Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom players are terrorizing its cutest characters

By Giovanni Colantonio Published May 15, 2023

In The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, players are given unlimited freedom to solve puzzles in any way they want. Shrine puzzles, for instance, usually have a developer-intended solution that can be entirely bypassed with clever thinking. However, players are already drunk with power as they find inventive ways to tackle problems … and that’s bad news for Hyrule’s Korok population.

As was the case in Breath of the Wild, Koroks are cute little creatures that act as a primary collectible in Tears of the Kingdom. Link must solve small puzzles out in the world to reveal them and get a Korok seed in exchange, which is then used to upgrade his gear slots. In a recurring puzzle, Link finds a Korok who wants to be reunited with a friend off in the distance — but it can’t move due to its gigantic backpack. It’s up to Link to move the Korok in any way he can think of.

Recommended Videos

And that’s where players are getting a little too creative.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

Over the game’s opening weekend, Twitter filled up with videos of players transporting Koroks in truly horrifying ways. Some methods involved strapping rockets to them and sending them flying. Others showed off unfortunate mishaps, like ill-fated flights that ended in disaster.

Yahaha Korok go zoom 🚀 pic.twitter.com/Y6N8PBN59O

— 🌸podz🌸 (@sarahpodz) May 12, 2023

My contribution to the mistreatment of Koroks#TearsOfTheKingdom #Zelda #NintendoSwitch pic.twitter.com/CqlRA23De8

— DAT | Ambler (@Ambler) May 14, 2023

Some players, however, have far more nefarious plans for their Koroks. Crucifixions have become a common fate for Koroks in the game’s early days. Others are gathering together as many Koroks as they can and subjecting them to group torture. I’ve seen horses dragging rows or Koroks and a full Korok rotisserie already.

https://twitter.com/5os4ku/status/1657113545505493027

pic.twitter.com/t3yMRFCL4f

— Matt Robinson (@MattR644) May 14, 2023

Ladies and gentlemen,

I present you the Korok Rotisserie machine. #ZeldaTearsOfKingdom pic.twitter.com/LCtsRdfGov

— Pory (@pory_leeks) May 11, 2023

Is it all a little cruel? Yes. Yes it is. But I suppose if you want to find some light in this, it’s that the Korok torture is already showing how much creativity Tears of the Kingdom is inspiring in its players. If people can think of this many ways to brutalize the cutest creature in Hyrule, imagine what kind of creations they’ll create years from now. May God help us all.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is out now on Nintendo Switch. Check out our guides hub to help you through some of the game’s trickier puzzles.

Topics

Giovanni Colantonio

Senior Gaming Editor

As Digital Trends' Senior Gaming Editor, Giovanni Colantonio oversees all things video games at Digital Trends. As a veteran…

Gaming

The best Zelda games, ranked from best to worst

Link with the Master Sword in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

The Legend of Zelda series is one of the most iconic video game franchises of all time. Ever since its debut on NES in 1986, Nintendo has consistently delivered awe-inspiring experiences that often define entire console generations. More than a handful of Link's adventures are among the greatest games ever created.

That makes ranking The Legend of Zelda series a challenging endeavor, as it was for all the Mario games. We did just that, though -- from the 8-bit era all the way to the high-definition open-world game Breath of the Wild (and its sequel Tears of the Kingdom). Our journey through the history of The Legend of Zelda starts now.

Gaming

All outfits in The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom and how to unlock them

Zelda wearing the royal travel attire in Echoes of Wisdom.

Somewhat like Peach in Princess Peach: Showtime!, Zelda has access to a ton of different outfits in The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom. While they won't drastically change how she plays like her Swordfighter form does, they do give her a fresh new style and occasionally a nice buff of some sort. When you combine these with accessories and smoothies, you can do some fairly deep build crafting in this game. These new outfits can't be picked up off the rack at Hyrule's local market, though. Zelda will need to work for most of them, and there are plenty you can easily miss if you don't go out of your way to find them. Here are all the outfits you can get in Echoes of Wisdom, how to unlock them, and what buffs they grant (if any).
Every outfit in Echoes of Wisdom
There are a total of 11 outfits to find and try on in Echoes of Wisdom. Some are given as part of the main story, but most are optional.
Disguise

This simple hooded outfit is unlocked automatically during the opening of the game. It has no added benefits to wearing it.
Royal Travel Attire

Gaming

The best smoothies in The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom

Zelda makes a mixed smoothie in The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom.

Adventuring through Hyrule and the Still World is a tough job in The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, but our heroic princess is up to the task. She's armed with the power of Echoes, various accessories, and even outfits to give her an advantage over the various mobs and hazards in the world. But one new trick Zelda has access to that will make her adventure much easier (and more delicious) is smoothies. These consumable items offer dozens of benefits, from health recovery to temporary stat increases. You'll be collecting ingredients by the handful while exploring that you can give to the Business Scrub to whip up into a powerful drink. The only question becomes which ones are the best that you should spend your precious inventory slots to carry with you. Let's explore the best smoothies in Echoes of Wisdom, what they do, and how to make them.
The best smoothies in Echoes of Wisdom

Each smoothie must be made at one of the various Business Scrub stands in exchange for two ingredients and 10 Rupees. There are a total of 69 different recipes to test out, which is way too many to keep in your head to remember the best ones. However, you should still make each smoothie at least once if you want to get 10 Golden Eggs easily.
Refreshing Mixed Smoothie