Nintendo's Legend of Zelda franchise is no stranger to time shenanigans. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is considered a masterpiece by many, but its time travel conceit has led to fans and Nintendo embracing a complicated Legend of Zelda timeline. Breath of the Wild purportedly unified these threads in 2017 to establish a new setting that references all its predecessors, and Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity had the potential to simply make this version of Hyrule more rich as a prequel. However, this is not exactly what fans received. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Despite being the second entry in a soon-to-be trilogy focused on Breath of the Wild's Hyrule, Age of Calamity quickly abandons any pretense of being a true prequel. Instead, the story presented by Nintendo and Koei Tecmo is akin to a fanfiction describing how Link and his allies could have beaten Calamity Ganon with future sight. Some have argued the game was falsely advertised, and that isn't completely off-base, but it disregards some of the more interesting aspects to this handling of the story.
The idea of turning the somber, contemplative air of Breath of the Wild into a more classic Zelda narrative is appealing in its own right. Many of the characters come across more appealingly in this new timeline because of the better circumstances and extra screen time. In addition, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity starting its own timeline does not prevent it from impacting future titles. Its canonical implications present interesting ideas for Breath of the Wild 2.
How Age of Calamity Changes the Narrative
In the first timeline established by Breath of the Wild, Link wakes up in the Shrine of Resurrection 100 years after the Great Calamity because he and his allies failed to seal the malevolent force. The ancient mechanical Guardians believed to be a boon are instead overtaken by Calamity Ganon and lead to Hyrule's demise. The same goes for the four Divine Beasts; superweapons led by the Champions Mipha, Daruk, Revali, and Urbosa; which are infiltrated by the Blight Ganons.
The new Warriors timeline established by Age of Calamity begins when a miniature Guardian, later named Terrako, awakens in Hyrule Castle the moment Princess Zelda awakens the Goddess' power - a scene players witness as a memory in Breath of the Wild. Terrako has the ability to travel through time, and it goes back to the outset of the conflict. It accidentally allows Ganon's malice travel back too.
In one of the interstitial messages presented during Age of Calamity's loading screens, the game describes this as the moment when "a new world was born," a "splintered" world. Fans will notice little things happen out of order, for example Terrako facilitating the use of Sheikah tech early. The first major change comes when the Great Calamity begins early, driven by a new antagonist named Astor who can see the future thanks to the influence of Ganon's malice.
However, the bigger twist comes when Terrako opens four portals that call the descendants of the Champions; Sidon, Yunobo, Teba, and Riju; through time and space to save them from a grizzly demise. All four henceforth become playable characters who help Link and his allies defeat and seal an early reincarnation of Calamity Ganon, leading to the Warriors timeline's happy ending.
The Descendants in Breath of the Wild
The surprise of finding out key Breath of the Wild characters are returning with unique fighting styles is a pleasure in-and-of-itself, but the way they interact with the older cast makes this twist special. The four Champions are considered great heroes of their respective races in the failed timeline, and a key part of Link's journey is freeing their spirits and bringing closure to the people.
The descendants are all leaders that have to deal with the legacy of their counterparts. For the Gerudo Chief Riju, this means having to lead the desert-dwelling people against the Yiga Clan despite her young age, a task she inherits from Urbosa. For the Zora Prince Sidon, this means dealing with the loss of his older sister Mipha, whom he did know personally considering the long lifespan of his race.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity offers these characters the chance to meet and get to know each other, with Riju and Sidon's relationships arguably having the most emotional impact due to the more direct familial bonds. Multiple lines of dialogue imply the descendants fought with Link to stop Calamity Ganon already, meaning they likely come from a time post-Breath of the Wild. During battles, the Champions comment about taking comfort in the knowledge that the future is in safe hands, while the descendants take up the virtues their counterparts exhibit.
Another interesting point to these interactions is that every pairing has a mission set on the Divine Beasts. There are good individual character moments, such as Teba realizing the great Rito Champion may be more of an arrogant prick than the stories let on, but the bigger connecting thread is all four descendants learning to pilot the machines. In Breath of the Wild, the deceased Champions are the only ones who had ever done so, and their spirits deliver each respective Beasts' attack unto Ganon during Link's final battle.
The last cutscene in Age of Calamity has the four descendants return to their timeline, with Zelda remarking that she hopes the light can extend to their future Hyrule as well. It's unclear exactly which point the descendants were pulled from in the first timeline, but their experiences in the Warriors timeline could indelibly change how Breath of the Wild 2 plays out. Breath of the Wild director Hidemaro Fujibayashi pitched Age of Calamity, so the implications of this spin-off are likely intentional.
In the E3 2019 trailer for Breath of the Wild 2, a shot of Hyrule Castle rising out of the ground suggests the game takes place after the original game, as the landscape is devoid of settlements. However, Age of Calamity may prove to be more important than one might expect from its fanfiction premise if Link and Zelda can come to rely on Sidon, Yunobo, Teba, and Riju to lead with the bonds and confidence garnered in their space-time adventure. For those wondering how the Divine Beasts will play a role in the sequel, Koei Tecmo may have given Nintendo a convenient out.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is available now on Nintendo Switch.
