The Hero Is Triumphant (Adult)
With The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild less than two months away, we have to wonder just how this title fits into the rather complex timeline that this series has produced. There has been no official statement from Nintendo, but there are some speculations among fans as to where this upcoming game could take place and what past titles it has been referencing.
One of the most popular theories is that Breath of the Wild takes during The Hero is Triumphant (Adult) timeline, due to some species and item names that reference the events in Wind Waker. One of these was discovered during the Nintendo Treehouse event at last year’s E3. The item in question is called “Rock Salt,” which when acquired delivers this message to the player: “Crystalized salt from the ancient sea commonly used to season meals. Cannot be eaten in this form.” Given Wind Waker was pretty much only about a giant ancient sea that had engulfed Hyrule, it’s possible this quote could be referencing these events.
We also know that the Great Deku Tree not only appeared in the Breath of the Wild trailer, but tells Link that he “is ready to hear what happened 100 years ago.” If we are in a Wind Waker timeline, a century would be more then enough time for some magic to dispel all the water and once again change the world.
There are also the Koroks to consider, as they’ve appeared in a number of Breath of the Wild trailers, images, and gameplay sneak peeks. These little creatures are former human children from the Kokiri Village that were altered by Wind Waker’s Great Sea. Their appearance in Breath of the Wild, and their absence from any other timeline, even further suggest a connection between Breath of the Wild and Wind Waker.
The Hero Is Triumphant (Child)
This is perhaps the least likely of any of the theories so far, however, there are a few interesting nods that could place Breath of the Wild sometime after Twilight Princess. First off, the magic from the new trailer, what we can only assume is Calamity Ganon, has a slight resemblance to the Twilight powers that Zant utilized. Given most of the dark creatures were summoned directly from magic, much like how the Boblin’s appear in the new trailer, this could explain how Ganon’s forces have spread out across the land in Breath of the Wild.
A closer Twilight Princess connection is that you can summon “Wolf Link” in Breath of the Wild via his corresponding amiibo. While this is a pretty awesome addition (because who doesn’t want a pet wolf?) this seems more like a nod rather than concrete evidence these words are connected. One of the biggest issues is that the tone, design, and look of Breath of the Wild doesn’t fit into that dark quality of the games that The Hero is Triumphant (Child) encapsulates. These titles have always been about life and death to a degree, themes that seem to be absent from Breath of the Wild’s focus on an ancient technology.
The Hero Is Defeated
The longest timeline currently out there, The Hero Is Defeated features the majority of the top-down Zelda titles and is more focused on the constant resurrection of Ganon. Given that Breath of the Wild has made a rather big deal out of the Calamity Ganon, it could be referencing the many times he has returned to create chaos on the world of Hyrule. During the last trailer, we clearly get to see a monstrous form looming over Hyrule Castle, which could easily be Ganon in another form via his magic.
The only other hint of this came from Nintendo, which released this art that references the first game on the NES. However, this appears to be just another homage to the series and not definitive proof that Nintendo is going to place this title in the same timeline. While it’s fully possible to slot Breath of the Wild into The Hero is Defeated timeline, there so far haven’t been as many connections with this timeline.
Convergence/New Timeline
Perhaps the most intriguing theory is that Breath of the Wild will either produce a new timeline or be the first connection of all three since Ocarina of Time. The latter is perhaps one of the most plausible since Breath of the Wild is clearly pulling themes and ideas from all of the different Zelda titles. It would also help Nintendo manage their storylines better going forward. Trying to force titles into one of three slightly different timelines can be quite troublesome from a narrative perspective, and a convergence could act as a nice reset for the Zelda games.
It’s also possible that Nintendo just adds a fourth timeline that starts 100 years after the events of Ocarina of Time. While this could lead to confusion later down the road, it would allow Nintendo to work in different styles and themes through their Zelda games and still utilize the different timelines to justify them. Yet, we won’t fully know where this title stands in The Legend of Zelda’s grand story until release. In the meantime, let us know where you think Breath of the Wild exists in the comments below.
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