While Nintendo never actually outright stated that Age of Calamity would serve as a prequel to Breath of the Wild, the implication was fairly clear that the latest Hyrule Warriors would fill in the blanks in the Zelda franchise’s latest mainline installment. Instead, Koei Tecmo’s follow up to BotW winds up a proper pseudo-sequel through the use of time travel. Naturally, Age or Calamity steps on Breath of the Wild’s toes in the process.
Time travel throws a massive wrench into Breath of the Wild’s backstory, building up plot holes throughout Age of Calamity. It’s obvious the intent was always to twist BotW’s familiar backstory in order to further characterize the main cast while better contextualizing gameplay for a Musou, but Age of Calamity’s disregard for established lore creates far too many inconsistencies for audiences who have been paying attention or BotW’s finer details.
10 The Story’s Very Premise
Age of Calamity’s story on a whole is a hard pill to swallow. What was expected to be a traditional prequel to Breathe of the Wild was actually a pseudo-sequel in every sense of the word. Understanding the full scope of the narrative and the main characters’ arcs requires having played Breath of the Wild beforehand. The end result is a fairly introspective narrative that pulls itself together by the end, but there’s one glaring flaw: the premise.
The whole reason Age of Calamity happens is because Zelda’s powers can somehow trigger time travel – something never alluded to in BotW – sending an Egg that was never seen or mentioned flying back in time to save the day. AoC’s plot works, but in spite of itself.
9 Impa Is More Present Than She Should Be
Adding Impa into the main cast to round Link and Zelda’s duo into a trio was a smart move that allows for greater chemistry diversity between AoC’s leads. Impa’s also a likable character whose relationship with Zelda speaks to the fondness & respect she shows the Princess’ memory in Breath of the Wild. There is a problem with Impa’s appearances, however. They’re too frequent.
Impa may be a Royal advisor, but Age of Calamity exaggerates her presence for gameplay purposes. In-canon, Impa was never seen alongside Impa, primarily working on research with Purah and Robbie. It can be argued the Egg’s presence naturally shifted Impa’s duties in AoC’s timelines, but this doesn’t line up with how much more research the Sheikah do as a result. Both in reference to the original continuity and breaking its own internal logic, Impa’s presence in AoC only raises questions.
8 Zelda’s Relationship With Link
As Age of Calamity positions itself as a companion piece, the story tries not to step on Breath of the Wild’s toes by treading old ground. Several key memories are glossed over, fleshing out the events surrounding what Link ultimately remembers. In following this approach, however, AoC inadvertently twists Breath of the Wild’s defining relationship.
Link and Zelda’s arc in Breath of the Wild stems around them binding through their personal insecurities, eventually “dying” for each other at the end of the Calamity. Zelda in particular openly resents Link, giving their relationship more depth as she gets to know him. Not only does Age of Calamity not cover this arc explicitly (leaving it all to subtext,) Zelda’s resentment is virtually non-existent – which makes even less sense since AoC Link is basically a one man one.
7 Link’s History With The Master Sword
Creating a Champion is a near essential book when it comes to gaining a full scope of Breath of the Wild’s lore and history. CaC reveals a number of key character details for Link, such as the fact he has a father & sister (both of which conspicuously absent in AoC,) and actually obtained the Master Sword around the age of 12 – suddenly appearing with it on his back one day, presumably having braved Korok Forest as a boy.
This detail isn’t touched upon in Breath of the Wild, but it infers this Link’s unique relationship with the Master Sword. At the end of the day, it’s his sword. Unfortunately, Age of Calamity implies that Link never wielded the Master Sword before chapter 3, contradicting canonical backstory.
6 Monk Maz Koshia Joins The Fight!
It’s debatable just how much weight characters like the Great Fairy and Monk Maz Koshia should be given in the story proper since they’re never actually referenced, but they still bring with them lore implications through Battle Info. While the former is fairly harmless in her appearance, Monk Maz Koshia is a headache and a half to understand.
The Monk specifically tasked with testing those who undertake the Divine Beast Tamer’s Trial, why is Maz Koshia offering his services to defeat Calamity Ganon in Age of Calamity but not Breath of the Wild? Keep in mind that he offers his services before the Calamity strikes and the modern Champions travel back in time, meaning he could have done so in BotW.
5 Time Travel Tears
On that note, it’s worth pointing out the second instance of time travel in Age of Calamity’s plot. When all hope looks lost and the Calamity has finally struck, Zelda weeps into the Egg’s eye, creating a time warp that summons all the modern Champions to the past to save their descendants before they can die.
While the modern Champions had to travel back in time somehow, the fact it happens too conveniently and with no justification other than the inherent mysticism of Zelda’s powers sours an already iffy twist. It’s a genuine miracle that the modern Champions actually add more to the plot than they take away.
4 Yiga Betrayal
The Yiga are sworn enemies of the Hyrule Royal family, the Sheikah, and all those who wish to stop Calamity Ganon. They’re so relentless in their mission that they actively hunt down Link 100 years in the future, with Master Kohga fully dedicated to their cause. This characterization holds true for most of Age of Calamity, but it falls apart in the back half.
After Astor ends up betraying the Yiga Clan to create his own artificial Blights, Kohga sneaks into the Hylian Army and pledges the Yiga’s services to Princess Zelda. While Astor is used to justify Kohga’s betrayal, his amicability with the main cast along with “let bygones be bygones” attitude flies in the face of everything fans know about the Yiga.
3 Everything About Astor
Conceptually, Astor is a sound character who actually fits into Breath of the Wild’s backstory perfectly. Creating a Champion alludes to a fortune teller who may have actively led the Royal family to their destruction through their warnings. Considering Astor is referred to as “seer” in-game, it’s not a stretch to link the two characters together.
Unfortunately, Astor’s existence makes little to no sense. He’s never actually referenced in Breath of the Wild’s main game and the fact he aligns with the Yiga to take down Hyrule openly contradicts any links to the fortune teller. Astor’s Malice infested Egg also poses some strange logistical issues.
2 Zelda, Rhoam, And The Egg Of It All
The entire dynamic between Princess Zelda, King Rhoam, and their Egg is frankly difficult to parse. Neither Zelda or Rhoam initially recognize the Egg, despite the significance it holds for them both. The fact the Egg is in Zelda’s room at all in the Calamity timeline also suggests Rhoam wanted to give the robot to Zelda.
The Egg’s powers are also worth questioning, especially when considering they’re triggered by Zelda directly. Age of Calamity ostensibly invents a multi-purpose tool through the Egg, designed to right all of Breath of the Wild’s wrongs without considering the consequences of its existence.
1 Breath Of The Wild’s Butterfly Effect
The butterfly effect is in play as soon as the Egg travels back in time at the start of the actual Calamity, but it inexplicably stretches back to before the start of Age of Calamity. The only way to rationalize all the lore inconsistencies is by adhering to the Butterfly Effect, but that doesn’t explain why Link doesn’t already have the Master Sword, why the Champions haven’t already been banded together, or all the little details from Creating a Champion that have simply been ignored.
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