With many changes expected to come withThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Malice, which had previously appeared inThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wildas an environmental hazard turned obstacle, looks set to take on an all-new role for the sequel. Though it hasn’t been featured yet in actual gameplay footage, trailers that likely drew snippets from initial cutscenes seem to show Malice will have a more prominent and even more adversarial purpose as Link comes face-to-face with a revived Ganondorf. So while it might retain its prior qualities from the first game,The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomcould see Malice spreading further and faster than ever through Hyrule.
Players familiar withBreath of the Wildwill recall that Malice had a reasonably sedentary role, often located in areas overrun with Calamity Ganon’s influence. This includedBreath of the Wild’s Divine Beasts, Hyrule castle, and a handful of other key locations throughout the game. Primarily used during gameplay as a barrier to prevent passage and force players to puzzle out a solution, Malice could also cause contact damage, spawn enemies, and was even responsible for the infection of those like Naydra or the Guardians. Since sequels often try and outdo their predecessors, this meansTears of the Kingdomwill need to try and go beyond all this.
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Evidence So Far of Changes to Malice
With only a few trailers to speculate from, a few key moments have stood out that have shown Malice to be behaving in ways not yet seen compared toBreath of the Wild. For instance, though Calamity Ganon had laid claim to Hyrule castle in the first game, trailers have since shown the castle being lifted into the sky much like other islands from other trailers, but with a concentrated mass of Malice seemingly carrying it upwards. This could suggest that ifCalamity Ganon were a manifestation of Ganondorf’s power, then the real villain himself must be stronger if his manipulation of Malice can do that.
However, more interestingly, Malice was shown to be less of an obstacle in these early trailers and in fact seemed almost “alive” or predatory. Certain trailer segments show Malice hunting down a rat while another shows Link appearing to be attacked by Malice. For the latter especially, Malice is attackingLink’s arm inTears of the Kingdom, and it appears corrupted or infused with some kind of magic or technology, even paralleling the same arm that seems to have previously been holding Ganondorf captive. Based on this, it seems not only will Malice become more malignant and violent, but it has a deeper connection to Ganondorf and even to Link.
Tears of the Kingdom’s Malice Could be More Dangerous
Beyond being an explanation as to why Hyrule is rediscovering itsSkyward Swordvibes inTears of the Kingdomwith floating islands in the sky, Malice could become a far more pervasive and present danger to Link. Besides the likely possibility it will be reused as an environmental hazard and barrier during gameplay, Malice could itself become an active hazard Link will need to fight. Perhaps taking inspiration fromHyrule Warriors: Age of Calamityand its own Malice-infused enemies,Tears of the Kingdom’s Malice could empower other enemies and create harder-to-beat and more aggressive opponents, from Lionels to Guardians themselves.
But not only this, Malice could be its own enemy type instead of needing others to infect. For instance, just as Link was attacked in the trailer, certain areas of the game could see the player facing concentrated Malice that will hunt down Link due to his arm. Under particular conditions or controlled environments likeTears of the Kingdom’s new dungeonsor shrines, this could allow for interesting gameplay sections that could force the player to flee in a chase sequence or create new opportunities for stealth that had been underdeveloped inBreath of the Wild. As a result, Malice will likely become an even greater threat inTears of the Kingdom, although the exact of this remains to be seen.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomis set to release onMay 12, 2023, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.
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