Summary
A player ofThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomshowed off their ingenuity by building and showing off a droid tank reminiscent of the ones used by the Trade Federation and the Separatists of Star Wars. TheZelda: Tears of the Kingdomfan recorded footage of the tank in action and shared it with other players on social media.
First appearing inStar Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace, the tank from which theZeldaplayer took inspiration was the Armored Assault Tank, or AAT. It was used primarily by the Trade Federation droids on the ground during the doomed Invasion of Naboo. A few years after the invasion was routed and Viceroy Nute Gunray’s treachery was laid bare, the Trade Federation was conscripted and absorbed into Count Dooku’s Confederacy of Independent Systems, or Separatist army. This led to the AAT and other pieces of artillery taking part in theBattle of Geonosis inAttack of the Clones. Capable of holding up to six passengers, 11 cannons, and a 12-missile payload, the AAT was an essential part of the Confederacy’s ground units.
The design of the AAT inspired oneTears of the Kingdomplayer to give their spin on the armored assault vehicle. A Redditor named slowdruh built and showcased the Hyrulean Autonomous Assault Tank, or HyAAT, on the r/HyruleEngineering subreddit. Using amixture of Zonai devices inTears of the Kingdomand Link’s Autobuild, the player crafted the HyAAT using what they had in their inventory. With parts such as a Zonai Wing and Treads to serve as a base, the tank was outfitted with a large cannon at the top of the hull and had two side cannons that could take down foes within the immediate vicinity.
Despite being aweapon that could do serious damage inTears of the Kingdom, the HyAAT built by slowdruh had some drawbacks. As a tank, it moved slowly and required a lot of battery power to use. The battery consumption would require any player to have some methods of recharging on hand, and the tank was not able to withstand a frontal charge from a Queen Gibdo.
For their effort, slowdruh was complimented by otherZeldafans, who stated that it took some patience and inspiration to design and craft their assault tank. With a plethora of ways for players to express their creativity and save Hyrule in the process, it is little wonder thatTears of the Kingdomis one of thetop Nintendo Switch games of 2023.
