ThoughThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomlacks a dedicated button or feature for players to pet the dogs of Hyrule, that did not stop one player from discovering a clever method for accomplishing the task. TheZeldashared their findings on social media in a short video, and otherTears of the Kingdomplayers thanked them for doing what Nintendo did not.
In 2017’sBreath of the Wild, one of the common complaints that players had with the game was the inability to pet the dogs, despite feeding them and following them to find treasure. ThoughTears of the Kingdomimproved uponBreath of the Wildin different ways, the inability to give canine companions a proper head pat remains a thing. By comparison, Square Enix’sFinal Fantasy 16has takenpetting the dog to another level by rewarding playersthat do so. But, as proven by someTears of the Kingdomplayers, where there is a will, there is a way.
RELATED:Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Player Builds Impressive Airboat Vehicle
On Reddit, aTears of the Kingdomplayer named Broad_Astronomer6126 posted a 29-second video of their efforts on the r/zelda subreddit. In the clip,they used Link’s Ultrahand abilityto hold an off-screen object and Link’s outstretched arm to give a nearby pup a pat on the head. Using the right stick on their controller, the OP was able to line up Link’s hand with the dog’s head and quickly moved the stick up and down to pet the dog. They followed this up with a few gentle left-to-right motions once the dog moved near Link’s hand. However, the dog’s animations did not change in response to the use of Ultrahand, so the OP had to move Link around to keep pampering the pup.
The video post from Broad_Astronomer6126 received over 800 upvotes on the r/zelda subreddit within a few hours. While otherTears of the Kingdomplayers haveused Zonai devices as a way to pet the dogsof Hyrule, Broad_Astronomer6126 was praised by other Redditors for their simple and straightforward way to pet the dog. At the time of writing, someTears of the Kingdomplayers remained baffled at the fact that Nintendo has yet to include any dedicated button prompts for it.
It remains to be seen if the dogs inTears of the Kingdomwill receive changes in any future updates. Despite the lack of dog-petting functionality, the latest entry in theZeldaseries remains on pace to be one ofthe best games of 2023in a year loaded with both good games and good dogs.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomis available now for Nintendo Switch.
