When the Breath of the Wild 2 trailer was revealed during last year’s E3, every fan of the 2017 Game of the Year held on to their green elf caps for the next Hyrulian adventure.
You can imagine the fanbase’s surprise when the trailer for Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity dropped in September. With a release date a mere two months from the announcement. It promised a story set before the calamity that devastated Hyrule and made it the weathered no-man’s-land it became in Breath of the Wild. They used the word “prequel” to describe the game, back 100 years before the original. Players of the original were both excited at the prospect of reliving the experience. They were also anxious at the portrayal of Link and Zelda’s defeat at the hands of Ganon.
Now that it’s been out for a few weeks with its full plot revealed, Age of Calamity expands the world of Breath of the Wild in an unexpected way. Essentially, it’s an alternate universe that explores a ‘what-if’ scenario where the Champions survived. They also get unexpected allies from the past and future, and fight a new, hidden evil.
Hyrule Warriors, the first crossover between the legendary Nintendo franchise and Koei Tecmo, is confirmed to be not part of the canon. However, there hasn’t been direct confirmation that Age of Calamity retconned the entirety of Breath of the Wild. This is all thanks to Terrako – the small egg-shaped Guardian protecting Zelda. The flavor text on one loading screen claims its time-traveling adventure has created “a new world”. This isn’t a hard pill to swallow. After all, this is Zelda – home to several canon split timelines.
Breath of the Wild 2’s story may move into a dark direction.
Despite this, Age of Calamity expanded on a beloved universe in a unique and effective way. Nintendo is pulling out all the stops for this incarnation of Zelda, and the fans are loving it. This prequel managed to whet appetites before the sequel comes out. So, what are some things in Age of Calamity that could show up in the Breath of the Wild 2 story? Here are some speculations.
SHEIKAH TECHNOLOGY AND GUARDIAN ALLIES
Terrako, revealed to be a Guardian companion in Zelda’s youth, was a central character to Age of Calamity. Given the Sheikah’s knowledge of this technology, it gave essential aid for the Champions’ victory. Alongside more portable guardians, how else might this technology show up?
Impa, Robbie, and Purah are all still alive in Hyrule. It’s through them that the legacy of Sheikah knowledge can survive. Perhaps we will be able to see new uses of Sheikah technology in Breath of the Wild 2’s Hyrule under the leadership of Princess Zelda. The technology will likely be for reconstruction and defense, or maybe even transportation akin to the DLC’s Master Cycle Zero. We’re sure that’s what she would want, too.
The past and the future Champions unite to aid Zelda
MORE TIME WITH THE NEXT GENERATION CHAMPIONS
Finally, we got to see more of the original champions outside of the short clips that represented Link’s memories in Breath of the Wild. It was also nice to see them interact with their future counterparts.
Even more exciting is the prospect of the new Champions helping Princess Zelda rebuild the new Hyrule. Each has their own burden of living up to their legendary predecessors. Zelda’s allies could play a crucial role in guiding the princess as she re-explores a new, unfamiliar Hyrule.
Also consider: I wouldn’t mind getting to pilot the Divine Beasts again!
Zelda uses a unique moveset with the Sheikah Slate
PLAYABLE ZELDA (AND OTHER CHARACTERS)
The reveal of short-haired Princess Zelda in the Breath of the Wild 2 trailer sparked heated speculation about her role in the sequel. Was the new hairdo a narrative device? Or an indication she got a haircut to prevent clipping through armor in combat animations? Only time will tell.
Many people did enjoy playing her and several other characters in Age of Calamity. All the characters had play styles that suited their personalities and didn’t feel like mere copies of another character. Of course, a huge cast of player characters is a Musou game staple, but it could definitely be interesting for the Breath of the Wild 2 story and world-building.
Does Age of Calamity’s Astor work alone, or is he part of a cult?
THE WORSHIPPERS OF THE CALAMITY
The dark, damp cave the Link and Zelda explore in the Breath of the Wild 2 story trailer hints at a more sinister story. They discover streams of Malice, the poisonous substance stemming from Calamity Ganon’s presence. A few seconds of a corpse-like figure with red hair, dressed in Gerudo regalia point to an incarnation of Ganondorf, Ganon’s human form.
The antagonist revealed in Age of Calamity, Astor, worships the Calamity. The lore details that he originated from a village in Hyrule. He sought an alliance with the Yiga Clan and later betrays them, so it stands to reason there are more people who believe and work for Ganon. Perhaps there was a cult, separate from the Yiga Clan, who worshipped Ganon or Ganondorf? It would be an interesting deep dive into the histories of the different clans that inhabit Hyrule.
What are some of the things from Age of Calamity you’d like to see expanded in the Breath of the Wild 2 story?
