In the last few years, it seems The Legend of Zelda series has been a lot more free and encouraging with spin-off titles and expanding the Zelda universe. Games like Cadence of Hyrule, the Crypt of the Necrodancer spin-off featuring reorchestrated Zelda tracks, would’ve never existed before the Wii U days. In fact, the first Hyrule Warriors game was the milestone spin-off game to start this trend. Now, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is a Breath of the Wild-centric Warriors game that may have more narrative impact than its predecessor.
What’s more interesting than getting another Warriors game set in the Zelda universe is that Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity may have an interesting place on the official timeline. A hint from the actual trailer itself does hide one very important detail: Age of Calamity may serve more as an “interquel” instead of a prequel. The game’s actual narrative will certainly take place in the past, but it’s very possible this story is being told to Breath of the Wild Link in service to a story beat in Breath of the Wild 2.
Hyrule Warriors was the first modern spin-off game for the Zelda series in years. There were plenty of mainline Zelda games that came out like Skyward Sword on the Wii and A Link Between Worlds on 3Ds, but a true big-budget spin-off game hadn’t come out since 2007 with Link’s Crossbow Training on Wii. As its namesake suggests, Hyrule Warriors was one of the many offshoots from the broader Dynasty Warriors series by Koei Tecmo. The first Hyrule Warriors was a love letter compilation of all the best Zelda characters mixed together into the trademark hack and slash combat Koei Tecmo is known for.
Whereas Hyrule Warriors was more of a greatest hits from The Legend of Zelda, this time Age of Calamity has the opportunity to tell a canon storyline in the Breath of the Wild universe. Koei Tecmo has had this chance before with Persona 5 Scramble, but for The Legend of Zelda to tell a canon story from a spin-off game has never really happened before, or at least in such a capacity as Age of Calamity. Generally the major story beats of Zelda stick to mainline games, but Age of Calamity is proving to be an interesting exception. That being said, Age of Calamity may have even more impact on the Breath of the Wild storyline than just existing as a prequel.
At the beginning of the Age of Calamity trailer, an unfamiliar voice states to Link “I think you are now ready, ready to hear what happened 100 years ago.” It’s not made immediately apparent whose voice this is, so this could be an original character to Age of Calamity, but more importantly is what this statement implies. It seems Age of Calamity is being told from the perspective of the future, perhaps in the time between Breath of the Wild and its sequel, or at the beginning of Breath of the Wild 2.
Link is finally learning the whole story of what happened when Calamity Ganon defeated Hyrule a century earlier. However, now that he’s defeated the Calamity, why would he need to know this full story unless it’s relevant for another reason? Why does Link need to be “ready” for this story? It’s very possible Age of Calamity is connected to Breath of the Wild‘s sequel in some form. This would be a unique opportunity for Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, not only to get hardcore Zelda fans to play a Warriors-style game (even if they’re not the biggest fan), but also garner the hype for Breath of the Wild‘s upcoming sequel as well.
How this would come to pass remains to be seen, but it would make sense if Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity ties into Breath of the Wild‘s sequel in some way. That way, fans have something to tide them over until that sequel releases, as well as contextualizes why the prequel story is important. Players who completed Breath of the Wild already know the gist of what happened when Calamity Ganon first attacked. While learning about that grand battle would be interesting, it really wouldn’t be relevant unless there was some kind of hint at the end that connects to the events of Breath of the Wild‘s sequel.
Not to mention that kind of connection with a spin-off game would be unprecedented for the Zelda series. If this turns out to be true, Age of Calamity may be a more necessary playthrough for hardcore Zelda fans. Not to mention this would be the first time a spin-off Legend of Zelda game was widely considered both canon and necessary for the mainline franchise. Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity has a unique opportunity ahead of itself, and could have very interesting implications on the next Breath of the Wild game if true.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity releases on November 20, 2020, on Nintendo Switch.
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