With The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom looking to expand on Breath of the Wild in ambitious ways, there's one mechanic in particular that could do with some improvement in the sequel. Building off the foundations laid by Breath of the Wild, the few looks that have been provided on Tears of the Kingdom suggest a game that will iterate massively on its predecessor in everything from exploration to story to combat - but while wholly new additions are welcome, some of the mechanics already present in BOTW could do with some tweaking as well.
As Tears of Kingdom is looking to once again take place in the same Hyrule as Breath of the Wild, there are plenty of ripe opportunities to revisit and expand on underused BOTW locations. From areas without much going on, to somewhat under-baked features like Link's house, TOTK's nature as a rare direct sequel in the Zelda franchise means that any underutilized parts of BOTW can get their time to shine. And while revisiting overlooked locations is certainly welcome, there's also one big systemic change that could hugely benefit TOTK's combat.
TOTK Can Improve BOTW's Parry Mechanics
Tears of the Kingdom could improve its combat massively over Breath of the Wild with a simple change - improving the parry. In BOTW, parrying is generally a niche option - in spite of being somewhat difficult to perform, it doesn't reward players as much as the game's perfect dodges, which also put the player at less of a risk of being hit. With TOTK having to grapple with BOTW's weapon durability already, improvements to parrying could tie the combat system together in a way that outdoes the original - and although BOTW's parries aren't without their uses, expanding the mechanic could make it far more satisfying to pull off.
Parrying Should Be More Rewarding In Tears Of The Kingdom
It's worth noting that BOTW's parries do have their uses - while timing is tight, parries can be used to knock weapons out of an enemy's hand, or reflecting Guardian beams back at them for massive damage. Mostly, however, parrying is a riskier and less rewarding endeavor than dodging - parrying too early or late carries the risk of getting hit or damaging a player's shield, and even perfectly timed parries don't reward players with a Flurry Rush like perfect dodges do. Furthermore, difficult enemies like Lynels can't be disarmed, making parries even less rewarding. TOTK marks a perfect opportunity to improve parrying, alongside other long-running Zelda problems with combat like the outdated Z-targeting system.
While parrying is mechanic that could be improved in many creative ways, even something as simple as creating a Flurry Rush opportunity could put it on par with dodging. For the risk that the mechanic carries, it doesn't offer quite as much reward as it should outside reflecting Guardian Beams - and it's a mechanic that could be immensely satisfying to pull off if The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom gives it a more worthwhile reward in broader contexts.
Source: Nintendo of America/YouTube