Breath of the Wild Timeline: Where is the game going to go?

[Mipha]

An interesting theory I heard is that this game may be a series reboot. I don't want it to be, but it could stand.
Even so, I'm thinking most likely in the AT. There are Koroks, and apparently the Miitimo BoW items are refered to as "New Hyrule Style".

This is what I'm referring to. I mean the only things that could've possibly happened is they rebooted it, started a new timeline, put it before the other games, turned it into a crossover of sorts like HW, or ignored the timeline completely. None of these sound too much like Nintendo but the reboot is the most plausible.

 

[Mipha]

I am completely baffled as to where it could be.
The only thing I am pretty sure of is that it's not pre-OoT split. There's no way Hyrule could rise and fall into that state of great decay because of beast Ganon and then rise again in between SS and TMC, that's ludicrous.

However we need to pay attention to the details, specifically in some of the dialogue that was shown in all of the E3 floor footage and treehouse live footage. When Link wakes up, the voice tells him he is their light and must shine upon Hyrule "again". Then after he descends the resurrection tower, the old man asks him if he RECOGNIZES the voice he heard. When Link says no, the old man says it's a shame. The lines coupled with Link being resurrected from a 100 year sleep leads to the fact-- This is not a new Link.It has to be one we're familiar with, or at least one that has saved Hyrule before.

Though multiple aspects point to different timelines

ADULT- Champions shirt resembling Link's Crawfish shirt in WW, presence of Koroks, art style in general, bokoblin designs

CHILD- Presence of the Temple of Time, Wolf Link, Bridge of Hylia (?), Aonuma's previous Twilight Princess references

DOWNFALL- Hyrule state of decline, presence of the Old Man, intentional world similarities, location of the Master Sword (the scene in the trailer looks EXACTLY like the A Link to the Past master sword artwork setting)

Im thinking either Child or Downfall. Adult's Great flood complicates things because 1. Probably not New Hyrule, and 2. I find it hard to believe that the Great Sea disappeared. But the presence of Kooks does really trip me up.

Based off of e3 I don't think it's decaying per se, I just think Link is using some sort of time magic or something and is in the future.

 

[Justac00lguy]

I think Hylia is obviously a retcon. It's easy to do and they've established now a deity that people can actively worship since she has such a close connection to the races of Hyrule - especially Hylains. The two major things are the fact that the Temple of Time exists and the appearance of the Koroks. One seems to cancel out the other: the Koroks seem to point at a game taking place in New Hyrule in the Adult Timeline, but the Temple of Time indicates that this is still very much old Hyrule.

So what do we believe? Well I think the appearance of a ruined Temple of Time is much more key than a Korok. Think about it, who are the Koroks in the first place? They're a race derived from the Kokiri who are probably derived from another race. We see the same process of change amongst another race, the Zora. They started out as Parella and then they adapted/evolved into Zora and then the Rito. These changes seem to happen after massive cataclysmic events were the races need to change in order to survive. During the Great Flood, two of Hyrule's most prominent races of its past go through this rather rapid change in order to survive and flourish in the new environment. However, why did all the races from Skyward Sword mysteriously dissappear or evolve? Well there's an event known as the Chaos Era, which is most likely one of the most apocalyptic events in Hyrule's history. This is where the likes of the Kikwi evolved into the early versions of the Kokiri and where the Parella adapted to take on a more humanoid form and become the Parella (the other races, except obviously the Gorons, we don't know about).

So, historically, these rather quick evolutions and adaptions, happen after or during a cataclysmic event. It could be divine intervention of it could be some sort of in-rooted magical property of these ancient races that they're able to adapt quickly in order to survive. But most importantly, it happens during a major destructive event. This Hyrule we're seeing right now looks like it's went through exactly that. There are buildings, standing alone, empty and half destroyed. Bokoblins freely wandering in groups, with little civilisation it looks like. And these ancient 'Guardians' which have been left to decay. This Hyrule has went through something very destructive. This could explain why we see Koroks, whatever appearance they took on before possibly couldn't survive in the new environment and so they adapted/evolved. We have the Timeline for a reason, one event in one Timeline parallels the other and I think this is an example of that.

I'd still say most likely that this game takes place after Zelda II or its post Twlight Princess.

 

[Dio]

This is just some wild idea but. It was stated in legend at the beginning of WW that a fell wind blew across the kingdom and evil once again crept forth to resume its dark designs. Perhaps the breath of the wild is referring to the wind.

I really want to know where this game takes place now, there is just nothing to pin it in a particular place and always something to contradict an idea.

