While it couldn't replicate the critical success of its predecessor to win GOTY for 2023, there's no denying how The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom brought the open world formula forward with creative, fun, and somewhat bizarre decisions. TOTK found inspiration from the exploits players discovered with the physics engine, resulting in players making machines to do something similar to the exploits, with floating islands that added verticality. Still, TOTK hasn't seen much love after its launch version, and while its Switch 2 version will make it look better than ever, players have been asking for more.

Despite how well-received TOTK was, it hasn't received the same amount of content as Breath of the Wild did. While BOTW had two expansions, TOTK hasn't got a lot of love, with the closest thing to extra content coming from a new Hyrule Warriors game set during the early years of Hyrule which Zelda traveled to. It isn't as though TOTK was poorly received, and although it hasn't made the impact its predecessor has, it is odd that Nintendo has decided against using the Switch 2 as an opportunity to give the title more.

TOTK Should Have A Switch 2 Release Expansion

Other Switch 2 Upgrades Are Getting Extra Content

While it does cost extra cash to get the upgraded versions of Switch titles on the Switch 2, quite a few titles are receiving more content at launch. Super Mario Party Jamboree and Kirby and The Forgotten Land are both getting more content with their Switch 2 versions, for example. Kirby is getting an additional story section with a new threat, while Mario Party Jamboree is benefiting from additional mini-games that make use of the Switch 2's features, like the microphone, camera, and mouse controls. Unfortunately, not every title benefits from this additional content for the Switch 2.

The Switch 2 is largely backward compatible, although not every Switch 1 game will work completely with the Switch 2's new controls.

There has been a lot of discourse around the Switch 2's prices for games, from Mario Kart World's outrageous $80 price point to having to pay an additional $10 to get Switch games on the sequel console. This is assuming that the prices remain the same amid the tariff situation, which could make these prices hike even further. Still, these prices would be more palatable if all Switch games got more content, meaning that the $10 upgrade is more like paying for an expansion and the Switch 2 upgrade, but this isn't the case for either BOTW or TOTK.

It would have been the perfect opportunity to give TOTK a Switch 2 upgrade expansion, which could have come in many forms considering BOTW's expansions. It makes the upgrade pack more reasonable by comparison, and it doesn't have to be as large as the BOTW expansions. More importantly, it gives players a reason to revisit the game and just a bit more of this version of Hyrule until another Zelda game comes out, possibly to make the Wilds era a trilogy. Instead, players are left with almost nothing besides more easily sharing builds and having the game run at 60 FPS.

BOTW Gave Link A Greater Challenge

And This Greater Challenge Could Have Given TOTK Players A Reason To Come Back

BOTW had two expansions, The Master Trials, adding the Trails of the Sword and Master Mode, and The Champion's Ballad, which included more story content. The Master Trials helped make BOTW a genuine challenge for those looking to have Link suffer even more, and while there is an element of tedium plalying in Master Mode, something similar feels like it was missing from TOTK. That extra challenge might have given a second playthrough more purpose than it would have otherwise, although a few tweaks might be required to make the difficulty feel less artificial.

In Master Mode, enemies can regenerate health over time if they don't take damage after a while.

The Trails of the Sword helped BOTW's combat shine, and with TOTK having a construct-building system, something similar could have been used to test these constructs Pokémon-style against some of the game's mightiest foes. It could have resulted in a Master Sword upgrade like in BOTW, or maybe unlock more parts to build from. Either way, it would have made a decent late game, or even a post-game challenge, especially since the Zelda team has made noticeable improvements to its boss fights in TOTK compared to BOTW. It could have continued these improvements further with a story expansion instead.

The Champion's Ballad allowed players to see more of the fallen champions through interactions with Zelda, and TOTK could have benefited from something similar, perhaps showing memories of Ganondorf in his youth and his ascension to King. More importantly, it would have been a chance for another boss fight. The Champion's Ballad had the boss fight with the monk Maz Koshia, the best one in the game, in my opinion, and if TOTK had an expansion to bring another fight that improves upon the bass game's boss quality, it would have made the $10 upgrade seem worth it.

TOTK Should Have Followed In Mario Party And Kirby's Footsteps

Tears Of The Kingdom Deserves More

The Wilds era of Zelda games have been a revelation for Nintendo and TOTK deserves to be treated with more content, like Mario Party Jamboree and the latest Kirby have been with their Switch 2 upgrade packs. Considering that BOTW got DLC, it feels odd to deny TOTK something similar, since this means that Nintendo isn't opposed to DLC for its games, just TOTK. With BOTW's DLC not being part of its upgrade pack, it was unlikely that Nintendo was ever going to add much meaningful content for $10.

Still, with Zelda being a larger IP than Kirby, despite the little guy selling plushies around the globe, and with Nintendo doing more in the Wilds era with another Hyrule Warriors game, it feels like a title as big as TOTK deserved something extra. Nintendo did state that it would not make DLC for TOTK early on in its release, but even something like a Master Mode would have made the extra $10 seem more worth it. It would have at least given players an excuse to replay the game on the Switch 2 outside the performance benefits.

An optimist would like to believe that the lack of content for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is because the team is working on the next game and doesn't want to divert resources from this project to an older one. Considering the six-year gap between BOTW and TOTK (inflated because of Covid), this might be a good sign for another Zelda game in the Wilds era, but it looks like fans will have to fork out a pretty penny for it. Unfortunately, there isn't a lot in either Zelda game's upgrade packs for the Switch 2, and it feels like a missed opportunity.