#a bit like they did with a link between worlds like its alttp but its also a sequel you know

[corneille-moisie]

there i go beating dq11 for the 3rd time

[passenger-girl]

Echoes of Wisdom spoilery thoughts on world building below!

I love the EoW Dekus! Love to see them in their wet jungle home. Probably the best place to put them, it fits with the swampy aesthetic they've been known to inhabit before. I also love how they, the ones living in the jungle, call everyone else "bumpkins."

The interactions between the two types of Zora was also something I had always wanted to see. I can see why, for a game keeping younger audiences in mind, they chose to keep the conflict between the two as simple as musical taste. The River Zora were kinda originally designed to look conventionally ugly, they were originally monsters as early as Zelda 1, so it very easily could have gone much farther with them being seen more monstrous than the Sea Zora. I suppose with the way Zelda timelines work you can assume that with these two types of Zora existing at once, any of the possible in-world racism around the two was already worked out in the past so as not to be depicted in a game. It's amazing how much of a difference just giving them the same dot eyes as any other of the races does, they're actually very cute this time around!

Seeing more Goron traditions is always neat as well! They're still as Goron as ever, and I think they did a good job with the Gerudo as well.

As for the map, I love that it is very clearly based on ALttP. It's pretty much 1:1, the main differences I noticed being that they extended the area past where the map cuts off in that game to put homes for the races that weren't in that game of course, but ALttP Kakariko Village looks like it is now some ruins in its place and they moved their new village closer to where the Gorons live. Oh and Link's house is no longer just south of Hyrule Castle but in that new Suthorn Village they added in the newly extended map area. This leads me to believe that this game is very clearly in the downfall timeline somewhere, likely a good bit after ALBW for that Kakariko to be in a ruined state. The map being extended like this also makes it seem like maybe those races existed back during those games as well, Link just never needed to explore so far out as to come across them.

A bit surprised to not see any Rito though, those guys still seem to be a mystery outside of the adult timeline and of course BotW/TotK, probably by design. They're probably meant to be a pleasant surprise to WW fans whenever they do manage to appear.

Grezzo hit it out of the park with the world building in this game in my opinion. I'm absolutely looking forward to seeing them make more games like this one, whether they work on more Zelda or set them in worlds entirely of their own design!

[whistlingstarlight]

I got one: rate Zelda games you've played in order of preference?

Haha so here's the thing-

I've only actually beaten one Zelda game (two if you count the spinoff Age of Calamity)😅

I'm notorious for being terrible at actually playing the games despite loving the series, most often because puzzles are not my strong suit.

So this list is gonna be focusing on my overall liking of the game and it's content, regardless of how much I've actually progressed through it (otherwise it would be a pretty boring list)

1. Skyward Sword. I love the artstyle of this game and the locations are beautiful. Skyloft is one of my favourite hub worlds in a game, the characters are all very unique and distinct, and I love exploring a land before Hyrule.

2. Breath of the Wild. I've got so many hours in this game, there's so much to do! Whilst I personally think Zelda is stronger as a linear series than open-world, I had a ton of fun exploring this open Hyrule and the Champions (new and old) are some of my favourite characters from the series. I completely got the wrong end of the stick as to what the plot was going into it, so it was fun finding out the real plot.

3. Phantom Hourglass, for one reason: Linebeck. He's one of the most well-written and distinct characters in Zelda (and probably my overall favourite), I love his progression from selfish coward to a hero in his own right. And that final boss fight omfg-

4. A Link Between Worlds. Lorule is a super interesting concept to me, and whilst I didn't play ALttP I'm aware of how this game continues on from it. I love this version of Hyrule's overworld, and it's always neat seeing the more hostile Zora.

5. Minish Cap, mainly because I love the Minish as a race and Vaati as a villain. The tiny world is super fun to explore, and I love seeing how the different groups of Minish live.

6. Spirit Tracks. For a very simple reason: I'm a railfan. I'm absolutely terrible at this game but I love the introduction of trains, the completely new Hyrule, and a unique villain is always a plus! I love Zelda's more (physically) active role in the story, and I'm a big fan of Byrne as a character.

7. Majora's Mask. I did atrociously trying to get through this game too, but I absolutely love its premise. Termina is a very unique world and despite a lot of the character models being recycled, still feels completely independent from Hyrule. Skull Kid is one of my favourite Zelda characters, and the heavy emphasis on death and loss makes it a very unique game

8. The Wind Waker. I initially thought this game was kind of overrated ngl (and I still think it overshadows games that deserve more praise), but I had fun with it. The concept is very unique, and whilst I found the sailing a bit boring at times I loved exploring the islands.

9. Tears of the Kingdom. I... set myself up for disappointment with this one. That's not to say it's a bad game! I've had fun with it for sure, but there was a lot of wasted potential imo. Whilst I love the unique styles of each dungeon (and the respective bosses), they were infuriating to get through because it's the same shit every time. Use Sage ability to open five locks, rinse and fucking repeat. Same reason I didn't enjoy the Divine Beasts. The exploration in the open-world Zelda games is phenomenal, but it comes at the detriment of story and dungeons. (Not to mention it's sort of a soft reboot and I'm... not really a fan of those).

10. Ocarina of Time. This one is so low basically by default (and because I'm kinda tired of hearing about it so much). It's a good game, don't get me wrong. But it's weird the timeline split came from this one and not.. idk, the game with an actual canon game over (Minish Cap)?? I love the Kokiri as a concept and really wish they'd returned, and the group of sages introduced in this game are probably my favourite.

And I don't really know where to rank it as it's a spin-off, but I had a huge amount of fun with Age of Calamity. A significant improvement over the original Hyrule Warriors imo.

[kintatsujo]

The Courage of Running Away- Supplementary Post One

#AU August

#LoZ AU: The Courage of Running Away

Today ended up being a "thinking about how to present the next bits" day so I'm doing a post of stuff I didn't have time or didn't think to draw the previous four days. Why is this one AU taking me so many days lmao

I mentioned before in a non art post that Astramorus would put Link through an asshole tutorial dungeon and heal him every time he died:

[Image Description: In panel one, Astramorus is throwing a fairy at the back of Link’s head.  Link is covered in blood and apparently startled; the fairy hits him with a puff of fairy dust and a bell-like “Ting!”  Astramorus says, “You shouldn’t even NEED this fairy, you soft boy, now get back up and KILL THAT HINOX!  And put your hat back on!”  In panel two Link is eating off a stick while wrapped in a blanket and talking to Marla and Tonbo.  Marla says, “Okay there is a LOT to UNPACK from that story--”  Tonbo interjects to echo “A LOT.” and Marla continues “But HOW did he even GET a HINOX into the Sky Temple training chambers?!”  “Huh,” Link says, clearly having no answer.  End ID.]

I debated a bit on the sound effect a fairy would make hitting someone in the back of the head when thrown at high force; I settled on a bell ting because Loz fairies draw a lot of imagery from Peter Pan lol

Also Marla and Tonbo are having a lot of "does he... Does he realize how fucked up that is?? He doesn't seem quite angry enough to have realized how fucked up that is" moments. 

Link is only eating with his right hand because of my dyslexia.  We can handwave it lmao I eat with my left hand all the time.

I also mentioned without art that there are loftwings in this version of the setting and that Link doesn't have one. There's a reason for that:

[Image Description: A sketch of Astramorus and Link on the back of a large bird resembling a shoebill stork, labeled as “Astramorus’s larger than average loftwing, Hera.”  She has a feathered crest.  Beneath the bird is a scrawled “I can’t draw bird sorry.”  On the other half of the page is a round house suspended under a hot air balloon, with a railing surrounding the bottom of the house.  It is using its chimney to fuel the hot air.  End ID.]

Astramorus has a larger than average one and doesn't WANT Link to be able to go places on his own.

Hera isn't named after the Greek goddess, she's named after the Tower of Hera from Alttp and Link Between Worlds. And for the record there is absolutely nothing going on in that head.

The Rito do have more proper zeppelin style airships I just wanted to draw a hot air balloon house lol

And finally the Roktosquid, which isn't an octorok OR a squid!!

