Daily Debate: Why Couldn’t the Hookshot be Present in Breath of the Wild?

In Zelda’s most ambitious outing yet, an open world adventure with a focus on climbing and scaling mountains, why oh why wasn’t the series staple, the Hookshot, in Link’s arsenal for Breath of the Wild?

As it turns out, the Hookshot was included, but was cut early from the beta by the team as they felt it detracted from paragliding and climbing. That the mechanic rendered the others redundant. It’s easy to understand since climbing and paragliding are fun. These are relatively unrestricted modes of transport, but it can’t help but feel disappointing.

Couldn’t this have been an endgame reward? Some kind of DLC alongside Link’s sweet new ride? It feels like there could have been a way of nerfing it’s power. Perhaps only usable on certain surfaces, during rain or only in certain segments.

How do you feel about the missing Hookshot? Are you content with climbing and soaring through the wilderness or do you wish it returned once more, to turn Link into the Spider-Man of Hyrule? Let us know in the comments below!