Link's new glowing arm is one of the biggest mysteries of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, but it could potentially be one of his biggest new assets. It's a major change from past games, which never featured anything of the sort. It's worth wondering if this new arm is not a curse, but perhaps a useful new tool like BOTW's Sheikah Slate.
In promotional trailers for Tears of the Kingdom, one of the most eye-catching images is the sight of Link with a glowing, seemingly artificial arm. Mixed in with the rest of the gameplay footage, this sight stands out for being so alien compared to the series' norm. Not only does it mark one of Link's biggest design changes since Breath of the Wild's blue tunic, it brings up interesting questions about gameplay mechanics. It's likely to be one of TOTK's new gimmicks, but it's not clear how it will come into play. There are some fair assumptions that can be made, though.
Link's Arm In Tears Of The Kingdom Could Be A Powerful New Tool
One thing to note is that in addition to looking artificial, the arm glows in a way that is reminiscent of BOTW's Sheikah Slate. As further evidence, one of the new powers shown off in the trailer featured a similar bright glow as his arm, and some of the footage features Link gesturing with his arm before activating an ability. Through this, it's possible that Link's glowing arm could functionally be Tears of the Kingdom's version of Breath of the Wild's Sheikah Slate.
Link's Glowing Arm Will Be Important In Tears Of The Kingdom
Just like the Sheikah Slate, Link's glowing arm could be used to activate powers such as Magnesis and Cryonis to affect the world around him. Rather than gaining new runes for the Slate over the course of the game, they could be applied to his arm. In addition, since the Slate was a replacement for many traditional Zelda items, the arm may be able to replicate some of those same effects. For example, it could gain the ability to stretch and pull Link to faraway places like one of Zelda's most useful items, the Hookshot. In fact, Link seems to show a similar ability in one of the trailers.
Turning Link's arm into an upgradeable multi-tool would be a cool gimmick for the game, but it would also present a few more ideas worth wondering about. The arm appears to be a prosthetic - or some other replacement of his original arm. It's worth wondering if it was a gift to him by someone like Purah, or if it was the result of some unexpected event. Either way, it's such a unique element that it's certain to be explained by the game, and it would be no surprise if Link's arm was vital to Tears of the Kingdom's story.
Link's arm looks to be one of Tears of the Kingdom's new gimmicks, and it could be one of the series' coolest. The Sheikah Slate was a lot of fun to use in Breath of the Wild, and Link's arm could recapture that with a similar design. Although the role of Link's arm in Tears of the Kingdom isn't confirmed yet, it would do well to mimic the Sheikah Slate.
Source: Nintendo Of America/YouTube