Summary
- The inclusion of Panic Blood Moons in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom demonstrates the game's narrative development and the Switch's impressive longevity.
- Panic Blood Moons serve as a workaround for the Switch's limited memory, refreshing its performance and preventing crashes.
- Tears of the Kingdom's Panic Blood Moons not only enhance gameplay but also contribute to the game's broader story, showcasing the Switch's capabilities despite its age.
The Blood Moon's return in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom served more than just an in-universe explanation for respawning enemies as its rarer counterpart the "Panic Moon" helped ensure the game wouldn't be held back by the Switch itself. When Breath of the Wild first introduced the Blood Moon mechanic to players, it was an ideal blend of plausible storytelling and necessary gameplay mechanics all dramatically packaged with ominous music, visuals, and dialogue. As a core part of Breath of the Wild's system for replenishing enemy hordes, it seemed inevitable that Tears of the Kingdom would also include Blood Moons.
But while Breath of the Wild had launched alongside the Switch back in 2017, the sequel being released over six years later touches the furthest end of a typical games console's lifespan. As a result, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom was launching on an older system that aimed to compete with next-generation gaming, meaning that it was essential it could effectively find workarounds for any limitations the Switch might have had. Therefore, the Panic Blood Moon or "Panic Moon" is one example of how Nintendo ensured that Tears of the Kingdom lived up to its hype regardless of any concerns about the Switch's future.
How Blood Moons and Panic Blood Moons Work
In actuality, Panic Blood Moons were in both Breath of the Wild and its sequel as the mechanic delivers the same workaround for the Switch's limited memory. As players progress through both games, the Switch keeps track of various in-game details such as which enemies have already been killed, which chests have been opened, and which ore deposits have been mined. So in order to refresh the Switch's memory and prevent the game from crashing, Blood Moons help maintain performance by clearing some of its memory on a predetermined schedule every few real-time hours or in-game days.
However, though Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom do try to trigger Blood Moons when required, players can delay this through various in-game actions such as entering shrines. Fortunately, Nintendo has accounted for the possibility of an overdue Blood Moon with what is now known as Panic Blood Moons, where if the Switch's available memory falls below 10% a Blood Moon will trigger regardless of the time of day. Sometimes referred to as Forced Blood Moons, their more widely accepted namesake comes from the panic they cause when suddenly triggered even during the middle of the day.
Panic Blood Moons are Great for Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Though Panic Blood Moons are not technically new, their inclusion within Tears of the Kingdom speaks both to its developing narrative as a Breath of the Wild sequel and to the Switch's commendable longevity. For its predecessor's story, Blood Moons were treated as little more than a backdrop feature that resets the world for the player, but Tears of the Kingdom takes the use of Blood Moons a step further. Adapting to the player's progression through the game and its Princess Zelda twist, Tears of the Kingdom's Blood Moons reflect the developing story as well as refresh the Switch's memory.
Yet the fact that even at the stage when any other console might be up for retirement, the Switch still demonstrates through the success of Tears of the Kingdom that good games don't need high-quality graphics or performance. Contrasting Tears of the Kingdom with Pokemon Scarlet and Violet only emphasizes the fact that the Switch was and still is capable of delivering these kinds of games, provided developers are savvy in working around its limitations. Tears of the Kingdom's Panic Blood Moons are a testament to this with the added bonus of being integrated into gameplay as a key component to the game's broader story.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is available now on Nintendo Switch.