Video Games

Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom’s Ultra Hand Ability is a Reference to a Classic Nintendo Toy

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has many new abilities not found in Breath of the Wild, including some that reference classic Nintendo toys.

As revealed in a new 10-minute gameplay showcase, Zelda producer Eiji Aonuma showed off Link’s four new abilities: Recall, Fuse, Ascend, and Ultra Hand.

The last of these is named after a grab-and-go toy from the late 1960s. The Ultra Hand consisted of several cross-shaped plastic tubes that connected the grabber on one end and the handle on the other. The concept was simple. Children were able to use the Ultra Hand to pick up objects from a distance and drop them elsewhere. This is completely different from Link’s abilities in Tears of the Kingdom.

More interestingly, the Ultra Hand was invented by Gunpei Yokoi, who later developed the video game consoles D-Pad, Game Boy, and Game and Watch.

Tears of the Kingdom’s Ultra Hand ability allows Link to pick up and move objects, though it’s certainly a little more complex than it was in the 1960s. Link can use it to combine different objects, from logs and shields to rocks, rakes, and seemingly everything.

Aonuma revealed many other details about Tears of the Kingdom, such as weapon durability and sky islands, as well as showing how this ability can be used in several different ways. A limited edition of his Nintendo Switch console was also announced.

Tears of the Kingdom has the largest file size of any first-party game on the Nintendo Switch, includes classic enemies from Ocarina of Time, and has previously been reported to cost as much as $70 more than normal for its scope. We knew it, but we’re excited because fans consider Breath of the Wild to be one of the greatest games of all time.

In a 10/10 review IGN stated:

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer and UK news editor. He talks about witchers all day long.

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