WithThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom’sofficial launch in sight, fans are speculating how the upcoming sequel will handle the spin-offHyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity,and in particular, its time-traveling breakout star Terrako. Tiding players over as they waited forThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom,Age of CalamityrewroteBreath of the Wild’scanon, surprising many fans. Consequently, many are wondering how muchAge of Calamitywill impactTears of the Kingdom,especially givenZelda’slongstanding questionable timelines.
From the start,Age of Calamitylikely used time travel to avoid causing any disruptions in the continuity forBreath of the Wild,with Terrako serving as its linchpin. In doing so, Terrako andAge of Calamityestablished a new canon that many players now consider to be a part ofZelda’s manynebulous timelines. As a result,Tears of the Kingdomwill be in a difficult position to acknowledge or ignoreAge of Calamity’scanon. With rumors surrounding theBreath of the Wildsequel including time traveland new Sheikah technology, the case for Terrako to return is strong.
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Tears of the Kingdom, Terrako, and Time Travel
Zeldahas always had a complicated relationship with time, both through its branching timelines followingOcarina of Timeand the use of time travel across otherZeldagames. It isn’t a huge leap in logic to assume thatTears of the Kingdommight follow the same path. Nintendo has showcased new mechanics that included rewinding time, andDaruk’s Italian voice actorinadvertently revealed he would be returning for the sequel as Daruk’s ancestor. Extrapolating from these small details, it’s possible thatTears of the Kingdomcould radically shake up the timeline.
This comes alongside confirmation thatBreath of the Wildwas the inevitable endpoint of the series' various timelines, leavingTears of the Kingdomto potentially establish new timelinesaltogether. That seems more favorable to many fans, as it offers the greatest variety and opportunity for the series.Age of Calamityhas seemingly thrown a lifeline toTears of the Kingdom, providing it a clear path forward to reassert its branching timelines.
Much in the same wayAge of Calamityutilized Terrako to preemptively address questions of continuity,Tears of the Kingdomcould use Terrako to rework theZeldatimeline. Two realities currently exist, one throughBreath of the Wildwhere Calamity Ganon won the war 100 years prior, andAge of Calamity’sendingwhere, thanks to Terrako, Calamity Ganon was defeated. With Ganondorf’s role inTears of the Kingdomstill unclear, bringing Terrako into the mainline games could be an ideal way to introduce time travel, provide Link forewarning to Ganon’s motives, and help avert another calamity.
Zelda Keeps Its Spin-Offs at a Distance
However, as much as fans may have enjoyedAge of Calamityand Terrako,Zeldaspin-off gamestypically have next-to no influence over the main series. FromLink’s Crossbow TrainingtoCadence of Hyrule,these games are relegated to just being spin-offs and kept away from the mainline series. Even withAge of Calamityclosing that distance as one of the more popular spin-off games to date, it’s unlikely the burgeoning series will have as significant an impact onTears of the Kingdomas fans might be hoping for.
This hasn’t stopped Nintendo from recognizing the success ofAge of Calamity, as Terrako and characters like Impa and Master Kohga were included as Spirits inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate. IfAge of Calamityor Terrako can’t influenceTears of the Kingdom’soverall plot, the least Nintendo could do is acknowledge the Diminutive Guardian, even if only as a cameo. For example, since Terrako was confirmed to amplify the power of ancient technology, introducing a side-quest where Terrako helpsLink upgrade his gear or new abilitiescould be an ideal compromise.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomis set to release onMay 12, 2023, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.
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