It’s been almost a month since the release of Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity. The hack and slash title is a successor to 2014’s Hyrule Warriors, and features characters from both the Legend of Zelda and Dynasty Warriors series. Unlike the classic Legend of Zelda games, the Hyrule Warriors spin-off has always had a greater focus on combat, with large battles throughout.
Initially, the title’s plot seemed to be a simple prequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, the latest game in Nintendo’s long-running series. However, Age of Calamity actually follows a completely different timeline, which diverges from Breath of the Wild at a crucial moment. The game’s ending is part of the Legend of Zelda canon, and reveals a wildly different history to that of Breath of the Wild.
At the beginning of Breath of the Wild, Link wakes up in a strange chamber without his memories. Over the course of the game, he discovers that he was mortally wounded in a battle against Calamity Ganon, and has slept for a century in order to recover. He is also aided by the spirits of the Champions, his allies who piloted the mechanical Divine Beasts in the battle against Ganon. The reason that Link was wounded fighting Ganon was that he and the rest of Hyrule were unprepared for the big bad’s arrival. However, Age of Calamity shows players a secret timeline in which Link was ready for Ganon to appear.
During Calamity Ganon’s seizure of Hyrule Castle, a mini Guardian named Terrako escapes through a time-portal, pursued by a portion of Ganon’s Malice. Terrako travels back in time to before Ganon’s arrival, where it is found by Link. After some work Link manages to discover the Guardian’s knowledge of future events, giving him a chance to prepare for Ganon’s arrival. However, the fragment of Ganon’s Malice that also travelled back in time possesses Terrako’s inactive past self. It becomes Harbinger Ganon, and attempts to clear the path for Ganon’s arrival with the help of the sorcerer Astor.
With Terrako’s warning having given Hyrule time to prepare, King Rhoam sends Link and Zelda to gather the Champions and collect the Master Sword. Despite the interference of Astor and Harbinger Ganon, the pair succeed in their task. However, Calamity Ganon still attacks and King Rhoam seemingly sacrifices himself to give Link and Zelda time to escape. After learning that Ganon corrupted the Divine Beasts in the Breath of the Wild timeline, Link and Zelda rush to the aid of the Champions. The Champions are about to be slain by Ganon’s Blights when four new figures, Sidon, Yunobo, Riju, and Teba, arrive from the future to join the battle.
With the Champions and their Divine Beasts saved, the Hyrule Warriors begin their quest to reclaim Hyrule, and clear the route to Hyrule castle. While Astor attempts to defeat Link by sacrificing the Yiga Clan, Zelda’s powers awaken, far earlier than they did in the story of Breath of the Wild. It’s shortly after this that it’s revealed that King Rhoam survived, and he reconciles with Princess Zelda.
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Confronting Ganon at Hyrule Castle, the heroes begin their final battle by weakening his spirit form with the Divine Beasts. Astor attempts to summon his master directly, but is consumed when Harbinger Ganon manifests into Calamity Ganon, allowing the big bad to take on a more human form. While Terrako’s warning already prevented the disaster that lead to the Breath of the Wild storyline, not even Link with the Master Sword and an awakened Zelda are enough to take Calamity Ganon down.
In the end the true hero is Terrako once again, as the tiny Guardian sacrifices itself to weaken Ganon. This allows Princess Zelda to seal Calamity Ganon away, preventing the century of suffering that preceded the beginning of Breath of the Wild. As the characters from the future return to their own timeline, Hyrule looks forward to an uninterrupted century of peace. However, the story doesn’t have to end there. Age of Calamity has a secret ending, which can only be unlocked by collecting Terrako parts and finishing the Terrako Returns mission. Players who succeed will be treated to a cutscene of Link, Zelda, and their allies reviving Terrako, once again reuniting the heroic Guardian with its friends.
What we don’t know at this point is how either of these endings will play into The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2. There are two main possibilities: The first is that the canon timelines of Age of Calamity and Breath of the Wilds will diverge permanently, and each game series will continue in its own story. The second possibility is that the two timelines will be kept together, and the ending of Age of Calamity will be counted as the final happy ending of Breath of the Wild.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is available now for Nintendo Switch.
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