The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

[SuperLink]

And yeah, I know if Ganondorf did something in the past the king would never trust him. That's not the point. Ganondorf would be doing it behind the scenes, manipulating everything (like he did in Twilight Princess), and when "the hero" (Link) goes on to face the villain, Ganondorf winds up being the final boss. Later on, Ganny comes out of hiding after taking care of Link and acts as the peacemaker, pretending that he's trying to make things better, when in reality he was behind it.

I suppose that would be all right. What about the Gerudos? Nabooru trusted Ganon at one point in the recent past of OoT aswell.

And personally I really do want this game to be a prequel to OoT, but much more of a distant one, without Ganondorf. Perhaps Twinrova? I dunno, but I want Nintendo to prove they can still make good original villains. Zant was OK but he was a tool, and he didn't hold a candle to Skull Kid or Majora's Mask in terms of being hilariously evil.

[Octarine]

I do like the idea of a middle-aged or elderly Link, but I don't think I'd like it to be taken so seriously... I'd rather see it in a toon entry, maybe, with a Link who only dons the tunic for the first time in old age rather than one who's already an experienced veteran. Link as a retired badass who has to worry about his wife and kids wouldn't interest me much, but Link as an old man accidentally thrust into the role of a much younger hero would just be adorable.

I'm not compelled to hear any more stories about Ocarina's time period. Maybe it's just because I didn't get to play those games until well after they were new, but I feel like they've done their bit. They were great, no doubt, but I'm ready to see new things. I don't want an Ocarina of Time Compilation, y'know?

A game set well before Ocarina without Ganon would be pretty interesting, though. It'd help make the various Links who don't fight Ganon at all feel a little less spinoff-y by showing that Links have been appearing for longer than Ganon has existed and that other foes are just as valid.

[JaidynReiman]

Actually, two such games have already been created. From what I have heard, both The Minish Cap and Four Swords take place BEFORE OoT. They both also feature villains that aren't Ganondorf, but they also both feature the SAME non-Ganondorf villain, as well. Now, I may be wrong about Four Swords, but The Minish Cap is for-sure indicated to be before OoT.

Remember, Ocarina of Time is merely chronologically Ganondorf's first appearance, but it is not chronologically the first game in the series.

EDIT: And no, I don't want an elderly Link. Middle-aged I wouldn't mind, but elderly, no.

Edited January 18, 2010 by UltimaHedgie

[SuperLink]

Actually, two such games have already been created. From what I have heard, both The Minish Cap and Four Swords take place BEFORE OoT. They both also feature villains that aren't Ganondorf, but they also both feature the SAME non-Ganondorf villain, as well. Now, I may be wrong about Four Swords, but The Minish Cap is for-sure indicated to be before OoT.

No, that's just speculation; and The Minish Cap has Moblins which were created as Ganondorf's personal army; and in the image of his beast form no less.

Remember, Ocarina of Time is merely chronologically Ganondorf's first appearance, but it is not chronologically the first game in the series.

According to Miyamoto OoT is intended to be first chronologically and still is.

[JaidynReiman]

Hmm... I heard it changed with the release of Minish Cap. Meh, whatever.

[SuperLink]

Hmm... I heard it changed with the release of Minish Cap. Meh, whatever.

No sources, just one of many fan speculations.

[Patticus]

A Zelda trilogy featuring the same Link during the three great periods of his life would be a great thing to see.

Game 1: Young-to-Adolescent Link

Relatively localised adventure taking place on the edge of Hyrule, involving relatively minor villain with grand and dangerous aspirations: the resurrection of his idol Ganondorf and the establishment of a new evil empire across the world... all beginning with the capture of the entire Hylian royal family as they tour the kingdom... Link's steed in this game is not a horse, it's a pony, and although he is young, he is employed as a Page to a Knight living in the village.

Environments - the woodlands, the ruins of old citadels and temples and reliquaries, isolated moorlands and the battered coastline - are far more detailed than other games in the series so far as it's set just in one corner of the realm. That's not to say he won't be encountering inhabitants of the other provinces, however; located in this corner of the kingdom at this time there's a Goron trading post, a Zoran fishing village and a small Rito enclave.

Game 2: Young Adult Link

An adventure taking Link all over Hyrule with Ganondorf as the primary villain. This is the great conflict of this Link's life. War is brewing, mighty armies are being built up and people across the land are being conscripted. Conflict is inevitable. Link, at this time employed as a Squire to a Hylian Knight, is enlisted into the armed forces but does not remain there long (though he does get to participate in the war's opening battle) as strange visions and ghostly aparitions drag him to places that reveal to him the true intent of Ganon's Great War, while also unveiling his status as a true Hero ordained by the goddesses. A mighty conflagration the likes of which Zelda fans have never seen is the backdrop to this epic adventure that will forever alter Link and Hyrule's destiny.

Game 3: Middle Aged-to-Older Link

As Link, now a Knight, marches steadily towards his elder years he meets a woman and settles down in the village of his birth and upbringing, enjoying a more settled life, having several children and becoming a fixture at local gatherings where he regularly recalls his past adventures (some we know about and some we don't) to all who will listen. Unfortunately, his life of adventuring isn't quite over, and there is one last quest he must embark upon to save himself, his family and the kingdom of Hyrule from utter ruin.

