As always, here’s what I’ve picked up about this game:
- It’s a sequel to A Link to the Past, and the world is similar. It’s set long after, with a different Link.
- Instead of the Dark World, the dual-world aspect will involve Lorule, Hyrule’s mirror universe counterpart.
- This is the last game [3] to have characters in Hyrule Warriors:
- Ravio (“Traveling Merchant”), a “totally normal, not-suspicious” merchant who has an arsenal of items (hammer, bow, bombs, ice rod) that he uses in combat. For some reason, he wears a pink… pink bunny… oh…
- Yuga (“Sorcerer of Lorule”), the (visible?) bad guy. At first, I thought he was a gender-flipped, Lorulean Ganon/Agahnim, but no, not gender-flipped, he's a man. He’s obsessed with beauty, but wears clown pants.
- It’s less linear than other games. I'm not entirely sure how, but I guess I'll find out.
“There is a legend oft told within Hyrule Kingdom. It is the legend of the Triforce, once kept within Hyrule itself. Said to be a gift of the gods, the Triforce could grant a wish of all those who touched it. So of course, many wanted to get their hands on it. Wars were fought for the Triforce. The royal family summoned the Seven Sages, who sealed the Triforce in the Sacred Realm. But a thief of notorious repute broke into the Sacred Realm and claimed the Triforce. With its power, he became the Demon King Ganon, who sought to dominate all Hyrule. But just as Ganon had the kingdom in his evil clutches… a legendary hero answered the call of Hyrule’s princess. And this hero, wielding the Master Sword, took up a quest to challenge Ganon’s might. He joined with the descendants of the Seven Sages to seal the Demon King in darkness. The Triforce was divided into three – its tempting power out of any one person’s reach. One part stayed with the royal family, while another slipped into Ganon’s possession. Legend says the third part found its home in the heart of the hero eternal… And while legends come to us from the distant past, others have yet to be written…”
Hrm. The backstory described here sounds more like Ocarina of Time than A Link to the Past (Ganon takes Hyrule, but is sealed away vs. Ganon tries to take Hyrule but is sealed away by the Knights of Hyrule, without a Hero, then the Hero comes and kills him before he can do anything). Instead of a sequel, maybe it’s a new timeline’s – say, what would have happened after Ocarina if Adult Link had stuck around – version of A Link to the Past. It does explain how and why the Triforce was moved to the Sacred Realm after Skyward Sword, although it wasn’t hard to guess. This being the first game after Hyrule Historia mapped everything onto an official timeline, I think it’s safe to say they don’t really care about it. (I suppose it could also be that Ocarina of Time, the Imprisoning War, and A Link to the Past have merged into a single legend, although that wouldn’t explain how Ganon is alive and has the Triforce of Power.)
Starting the game, Link dreams that he’s facing a giant shadowy monster with glowing red eyes. Then a pounding sound is heard, which turns out to be Link’s friend Gulley coming to wake him up. Finding that Link’s in his start-of-game slumber, Gulley shouts to wake him. Once Link’s awake, Gulley goes outside to wait for him. (Link has Majora’s Mask on his wall!) Link follows, and Gulley says his father is mad that Link’s overslept again. (Link’s an apprentice blacksmith, and Gulley’s father is the master.) Before they can go too far, Gulley points to the weather vane, which serves a similar purpose to the Bird Statues from Skyward Sword – save points. (He excuses his fourth wall-breaking mention of saving the same way the kids in Link’s Awakening did: “I’m just a kid. Nobody tells me anything.”) Link follows Gulley to the blacksmith’s house – the same house used by the twin blacksmiths in A Link to the Past. Inside [4], Link finds the blacksmith talking to the guard captain, discussing captain’s shield. The captain leaves, with some words for Link about being late, before the blacksmith blows up at Link for being late. Before Link can start work, the blacksmith’s wife notices the captain left his sword. The blacksmith gives Link a reprieve and an errand: take the sword to the captain, who’s probably at Hyrule Castle.
Next: “Why do you wear that stupid bunny suit?” “Why are you wearing that stupid man suit?”
[1] In Japan, it’s even called Triforce of the Gods 2.
[2] A few years ago I listed ten games which defined my taste in gaming, and A Link to the Past was one of them. Although I now like Majora’s Mask and Twilight Princess better, I think I would keep A Link to the Past in its place on the list, similar to how Knights of the Old Republic and Mass Effect are on with only an honorable mention for my favorite BioWare game, Jade Empire.
[3] Not counting Link and Zelda's Breath of the Wild-inspired costumes in the Switch version.
[4] The hardest thing to get used to in this game is it being so much the familiar A Link to the Past but needing to press A to open doors.
