With the release of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom only months away, it's not long till the return to Hyrule. As a direct sequel to Breath of the Wild, TOTK has the opportunity to build upon and expand everything that made the game so popular. One such area is the intriguing avenue opened up by BOTW’s Tarrey Town and its related quest.
Tarrey Town is a unique settlement in The Legend of Zelda, both in its design and its creation. When starting a new game in BOTW, the town simply does not exist. Tarrey Town only comes to be thanks to the efforts of Link, who both supplies construction materials and recruits people from around Hyrule to populate the town. The building of Tarrey Town is a significant and fan-favorite side quest in Breath of the Wild, called ‘From The Ground Up’, which shows how the people of Hyrule are slowly recovering from the Great Calamity. And it is this experience which Tears of the Kingdom could replicate to great effect.
Tarrey Town Could Inspire New Construction Side Quests In TOTK
Although the trailers for Tears of the Kingdom make it clear that Hyrule is not yet free of evil forces, that doesn't mean that it can't continue to rebuild. In fact, Tears of the Kingdom could expand upon the Tarrey Town quest by charging Link with helping similar construction efforts all over Hyrule, perhaps even restoring some locations found as ruins in Breath of the Wild. This could lead to additional features being unlocked in the BOTW sequel, such as farming. It also raises the possibility of fans being able to restore some beloved locations from across the franchise.
A Rebuilt Lon Lon Ranch Could Appear In TOTK
One prime example of a location that could benefit from such a quest is Lon Lon Ranch. Introduced in Ocarina of Time, the ranch was originally home to popular characters like Malon and Epona. By the time of Breath of the Wild, however, Lon Lon Ranch is simply another ruin, its easily identifiable remains found south of Castle Town. If the ranch were to be rebuilt in Tears of the Kingdom, it could provide Link with unique upgrades for his horses, such as training to improve stats. This might also provide organic improvements to the mounted combat of BOTW, which was rather limited in its applications.
Of course, there are many other locations around Hyrule that are in the same condition as Lon Lon Ranch, many of which also bear familiar or otherwise interesting names. There is the Mabe Village Ruins, which references the village of the same name from Link’s Awakening. There are also the various Exchange Ruins, former trade centers now left abandoned. Rebuilding locations like these could open up new and improved shops or other trading opportunities for Link. Furthermore, as the defeat of Calamity Ganon can only have helped the country, there may well be many more people in Hyrule after BOTW, now in need of homes like Tarrey Town in TOTK.
As it stands, much of the gameplay in Tears of the Kingdom is a mystery. This means there's been plenty of speculation and theories about many potential changes or improvements to Breath of the Wild’s various features for its sequel. The rebuilding of Hyrule is a particularly sweeping feature that could be enacted through various side quests in the same vein as Tarrey Town. The idea of improving Hyrule and having a tangible effect on the landscape would be a fun addition that would allow fans to revisit BOTW’s locations in Tears of the Kingdom in a unique and exciting way.
Source: Nintendo of America/YouTube
