The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is built for repeat play. Hyrule still has overlooked caves, sky islands and unexpected routes, but following the same path to rescue Princess Zelda can eventually lose its appeal.
These ten self-imposed challenges change how you travel, fight, explore and manage resources. For more gaming and arcade coverage, visit the RETROCADE Arcade Blog.
1. Ban fast travel
The rule: Travel by foot, horse or basic vehicle only. Do not warp.
Complete the opening tutorial normally, then stop using shrine and map warps once Link reaches Hyrule. A horse becomes much more valuable, while stables turn into practical checkpoints rather than places to visit between fast trips. Moving across the world becomes an active navigation puzzle again, much like the early Great Plateau and Great Sky Island sections.
2. Navigate without the map
The rule: Use the Pro HUD and keep the map closed. For an even tougher version, do not activate Skyview Towers.
Without a minimap, you need to remember landmarks as soon as you arrive somewhere new. Pay attention to rock formations, rivers, towers and the direction of north. With no map data at all, Hyrule becomes less familiar and far more dependent on observation.
3. Play as the Hero of Time
The rule: Restrict Link to a sword, shield, bow, bombs and a horse.
This challenge imagines Ocarina of Time’s Link entering the modern sandbox. Fuse, Ultrahand and Zonai devices are forbidden, so many of the game’s usual solutions disappear. You may eventually decide that one or two exceptions are necessary, but the central question remains: can this limited toolkit defeat Tears of the Kingdom’s Ganon?
4. Keep Link at his starting strength
The rule: Remain at three or four hearts and take no stamina upgrades.
Do not exchange Light of Blessings for additional health or stamina. The resulting run rewards stealth, puzzle-solving and careful use of the environment. Zonai machines can handle some combat, while enemy weaknesses become more important because simply overpowering opponents is no longer reliable.
5. Limit healing
The rule: Set a maximum number of dishes per fight, or ban hearty meals entirely.
Healing restrictions make every hit matter. Fights that once invited brute force now require preparation, timing and dodging. A hearty-recipe ban is the harsher option, while a fixed meal limit offers a more flexible version of the challenge.
6. Use a one-life rule
The rule: If Link dies, delete the run or restart from a deliberately chosen earlier save.
A single mistake can end the adventure, so even an ordinary Bokoblin camp demands attention. Gloom Hands are especially dangerous around their known spawn areas. Players attempting this demanding format can find ideas and discussion in the r/LinkDies community.
7. Unlock Mineru first
The rule: Make Mineru the first major objective after reaching mainland Hyrule.
Ignore the early main-quest guidance and head towards the storm clouds over Faron. Mineru can help with ore mining and crowd control, but the game is not structured around obtaining her first. Expect dialogue and cutscenes to arrive out of sequence, creating an unusual rhythm for the rest of the adventure.
8. Fight with Zonai machines only
The rule: No swords or bows in combat; Zonai machines must do the fighting.
Replace conventional attacks with whatever construction you can assemble from Zonai parts. Simple devices work, but creative designs are encouraged. Encounters become engineering problems rather than familiar button-mashing battles.
9. Create an Eventide-style reset
The rule: Whenever you enter a new region or activate a tower, discard your weapons, armour, food and materials.
Breath of the Wild’s Eventide Island challenge was memorable because it stripped the player back to survival basics. Tears of the Kingdom has no identical quest, so impose the reset yourself. Start each area with no equipment, then build a new inventory from local finds such as dropped clubs and mushrooms.
10. Follow Zelda’s memories first
The rule: Find every Dragon’s Tear memory in order before progressing with Link’s present-day main objectives.
Once the mainland opens up and the geoglyphs become accessible, prioritise the memories. For the intended sequence, use the order shown in the back room of the Forgotten Temple. It creates a story-led route that fits Link’s search: discovering one of Zelda’s memories should encourage him to find the rest before moving on.
Choose the challenge that suits your run
You do not need to combine every restriction. A no-map journey changes exploration, a machine-only run reshapes combat, and a memory-first route changes the story’s pace. Start with one rule, then add another if Hyrule becomes too familiar.
If these challenges inspire a hands-on gaming setup, explore RETROCADE’s arcade machines, browse the DIY arcade kits, or learn more with the Arcade Machine Buying Guide.
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