[Image description: Link, wearing only boots and shorts and armed with a sword and bracer, is running sideways of a large tentacled creature with one eye and many mouths on stalks.  It has arrowlike ends on two of its tentacles and is pointing them vaguely in his direction, and one teary eye with an hourglass pupil.  In the background, Marla is running away from the creature with a child Zora in her arms.]

You can maybe guess what took me the longest to draw for this post.  Yes there’s a whole scenario in my head as to why Link has to fight this thing and yes there is a reason Marla is there; not because he has to save HER from it, though.  Basically the long and short of it is that that Zora child got trapped near this thing and since their little Goron friend COULD get away he did and came rolling to the village for help.

Anyway I’ve scootched in just past my usual deadline, so next time!

[thegeminisage]

How do u feel about BOTW compared to other Zelda games? I personally loved BOTW but so many ppl say it’s not a ‘Zelda’ game or that they expected more from it etc

hello eight days later! sorry about that. anyway i think that the botw detractors are like. it's fine if you didn't like it cuz it's different like it's a very different sort of zelda game and open worlds aren't for everyone. i fucking loved it but to each their own etc etc. however and this is coming from someone who's been a zelda fan since almost literally birth it most certainly is a "real" zelda game. if you look back at the history of zelda the series is actually quite eclectic and experimental and reliant upon audience feedback and that goes DIRECTLY back to its roots

for example the original legend of zelda was extremely heavy on exploration and puzzle solving in dungeons, but the sequel, adventure of link, had rpg elements and a bit less exploration and even less puzzles. everybody hated that so they did alttp in the style of the original loz. and then link's awakening came out as an experimental surprise project. then you have ocarina of time my beloved, a shift to 3d, which automatically made it different, but it also had link and zelda as children, new races, new mythology - and majora after that had an entirely new world and barely featured the titular princess at all. everyone complained about that so back in the next main game wind waker they had zelda and ganondorf but everyone complained about the cartoony look so they flipped again to the ultra-serious twilight princess and eventually found a middle ground in skyward sword. but everyone complained about how linear and hand-holdy skyward sword was so the NEXT zelda featured a more open world.

u see where i'm going with this? even in the games that were VERY well received the audience always has something else they wished for. (even ocarina of time, the arguably the most beloved game of all time, by and large lacks the main zelda theme in its soundtrack. a flaw! i imagine it didn't feel much like a "real" zelda when it came out either because it was so new and different.) and so the games in the series are very experimental and very very reactive to that fan feedback, and botw IS just like the rest of the zelda series because it's no exception to that rule.

like let's not ever forget how willing nintendo is to experiment with zelda - consider the handhelds that involve co-op, the hyrule warriors games which are basically giant crossovers, or the beloathed cdi games, or the crossbow training game that's basically just a giant minigame, or the entire japan-only tingle series. i'm sure the next game after botw2 will add in more linear elements and classic dungeon crawls (assuming botw2 itself doesn't have these things) because that's what the audience complained about missing. just like it took nintendo a few games to find the right balance between seriousness and light-hearted zelda that most people are happy with it will probably take time to find a balance of exploration/linearity that most people are happy with, and botw is just a part of that process, and it belongs to the series and its history as much as any of the rest. 

and you know in the meantime while they figure it out, we keep getting great games? like skyward sword is still a great game, breath of the wild is a great game, wind waker and twilight princess are great games. like it's one of the best series ever made and so far there's been no such thing as a bad major home console main series zelda game, so we all get to enjoy the results of that experimentation while they figure it out and maybe even in a small way be part of the creative process for the next one

[rosezemlya]

I know we have the whole different realities for different Hyrules thing going on in RR. My question is: because the events of A Link to the Past take place in Ocarina of Time's Hyrule, is there another reality where ALTTP's events take place in its normal Hyrule? Sorry if the question sounds a bit jumbled.

No worries!  If I haven’t understood your question properly, let me know!

So, for context and as a reminder, the official Nintendo timeline doesn’t apply in RR.  It didn’t exist when I did the bulk of my worldbuilding, so it wasn’t factored in.  So the idea of the split timelines from Hyrule Historia doesn’t apply here (there, like, IS a thing I might do in the future if I finish Rec and write the final installment, but it isn’t the same as what’s in Hryule Historia, again because I came up with it before that was published, just close enough in nature that I’m sure it will give me headaches if I do it and I get the inevitable wave of messages about how I’m Not Doing Lore Right).

So it’s not really that there are different Hyrules in the RR universe.  The Hyrule of the games is the same Hyrule, and each game is a different Cycle in the RR world’s timeline.  So, you have Return/OOT and Reconciliations/LTTP being one Cycle.  Windwaker and Breath of the Wild are future Cycles of the same world / same Hyrule.  The original Legend of Zelda and Link’s Adventure are a past Cycle of the same world / Hyrule.  The main games (those in which the main narrative is the conflict between Link / Zelda / Ganon, for the most part) all take place in the same Hyrule, just at different points in its history / future.  Cycles begin when the first of the L/Z/G/Sages group is reincarnated, and end when the last of them dies.  And then at some point in the future, they’re reincarnated again and the next Cycle starts.  The previous Cycle is history - it happened, it’s known, was recorded, etc.  The world of the current Cycle is the same as the world of the past Cycle.

There are, however, other worlds/planes that run sort of parallel to Hyrule.  These tend to have different names.  Like Termina.  Probably Lorule, though I haven’t officially plotted Lorule into the RR universe anywhere yet and that one’s unique enough that I need to think about it carefully and whether it fits.  The Twilight kingdom Midna comes from.  Etc.  These places AREN’T Hyrule.  They’re just other places in the same cosmology.  They were created by the same Goddesses, but they’re somewhere else entirely.  They have their own histories and potentially their own mechanics that aren’t necessarily the same as those of Hyrule.

All of which to say, that in RR Canon LTTP = Reconciliations and there isn’t another version of it out in the larger cosmology somewhere.

Does that answer your question?  Did I interpret correctly?

[chandelierslayer]

Y’know, there are a lot of narrative choices and tropes that I outright hate with a fiery passion. Veritable plateaus of text have been dedicated to pointing out why and how stories that use them can be made better. And “super bloodlines” or whatever you want to call it, is one of the biggest offenders. It irritates me to no end when writers can’t let their person be special on their own merit. Everyone has to be connected to some kind of magical bloodline. This hero was able to vanquish the hero because they’re from a long line of special people. This woman can talk to the planet and she’s the ONLY ONE who can because it’s a thing only her race can do, and the rest of her race is dead. This villain was inevitably going to become the sixth ranger because they belong to bloodline that is always Good™ or is SURPRISE! the sibling of one of the heroes. This horse is more BEAUTIFUL and SPECIAL than all the other horses because it’s the descendant of the horse ridden by a PRINCESS (really???). Yeah. You get my drift. 

But when bloodlines are (actually or just hinted at being) in the backdrop of a story, with no special privileges bestowed because of it, I don’t mind. So when I was examining the maps of A Link to the Past and The Minish Cap together (which I originally only did to look for similarities between those two and the LoZ map, hi, welcome to how we do things around here, my trails of thought are split ends and those split ends have split ends and you get it) and trying to find more than a few similarities to back up two of my previous theories (I need help, somebody throw down a rope), and I found something that made me throw them off of the stove completely, I wasn’t at all bothered by the idea of the two little dudes who make the Master Sword red being descended from Minish Cap Link. Instead, I just used that thought to further fuel my digging into the theory I’ll lay out before you. 

Now, with that absurdly long and unnecessary intro out of the way, I hope you enjoy. XD

Picture, if you will, a cozy little house surrounded by trees. It’s also a smithy, where the sound of metalworking can be heard from closeby. To the west of this house is a body of water stretching from North to South. If you walk North of the house, you’ll eventually come across a road that runs from East to West. Not far Northwest from that point, you’ll find a place called the Lost Woods. 

Now, what did I just describe? The home of Smith and his grandson? Or the home of two tiny blacksmiths who helped the Hero of Legend stop the Cataclysm by strengthening the blade of evil’s bane? 

