Zelda: Breath of the Wild

[Thane]

My bad. It's just how I operate unfortunately.

I'll probably be speculating, or hypothesizing I guess, once we get more info, but with a month and a half before launch, I don't know what else we could even get story wise.

Granted, with how the trailers have been, we should probably get something.

Don't worry, buddy, I've got a little brother who reminds me a lot of this side of you. I'm used to buzzkills.

I can't believe we saw an army of giant robots in Zelda and you just shrug it off! Now let's get back to speculating what the bloody hell Calamity Garon is and why he's recruited Anonymous to take over Hyrule!

[Magical Glace]

I did see some theories that the giant robots on the back of the collectible map are the dungeons (the bird, camel, lizard, and elephant). My only real problem with this is I'm worried the environments in the dungeons would be rather... same-y? All four would be basically giant magitek machines.

[B.Leu]

I just saw the most rencent trailers. It was awesome. They were voice acted, even in French. and It was so freaking awesome.
Tsss, I might have to sell one of my consoles to buy the Switch if they continue to do those things.

Personally, I prefer to blatantly ignore the Hyrule Historia's official timeline, when I want to that is. :p

I mean, it's obvious that some Zelda games are prequel or sequel to other Zelda games but beyond that: nope, nope and nope.

(Plus, Fay, Demise, Hylia... all of that, thanks, but no thanks, but hush...)

You know, there is a difference between Ganondorf the Gerudo Prince, Ganon.the Demon King, Ganon the Evil Thing; so, I guess Calamity Ganon is some sort of evolved form of one of them. Which one evolved into Calamity Ganon, that is the question.

Edited January 15, 2017 by B.Leu

[Lord_Grima]

You know, there is a difference between Ganondorf the Gerudo Prince, Ganon.the Demon King, Ganon the Evil Thing; so, I guess Calamity Ganon is some sort of evolved form of one of them. Which one evolved into Calamity Ganon, that is the question.

The old man in BOTW states "That...is the Calamity Ganon. It brought ruin and corruption upon the kingdom of Hyrule 100 years ago. It appeared suddenly...destroying everything in its path. Leaving countless innocents in its wake." So, based on the old man, either Calamity Ganon just appeared one day, or suddenly a "Ganondorf" or similar person became the Calamity (Obtaining the Triforce of Power?).

[Rex Glacies]

I've always thought that Demise's curse was less of "There will be an enemy called Ganon to always fight you" and more like "There will always be an enemy to fight you." Therefore, the curse simply means that there will always be a villain to fight Link and Zelda, whether that enemy is Ganon, Vaati, Malladus, or anything else. Therefore, my theory is that the Calamity Ganon is the literal curse of Demise. After all, the trailer says "The history of the royal family of Hyrule is also the history of the Calamity Ganon." So, if the Calamity Ganon is the curse itself, it might explain why it incorporeal and weird looking.

I'm still lost on the Guardians and technology though. Last time we saw something like this was Skyward Sword, but if BotW took place around that time era, then why is the Calamity Ganon called Ganon? This was far before he was even born.

[Water Mage]

If the timeline of this game is the Adult timeline, as some suspect, then Calamity Ganon could be a new Ganon, born after OoT Ganondorf died in Wind Waker. Or perhaps it is the lingering soul of Ganondorf that remained after WW Link killed him.

But it could also be the Downfall timeline, which is the timeline where Ganonondorf is at his most feral. In the Downfall timeline, it seems that Ganondorf is perpetually stuck in Ganon form, and he seems to be viewed more as a force of nature rather than an individual. Calamity Ganon definitively seems to be seen as a force of nature instead of an individual.

You know, it's actually really interesting how OoT Ganondorf ended up pratically a different person in each timeline. 

In the Downfall timeline, he's more monstruous and feral, perhaps because he is stuck in Ganon form.

In the Adult timeline, he's more human, maybe because he was stuck for centuries in the peaceful Great Sea, without being able to do much as his powers were sealed, so he had a lot of time to think about his actions.

