Zelda Fans Are Furious: Tingle’s Absence in Tears of the Kingdom is a Huge Miss!

by

In the much-anticipated game, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, it’s surprising that Nintendo chose not to include a specific classic character who is often associated with the series’ iconic status. While both Tears of the Kingdom and its prequel, Breath of the Wild, on the Nintendo Switch, featured numerous familiar faces from the Zelda universe, the new game notably omits one such character who has been a recurring figure in past Zelda games. Characters like Ganondorf, Beedle, and even a fresh take on Rauru are present in Tears of the Kingdom, but a beloved character from the series is conspicuously absent.

Over eight Zelda games and a series centered around him, Tingle has become as essential a figure in the Zelda universe as Link and Princess Zelda themselves. His unique blend of fan adoration and criticism stems from his humorous appearance and backstory, making it understandable why more serious games like Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom chose not to include him. However, considering how Tingle’s quirky persona could have provided an interesting contrast to the gameplay and narrative of Tears of the Kingdom, his absence might be seen as a missed opportunity in retrospect.

Tingle Would Have Been A Perfect Fit For Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom’s Darker Story Deserved Tingle’s Comic Relief

In a lighter, more conversational tone: Just like in previous Zelda games, Nintendo expertly blends deeper, mature storylines with moments of levity and joy. For example, in Breath of the Wild, there were playful elements such as dodging Magda’s flowers at Hila Rao shrine or using bananas to trick Yiga clan members. These fun moments showed that despite its darker narrative, Breath of the Wild still offered plenty of entertainment. Interestingly, Tears of the Kingdom aimed for similar humor, but many of these amusing elements were carried over from Breath of the Wild since it’s a direct sequel to it.

Incorporating Tingle into the gameplay and storyline of Tears of the Kingdom might have offered a nice balance, as his presence could have provided lighter moments. Since he was missing from Breath of the Wild, reintroducing him in Tears of the Kingdom would have caught players’ attention. His character, being a self-proclaimed fairy and returning to Hyrule alongside the Great Fairies from the previous game, could have been used to explain his lore. Even if Nintendo had only included a few instances of Tingle in Tears of the Kingdom, it would have honored his past while providing some emotional closure to the game’s narrative.

Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom’s Sky Exploration Would Have Been Perfect For Tingle

In Breath of the Wild’s Hyrule and in Tears of the Kingdom’s world design, one of the most significant alterations was the inclusion of aerial exploration and sky islands. Tears of the Kingdom maximized its larger open world by focusing on verticality, but Nintendo overlooked a chance to merge these sky islands with the comeback of Tingle, considering his strong connection with balloons. In past Zelda games like Majora’s Mask, Oracle of Ages, and Four Swords Adventures, Tingle was associated with a floating balloon, so players could have run into him while traversing the skies and islands in Tears of the Kingdom.

Instead of making the Tingle Armor set one of several side quests in Tears of the Kingdom, as was done in Breath of the Wild, it would have been more engaging and creative to distribute each piece of armor individually across three unique encounters within the game. This approach would not only encourage players to delve deeper into the game’s expansive skyworld, but also add an element of excitement to spotting Tingle’s iconic red balloon from afar.

Read More

2025-03-20 14:05