And no, no, no, don’t worry, I’m not asking you to believe that the Lost Woods in ALttP is the same as the “Lost Woods” South of the Royal Valley in TMC. That would be silly, right? Hahaaa. No. I’m asking you to believe that it’s part of it. The Northwestern part, that is. Sort of. Around that area. Look, if some of these map theorists out here can swivel maps diagonally and flip them completely around to make them fit together, I can be vague about some thick woods, okay? (No hate, I love you guys, keep doing what you’re doing) *ahem* So yeah. 

Let’s zoom out from that tiny scenario I was describing earlier. The idea is that the first Hyrule Castle¹ is around the area where the “Bumpkin Family” house and the Eastern part of the Lost Woods is. North Hyrule Field would be South of that, and Hyrule Town, whether you want it to be the same as or separate from OoT’s Castle Town, would be just South of that (the road running East to West, under the fortune teller’s place, would be the same road as the one just South of the town gate in TMC)

Yes, this means that ALttP’s Kakariko is where the Trilby Highlands/Western Wood used to be (and a little bit where TMC’s Hyrule Town is), which ALSO means that Wind Ruins, Castor Wilds, and Mt. Crenel are just West of all that, putting it just outside the ALttP map² (conveniently out of the way - sorry I love all three of you, you’re wonderful, mwah). This also means that Veil Falls would’ve been just about at the Westernmost parts of that gigantic mountain range thing in ALttP they call Death Mountain, which I’m okay with. Also means the Minish Woods was around where the Sanctuary and Hyrule Castle are in ALttP. Ouch. But I mean, it’s not the most devastating thing the Hylians have done, so moving on. Also, the first Lon Lon Ranch would be in the Death Mountain foothills, to the West. 

So, why do I like this idea so much? First, it aligns pretty neatly with the idea that the Master Sword grove in ALttP is where the Temple of Time used to be - at least, to me. But I’m also of the opinion that the Temple of Time/Sacred Grove/Lost Woods grove area are all the same - meaning that’s also where the Sealed Grounds was - and it never changed. Um... No matter what other theories I come up with/entertain, that’s always gonna be the case, I can pretty much guarantee. I just don’t like the theory that the Temple of Time was moved. Granted, I’m more okay with that idea in this timeline than in the Child Timeline, because in the Child Timeline the Hero of Time prophecy still has never come to pass, it’s still a sort of messianic legend the people believe strongly in, and even though the royal family has been told of the whole time-travel shenanigans thing, ha ha haaaaaaaaa... I don’t think they’d be able to convince an entire society that there was no longer need for that five-piece seal. The descendants of the ones entrusted with the keys are probably still clutching them tightly to this very day... Actually what am I talking about? All that stuff is forgotten about, shrouded in the mists of time and whatnot. Whoops, guess this green and shining stone can fetch me a pretty penny at the pawn shop... ANYWAY. We’re here for the Fallen Timeline right now, so let’s FOCUS. 

Another part of all this is my old theory... hypothesis?... idea? that the Sealed Temple/Temple of the Goddess, and later the Temple of Time that was build where that used to stand, were somewhere behind/within the castle in TMC (not in the game, obviously, but you know how this works). The reason I believe this, is because TMC happens at a time when Hyrule is a young kingdom. It has literally one town and everything else around it is all wild lands, as far as they’re concerned. It’s obvious that they’ve only just settled there in the past few centuries, and I doubt they would stray far from the place where they first touched down. 

So. If the Temple of Time is where the Master Sword grove is later, that would put OoT’s Hyrule Castle North of the ALttP map, Market where the Lost Woods eventually grows, Hyrule Field/the second Lon Lon Ranch in the Southern Lost Woods plus where ALttP’s Kakariko is built and the surrounding area (which also means Ordon Village is around the second Kakariko area in the Child Timeline. Amazing. No matter what happens, that land WILL be repurposed into village land. Except in the Adult Timeline, it’s been destroyed, bye-bye), and mayyyybe the Desert of Mystery where OoT’s Lake Hylia was??? Although this also means I could’ve been wrong all these years about the Minish Woods: Maybe they ARE where the OoT Lost Woods are after all. Hmmm. Honestly I still personally prefer the idea of OoT’s Lost Woods being where the Eastern Palace area is in ALttP. Lots of deforestation no matter where my theories go... That’s depressing. Hylians, stop being jerks. At least they’re less jerks than humans have historically been to each other. So far. I can only prove their oppression of AT MOST three and a half races so far, so honestly, we’re looking at an improved world here.

Ummmm I think that was about it. Did I have anything else before I zoom into the notes? No? Alrighty let’s wrap this up! 

¹ When I first played TMC, I had no problem thinking that Hyrule Castle and the one in OoT were the same, Hyrule Town became Castle Town, and the Minish Woods are located in some indeterminate woodland somewhere between Castle Town and Kakariko. But like I said, I’ve become partial to the idea that the Temple of Time is behind/around the castle in TMC, not shown, out of sight, protected, so I theorized them building a new castle elsewhere. Then again, that idea comes from the idea of the Temple of Time being built over the Sealed Grounds, and that hasn’t been shown or said in-game yet, so both options are valid to me I guess. I love Historia, and I take its word with more salt than Encyclopedia, but still not enough to season my stuffed pumpkins on a Monday night. ...I still believe wholeheartedly that Hyrule Castle in TP is a completely different castle up North from where the original one - and the town, and the Temple of Time - were in OoT, and TP’s Lake Hylia is not the same Lake Hylia, and Arbiter’s Grounds/the more “Western” style Gerudo desert is North of the OoT desert, etc., and you’ll never be able to pry that belief out of my cold, dead, fingers, so don’t even try. Er... I mean... ... Golly, you guys, aren’t hypotheses fun? ^__^

² Which I’m thinking would mean Mt. Crenel is just North of Gerudo Valley, maybe even a mountain or cliff you can see in-game, and Castor Wilds would maybe eventually be the land the river runs through in the canyon below. Or... part of said land. Who knows. Ah man now I wanna make my Link (from Peace of Heart) jump down from the Gerudo Valley bridge with her Roc’s Cape and glide down to the Wind Ruins all cool and stuff! <<33 Just kidding, Gerudo Valley is no longer exactly there in that fic, in fact Gerudo haven’t been in that area in ages. It’s... a long story. In more than one meaning of the phrase. ANYWAY.

Alternatives: Smith’s House TMC is Link’s House ALttP - this is not a new idea, I don’t think. I’ve seen other people propose it, it’s a great idea, my idea is just this but like, scooched over a little. I’m sorry, I never claimed to be original. XDD The great thing about both of these theories is that they put Syrup’s hut pretty much around the point where it is in both ALttP and TMC, if you think about it. 

Hyrule Town TMC is Hyrule Castle ALttP - this also works? Kind of? Except it doesn’t give a lot of room North of the castle for the stuff that should be there (although that’s explain-away-able if you take the “the mountain formed over the ages” route, which I personally like, because I like the idea that OoT Kakariko was around where the Sanctuary/Graveyard is in ALttP and then a series of volcanic eruptions happened, resulting in the formation of the Westernmost mountain and also the destruction of the original Kakariko and the village moving Southwest. ...I’m sorry). 

That’s all I have for you today (I’m pretty sure I didn’t miss anything) and to my followers, I am really sorry I’m never around anymore. I have no excuse. Please forgive me. I’ll try to make some posts about my recent LoZ misadventures, but... No promises, okay? Let’s take it one day at a time. However, you CAN follow me here to actually watch some of those misadventures, so there’s that! ^__^

Until next time, have fun, stay safe, and drink water! PACE~

[pyrebright]

Some specific geographic headcanon guidelines for the Downfall Timeline include…

Kokiri Forest – The forest actually suffered a lot of infrastructure damage from monster attacks, and the trees were barren for quite some time. Fortunately, the establishment of contact between the resident Kokiri and the outside world, following the sealing of Ganon and the Triforce, means that there is plenty of help to be had rebuilding child-sized infrastructure and removing monsters. The trees have begun to recover as well, bearing more and larger fruit and regaining their green foliage.