In the Child timeline, he seems to be have the same personality as he had in OoT, in fact he's practically unchanged. It actually makes sense that he's unchanged in this timeline, as it is implied that the events of OoT never happened in the Child timeline, or one could say that Hyrule was "reseted" in OoT's ending. So it would make sense that Ganondorf remained unchanged as person, as he never actually got the chance to carry his plans in the Child timeline.

[vanguard333]

Ganondorf is always different in each game in which he has appeared. In the downfall timeline, he gradually becomes more and more feral. In A Link to the Past, he was quite feral, but still had enough rational mind to construct a humanoid alter-ego (Aghanim) and orchestrate an elaborate plan. But, by the original game, he has almost none of that left; he is still intelligent (probably) but never shows it.

In Twilight Princess, there is one big difference: Ganondorf does not seek the full triforce, only conquest and revenge. He has been banished for 100 years and returned with a vengeance and he does act like it.

Ganondorf is one of those villains that just keeps coming back (not necessarily a bad thing; I have been looking forward to Ganon being back for a long time and A Link Between Worlds does not count since he appeared for two seconds before fusing with Yuga), and he keeps coming back in many ways. If imprisoned, he can escape. If killed, he can revive (he did so in the time between A Link Between Worlds and the Original game) or his minions can revive him. If all else fails, he can reincarnate. I always interpreted Demise's curse as a particular incarnation shall ever follow their kind.

In the AdultTimeline, The king used the triforce and said, "May [Ganondorf] drown with Hyrule!" It's possible that BotW takes place after the flood waters have receded and the Hylains returned home and rebuilt Hyrule. If so, then the curse might have brought back Ganondorf now that Hyrule is no longer flooded. As far as the non-corporeal form we have seen so far, it would not be the first time Ganondorf has taken a non-corporeal form (Twilight Princess: the floating ball of evil magic with a face), and this could be simply a non-corporeal bestial form. I'm just speculating.

[Magical Glace]

The only way I can see this being Adult line is the "Ganon's Wish" theory, which essentially is a fourth timeline splitting off from TWW, in which Ganon's wish to re-expose Hyrule to the sun comes true and the ending of the game is basically rewritten, Failure timeline style.  An interesting thing to note is the Old Man's jingle, which when slowed down resembles "Hyrule Castle" from ALttP, which would later get a bit of a new purpose come TWW as King Daphnes's theme.

There's no reason to go back to the Old Hyrule while New Hyrule is prospering, and the Korok's goals seem to have been misunderstood quite a bit, they had no intention of draining the ocean, just connecting the land together to make a new one.  How that works, no idea.  Mystical things.

I guess I can see it being FSA's second Ganondorf, since the original one died in TP.  

The Decline timeline... well, that place was kinda rekt already.  There wasn't much there for a Calamity to affect by the end of it.  I guess it could be Imprisoning War, but that seems kinda pointless, since like the Great Flood this is an era of no Hero.  They killed off the poor Hero of Time for that detail.

[Water Mage]

I've meant to post this, a text that was in the back of the map that Reggie showed in the Treehouse last week, and was written in Sheikah/Hylian:

“Hylians pass stories of a destined time long past, where multiple races lived and worked together in harmony. The Sheikah Tribe’s blue aura breathed through the land, and this mutual prosperity continued, until a cataclysmic disaster struck. The hero and the princess attempted in vain to seal the terror, which became known as the Calamity Ganon. Divine Beasts awoke from four directions, and deployed a mechanical army which made the king and his people fearful. They fractured Ganon’s power and sealed him… But the Sheikah were banished from the land ever since.”

 

It seems to be a prologue to the game. This link explains it's translation:

http://www.siliconera.com/2017/01/17/legend-zelda-breath-wilds-backstory-discovered-fans-using-hylian-language/

Edited January 18, 2017 by Water Mage

[Magical Glace]

Dude, spoiler tag it.

 

 

[Anacybele]

Yeah, seriously, that's spoiler material. >_>

Makes me wonder if the game takes place between SS and OoT now though, since the Sheikah had died out by the time OoT happened. Yet, there are still TP and TWW elements lying around in the game too, like those ruins that look like TP's Castle Town and the Koroks. There are so many contradictions going on here it's baffling. Wherever this is being placed in the timeline, it feels like there will be holes. But that's no surprise, I think the timeline already has holes as it is...

