Link, in all his variations, is a hero. The sword-wielding savior of Hyrule is always doing heroic shit in every Legend of Zelda game. He’s the embodiment of courage, goes to great lengths to defeat evil in whatever form it appears, and has saved the day countless times across the series’ convoluted timeline. It’s only natural, then, that he would also embody the important virtue of respecting women. Now, thanks to the Switch 2 version of Tears of the Kingdom, we know that he does.
The Nintendo Switch 2 version of Tears of the Kingdom comes with a few perks not found on the original console. It looks better and runs smoother, but perhaps the most enticing thing Nintendo has added for the new system is Zelda Notes, an assortment of voice and text logs from different characters that you can read on your phone while you play. Many of them are from the princess herself, and actually do a lot to flesh out our hero, who is typically a silent protagonist. One entry has Zelda recounting the time the two went to Eventide Island, and how Link, having been there before and being stripped of his gear, expected the same to happen to Zelda, and thus covered his eyes so he wouldn’t see anything indecent. That, my friends, is a gentleman.
Link came along to protect me, but he suddenly covered his eyes the moment we landed. Fortunately, it seems all the monsters vanished with the Calamity… Regardless, when I asked him what he was doing, he said last time he was here, he had been stripped of…ahem…all his possessions when he arrived. He…could have mentioned that possibility before I set foot on the shore…
That’s my Hero of Time. Or whatever we’re calling him these days. Tears of the Kingdom is a huge game, so the prospect of going back to it feels a little daunting, even with all the Switch 2 enhancements. But I am looking forward to what other story secrets fans might find in the Zelda Notes.