Lost Woods – More sinister and winding than ever before. The very trees and branches seem to reach out, now, trying to snag and strangle any visitors, Kokiri or otherwise, who dare to enter. Even the resident Skull Kids are beginning to feel the labyrinth’s wrath, with many emerging from the dense thickets, and taking shelter with the Kokiri instead. It is highly recommended that one does not enter, unless they are in the company of one of the Sages, or another particularly powerful magic-user.

Death Mountain – Nearly erupted under Volvagia’s onslaught, but fortunately, Link. Still, many smaller magma plumes breached the surface during the battle, so the topography of the area has changed a lot. It’s not dangerous anymore, but it is different.

Goron City – Some of those magma plumes burst out and flowed through the city; not so much a problem for lava-proof Gorons. More for their Bomb Flower crops, which, err… there were a lot of rockfalls. The city is in rough shape in more of a topographical sense; new rock formations caused by lava flowing through the city, fallen rock from the cavern roofs, etc. The Gorons, fortunately, ever resilient and cheery people, can see the silver lining of this, and are working to turn the new features into helpful or fun things.

Dodongo’s Cavern – Much the same as Goron City; there are new structures here, caused by pyroclastic flows and rockfalls, but it’s largely unchanged, and the creatures making their home there don’t seem to mind the new topography much.

Zora’s River – The flash-flooding common to the river due to rapid, erratic snow and ice melt in Zora’s Fountain is beginning to taper off, with the Domain and Fountain thawed and no longer freezing over. The ecosystem has shifted toward something more lotic than lentic, with monsters such as aquatic Deku Babas taking over from the free-floating Octoroks that had previously been buzzing about in the slower flow.

Zora’s Domain – Still recovering from being frozen; a lot of the wildlife was not happy with the drop in temperature, so the Zoras are finding themselves having to basically rewire the ecosystem from Step One. Fortunately, Lakeside Laboratory’s Professor is quite knowledgeable when it comes to aquatic species, and is helping to kick-start the process. The rocks have been broken in some places by the freezing water that seeped into them, but physical damages were kept to a minimum by the nature of the area.

Zora’s Fountain – Also recovering from very cold temperatures. Many of the same problems as the Domain, as well as fewer pulsed water events; the Fountain no longer freezes and thaws in unpredictable cycles, rendering Gerudo Valley and Zora’s River less prone to flash-flooding than they have been.

Lake Hylia – Remains largely unchanged, thank goodness. The lake is still full of clear, pure water, and now that the level has returned to normal, it’s a good reservoir for the thirsty populace.

Gerudo Valley – The bridge has been rebuilt, and the transport of supplies to the Fortress can now continue. It’s a nice change, being able to get wagons across again; the bucket-and-pulley system previously used did not work so well. The gorge is also less prone to flash-flooding now that Zora’s Fountain has stopped the rapid freeze-thaw cycle started by warring magical energies.

Haunted Wasteland – Not much has changed in terms of climate and harshness, but it is, like the rest of Hyrule, subject to more frequent monster. The main focus for the Gerudo, and any other defenders who choose to step into the fray, is preventing the larger, more dangerous creatures, such as venomous or fire-breathing beasts, from reaching the Fortress and wreaking havoc.

Castle Town Ruins – Battered and smashed from the final battle between the three wielders of the Triforce, Castle Town and Hyrule Castle itself have suffered quite a lot of damage over the seven-year time period, especially after the rampage of an enhanced Ganon, powered by the entirety of the Triforce. Now blighted by dark magic, and haunted by monsters, mainly undead, the Ruins show no sign of recovery from the choking miasma of death and corruption that covers them, even after several years, and several fruitless applications of purifying Light Magic. The exception is the Temple of Time, which remains both standing, albeit battered, and pure. It serves as a temporary refuge to those trapped in the ruins. The entrance to the Sacred Realm, now the Dark World, is also located here. Zelda has declared the ruins off-limits, unless one is in the company of either herself, or one of the surviving Sheikah.

The reason for the Castle Town Ruins’ continuing corruption and the continued presence of monsters is the energy leaking from the Dark World, which has its entrance in the Temple of Time. It’s not noticeable at first; the Master Sword projects such a strong aura of light as to make it virtually undetectable. But Ganon whispers from his prison inside, the greedy and weak-willed listen, they reach the Dark World, and they are transformed into monsters. The entrance won’t be fully sealed until the Imprisoning War that precedes A Link to the Past. I sorta combined and squished up the backstories a little bit to make it work with both OoT and ALTTP’s canons.

This is currently a secret to everyone in-universe.

Kakariko Village – The new center of Hylian civilization given the state of Castle Town, and the lack of resources to rebuild it, currently. Kakariko still has a fairly small-town atmosphere, but is well on its way to becoming the big city that Impa hired the carpenters to build it into. Zelda currently maintains a residence, here, though she’s rarely actually there. A wall has been built near the entrance to the village proper, and the agricultural fields lie just beyond, easily defensible by the village’s inhabitants. Most residents also tend to avoid the Graveyard during night hours. It’s more of an unwritten rule than an actual edict, though.

Lon Lon Ranch – Also subject to protection by Kakariko’s defenders, given its importance as a food source and in raising horses and other beasts of burden. Also subject to more frequent monster attacks, but between the contribution from Kakariko, and the fed-up ranch residents’ eagerness to strike back against the beasts, it’s… not too much of a problem, generally. Again, the main concern is monsters with additional powers, such as elemental control, or poison.

If your character is tied to one of these areas, and you have some different ideas, then by all means, hit me up! My purpose here is to spur thought as to how your muses would fit into this post-tragedy world I’ve got cranking in my brain, and if you have ideas, I want to hear them!

[fleursetrebellion]

Why Breath of the Wild Doesn’t Have A Companion Character

Among Legend of Zelda games there’s a rift between two types of games in the series: those with companion characters and those without. And I think there’s an interesting topic to discuss in why some have them, and why some choose not to have them. To really get to the heart of this though, it’s important to recognize what the design of Zelda was originally made to do, and how that changed over time.

In the original Legend of Zelda, the game was explicitly made to be a game about freely exploring a mysterious world and uncovering surprising things around every corner. In some sense, the original design was intended to be the purest possible form and experience of an adventure. That adventurousness goes into every part of the game’s design. You’re never guided, you make your own path. You’re never pushed, you do only what you want to. And the game never stops keeping its secrets, you must uncover them yourself. There’s never a point at which the world is no longer mysterious. They even included a feature where the second time you play through the game, it shuffles around the map so that it maintains its secrets and you can give it a second try. But a big factor here is that players were explicitly meant to choose what they want to do next, not to be told. The game directs you, but only with hints and very subtle suggestions.

In this sense, having a companion with you simply doesn’t solve any problems. The companion character could be neat at best, but even still they would be an unnecessary element which keeps you from getting to the best part of the game: discovery. At worst they might even spoil secrets that you wanted to find yourself, or push you towards things that you didn’t want to do.

When it came time for the next proper sequel, A Link to the Past, some things had changed. The game started directing players more. Some secrets were given away, though most still needed to be uncovered. But the biggest change was that parts of the game started to push you through its critical path, always nudging you towards the next dungeon. There were lots of reasons for this, I believe biggest of all was that aLttP introduced a huge increase in scale, which made it harder for players to self-direct in such a big world. But to accomplish this they introduced the first step towards a companion character.

See, the game opens with the sequence of Zelda contacting you with her telepathy, and she directs you into the castle where you save her. But after that point Zelda no longer was poised to direct you through your journey. Enter Sahasrahla. This guy was an old man, like the ones who gave you cryptic hints in the first game. Except this time he outright guides you towards dungeons and tells you where the next objective is. His function was pretty limited, so he didn’t chime in much but he did was occasionally contact you through telepathy. Pretty hands-off, but it’s already a step towards a Companion Character. So to put it simply, they introduced Sahasrahla because they needed to tell you what you can do in the world. Otherwise you might not even know that there’s a dungeon to go find.

