Camera Hack Reveals What Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom's Ascend Really Looks Like
Camera hacks can reveal all kinds of exciting secrets that exist just out of bounds in some of our favorite games, from the true faces of unseen protagonists to entire secret areas that the developers intended to close off. By detaching the camera from its fixed point in a game, curious players have managed to literally change our perspective on the virtual world around us. That's why Shesez, the YouTuber behind the popular "Boundary Break" series, was so excited to dig around in "The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom." In doing so, he discovered an interesting truth about Link's Ascend ability, which allows him to pass through solid ceilings and bypass some of the game's more tedious traversal points.
When Link uses Ascend, the game will occasionally cut to a green void that our hero will "swim" through. The camera remains tightly focused on Link during these moments, so Shesez decided to pull the camera back, just out of curiosity. Players might expect to see the full mountainside or platform that Link is traveling through, but that's not at all what Shesez found.
Link enters a green cube when using Ascend
As seen in a new "Boundary Break" video, the transition between the ground and the ceiling above takes Link to a completely different screen, rather than actually through the middle of whatever platform he's phasing through. By zooming out from the action, Shesez discovered that Link is quite literally moving through a giant green box.
Tears of the Kingdoms Ascension ability removes the whole world and replaces it with a green cube. pic.twitter.com/gTfsHtdyyl
— Shesez (@BoundaryBreak) May 29, 2023
When asked on Twitter if this green cube was basically a fancy loading screen — much like the famous elevator scenes in "Mass Effect" — Shesez explained, "What's happening is the world is culled out (seemingly invisible but not gone and not loading) so that this effect can play out without clipping (seeing parts of the world while the effect plays out)." Basically, the cube exists so that the outside world isn't interfering with the animation of Link moving through this magical void.
The rest of Shesez's "Tears of the Kingdom" video is filled with these kinds of reveals, from showing us where Zelda floats off to during a dramatic cutscene to the peak of the game's highest waterfall. It's worth checking out if you're curious about the nooks and crannies of Hyrule that were never meant to be seen by players.