A lot of brainpower has been spent speculating about howNintendo’sLegend of Zeldaseries fits into a cohesive timeline. To try and appease these fans, the developer put out an officialZeldatimeline in theHyrule Historiacollector’s book that first released in Japan in 2011. The exercise is interesting due to the breadcrumbs left by repeated motifs and themes in a franchise focused on adventure and mythology. However, few games have as much real connective tissue to its predecessors asThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2, a sequel to the Switch’s hit 2017 launch title.
While there have been a few games with continuity,Breath of the Wildhas the chance to spawn something even more significant. Not long ago, Nintendo announcedHyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, a prequel toBreath of the Wilddeveloped by Koei Tecmo in the style of its hack-and-slashDynasty Warriorsseries. Though this announcement came alongside series producerEiji Aonuma confirming a longer development onBreath of the Wild 2, the reason why this delay is occurring opens more possibilities.
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Aonuma said the development team needs more time to make the land of Hyrule seen inBreath of the Wild"even more impressive" for its sequel, and havingAge of Calamitycoming out in the meantime suggests these improvements can go after something completely new. The hack-and-slash game will tell the story of the war that sets the stage forBreath of the Wild, andAge of Calamitywill hopefully flesh out its charactersin the process. Because of that,Breath of the Wild 2can focus on telling more unique stories without having to bog itself down with previous baggage. In that way, it may be able to do more than typical sequels by helping establish a true “subfranchise.”
Games With Direct Continuity
Prior toBreath of the Wild, the quintessential example of aZeldagame with direct continuity wasOcarina of Timeand its follow-upMajora’s Maskon the Nintendo 64.Majora’s Maskbegins after Link saves Hyrule from Ganondorf, returns the Master Sword to become a child again, and then sets off on a journey to reunite with his departed companion Navi. He falls into the land of Termina, a twisted version of Hyrule, and has to save its denizens from a certain demise.
Though this is a continuation of the first game, howMajora’s Maskties into its predecessor is questionable. It has become a popular fan theory that the events ofMajora’s Maskare Link trying to resolve his grief after dying based on the game’s heavily death-focused themes and returning, but different characters (though in real life this was a product of reusingOcarina of Time’s engine to quickly turn out a sequel). Technically, these games also connect toTwilight Princess, in that the Hero’s Shade who teaches Linkis Nintendo 64’s Link according to theHyrule Historia.
Yet this inclusion feels more like an Easter egg, as none of the games truly connect through anything more than the appearance of one Link. Their worlds and the characters within are unique. Another set of games that comes closer to this areThe Legend of Zelda: The Wind Wakeron GameCubeand its DS sequels. This flooded Hyrule saga is the only one untilBreath of the Wildthat has three directly contiguous entries. However, onlyPhantom Hourglassis a direct sequel toWind Wakerwith the same Link and Zelda;Spirit Trackstakes place 100 years in the future when nothing is recognizable.
A few other games have more tenuous connections.A Link Between Worldsis a kind of sequel forA Link to the Past, but it also feels like a reimagining.Oracle of AgesandOracle of Seasonsare linked in that playing one changes events in the next, but they could go in any order. TheCD-iLegend of Zeldagamesalso have some crossover, but those are hardly worth considering.
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How a Breath of the Wild Subfranchise can be Different
The aforementioned direct sequels often feel disconnected, or they attempt to carry on ideas from previous titles while creating a new world for Link to explore. For example,Phantom Hourglasstakes place in a different stretch of ocean complete with its own problems andcast of characters divorced fromWind Waker.
A subfranchise within a larger series should ideally focus on telling new, unique stories related to one facet of a previously-established canon, often with its own mainline and spin-off games. TheSonic Boomsubfranchise, as derided as it may be, has some continuity and multiple spin-offs within its unique take on theSonicuniverse, both in video games and television, making it a good example of the kind of modelBreath of the Wildcould be utilizing.
By having multiple games sharing a direct continuity in a bubble, theBreath of the Wildsubfranchise has the ability to flesh out ideas without encumbering new main entries. In regards to its own lore,Age of Calamitymay offer more characterization for the Champions that many argue are underutilized inBreath of the Wild, leaving the sequel open to dive deeper into its own plot and evolve the world. Sequestering these games as something unique that could continue into perpetuity also leaves open the possibility of new takes onZeldaseparate from that subfranchise being created.
The closest entry in the series to achieving this kind of cohesion and world building with spin-off titles wasTwilight Princess— though it’s hard to say games likeLink’s Crossbow Trainingor aPicrosstitle only available through My Nintendo rewards hold the samenarrative potential asAge of Calamity. Creating new games with familiar themes is great for experimenting with ideas and mechanics, but Nintendo taking some time to smell the roses by fleshing outBreath of the Wild’s world is a welcome change with the potential to make something truly special.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2is in development.
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