Born in the 80s, The Legend of Zelda quickly presented itself as one of the major video game series. A franchise that sets records, and each new opus is awaited by millions of players. But The Legend of Zelda is not known for its long explanations, and players often have to rely on additional media to learn more about the lore of the games.
#1 The disappearance of Sheikah technology in Tears of the Kingdom
After the excellent Breath of the Wild in 2017, Nintendo reiterated in 2023 with Tears of the Kingdom. An even more grandiose adventure than the previous one, notably thanks to the addition of floating islands and depths. A map even more immense than the previous one, quickly explorable thanks to the new features of the game. Exit the Sheikah tablet, make way for the legacy of Rauru. Five new powers replace those of Breath of the Wildfor a Tears of the Kingdom which offers more enjoyable exploration. Zonaïs artifacts also allow you to explore the skies, waters and lands more quickly, thanks to more or less original constructions.
But why did Sheikah technology disappear? Well present in Breath of the Wildit is not found in Tears of the Kingdom. We suspect that this is to bring a breath of fresh air to a game based in the same universe as its predecessor. However, for a series whose lore is also developed outside of games, Nintendo certainly has an answer to give us. But as TOTK director Hidemaro Fujibayashi explains, “It is common for mysterious events and strange phenomena to occur in Hyrule“.
For what ? Because. A response worthy of a parent exasperated by a child’s incessant questions. However, Fujibayashi will detail his remarks a little in October 2023, revealing in an interview with the Telegraph that Sheikah technology had disappeared after the defeat of the Calamity. “She disappeared after the Calamity was defeated (sealed). All the inhabitants of Hyrule have witnessed it, but no one understands the mechanism or reason for this disappearance, which remains a mystery.“
#2 Termina’s true nature in Majora’s Mask
Upon their arrival in Termina, the world of Majora’s Maskplayers will have to get used to the idea that an anthropomorphic moon will crash in 3 days. The hours are numbered, so we must hurry to save the world, otherwise the habits of the kingdom will be completely crushed. Transported into this world, Link never really takes the time to discover the underbelly of Termina. One point, however, is clarified several times outside the game. First point of response, the game manual. According to the game manual. Majora’s MaskTermina is a parallel world to Hyrule.
According to the wiki, “Termina is generally considered to be a parallel world to that of Hyrule, in particular because most of the inhabitants of Termina are doubles of those of Hyrule, whom we meet in Ocarina of Time.” However, according to Eiji Aonuma, director of Majora’s MaskTermina would be a land near Hyrule that exists in the same world, and is simply meant to feel like another dimension, even though it takes place in the same world as Hyrule. But if we refer to the Zelda Encyclopedia, Termina would be a dreamlike reconstruction of a country that Skull Kid once visited. Who to believe?
#3 The Link from A Link to the Past is in 7 games
Regularly, Nintendo updates the timeline of The Legend of Zelda. After Echoes of Wisdom, Breath of the Wild or Tears of the Kingdom, Nintendo has updated the timeline to add its most recent games. And it should be admitted that the more time passes, the less the timeline resembles anything. A tree whose branches continue to grow to the right and left, a section of the lore of the series which now resembles a thorn in the side of Nintendo, which no longer seems to know what to do with it.
Despite everything, when we look at the official chronology of the series, we discover that one branch is much longer than the others. The “Defeat of the Hero of Time” branch, divided into three parts (the period of darkness and light, the golden age and the era of decline), has more games than the others. And for good reason, we find there A Link to the Past, Link’s Awakening, Oracle of Seasons & Oracle of Ages, A Link Between Worlds, Tri Force Heroes, The Legend of Zelda et The Adventure of Link. We can therefore affirm that the Link of A Link to the Past is the same in 7 games.
#4 Link is looking for Navi at the start of Majora’s Mask
The long introduction to Majora’s Mask, in which Link despite himself crosses paths with the mischievous Skull Kid, shows us how our hero loses his ocarina, Epona and especially how he is projected into Termina, the universe parallel to Hyrule where a terrifying An anthropomorphic moon leers at the world before destroying it. Link has only three days to save Termina, or risk seeing the inhabitants of this gloomy world disappear.
But why does Link find himself in this sad forest? Majora’s Mask never gives us the answer, although a few sentences hint at the answer. The friend mentioned in the introduction is none other than Navi, the friendly fairy who follows Link on his adventures in Ocarina of Time. And at the end ofOcarina of TimeNavi and Link set off apart, their mission accomplished. To find out that it is Navi that Link is looking for at the start of Majora’s Mask, you need to open the pages of The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historiathe official bible of the series The Legend of Zelda published in 2013 and signed Nintendo.
#5 Why all princesses are called Zelda
In Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, players are tasked with finding the Triforce of Courage to save Princess Zelda. So far, nothing unusual. And as in the first game, the plot is not developed directly in the gameplay, but rather in the manual. Even if the games in the series have never been very generous with lore, it must be admitted that the most recent ones dwell more on the subject. The first parts have the excuse of the technical limitations of the time, with excellent games which nevertheless ran thanks to an optimization of which Nintendo still has the secret (difficult not to fall in admiration in the face of the technical prowess behind Breath of the Wild and above all Tears of the Kingdom).
To obtain more information, as was often the case at that time, it was necessary to turn to the game manual. What a pleasure to open the box and read the manual on the way home… From now on , game boxes only contain a cartridge or a disc, when it is not a vulgar code. The manual of Zelda II explains that Princess Zelda was put into a coma by a wizard in the service of her brother, the prince, as part of the latter’s attempt to discover the location of the Triforce of Courage. This secret, only the princess knows him. But consumed by guilt, the prince then decreed that all the princesses of the royal family of Hyrule would henceforth bear the name Zelda, in homage to his sister. Only, Zelda II being the last game in the “Defeat of the Hero of Time” branch, it did not have a chronological successor.
Source: hitek.fr