[Magical Glace]

The timeline in general just makes no sense.

Like, how are Koume and Kotake alive in the Oracle games?  Ocarina Link supposedly died fighting Ganon, which would mean he already killed them by the time he was defeated.

Yet in Seasons/Ages, they're alive and well trying to resurrect the pig :/

There's also the motion of landmarks across the kingdom which is really weird.  

[Zera]

12 minutes ago, Glaceon Mage said:

There's also the motion of landmarks across the kingdom which is really weird.  

Tectonic shifts, my friend. That's how the areas in Pikmin 2 were different than in Pikmin 1.

[Magical Glace]

1 minute ago, Zera said:

Tectonic shifts, my friend. That's how the areas in Pikmin 2 were different than in Pikmin 1.

Those are absurdly drastic tectonics. 

In other words, it still doesn't make sense.

[Water Mage]

I spoiler tagged it, but was it really a spoiler? It seemed more like a prologue.

Anyway, it seems that the Sheikah will play a larger role in this game. And I always believed that the Sheikah never really died out, but rather they are in hidding.

[Magical Glace]

9 minutes ago, Water Mage said:

I spoiler tagged it, but was it really a spoiler? It seemed more like a prologue.

Anyway, it seems that the Sheikah will play a larger role in this game. And I always believed that the Sheikah never really died out, but rather they are in hidding.

Considering finding out the backstory is what drives the plot to begin with, I would think so.

[Anacybele]

Just one question though, why are the BotW Amiibo expensive compared to past Amiibo? Until now, all Amiibo have been $13 each, but everywhere I check, the BotW Amiibo are $16 or more. Is this inflation or something? >.>

[Magical Glace]

Maybe they're just a bit more expensive to make, I dunno.

[Anacybele]

8 minutes ago, Glaceon Mage said:

Maybe they're just a bit more expensive to make, I dunno.

But it was said some time ago that that wouldn't influence the cost. I remember Iwata or someone saying something like that, that even though an Amiibo like Palutena costs more to make than someone like Kirby, all will cost the same to be fair to the consumer.

[CrimeanRoyalKnight]

I have a theory that this game merges all three timelines, but I'm not sure of how it could even work!

[MarioKirby]

Honestly, from what we've seen of the game and what the devs have said, I'm highly inclined to believe this game will be a series reboot, what with how different the entire game is from the rest of the series, from the mechanics to the story, and how much the devs have emphasized a return to the form of the first game.

[Magical Glace]

Aonuma actually already confirmed there's a spot in the timeline, and that it would be obvious after the game is played, @MarioKirby

 

Edited January 20, 2017 by Glaceon Mage

[DragonLord]

So it's apparent that it already fits somewhere in the established timeline, and that this takes place in a time where Ganon had already assaulted Hyrule many times in the past. I think that rules out the Skyward Sword sequel, would have to be one of the branching timelines in my opinion. I'm thinking most likely the Child Timeline after Twilight Princess or Four Swords Adventures, as the TP Castle Town ruins are seen several times. Not to mention all the connections Eiji Aonuma has made in past interviews. Either way, I look forward to when this game happens exactly.

Also in regards to the backstory, that would explain why Link was battling a warrior clad in red, wearing a Sheikah mask upside down.

Spoiler

Possibly turned traitor after all the Sheikah were banished from Hyrule by the King.

 

 

Edited January 20, 2017 by DragonLord

[Anacybele]

Ooh, that's a good bit of info to know, Glac, thanks! I look forward to playing the game and finding out! But no spoilers from anyone that beats it before I do! I just know a lot of people will because I'm always slow. xP And some people will probably attempt to finish fast because of how quickly you can actually go and battle the final boss.

[Magical Glace]

No Dual Audio. Shit.

That was one thing I actually liked about FE13, was that it gave me the option for the Japanese dub.  I like Zelda's Japanese voice so much more than the English one.

I understand why it's not there, it's just disappointing.