Anyway, the next main Zelda game after aLttP was Ocarina of Time, and that’s where we got the most iconic companion character of all. The reason for introducing a companion was complicated. It was an N64 game, and every designer at Nintendo was so excited to try out 3d game mechanics. But the shift towards 3d introduced all kinds of technical issues. Spaces became harder to navigate, game worlds became more costly to create, and most of all cameras became very hard to program. Ocarina of Time famously solved this camera issue with Z-Targeting. But it wouldn’t be Nintendo if they left that as “good enough”.

Maybe you’ve noticed but Nintendo has this habit, almost an obsession, of tying up loose strings. Anything done in one part of a game’s design must connect back to all other parts of the design, including the narrative design. They couldn’t just let you Z-target, they had to tie that into the game’s narrative design as well. So they came up with one narrative-friendly solution for all of the technical problems of the 3d world all at once: Navi.

How does Navi solve camera controls? Navi is Z-targeting! How does Navi make 3d spaces easier to navigate? Navi can chime in with hints and direct you towards doors! And how does she solve the problem that 3d game worlds are costly to create? Well, if the world is smaller, Navi can stick with the player and always let them know where the next objective is, driving players along the main path so they never stray too far and discover just how little is actually in this 3d world. (At least compared to aLttP.) And it worked amazingly! Ocarina of Time quickly became the classic we all know and love. Some other neat tricks that Navi has is that she can help make story moments more interesting by speaking for Link when he has to remain silent, which lent to the new more cinematic tone of the game. She could even give a sense of larger scale to the world with bits of lore, though let’s face it they weren’t really all that great most of the time.

And then moving into Majora’s Mask we saw something... weird. Majora’s Mask was developed in a hurry, and they didn’t completely have time to rework any ideas from scratch. So when the game abandoned the cinematic style of OoT, favoring a much more classic open-exploration style of play, they still didn’t really have the time to come up with a new Navi. So, even though Majora’s Mask is much more similar to aLttP in structure than OoT, Navi stayed. Or rather, her concept stayed under a different name.

But the N64 is done. The GameCube is announced and the new tech is amazing. The best console specs in that generation, as it would turn out. That meant fewer limits on the world size, the tech for 3d cameras had time to mature, and Nintendo learned how to communicate space in 3d. So we saw the first even return-to-form for a Zelda game. Mostly it was a return to the style of aLttP, but we even saw one interesting feature return from the original Legend of Zelda. That is, in Wind Waker, the world was organized as a grid of spaces.

It was kind of a brilliant piece of design. In the first Legend of Zelda you could never see beyond the edge of the screen, each time the screen scrolled over was a new chance to surprise. But even still, they were able to make sure you could still navigate the world without getting too lost by making the world... kind of small. I mean, no doubt it was full of interesting content, but there weren’t actually that many screens in the original Zelda’s world. And that made it easier for players to recognize landmarks, remember all of the things they wanted to come back to, and remember paths through the world. And in Wind Waker they found a way to replicate that sense of exploring a limited set of spaces on a grid. Except this time the grid was a massive ocean, and each screen was the size of an entire island. You never got confused exploring the ocean because there are only a few really important islands to go to. And you never got confused exploring an island because you can see the whole thing at once!

And that isn’t the only return to form. Wind Waker favored open exploration over the linear epic storylines of OoT. It cut down on Z-targeting and allowed for more free navigation and puzzle-solving even if there were enemies around. And, back to the topic at hand, it didn’t have a companion character. At least, it sort of didn’t. The King of Red Lions acted as this sort of Sahasrahla-like character (complete with telepathy). He would direct you to certain island (annoyingly locking you into an island once at the beginning) but he could never tell you how to explore each island. He was pretty hands-off. And there were certainly more cinematic moments in the game which featured companion characters, like Makar, Medli, and Zelda at the end. But it was never anything on the scale of OoT.

With Twilight Princess there isn’t much to talk about besides the fact that, for reasons that I can’t really explain, Nintendo chose to return to Ocarina of Time’s style of play. Not that this was a bad thing, OoT and TP are both classics, but it seems strange that they would return to OoT’s style having made almost no improvements at all. The companion and the strict guided-ness of TP got slightly more overbearing than OoT, but it wasn’t so much as to ruin the experience. And the story and characters were good enough to make us be okay with it. (Seriously, who doesn’t love Midna?)

And then... Skyward Sword. There’s a lot to unpack here.

First, the game wanted to use motion controls, you can’t fault it for that. I think most of us wanted to try out a motion control Zelda, even though it kind of seemed like nobody could do the sword thing properly. And in classic Nintendo style they started tying up loose strings. The motion controls become a character. Thus Fi joins the roster!

Second, Skyward Sword was made by a new director for the series mainline games. Maybe it was that Hidemaro Fujibayashi wanted to continue following in line with the Ocarina of Time style of play, or maybe it was that Nintendo wasn’t confident letting him go Wild on his first game (hah hah). But he pushed towards this more directed structure. More directed even than Twilight Princess was.

And with these two things together, Fi came out as... Well, she was the motion controls (a feature that wasn’t well-received) and she also heavily directed the player more than any other Zelda game (also not well-received). And the result was that she become a frustrating, hand-holding, symbol of whatever feature the player personally didn’t like in the game. I mean personally I like Fi. I think she’s cute, and her final scene made me cry. And I mean, (unpopular opinion) the motion controls were kinda fun. But there’s no doubt that she’s overwhelmingly hated.

And then we come to Breath of the Wild, the truest Return To Form in the series. The design is almost exactly, point for point, the same as the design of the first Zelda game. Except this time, we’re fully leveraging the power of 3d graphics. You can see distant objectives, which helps you self-direct. The world is broken up into recognizable regions, so no worry about getting lost. And the concept that you only have to do what you want to do is turned up to 11. The only things that the game forces you to do are learn how to play, and beat the final boss. Every path you take is a path you choose.

So given all of that background... of course there’s no companion character in BotW. Why would it need one?

[retrogamerj]

Retro Corner: The Legend of Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (NES) Review

I have an old edition of Retro Corner Reviews to show, and we take another look at my Zelda II review from 2016. Now onto other things, much like the first game the sequel didn't go into any backstory of the world and the Triforce again. Nintendo would explain several historical events of Hyrule and why the Triforce's power is sought by many after Zelda II. There wasn't any backstory or history on Hyrule and the holy relic until ALTTP on Super NES. This game would go over everything that wasn't explained in the first two entries and went further into the lore. Another thing about Zelda II that is interesting is how a true sequel was never made from the second game. Even till this day no Zelda III was ever developed or considered by Miyamoto. I doubt it has anything to do with Zelda II's gameplay structure or features. If that was the case, many of its features would’ve never been used in future installments. Now, Zelda II has for years been the black sheep of the series due to its infamous difficulty. Other than Twilight Princess—the Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion of the series—Zelda II often takes the most criticism. It’s no doubt the game has aged terribly since the late 80s as most 8-bit titles never hold up. There have only been a handful across both the NES and Master System to age well between visuals and gameplay. The thing that made the second title interesting is the backstory elements which were rather dark for an NES game. As mentioned, Valiant Comic took the ideas from the sequel and used it to tell the comic series’ plot. In fact, they did an amazing job using pre-A Link to the Past lore to tell a darker version compared to Nintendo’s lighthearted vision. The Legend of Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (NES) Review

[telesthisia]

What if your Zel time travelled to ALBW time? Do you think there'd be any differences between your Zelda and that one?

WHY DIDN’T TUMBLR TELL ME ABOUT THIS ASK?!?!

It all depends on who’s writing ALBW Zellie and how they write them! If we’re going by canon with both these girls then maybe they’d have differences because in canon, ALTTP Zel literally has zero personality. Like, none whatsoever aside from giving exposition and being a reason to save Hyrule. ALBW Zel, however, seems to have more character to her through actions and what others say of her mostly. That being said comparing my Zel with canon ALBW Zel there are some differences. At least, I’d like to think there are! It feels embarrassing to list them, honestly, ndjbfksdjfhb. 

