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Is BOTW a Trilogy?

RamboBambiBambo

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Imagine how funny it would be if you could have all the hearts of BotW you collected (30 hearts total being the max amount possible) and then in Tears of the Kingdom you are allowed to DOUBLE that amount to SIXTY HEARTS.

And THEN if they add in a third direct sequel to this game, Link is able to acquire a grand maximum total of

NINETY HEARTS.

That would be funny but he will be only the second best Link in the franchise when it comes to heart capacity amount if Nintendo were even going to let that be a thing.
 

Bowsette Plus-Ultra

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Nah, I wouldn't call it that disconnected. Sure, the events of AoC fall on a separate timeline, but it can't first exist without the events of BotW to set it up. It is a game that is clearly heavily intended to be experienced with full knowledge of the events of BotW for the best appreciation of it. It is not a prequel, and while it isn't all the way to a sequel, either, it still narratively comes in between BotW and TotK. It's a stop along the road between the two, not a stand-alone side story. Calling BotW, AoC, and TotK a trilogy is completely fair. A trio of stories that take place consecutively is the purest example of a trilogy there is, but that isn't the only way a trilogy can exist. These three games are meant to be grouped together and there is a pretty clear order in which the player is intended to absorb the story between all three of them. That's a trilogy in my book.

I'd call it pretty disconnected, but I also subscribe to the idea that a trilogy must have some narrative relation to one another. While AoC borrows characters, it is utterly disconnected from the events of BoTW to the point that it explicitly exists in an alternate timeline with a nice happy ending. It doesn't host some overarching theme, setting, or narrative. If BotW didn't exist, very little of AoC's plot would change.
 

Bowsette Plus-Ultra

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I find it kinda funny that Koei Tecmo and Nintendo decided to declare it an "alternate timeline" and try to imply that events change because Terrako jumps into the past when in reality Terrako just warped into a slightly alternate universe.

If I had my way, there wouldn't be an alternate reality. I'd have BotW2's events lead to sending Terrako back in time to avert the deaths caused by the Calamity, but as seen from Link and Zelda's perspective.

A moment of silence as Terrako jumps back in time.

Link and Zelda share a quiet moment, unsure if their plan has worked. They speak in quiet whispers. Maybe a joke or two is exchanged as the adrenaline winds down. Then the new, more optimistic timeline begins to take place. Link and Zelda are afforded a few glimpses of a world where the Calamity was never allowed to spread as far as it did, where lives were never lost.

And then they fade from existence, their world having never come to pass. There is happiness in their victory, but such an accomplishment cannot come without sacrifice.
 
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RamboBambiBambo

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If I had my way, there wouldn't be an alternate reality. I'd have BotW2's events lead to sending Terrako back in time to avert the deaths caused by the Calamity, but as seen from Link and Zelda's perspective.

A moment of silence as Terrako jumps back in time.

Link and Zelda share a quiet moment, unsure if their plan has worked. They talk for a moment. Maybe a joke or two is exchanged as the adrenaline carries them through the day. Then the new, more optimistic timeline begins to take place. Link and Zelda are afforded a few glimpses of a world where the Calamity was never allowed to spread as far as it did, where lives were never lost.

And then they fade from existence, their world having never come to pass. There is happiness in their victory, but such an accomplishment cannot come without sacrifice.
That would actually be a very nice way to have a happy ending.
 

Turo602

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I don't understand how Age of Calamity got roped into this discussion. It's a Hyrule Warriors game first and foremost and therefore not a sequel to Breath of the Wild. To consider it a legitimate part of a trilogy to a completely different genre of games is absurd. Tears of the Kingdom is a sequel to Breath of the Wild, not Age of Calamity.
 

Bowsette Plus-Ultra

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That would actually be a very nice way to have a happy ending.

Thank ye. I think there's something thematically satisfying about the heroic sacrifice. The villain is beaten, but at what cost?

I don't understand how Age of Calamity got roped into this discussion. It's a Hyrule Warriors game first and foremost and therefore not a sequel to Breath of the Wild. To consider it a legitimate part of a trilogy to a completely different genre of games is absurd. Tears of the Kingdom is a sequel to Breath of the Wild, not Age of Calamity.

