The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom cannot repeat one of Skyward Sword's biggest design mistakes. Even though The Legend of Zelda is one of Nintendo's most consistently high-quality series, it isn't exempt from poor ideas. Even with an expectation of greatness, it's important to make sure that future games don't repeat the mistakes of the past.
Amiibo are a line of models made by Nintendo, representing characters from a variety of the company's franchises. In addition to being collectible items, there are also some Amiibo that are designed to work with specific games. For example, the most well-known use of them may be the Amiibo released for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate that let the player train an AI version of the depicted fighter. While Amiibo are an interesting concept, their scarcity as well as how expensive they can be made them rather divisive. This caused Amiibo functions in several games to be disappointingly off-limits to many players, an issue that arguable reached its worst in Skyward Sword HD.
Skyward Sword's Loftwing Amiibo Put A Useful Ability Behind A Paywall
In Skyward Sword HD, there was only a single Amiibo that was designed to work with the game, letting the player call their Loftwing and transition between the sky and surface at will. Traveling between the sky and surface was one of the game's main gimmicks, although the player could normally only do so by using the Bird Statues that double as save points. Not only that, but players can also teleport back to where they first used the Amiibo, acting as a checkpoint of sorts. Players can reach and defeat Skyward Sword's final boss without using the Loftwing Amiibo's ability a single time, but it's hard to deny how convenient it is.
Tears Of the Kingdom Can't Bar Useful Features Like Skyward Sword Did
While the fast-travel ability granted by the Zelda and Loftwing Amiibo was fantastic, there's no reason why it needed to be tied to an Amiibo. There are several ways that the sky-to-surface transition could have been improved without requiring the player to spend more money. It could have been an ability that gets unlocked late in the game when the player has more places to travel, or perhaps a limited ability that required consumable in-game items to use. Instead, while the Amiibo granted a useful ability, it is one that most players will not get to use, and delayed shipments of Skyward Sword HD's Amiibos only added to the difficulty for players trying to find them.
Amiibo can do interesting things in games, but the fact that they require an extra purchase combined with how hard they can be to find makes them a frustrating addition. If Tears of the Kingdom introduces quality of life upgrades similar to what the Zelda and Loftwing Amiibo offered, then they need to be a part of the game proper. Although Amiibo are less prevalent than they used to be, DLC is still a common phenomenon. Gameplay-affecting abilities should not be put behind paywalls in the first place, and while Tears of the Kingdom probably shouldn't have DLC to begin with, making sure it doesn't repeat what Skyward Sword did with the Loftwing Amiibo should be a priority.
Skyward Sword's Zelda and Loftwing Amiibo was the biggest misstep that the game made, and an unusual move in the series. In every adventure, Link is upgrading his abilities constantly, and locking an upgrade behind a paywall feels antithetical to the series. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom would be wise not to make a similar mistake with any of its mechanics.
Source: Nintendo of America/YouTube