 

[Dio]

This is definitely not a reboot according to Aounuma so any of us thinking that was a possibility, we can now cast that idea aside. He also said it (and every other Zelda he makes) goes in the timeline somewhere. So he is a man with a plan, or that is how it seems.

 

[RuMbLePaKk]

This may take place in New Hyrule (Spirit Tracks?)

Who knows..

Also, the game starts off with Link awakening in some mysterious place. It looks like he was just born or maybe he was put to rest and finally woke up.

 

[el :BeoWolf:]

I don't even know where to begin with placing this thing. We have Koroks, and we have wolf Link, that already is messing with my mind.
I'll just try to fit it somewhere, and see where this goes.

Spoiler

We know by Ocarina of Time, according to a Sheikah stone, the Sheikah tribe has been nearly wiped out, most likely due to the civil war.
"They say that Princess Zelda's nanny is actually one of the Sheikah, who many thought had died out."

And in Breath of the Wild the old man said,
"Long ago, an advanced civilization known as the Sheikah inhabited these lands.
It was the power and wisdom of the Sheikah that saved this land time and time again.
But their civilization disappeared long ago...or so it is said."
so they're gone here as well.

so it's probably after ocarina of time.

Now then there's the master sword and its location

SS- Found in the Goddess statue in Skyloft (Goddess Sword form) Then Left in the sealed temple
OoT- Found and left in the Temple of time
ALttP- Found and left in the Lost Woods
OoS- In a linked game upgraded by Farore
OoA- In a linked game upgraded by Farore
ALBW- Found, and left in the Lost Woods
TP- Found and left in the Temple of time ruins
TWW- Found in Hyrule Castle, and left in Ganondorf's head

BotW- It seems to be located in a forest area

I think it's safe to say it's before The Wind Waker, but then there's this guy

and like 4 others I think can be found in BotW

Then in TPHD we have what looks like Ritos here

I'm just getting myself more confused.

 

[Justac00lguy]

This is just some wild idea but. It was stated in legend at the beginning of WW that a fell wind blew across the kingdom and evil once again crept forth to resume its dark designs. Perhaps the breath of the wild is referring to the wind.

I really want to know where this game takes place now, there is just nothing to pin it in a particular place and always something to contradict an idea.

The Koroks appearance completely rules out anything pre flood though since the Great Deku Tree directly said that they evolved after the flood. I really like the idea of a game taking place there, but there's just too much against it. Though there's a few theories floating round that say this is Hyrule after the flood where the water has retreated. Slightly out there, but you never know.

 

[r2d93]

Based off of e3 I don't think it's decaying per se, I just think Link is using some sort of time magic or something and is in the future.

Quote from the Old Man from the E3 footage (in reference to the Temple of Time): "Since the decline of the kingdom, it now sits abandoned, in a state of decay."

According to the Old Man it has indeed declined, and the state of decay is further evidenced by the plethora of ancient ruins scattered around the great plateau

 

[Justac00lguy]

I'm definitely leaning towards the Decline Era after Zelda II. I think it just makes the most sense so far out of all the other possible placements and from a development perspective. It gives the devs the most freedom to explore new gameplay and narrative concepts while going back to the series' foundations.

 

[Ominethious]

Guys, they said in the live stream that Breath of the Wild takes place a few centuries after Twilight Princess.

 

[Lozjam]

Guys, they said in the live stream that Breath of the Wild takes place a few centuries after Twilight Princess.

Where did anyone say this?

 

[Ominethious]

Where did anyone say this?

Durring the Treehouse livestream 2 days ago. Look for all the ones with some of the higher ups. They do mention it.

 

[Dio]

The Koroks appearance completely rules out anything pre flood though since the Great Deku Tree directly said that they evolved after the flood. I really like the idea of a game taking place there, but there's just too much against it.

It does seem strange they would come about in other timelines where no flood occurred. And after the flood seems unlikely as there is the temple of time from OOT which would have been washed away with Hyrule due to the Kings wish.

It's been reported Aounuma said this game takes place hundreds of years after TP in in this video at 1:40ish.

 

[Frozen Chosen]

Guys, they said in the live stream that Breath of the Wild takes place a few centuries after Twilight Princess.

It does seem strange they would come about in other timelines where no flood occurred. And after the flood seems unlikely as there is the temple of time from OOT which would have been washed away with Hyrule due to the Kings wish.

It's been reported Aounuma said this game takes place hundreds of years after TP. It was reported in this video at 1:40

People have been trying to find where in the live stream Aonuma says this but myself and other fans have not been able to find the quote. If you can give the actual time Aonuma says this, I'll believe it.

I would love this to be true. Need more love in the child timeline. I guess Nerdist was just too excited to fact check. Course, if you find the quote then all the better.