The nature of the game, I'd suppose. Prior to its release, AoC was marketed as a prequel to BotW. While it strayed from that concept almost immediately, its shared graphical style and character designs to still create a connection between the two games.
 
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twilitfalchion

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It's not a trilogy until Nintendo makes it a trilogy. If anything, Nintendo seems to have a fondness for having two games that take place (in universe) very close to each other and then moving on, a la Ocarina and Majora, Zelda 1 and Zelda 2, and ALttP and LA rather than making true trilogies or even bothering to make entries that are sequels or sequel-esque at all.

And no, Age of Calamity wouldn't be considered part of any trilogy. It's a one-off AU type scenario. Connected in a way, but its events don't influence anything that happens between BotW and BotW2, so it's not really relevant when considering the possibility of there being a "Wild" trilogy.
 

Spiritual Mask Salesman

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I don't count Age of Calamity as a title that makes this a trilogy of games, but if there are fans who enjoyed AoC enough that they can view it as part of trilogy despite it being non-canon (or at least unconfirmed as canon), I'm glad for them.

As for the prospect of a trilogy of games, I'm not sure how I'd feel, but I do know to really answer the question I'd need to play Tears of the Kingdom first. If there seems like there can be room for another game after it, I might be ok with it. I also do wonder if fans would be fine with a third game in the same style and everything.
 
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As much as I've found the Calamity Era interesting to explore, I'd really like Nintendo to move on after TotK. We've been in this era for years now. Furthermore, Nintendo has been sticking to the DT since 2013. I'd like to see them take a break from the DT for a few games atleast and expand the UT, AT, and CT.

I wouldn't mind more ''open air'' type Zelda games in the style of BotW/TotK, though. Some more traditional Zelda games mixed in would be cool, too, however.
 

CynicalSquid

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Honestly I hope not. I feel like a 3rd game in the same universe would start to get kind of stale. I’m already skeptical about how much TOTK will end up reusing. Plus I would like the next game to be in a different art style.
 

mαrkαsscoρ

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eh I really don't want a 3rd game, we've waited 5+ years for a 2nd game that isn't even out yet, and I was so detached to the events of botw that I have little care to what the story is for tears of the kingdom, frankly I'm waiting for all the focus on this era of zelda to be over

regarding age of calamity, its more into spin off territory and shouldn't really count as a "trilogy" w/ the other 2, there'd be more of an argument if it WAS a canon prequel, but it's still an offshoot

although I'll say this, if tears of the kingdom somehow has story elements that involve the player needing to have played or at least know about age of calamity, maybe the topic of including it can open up again
 
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If Tears of the Kingdom gets on the top 50 sold games and gets massive critical acclaim again, they're gonna make a third one. Unless their dev team is bored and they want to come up with a new fun idea (I love that dev teams getting bored is a consideration with Nintendo). I personally love this iteration of Zelda as well as the supporting cast (at least compared to Skyward Sword or OoT/MM, and I do ultimately prefer them to TP and WW) and the story overall is super captivating, especially because we are getting the most interesting and complicated Hyrule we've ever seen and I'd love to see it fleshed out even more.

AoC is not part of the trilogy, otherwise Link's Crossbow Training would make Twilight Princess a duology.
 

Bowsette Plus-Ultra

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I'd be in favor of another game set in this same time period or around it. I'll admit I'm tired of the series jumping around and wiping the slate clean so it can go through the same motions and introduce the same characters.
 

Mellow Ezlo

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There are a few trilogies that exist in Zelda already, so the idea isn't too far fetched. (TWW-PH-ST, TMC-FS-FSA, ALttP-OoX-LA) That said though, I don't want another game in this world unless Zelda TikTok blows my mind, which I have my doubts about. Will it happen though? I mean if sales are as good as BotW's, I think it could be a reasonable expectation. But I don't want it, unless they leave this world alone and let Link go on some kind of new adventure.
 

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