Pre-order bonuses can be some of the greatest treasures. From casuals to hardcore, there are plenty of gamers who have given in to temptation and — despite knowing whether or not the game would fail or flourish — took the chance on a pre-order just for the sweet, sweet bonus merch that came with it. It seems like Nintendo may not have gotten the memo on gorgeously realized loot when it comes to The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, however.
Luckily for those gamers that did invest in Tears of the Kingdom months or even years ago, the latest Zelda entry has lived up to gameplay expectations. It sits comfortably at a single point below its predecessor on Metacritic, and gamers are already taking to social media to exclaim their love for the game. While Tears of the Kingdom itself has definitely lived up to fan hype, Nintendo’s pre-order bonus is leaving some fans more than a little confused.
Reddit user SnagglToothCrzyBrain took to the site to share their woeful, little prize: a single spoon.
That’s right, you read that correctly. The pre-order perk from Amazon Japan is a silly, little spoon. To be fair, it is engraved with “The Legend of Zelda” and is even adorned with a tiny Hylian sigil. That has to count for something, right? The proud, new owner of the little spoon doesn’t seem too put-out by the cutlery, and fellow Redditors were quick to pile on enthusiasm for what could have been a very disappointing “bonus.”
Despite the obviously lackluster nature of a spoon, most commenters were pretty enthusiastic about the little prize. The thread was littered with inside Zelda jokes, with more than one referencing the game’s destructible weapons mechanic but applying it to — you guessed it — spoons.
I mean, our boy Link does love to eat. With cooking as such a key component of the game, it does make sense to send out a spoon. Besides, it’s very utilitarian, when you think about it.
It does seem like an odd piece of cutlery to choose from. Why not a knife, or a fork? Some users even reached deep into their Legend of Zelda memories, dredging up the “Golden Triumph Forks” from Wind Waker. “Tri-forks” is a missed opportunity for sure.
Other users used the conversation to share their own pre-order “perks.” Plenty of odds and ends were reported: fanny packs, luggage tags, coins, collectible pins, posters, postcards, lanyards, and — for one sad user — only a mock tattoo sleeve resembling Link’s mummy-cursed arm.
Despite the odd assortment of bits and bobs, most fans on the thread remained incredibly positive about the goodies. The original poster was more than happy with their prize, and joyously shared their plans for the future.
The infamous pre-order spoon has already started popping up on resale sites and is going for a whopping $45 USD. It’s hard to justify that kind of price for a spoon, but with a lifetime use all but guaranteed, we’re sure someone is willing to shell out the cash.