But because I based her mostly off of the 90s comic and Himekawa, her experiences in both those comics are mixed together in an unholy mess as such she’s come out with depression from the entire events of ALTTP (getting kidnapped, locked away in a dark space with no one to help her, losing her father, some maidens not making it out of the dark world, the death of the priest, some good guards dying because of the brainwash they went through and Link having no other choice to defend himself) and later trauma with OoX where she was kidnapped for essentially human sacrifice (it’s less of fear of dying and more ‘oh god they could’ve used my blood to destroy and kill so many people’ with a dash of it was too soon for her to go since there are so many things she wants to accomplish. Leading Hyrule to its golden age being one of them). I wouldn’t say she’s paranoid but she treats everything with caution and care as the result of all those circumstances. Though she’s kindly because she tries to treat others with that same polite kindness that doesn’t exactly mean she trusts others just yet, she keeps a bit of distance from others until she sees that maybe she can let her guard down just a little. If she sees  someone who’s genuine enough in her eyes, that’s where the guilt of her hiding her identity kicks in. She usually doesn’t tell others unless: A) her guards find her and reveal her identity through that way which is what’s about to happen in a certain thread I’m writing out JDFKBFHJDB and 2) she finally decides to come clean with the truth once she feels close enough with that person.

She has this dreamy, serene smile in order to soothe others around her with that calm expression and somewhat herself (and also to make her face less of an open book in a way because again guard up at all times. She’s a bit on the mysterious side due to this. Not many know what she’s really thinking about beyond that placid expression or smile, even when she’s angry she seems more cold with clipped words and having to look into deeper meaning of her words but her expression doesn’t change much from the norm. She has that nasty habit of bottling things up). It’s why she tries to stay so levelheaded for the most part and reassure others but in that quiet way through actions rather than words because constantly saying “it’ll be alright” doesn’t always work with other people. And speaking of quiet, she does have that silent determination working for her too! Admittedly, her hope did start to wane away when she tried to call for help, Link’s uncle’s passing certainly didn’t help things but once Link heard her calls that’s where the determination would slowly kick in. Seeing his trials in collecting the pendants and venturing through the dark world is what formed that silent determination and as of now, she’s learned to not give up no matter how hopeless the situation may be. Because in the end she tentatively believes everything will turn out fine someway or how. SOMEWHAT.

She’s more connected with her PSI powers granted by the Triforce than the light magic given to her from her ancestor the mortal goddess. Due to power health, unless she has the help of the maidens by her side, she can’t exactly break down barriers that are strong or seal away anyone. She can’t use her magic at all despite how potent it is since she has the blood of a goddess and from the seven wise sages. Hence why many are out for her blood because imagine all of the dark magic shit they can do with it (like being able to revive ganon not too different from AOL). She’s a glass canon of sorts because of how ass her magic stamina is. She can, however, heal you! That said, telepathy and clairvoyance along with connection to the spirit realm aka talking to the dead are the powers she excels at! SO this is where that somewhat word comes in. Clairvoyant dreams would happen from time to time. It’s not as often as one would think, which is a relief to her because her dreams always comes true. No matter how much may change, the outcome will remain the same regardless. Fate is pretty hard to change and she’s become a bit like... angry at the fact that they are stuck in this cycle thanks to one goddess and her battle against a demon. The fact that Hyrule can’t ever know peace aside from brief periods of it always upsets her because dang it her people deserve to relish in that peace without any worries as do the future generation of the royal family. She’s actually angry at the gods despite acting pretty respectful but resigned to the fact that there’s no changing this. 

Also... while she doesn’t mind ruling over her kingdom, she does like sneaking out of the castle whenever she can! She loves exploring her lands, whether visiting small villages or going through old ass temples/tombs with history behind it she loves it all. And also, tends to read in graveyards or takes naps in the Haunted Grove because she’s freaking fearless in the face of death like that. She’s somewhat has that same bullying factor as her ancetor does since she can be playful in that innocent way. Only when outside the castle because hey she’s got an image to maintain. 

The only thing she’d share with ALBW Zel is her love for romance. Zel is in love with the idea of love. Being lonely all her life because Bad Health due to being sickly and having duties to complete as future ruler, she’d love to find someone someday to spend the rest of her life with. And dang it, she’s a pretty loving person too and will be straightforward in letting it be known that she likes someone. She likes idiots so of course she has to be DFHJKBD. But her love for the more dumbasses simple folk comes from growing up in court with stuffy nobles who judge what the perfect woman should be for marriage and to her that’s like ew. And also dumbasses can be nice as hell so that’s another reason. Something to add is that she’s a romantic in sense of the period. Finding beauty in art, nature, tales of the old and heroics, and even in the macabre due to her seeing ghosts in dreams since bby and having tea parties with them. She sees beauty in everything and everywhere. I think this should go without saying but the two do share kindness and the love for their people too and are pretty selfless! And that’s pretty much what comes to mind. I’m sure there’s more but this post has gone on long enough pls help.

That said, more than likely she’d get along with ALBW Zel because that’s her grand daughter/little sister figure. 

[silverskulltula]

if you're still taking numbers for ye zelda questionnaire - 1, 3, 5, 8, 11, 15?

1. Top 3 incarnations of Link?

Breath of the Wild

Twilight Princess

Wind Waker

Keep in mind that each of these so are fucking close to each other that the list could easily be interchangeable. Breath of the Wild speaks for itself - there’s no sort of flowery wordsmithery that I can conjure that would be worthy of Link’s portrayal in that game, so in essence - it’s gud.

I covered Twilight Princess a bit in the last ask! I love my ranch-hand, pumpkin-eating, wholesome-big-brother Link to the death.

I considered putting OoT for third but honestly? Wind Waker deserves it more. For all the shit Wind Waker got on release it should be commended for taking the series in all sorts of new directions. Link in WW is a child in way over his head. All he wants to do is to go back to Outset Isle and wear his lobster shirt and hang out with his grandma. But when given a responsibility way past his years, his acceptance of the task is both unwavering and effortless. Link is a child, which means that his mind is the purest it’ll ever be, and that naivety is his strength. He stands against Ganondorf - old, broken, and jaded, but still consumed with a lust for power. Link shows him that youthful optimism is not something fragile and fleeting to be lost in the face of the world’s cruelty. It’s an unstoppable force for good, and no matter the opposition, it will always prevail. One thing that I really like about Wind Waker and its sequels is that the games focus on change. There’s the obvious change from Hyrule into the Great Sea. There’s the change of the Zora into the Rito, the Kokiri into the Koroks, and so on. They all feature change as a catalyst for moving forward. Moving forward into uncharted waters to establish new kingdoms. Moving forward technologically to create new machines and improve people’s lives. Moving forward sociologically and politically by expanding the government (even if the Chancellor turned out to be a demon but ANYWAY). The WW-PH-ST trilogy shows that progress is propelled by youthful optimism, and that’s a message that I will defend to the fucking death. 

ANYWAY.

3. Favourite and least favourite companion?

CIN TOOK MIDNA AWAY FROM ME IN THE LAST ASK BUT THEY AREN’T HERE TO TAKE HER AWAY NOW AHA SO yea Midna is my Big Favorite. The evolution of her relationship with Link is enough to bring me to tears. Anything less of a companion would’ve cheapened TP as a whole.

It’s predictable, but my least favorite would have to be Fi. I appreciate that the Master Sword itself is given some depth and characterization but Nintendo definitely failed in their execution of that entire game. Navi was annoying but endearing, and Link’s journey to find her again in MM is genuinely heartbreaking. Fi was exhausting to listen to and IMO the game did nothing to create attachment to her. The only thing I’ll give Skyward Sword is that some of its bosses were pretty killer, but that’s about it.

5. was covered in Cin’s ask!

