The newest entry in the Legend of Zelda series, Tears of the Kingdom, was recently released to rave reviews.
Much like in its predecessor, Breath of the Wild, gamers make their way through the vast and boundless ruins of the Kingdom of Hyrule, playing as the hero Link on his epic quest to save Princess Zelda and defeat the evil wizard Ganondorf.
The game is an instant classic and highlights the action and intensity the Zelda series is known for. Thankfully, that intensity seems to be limited to the game itself and hasn’t bled into the real world.
And unlike so many other video games, any mention of politics or attempts to tie Tears to race, gender or other grievance movements has been noticeably absent from the fervor around it.
Sure, the Gawker spinoff site Kotaku had some complaints about not receiving a review copy after attracting Nintendo’s ire for encouraging piracy of a previous game. And ScreenRant leveled a strange criticism about the game’s lack of options for deaf and blind people.
But for the most part, the gaming world was at peace, reveling in the pure fun that is Tears of the Kingdom. Gamers right, left and center were able to briefly unite against Ganondorf’s hordes to fight for the renewed glory of Hyrule.
It was a rare moment. Because unfortunately, gaming has long been a battlefield in the raging culture war.
A few months ago, similarly beloved fantasy franchise Harry Potter found its first major foray into the gaming sphere, Hogwarts Legacy, mired by political drama before it was even released.
“Woke” goblins, angry that author J.K. Rowling dared to suggest biological men can’t opt into being women, attempted to boycott the game — and the shrill gaming press corps were all too happy to oblige.
Zelda is blissfully free of such controversy. And that is worth celebrating. Because in an America as divided as it is, there need to be more things that unify us.
Culture and cultural items have long served as a bridge to bring warring factions together. That dingus might vote for Team Blue but at least he roots for the home team in baseball! A society cannot survive if there is no pause in the fighting.
Because while fighting and brawling and winning battles against our opposition in the political arena is essential to the existence of the Republic, there does need to be something we can agree on to bring the temperature down. And what better hobby to unify around than fighting an even greater threat, preferably with swords and bows and magic?
Tears of the Kingdom’s story serves as a metaphor for this mentality. Rubble and stone decorate the endless plains of the once great Kingdom of Hyrule, reduced to ruin by a long-ago calamity. But the people rebuild, together, and work to return the land to its former glory.
This is not to say that we should all drop our issues and join hands and sing “Kumbaya.” That’s not realistic, and not the best path forward.
The far left and its policies do represent a grave and ongoing threat to America, just as Ganondorf and his minions do to the efforts to rebuild Hyrule. But just as necessary to the preservation of our country is the ability to bond over common loves. To sit down and rave about how amazing the new Zelda is before we smack each other over our differences.
For now, let’s escape to the wilds of Hyrule, and leave the politics behind for a while.
