Player Uses Custom “Mech Suit” Controller to Accomplish One Goal in Tears of the Kingdom: Call a Horse
Posted on July 09 2024 by Leslie Jacobson
Virtual reality (VR) gaming is still pretty much in its early stages. Systems such as Meta Quest or PlayStation VR have bulky visors and hand-control grips, but for the most part the hand controls are similar to any modern console. Nintendo’s answer to VR gaming, the Nintendo Labo, uses the Switch itself and some funny cardboard peripherals to play fairly simple VR games. With the Labo VR headset, you can play both Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey, but you still need a regular set of Joy-Cons or a Pro Controller to actually play. Needless to say, we are still a ways away from a truly immersive VR Zelda game.
To bring us closer to that Zelda VR future, one creative player and programmer who goes by Lledos has constructed what he calls a “mech suit” to play games with realistic body movements. In his video titled “Control Zelda with Body – Tears of the Kingdom,” he talks about the components of his “mech suit,” explains how he programs the input controls to correspond to a Switch controller, and shares gameplay footage of his attempts to accomplish his one goal: call a horse in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
Please note: The video above includes adult language. Viewer discretion is advised.
The “mech suit” includes a sword, shield, bow, and even gloves that Lledos uses to control Link’s Ultrahand ability. He is able to control Link’s movement with his own steps, such as taking a small step to make Link walk and a larger step to make Link run. He even uses his voice to control Yunobo’s Sage ability. The most important feature, though, is that Lledos actually whistles to make Link whistle and call his horse.
Lledos demonstrates his trial-and-error approach to programming his mech suit and playing the game in the video. It is both funny and fascinating to see the work put into what is seemingly such a simple task. Even something most gamers take for granted, such as movement, proves to be a challenge at first. What was surprising to me was that the glove movements for Ultrahand did not pose as much of a challenge as Lledos (or I) thought.
Lledos is great at acknowledging when things do not go well and talking about how he worked through those challenges. You cannot help but cheer along with him as he progresses through the Great Sky Island tutorial areas and onto the Surface to get his horse. The true challenge comes when he learns that, to register his horse at the Lookout Landing mini-stable, he has to complete a “Regional Phenomena” quest first. While he could have simply rode the horse to any stable and registered it, I think showing that he could get through one of the main quests with the mech suit speaks to his talent and creativity.
Lledos has tried other games with his mech suit, and you can follow his adventures on his YouTube channel right here. You can follow him on X as well.
What do you think? Do you think we’ll all have “mech suits” someday to play video games? Would you like to try to play a game this way? Let us know in the comments!
Source: Lledos
Leslie is a mom, a cosplayer, an educator, and a fervent fan of The Legend of Zelda series. She lives in an area of the United States that reminds her of the Akkala region in the fall and Hebra the other 11 months of the year. She owns The Legend of Zelda t-shirts older than most of her students.