8. Top 3 villains?

Wind Waker Ganondorf

Princess Hilda (DON’T CRY TO ME IF YOU DIDN’T KNOW - IF YOU’RE READING THIS YOU SHOULD BE EXPECTING SPOILES GDI)

Skull Kid

WW Ganondorf was a very welcome expansion on the shallow, evil-for-evil’s-sake Ganondorf from OoT. It made sense that Ganondorf, born as a mortal and with his own life experiences, would harbor his own resentment of Hyrule besides his main goal of claiming the Triforce. You can feel sympathy for a man whose entire life has been haunted by death and suffering, even if he tragically became the embodiment of those very things in his quest to rise above them. I’m not saying that Ganondorf didn’t deserve his fate - just that (demonic cycle of reincarnation set aside) at one point there was a voice inside him that wanted to make things better for himself and his people, and that understandable want was tragically silenced by the evil desires of Demise’s reincarnated soul. I HAVE A LOT OF FEELINGS ABOUT GANONDORF, OK.

Believe it or not I wasn’t spoiled on the end of ALBW and it made it all the better, so I’m genuinely sorry if my answer gave away the twist for you. I suppose that Hilda IS the realization of what would happen if Ganondorf was driven to evil by a desire to help his people instead of his own selfish pursuit of power. Hilda commits evil in the pursuit of good (saving her world and her people), and that’s enormously refreshing in a series plagued by absolute evil just for evil’s sake. Zelda and Link’s unanimous wish to restore Lorule’s Triforce is yet another moment in The Legend of Zelda series that will bring me to tears.

And Skull Kid. Man, I guess that all of my favorite villains have tragedy in common. Skull Kid, a puppeteer turned puppet, who is forgiven in the end by yet another young hero suffering responsibility and pain beyond his years. Again - the children prevail over evil, a core message of TLoZ that I adore.

11. Favourite Ganon/Ganondorf design?

My favorite characterization of Ganondorf is Wind Waker, but in terms of literal chronological progression I immensely love the change from Ocarina of Time Ganondorf to Twilight Princess Ganondorf. Debatable timeline fuckery aside, I was stunned once I realized that the Ganondorf in TP was THE Ganondorf from OoT and I was facing this fucker yet again. His characterization wasn’t as deep as WW but his development was apparent in his tactics. He failed before by directly attacking Hyrule himself, so now he’s utilizing the fanatical proxy that is Zant in order to utilize the might of the usurped Twilight Realm in his stead. Ganondorf is more calculating and cautious than his OoT incarnation, but his boss fights show that he’s still every bit as ferocious. And I find this older DADONDORF hot and I want him to beat me to a pulp and call me pathetic ok

15. Top 3 dungeons? 

Thieve’s Hideout (ALBW)

Snowpeak Ruins (TP)

Sandship (SS)

Thieve’s Hideout is a personal favorite (and that extends to the Thieve’s Town in ALTTP as well). Overall ALBW was excellent at shaking up the traditional Zelda formula and it did that in Thieve’s Hideout by giving you an NPC companion. She was something between an escort quest and a movable assistant who provided really sassy commentary throughout the dungeon. She added a lot of flavor to what could’ve been a cut and dry dungeon and I appreciate that Nintendo was able to think outside of the box.

Snowpeak Ruins is another odd dungeon in that it’s not actually a dungeon. The derelict mansion was a visually interesting setting for a dungeon and the final boss was an even further subversion of the typical formula. The whole dungeon was a welcome change of pace and it’s one of my favorite parts of TP.

Holy fuck, I have something nice to say about Skyward Sword???? For better or worse, Nintendo attempted to establish an origin for Zelda’s lore in Skyward Sword, and part of that lore is that an incredibly technologically advanced civilization predated the Hylians (expanded upon in a much more interesting way in BOTW, but it technically had the idea first). They showed this by allowing you to shift specific areas back in time by activating Timeshift Stones (which were light blue… like a certain Ocarina… that allows you to travel through time… a little detail that I appreciate). One of these stones encompassed an entire pirate ship that sailed on the desert by timeshifting the desert immediately around it back into water. I haven’t played Skyward Sword in years, but I remember having a lot of fun with the robotic pirate swordfighting duel along the bowsprit. And of course, the end boss was a goddamn SEA MONSTER THAT TORE APART THE SHIP PIECE BY PIECE, SO THAT WAS FUN. Again, for all of Skyward Sword’s failings, some of the dungeons were fucking awesome.

[potionxshop]

A very (very) long BotW theory

This is a looong post so if you don’t wanna read it please scroll really fast !

So few days after Nintendo showed this amazing BotW trailer during Nintendo Switch presentation, I watched a video made by two french youtubers (Bronol and Ico) posted on their second channel called “Team Trash” (their main channel being “Trash”) in which they exposed some of their theories regarding the upcoming loz game. I had stopped watching all these theory videos tbh but I had some time to kill and since I really enjoy these guys’ work I clicked it. And holy sh- I found it really interesting *-* In this video, they mostly talk about BotW’s spot in the timeline (which they situate after Ocarina of Time, in the “Hyrule’s decline” branch). I promised @rikzpt that I would translate it and share it with you all. It took me a long time to do so, since the video is 18:30 long ;u; Thus, I haven’t translated every sentence, I skipped some “unecessary” bits, and I apologize in advance for any typo or grammatical mistake.

↑ Here’s the original video, in case some of you want to watch it even though it’s entirely in french !

Here goes the translation ! (︶▽︶✿)

Bronol : A new Botw trailer just came out and it was amazing and full of new information. So Ico and I anlayzed it, frame by frame. We felt dumb cause we hadn’t seen it coming but Botw Link could actually be the same as in Ocarina of Time. […] So let us explain our theory.

What the Timeline says

Bronol : First there are three official timelines, Ocarina of Time has created some kind of… temporal paradox. There is a branch where Link leaves after defeating Ganon and thus leaves the people without a legendary hero. Then Ganon breaks its seal and since there’s no hero around well he just… destroys everything easy peasy which leads to Wind Waker’s world. In the second Timeline, after Link defeated Ganon, he goes back in the past then he and Zelda denounce him to Hyrule King. Ganondorf is then judged by the sages and is exlied in the Twilight Realm. [...] In this Timeline Ganondorf has never become Ganon and the line of Links could carry on. And then there’s this kinda phony third timeline, the one where Link loses against Ganon in the final battle of Ocarina of Time. Until now this timeline was pretty unclear, we could think that the sages had still sealed Ganondorf away despite Link’s death all of this was fuzzy and looked like a weird patchwork (don’t lie). Excepted that Botw could be in this timeline -as its missing link-. We tend to say that since (OoT) Link was deprived of the Master Sword at the very beginning of the battle against Ganon […], it is highly possible that Link was then killed by Ganon since he had no weapon to defend himself with. Then we could imagine that the sages somehow found a way to seal Ganon and took Link’s body to put him into stasis, since they knew they’ll need his help again, I’ll explain that later… […] Hence in BotW we would play as OoT Link after being resurrected [...] since -as we saw during this year’s E3- the first location we encounter in the game is called « The Shrine of Resurrection ». Regarding Ganon, the official chronology tells us that Zelda and the sages managed to seal him, however, despite being emprisonned in the Sacred Realm he still had the three parts of the Triforce so the sages knew that -with such power- it would only be a matter of time until he could escape from the realm. We also know that even if Link was defeated, they need him since he’s the only one who’s able to truly stop Ganon, we learnt that in Skyward Sword.

The connection with Ocarina of Time

Ico : Well it’s pretty obvious. Many elements were shown in plain view such as the Temple of Time which is exactly the same as in Ocarina of Time and what’s below this Temple ? The ruins of the former castletown, especially the huge fountain. Moreover this new Zelda game is full of references to the Sheikah tribe and please note that sentence that we read in the description of the Sheikah slate : "You've never seen this device before, and yet... there's something familiar about it." From there, to say that it is a gossip stone miniaturized thanks to new technology, there is only one step.

Let’s now talk about Calamity Ganon’s design. It’s still a spectral form but we can distinguish few things. Look at those eyes, looks at those horns, just look at this silhouette, it exactly looks like the Ganon we fight in Ocarina of Time.

