Summary
OneThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomplayer has created a Zonai vehicle that allows them to zoom across the fields of Hyrule without using Energy Cells. These batteries enable Link to power up Zonai devices to keep them running for a period of time, which is determined by how many charges he has. While Link initially starts out with only one charge, he can upgrade them by trading Zonaite, a new material in the game, to Forge Constructs for Crystalized Charges and then visiting a Crystal Refinery in order toget more batteries inTears of the Kingdom.
These Energy Cells, partnered with Zonai devices, are what allow players to create some amazing vehicles and combat tools to traverse the vast lands of Hyrule. With this convenient device in hand, players can challenge some of the fiercest monsters in the game and emerge undefeated, such as one gamer whofought a King Gleeok with a laser cannon. However, while the Energy Cells are an advantageous item for Link, it will quickly lose the charges depending on several factors, like the number of devices the player strings together and the outfit they wear. To work around this, players have been experimenting and creating unpowered builds.
A Redditor called divlogue shared in the Hyrule Engineering subreddit a relatively simple, non-powered vehicle that they made. Dubbed the Powerless Driving Cart, the vehicle is made out of several ofthe best Zonai devices, such as springs, a cart, and a mirror for light. The non-powered vehicle works by having the springs contract and expand in stages, which pushes it forward, with divlogue seemingly being able to control it enough to change directions. The short video shows Link zooming across the fields of Hyrule; however, the fun was halted when the vehicle became stuck against some rocks.
According to divlogue, the vehicle was inspired by another Redditor’s creation called the “Wonkus Drive,” which utilized a flame emitter, wings, and a spring to take to the skies and move forward momentarily. Both posts were well-received in theTears of the Kingdomspinoff subreddit, with one user saying that divlogue’s vehicle is “engineering at its finest.”
Builds like divlogue’s show why a University of Maryland professor created anengineering course inspired byTears of the Kingdom’sbuilding system. The impact ofThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomhas led it to become one of Nintendo’s highly nominated titles at the Game Awards 2023, with it being a strong contender for the Game of the Year award.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
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The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is the sequel to the beloved open-world adventure, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. This installment once again sees Link and Zelda battling to protect Hyrule from falling to Ganondorf. This new adventure takes place in the same land of Hyrule as Breath of the Wild but sees something called the Upheaval, which allows link to travel to Sky Islands, as well as deep into the Depths beneath Hyrule. Players can use special abilities to fuse together weapons, and build items to help them progress through the release.
