tricks. Depending on how deeply integrated shield surfing is into regular gameplay, Link could even use his weapons during it, like in Twilight Princess’ snowboarding minigame. This kinetic and player-driven movement option was the source of countless entertaining clips and useful tricks in Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, so the next Legend of Zelda would be remiss to leave it behind.