Following upThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomwith another game in the same continuity is a prospect that comes with a lot of challenges, but there’s one approach that could actually set up an interesting successor. As a direct sequel toThe Legend of Zelda:Breath of the Wild,Tears of the Kingdomreturns to the same setting but shakes things up with a story that transforms the landscape and introduces new areas above and beneath Hyrule. It’s a trick that worked well for its purposes, but it’s not one that could easily be repeated.
The approach to sequels intheZeldaseries has rarely been as straightforward as the relationship betweenBreath of the WildandTears of the Kingdom, leading to anoverall timeline that’s infamously convolutedand inconsistent.Zeldastories operate more as retellings of a central myth than anything, so it’s not a big deal if every event doesn’t line up in one proper succession.FittingBOTWandTOTKinto that picture was always uniquely challenging, however, and Nintendo has finally clarified the unusual relationship between those games and the rest of the series.
A Zelda: TOTK Sequel Could Take Place 100 Years Later
The Gerudo Might Be The Key
Nintendo’s always made it clear thatBreath of the WildandTears of the Kingdomdon’t occur in any close range of time to the stories of the other games, but a new graphic from the Nintendo Live 2024 event showed the games as fullyseparate from the rest of the timeline. This doesn’t necessarily imply that there still can’t be any connection — a story set in the far-flung future might be represented in more or less the same way — but it does make it clear thatNintendo isn’t worried about linking the narrative.
An image of the current Zelda timeline was reported on byVooksand shared on Twitter byWario64.
Without any larger concerns of continuity, the narrative that started withBOTWis free to leap ahead with no consequences, and this could be the perfect opportunity to explore a core element of theZeldamythos from a new angle.BOTW’s story effectively starts 100 years before the beginning of the game, when Calamity Ganon was revived and laid waste to much of Hyrule.A sequel could move 100 years into the future, a length of time that also coincides with the long-standing concept of a Gerudo male being born every 100 years.
Zelda: Why Ganondorf Is Always A Gerudo
The Legend of Zelda games feature many changing elements, but the recurring villain Ganondorf always appears as a Gerudo for good reason.
This concept is a core part of the mythology loop inZelda, asthe only Gerudo male that ever actually appears in the series is the Demon King Ganondorf. Some of the most interestingZeldastories come about when the franchise breaks rules, however, and turning the Gerudo prophecy in a different direction would be the perfect way to do so.TOTKsees Ganondorf meet a definitive end, resetting the 100-year cycle and providing an opportunity for a new Gerudo king to come to the table.
Zelda Doesn’t Have To Obey Tradition In A New Timeline
New Takes On Core Concepts Could Be Fun
A Gerudo king who isn’t Ganondorf could bring a different kind of villainy to the table or end up being an ally to Link instead.Previous departures from Ganondorf as a villainhave resulted in memorable antagonists like Vaati fromThe Legend of Zelda: The Minish Capand the flamboyant Demon Lord Ghirahim fromSkyward Sword.There’s always room for new takes on Ganondorf — althoughOcarina of Time’s version is permanently iconic,The Wind Wakerproved that it was possible to inject a different kind of presence and pathos into the character — but there are other options.
One Of My Favorite Zelda Games Might Never Be Remastered, & I’m Fine With That
Some of the great Zelda games have received a lot of modern attention, but one with a ton of unique charms is unlikely to get the same treatment.
Nintendo hasn’t always been especially willing to upend the core concepts of theZeldaseries, but the new release ofThe Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomproves that the company is comfortable breaking rules for the first time. Having Zelda as the primary playable character is a game-changer, considering the only other game to fully commit to that concept wasZelda: The Wand of Gamelon, a Philips CD-i game that Nintendo doesn’t consider part of the franchise. When taking theBreath of the Wildcontinuity as a standalone thing, there’s a real chance that the myth could be upended.
Changing The Zelda Formula Opens Up New Possibilities
A TOTK Sequel Needs Fresh Opportunities
Having another male Gerudo live up to Ganondorf would still be a challenge, butit’s a challenge that opens up new possibilities. That legacy could loom over him in different ways, whether he considers himself a reincarnation of Demise’s malice or faces prejudice from those who consider any Gerudo male heir a threat. There’s really no limit to how far the concept could be twisted, and although seeing something as radical as Link being born as a Gerudo seems incredibly unlikely, thinking outside the box is a fun exercise all the same.
Tears Of The Kingdom Puts A Clever Twist On A Zelda Tradition
As a sequel, Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom needed to explain why Link wouldn’t have his strength from BOTW, and it put a twist on tradition to do so.
Moving a hundred years into the future also opens up the opportunity to overhaul the landscape again. In some areas, society could significantly progress, but a new villain could bring the threat of a Third Great Calamity or another transformative event. There’s also no reason that the story would have to be confined to the bounds of Hyrule, and turning to a different kind of villain and motivation could propel it into yet unexplored locations.
It’s very possible that Nintendo will leave the world ofBreath of the WildandTears of the Kingdombehind for the time being. Everyone has different priorities inZeldagames, and although the modern titles redefined open-world games in a way that still feels ahead of the game eight years afterBOTW, a return to a more traditional style would make some long-time fans happy. IfThe Legend of Zelda:Tears of the Kingdomdoes get a follow-up, however, checking in on a new Gerudo male would be the perfect way to shake it up again.
Sources:Vooks,Wario64/Twitter
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is the anticipated follow-up to Breath of the Wild, released in 2017. A rare occurrence in Zelda titles, Tears of the Kingdom is a direct sequel instead of loosely connected. In Tears of the Kingdom, Link will take to the skies and learn about a mysterious kingdom in the clouds.