Well on top of that, there’s this fairy that looks like the great fairies from OoT and MM [...], there are gerudos […] and there’s also the Great Deku Tree ! And he evens tells Link « That look on your face tells me that you have no recollection of me » why of course Link doesn’t remember him since the last time he saw him he was still in his sprout form.

What occurs in this new Zelda

Bronol : So now that we’ve talked about the similarities, what does this new trailer tell us ? First (and the royal family could expect it), Ganondorf broke the seal and has destroyed the new castletown. He had already destroyed the one in Ocarina of Time, then the hylians had rebuilt it in the meantime and he came back to destroy it again. Since the notion of time between each game is often unclear, we don’t really know how much time has passed before Ganondorf could escape from the realm. In any case, the hylians were given a sufficient amount of time to rebuild some kind of kingdom and see a new Zelda (maybe few generations) accede to the throne. Well yes while it might be the same Link as in Ocarina of Time, it doesn’t mean it has to be the same Zelda. […] Also, regarding Hyrule King’s voice that we hear in the trailer, we are almost certain that he’s in fact that old man we meet during the first minutes of our adventure, the one who acts like some kind of guide which really resembles King of Red Lions’ personality in Wind Waker, so couldn’t this be the same character but in a different universe ? (meaning different branch of the Timeline)

The Master Sword and its connection with the other games

Ico : Zelda has probably taken the sword after the battle against Ganon and has hidden it in one of the last barriers against the malevolent forces which is : the Kokiri Forest -since the Great Deku Tree has the power to push them back-.

Just a reminder : The Master Sword helped Link to defeat Ganondorf. Hence, Ganon -knowing how powerful this blade is- would obviously seek a way to destroy it completely. Thus the sword could not be replaced in the Temple of Time since this would be the first place where Ganon would look for it. This can also explain why the temple is in ruins since Ganon might have ravaged it. […] It was crucial to hide the Master Sword in a safe place since this blade is Hyrule’s only hope to defeat the king of evil for good. Now it becomes really interesting for this could also explain why the Master Sword looks so rusty. It has rusted because it does no longer benefit from the « temporal protection » dispended by the Temple of Time -since we know that this temple well… controls time-. This is why the Master Sword in TP is not rusty since it still stands in the ruins of the Temple of Time. Regarding WW, the Master Sword is still in good shape and yet we find it in Hyrule Castle, not in the Temple of Time itself. Well, since we know that the castle has been destroyed in Ocarina of Time, we could think that WW Hyrule Castle has been rebuilt around/on the former Temple of Time, leaving the sword where it belongs. All of this can also explain why we find the Master Sword in the Lost Woods in AlttP, which is a game that would take place -according to our theory- after BotW.

The races and their evolution

Bronol : About the Koroks : Ico and I believe that the Koroks are actually the Kokiris’ true original form. Okay we know that in WW, it is said that the Kokiris had to turn into Koroks in order to adapt themselves to their new surroundings. However, we encounter the same Koroks in BotW and yet the world has not been flooded as in Wind Waker. This could mean that their Kokiri appearance was actually a way to adapt themselves to a situation. Let me explain… We can notice that the world of Ocarina of Time is very « civilized », there are lots of Hylians. The Koroks would thus be well advised to modify their shape in order to look like « humans » and make the relations easier. But now that Ganon has (more or less) slaughtered the whole Hylian race, they no longer have a reason to keep their human form. They’d better go back to their original form which allows them to hide in the forest etc.

« What’s the connection with AlttP ? » you’ll ask me, since there is no Kokiri or Korok in this game, and there’s no Great Deku Tree either… Well, the answer is simple : they’ll die in BotW (lol) :) We’re pretty sure that the Great Deku Tree will die in BotW and what happens when the Great Deku Tree dies ? The Koroks/Kokiris die too, as Mido tells us in OoT (only in the french version apparently :c )

What about the other races ? First let’s talk about the goron we saw in the trailer. Well this guy looks like… every goron we know. Did you notice that the goron tribe is the only one (along with the Hylians) that doesn’t evolve throughout the ages ? As the years pass, the fewer they are. Take WW for instance which takes place a hundred years after OoT and there are only… 3 gorons left. They don’t fit in this new environment and yet they have not evolved unlike Zoras who turned into Ritos. Talking about Zoras ! We saw them in the latest BotW trailer and we know that they also appear in AlttP but the interesting thing here is that in AlttP… they’re bad guys. And take a look at their design in BoTW. We’re far from the simplistic Zora from OoT or MM, now they look like real warriors, they look like freaking sharks and all… I mean… I would not mess with them if I were you. […]

The role of the Sheikah

Ico : Okay guys, remember that this is only pure homemade theory. Here’s what could possibly happen regarding the Sheikah tribe in BotW. What if the Sheikah were the main antagonists in BotW ? What if they made an alliance with Ganon to invade the kingdom of Hyrule ? We came to that theory thanks to this lil’ guy who’s fighting against Link

[…] Let’s not forget the « Life in the ruins » trailer which starts with a Sheikah eye shedding a tear that turns into a puddle of blood (which evokes war) over which a forest will grow evoking a return to the wild. I don’t think one could make it less explicit. In Ocarina of Time, we learn that there had been a war before the beginning of the game. We don’t know who the enemy was but many theories speculate that it was the Sheikah tribe, which has then been defeated and tortured and humiliated (→ just look at all the torture devices you can find in Kakariko Village’s pit). This theory allows us to (potentially) imagine that the remaining Sheikah would have been banished from the Light World and sent into the Twilight Realm thanks to the Mirror of Twilight, thus becoming TP’s Twilis. We also know that Ganondorf’s main forces (aka the Gerudos) have switched camps and have become our allies after we showed them our badassery back in their fortress. By the end of OoT, Ganondorf had thus no remaining ally and no army and eventhough he is very powerful, it is hard to imagine that he could take over the whole kingdom without armed forces. Why not imagine that Ganondorf could have laid his hands on the Mirror of Twilight and freed the exiled Sheikah who would feel a desire for revenge and side with Ganon put the royal family at risk. That’d be cool, wouldn’t it ? […] But let’s not forget that originally the Sheikah tribe’s main purpose is to protect the royal family and the goddess Hylia, so inevitably some of them would still be on the « good side », like those that we meet in the shrines.

The story of Breath of the Wild

Bronol : Let’s sum this up. At the end of OoT, Link loses against Ganon (not Ganondorf). Despite his death, Zelda and the other sages still manage to seal Ganon away. After the battle, Link’s body is brought to some sort of sheikah sarcophagus to preserve him cause they know that Ganon will eventually come back with the whole Triforce in his possession and that it’s only a matter of time before the seal breaks. They just don’t know when it will actually break and they don’t know if a new Link would have appeared in the meantime. Hence, they prefer to keep the « old one » and resuscitate/revive him, because Ganon must be (and can only be) defeated by an incarnation of the hero.

Ico : […] Knowing that Ganon will eventually escape from the realm, Zelda has to protect the Master Sword and hides it in the last barrier against the malevolent forces, that is to say the Kokiri Forest, protected by the Great Deku Tree. Link will need this weapon to defeat Calamity Ganon. Some years pass (we don’t know how many), the kingdom is being rebuilt step by step and then Ganon comes back. However, Link is probably not ready to wake up yet (for whatever reason) so when Ganon kicks in… Link does not appear. It’s only one hundred years after that Link will finally awaken and discover a wild and completely devastated land, and will meet a new Zelda before setting off on a new adventure, helped by the princess. We can imagine that our hero, the Hero of Time, will have to awaken the sages’ descendants in order to finally seal the evil for good. And yes I said « seal » and not « kill » because this is what is said during the opening scene of AlttP. […]

Bronol : […] If you look closely, you can see that every huge 3D loz game holds a key role in the Timeline :

- Ocarina of Time is the centerpiece of the chronology

- Wind Waker, Twilight Princess and Breath of the Wild are the three junctions

- Skyward Sword is at the very beginning and relates the origins of the Timeline

And when we realized that (Ico and I) well… we were excited like kids, y’know.

Et voilà ! ᕕ(  °▽° )ᕗ ♥