The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild trailer dazzled VGA viewers so much that they may have missed the scores of important details Nintendo chose to litter throughout the clip. Based on a few days of analysis, here’s what we know about the game’s NPCs, story and more.
NPCs That Can Help Link: Shortly after the shot of an armed NPC walking along a bridge, there’s a battle sequence where Link is aided by two travelers. One appears to be an old man, while the other is more agile with white hair. Both of these presumed males have joined Link to take on a blue Bokoblin foe.
This confirms Link will be far from alone on his quest in Breath Of The Wild. Taking a page from modern RPGs, it seems helpers will play some role in the plot. What’s uncertain is just how significant these two pictured fighters will be. They could be nameless combatants, or they could be important allies. It’s hard to tell from the trailer alone.
A Civilization Dedicated To The Horse: One of the main features of Breath Of The Wild’’s VGA trailer is its showcase of villages and the people living inside them. A quick shot shows what looks like a battle-tested NPC riding a horse. He approaches some kind of village elder with his hand on his chin. The camera then pans to an obvious effigy of a horse head. These people must have some kind of tribal relationship with the animal.
Inside the settlement we see all the hallmarks we’d expect from a Zelda village, including those beloved Cucoos chilling out in a corner. There’s also a town hall or town center at the very end of the landscape. While still unconfirmed, these village structures might answer to the larger royalty at Hyrule.
Bird Man And Connections To Twilight Princess: Nintendo has repeatedly teased that Breath Of The Wild will relate to Twilight Princess in a big way, and this trailer further solidifies the idea. Towards its middle, Link is approached by a bird-like enemy that jumps from an airship. Not only does this foe bear a resemblance to the bard shown in the VGA gameplay demo, but it might also be a callback to the birds scrawled on the walls of Hyrule Castle Town in Twilight Princess.
Speaking of Castle Town, the close of the trailer features Calamity Ganon unleashing his full force on some kind of structure. An analysis of the circular rubble calls back to the sculpted fountain in the center of Castle Town. The Wii and GameCube crossover title must have some some degree of timeline bleed into 2017’s installment.
That’s Probably Zelda: Probably the highest-profile reveal from this trailer is a hidden female character holding what appears to be a Sheikah slate in her hands. From what we can see, we expect this woman to be Princess Zelda or a relation of hers. The slate suggests her connection to Link, and she’s also seen wearing a blue outfit similar to his. In terms of female leads tied to Link that Nintendo would intentionally choose to obscure, Zelda seems like the most logical option.
Those who deal less in assumptions, however, should also take a closer look at the scene where Link kneels in servitude to a person of royalty. The woman isn’t bowing, and that means she’s likely to be royalty herself. The connection to Zelda can’t get much clearer than that.
Possible Time Shift: This is probably the most “out there” theory of them all, but it’s worth pointing out. Many fans in the Zelda community have used this trailer to suggest some sort of time travel mechanic in the game. During the previously discussed encounter with the bird enemy, Link’s Master Sword looks brand new, his Sheikah slate is nowhere to be found and the setting looks noticeably pristine. In Breath Of The Wild ’s E3 trailer, the Master Sword and its surroundings look old, and the slate is prominently displayed.
One working idea is that Link can travel to a different time period prior to the destruction of the Great Plateau and elsewhere. In terms of story, that might mean we must to travel back in time to ensure the horrors of the present don’t happen as planned. It’s unsubstantiated, but a cool idea nonetheless.
The Legend Of Zelda: Breath of The Wild comes to Nintendo Switch and Wii U in 2017. Its next expected showcase is during the Nintendo Switch reveal event in January. Thanks to Zeltik and Commonwealth Realm on YouTube for helping us with these discoveries.
What do you think of the Breath Of The Wild VGA trailer? Are there any key details we missed? Tell us in the comments section.
