Nintendo Patents Zelda Tears of the Kingdom Mechanics

Nintendo has recently revealed a number of patents it'd registered, 31 of which are connected to The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. According to Automation, the patents aim to "protect" the game's mechanics and Link's abilities, such as Ultrahand and Fuse.

One filing is related to the calculations done when Link rides on top of objects. The description says: “The movement of movable dynamic objects placed in the virtual space is controlled by physics calculations, and the movement of the player’s character is controlled by user input. When the player’s character and a dynamic object come in contact in the downward direction relative to the character (in other words, when the character is on top of an object), the movement of the dynamic object is added to the movement of the player’s character.” 

Another unexpected patent prevents other companies from using the game's loading sequence mechanics. When using fast travel, a loading screen shows a map of the player's current location and then transitions into a map of the destination.

There is also a patent for a mechanic that prevents Link from grabbing an object he is standing on when using Ultrahand. 

As you might have guessed, players are skeptical and criticize Nintendo's desire to make simple actions and movements exclusive. The company is infamous for its legal standing. As Automation noted, its filings have been ground for the rejection of other companies' patents in 180 cases in 2022.

Do you think it's excessive? What mechanics would you patent? Read the original article here and join our 80 Level Talent platform and our Telegram channel, follow us on Threads, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn, where we share breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.