Nintendo seems like it’s determined to sweep 2020 in its third act. After a long hiatus from announcements related to COVID-19, it’s suddenly back in the forefront and in no small fashion. Nintendo fans are still coming off the high of the Super Mario Bros. 35th Anniversary announcements, and now the company has suddenly come forward with the announcement of a whole new Zelda game: Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, a high-scale war game showcasing the power and talent of the Champions seems like a fitting design to tell the story of Calamity Ganon’s attack on Hyrule.
Even so, some Zelda fans can’t be blamed for being disappointed that Nintendo isn’t ready to say anything more about Breath of the Wild 2. Rather than pushing forward with prompt announcements about the sequel, it looks like Nintendo wants to look back a little bit and ground players in this version of Hyrule’s past. However, Nintendo is liable to tell players a lot more about the Breath of the Wild sequel than players may expect. Not only is Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity likely to bring on a tide of new lore and character interactions that will inform the sequel, it’s a very telling look into what will become of rumors and hopes for the sequel.
Breath of the Wild was not short on world-building by any means. It’s a fascinating look at a ruined society that hasn’t completely fallen apart, even when monsters roam the countryside and Calamity Ganon haunts the castle that was once a bastion for the people of Hyrule. It’s not completely detached from its history either. Link is constantly getting glimpses into his past and at his connections with the lost Champions. The landscape is scarred with remnants of the war, whether that’s ancient Guardians still seeking battle or distantly familiar places that will remind Link who he is.
As rich as that environmental storytelling is, however, the hands-on experience of the war that Age of Calamity promises is a completely different approach to the time before Breath of the Wild. This time, players will actually get to know the Champions and the king of Hyrule as living people. There’s sure to be rich dialogues and moments of conflict and teamwork that there just wasn’t room for in Breath of the Wild that will expand on Link and Zelda’s relationships with the Champions and with each another.
Beyond the character development, Age of Calamity is also going to be a crucial source of insight on what exactly was lost and how terrible the war was. As valiant as the trailer may be, players already know how Age of Calamity ends. No matter what the tone of the game is, there will be a looming sense of dread and tragedy as players interact with the living Champions and fight for Hyrule as it once was, knowing that disaster is just around the corner. Knowing more about Link’s relationships and Hyrule itself can only make Breath of the Wild 2 a richer experience as the world is threatened again.
Bearing the contributions to Breath of the Wild 2‘s lore in mind, it’s also worth taking a moment to think about what Age of Calamity says about the sequel’s potential plot and mechanics. Zelda fans have spent many months exchanging rumors and theories about BotW 2, hoping and wondering about what exactly will change between the first game and the second. Interestingly enough, there’s a distinct chance that some of the rumors about and wishes for BotW 2 are being channeled into Age of Calamity to some extent.
Perhaps the most obvious one of these wishes is getting Zelda herself as a playable character. Fans have been optimistic about that ever since the sequel’s trailer featured her heavily, traveling alongside Link for once. It’s quite clear that Zelda is a playable option in Age of Calamity; that trailer features a clip of her stopping a Lynel with a Stasis power, and that’s sure to be only one of her magical powers showcased in the game. Additionally, for any players that hoped the Champions might be playable in Breath of the Wild 2, Age of Calamity guarantees a way to defend Hyrule as their favorite hero.
Another one of the biggest rumors that interacts with Age of Calamity is the possible time travel narrative. That BotW 2 theory picked up steam quite a while ago, and it’s hard to say for now how it interacts with Age of Calamity. On the one hand, this new game could totally refute the possibility of time travel by setting the narrative of the war in stone. On the other hand, setting the lore in stone that way might be the perfect setup for a journey into the past in BotW 2 so players already know what’s going to change. In any case, Age of Calamity‘s setting in the past really reflects on the theories about exploring Hyrule’s past.
Yet another way that BotW 2 and Age of Calamity go hand in hand is the simple fact that they’re being developed at the same time. Nintendo surely has intimate involvement and insight on both fronts, so it’s poised to set up a lot of fascinating parallels and connections between Hyrule’s past and future. That said, Age of Calamity might be part of the reason that Breath of the Wild 2 has seen so little in the way of reveals. It’s not every day that two highly interconnected Zelda games are being developed at the same time like this, so Nintendo might be really taking its time making sure they’re both right and establishing all the connections it wants.
That’s not to say Age of Calamity is harming the sequel at all. On the contrary, it seems like the best possible thing that Nintendo could publish in advance of the sequel. Not only will revisiting the Champions and the conflict with Calamity Ganon generate hype for the sequel, it will re-establish the importance of Link’s bonds, especially with Zelda, since she’s implied to be very important to the sequel’s story. Whatever is about to happen in Breath of the Wild 2 is bound to be earthshaking, so it’s worth taking a moment of relative respite to reflect on everything Hyrule has already been through. That way Link, Zelda, and all their fans can prepare for what’s about to come.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity releases November 20, 2020 for Switch. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 is in development.
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