After odd things begin appearing and vanishing from the world, rumours spread that the villainous ne'erdowell he defeated as a young boy (a tale which has since entered the region's folklore) has been returned to the world by some higher power and, in his new castle built atop a ruined complex deep in the forests of the south, now possesses the Door of Time itself. His magic has developed considerably in the decades following that early adventure and as a result he is now quite powerful... and he can now control what time the door opens out into, enabling his transition into the past to ensure his ultimate victory over his nemesis. Link must somehow gain entry to this castle and steal whatever device this dastardly fiend is using to control the door, and he must then make his way through dungeons and battles (some of which he had with much relief thought long since dead and buried), the world he knows and the world he knew, enlisting the help of comrades and friends both present and past along the way, to prevent the plan's ruinous conclusion.

Oh my god. I went too far there, didn't I?

[Candescence]

Are you kidding me? Too far? What you just wrote is pure awesome! I would love to see a Zelda trillogy like that. It would be the most epic thing ever.

[Solid SOAP]

Zelda Wii is most likely the next installment in the series, and estimates say it should be out either this year or next. While Nintendo has done a great job at not leaking really anything concrete about the game itself... rumors are still rearing their head. Now, normally I wouldn't post about a rumor because most the time it's just that, however there is some reason to believe the rumors we have inside. They come from a popular japanese message board called 2chan, which is somewhat similar in style to our english based 4chan. What is interesting about rumors at this Japanese site is more often then not they turn out to be true. Not willing to believe that? Well lets look at what 2Chan has leaked over the years that turned out to be true.

First off, they were the first people to break the news and story for every single Kingdom Hearts game ever made, long before it was publicly released. They released all the news for Metal Gear Solid 4, Resident Evil 4 and 5, and pretty much every Square Enix RPG ever made. Interestingly enough, back in 2003, they also broke The Wind Waker's story roughly two months before release, and no, prerelease copies were apparently not out yet stateside. So the question needs to be asked: If the community there has been right so many times with rumors, then why can't they be right this time around?

The game will be vary from the dungeon field dungeon method we are accustomed too (nothing new, Eiji Aonuma confirmed that last year).

You will be able to select right or left handed at the start, and Link will be left or right handed based on your selection

The gameplay and basic mechanics are complete.

They are currently polishing up the story and Characters.

One of the characters they are working on is a innkeeper in Link's home village who has a son that looks up to Link.

The girl in the art is not the Master Sword, and it appears the Master Sword will not be in the game.

The girls name from the painting could possibly be Adelle, Adella, or Aderu.

She is not with you throughout the game like Ezlo and Midna.

The face in the painting of her is not her real face. It's not fully elaborated on much, but it does say that it was a place holder concept art piece.(assuming the entire art itself was just concept work)

Link's sword is highly unique in this game, and will have several unlockable abilities. Adelle (or whatever her final name becomes) communicates with you through this sword.

There will be horseback combat. Epona will avoid obstacles automatically.

The models for 3 significant characters in the game have been touched up, but no they are not Zelda or Ganondorf. (google translate gives rough names of Link, Gorons, and Epona, but our translator said it's not specifically mentioned)

The idea of this version of Link also being The Hero of Time has been highly considered, and may already be implemented.

Time travel plays a roll in the game.

The game takes place in more then just Hyrule, and may possibly not be Hyrule at all.

So there is a lot of stuff to digest there. Again, remember to always take this with a grain of salt, but the fact it comes from a place where so many other rumors turn out to be true does make you wonder. The Hero of Time's return could propose a sequel to Majora's Mask, meanwhile time travel returning makes since if it's the same character. Could also explain the statement last year from Nintendo that this is the oldest Link yet. The fact the game could also be more then Hyrule, or a new land all together, could play well into the follow up to Majora's Mask. If you recall, Link was on a journey to find a lost friend, presumably Navi, so who knows where that may have lead him.

One thing is for certain, Nintendo is definitely trying to give us something new by linking to something old. True or not, these rumors give us a lot to talk about, and most of them are highly probable in my mind. Thanks has to go out to our translating team, sharinganhero of ign for the initial discovery of the rumors, and to 2chan themselves for providing this information for us.

http://www.zeldainformer.com/2010/01/new-zelda-wii-information-leaked.php

This is probably fake, but whatever, However, the source this came from (2chan, pretty much the Japanese version of 4chan) is somewhat reliable, and leaks of games have been found here before, including the Kingdom Hearts games, Wind Waker, etc, so it's possible that this is real.

[SuperLink]

I read it earlier. Some of it I find very hard to believe, some I don't want to believe, and some sounds awesome.

My comments in bold.

-You will be able to select right or left handed at the start, and Link will be left or right handed based on your selection

Awesome, but the official art for the game will be what is accepted as canon

-One of the characters they are working on is a innkeeper in Link's home village who has a son that looks up to Link.

Wow, how original >>

-The girl in the art is not the Master Sword, and it appears the Master Sword will not be in the game.

I found this very hard to believe.

-The models for 3 significant characters in the game have been touched up, but no they are not Zelda or Ganondorf. (google translate gives rough names of Link, Gorons, and Epona, but our translator said it's not specifically mentioned)

Zelda might not be in it? I don't like this. Also Gorons AGAIN? For fuck's sake.

-The idea of this version of Link also being The Hero of Time has been highly considered, and may already be implemented.

Hero of Time but not OoT Link? Not sure I like that.

-Time travel plays a roll in the game.

Again?

-The game takes place in more then just Hyrule, and may possibly not be Hyrule at all.

Fucking awesome

Edited January 20, 2010 by SuperLink

[Patticus]

My comments/thoughts in bold...

- The game will be vary from the dungeon field dungeon method we are accustomed too (nothing new, Eiji Aonuma confirmed that last year).

Great news. The classic dungeon-field-dungeon stuff is old and stale now.

- You will be able to select right or left handed at the start, and Link will be left or right handed based on your selection

Awesome, at least the game won't be flipped like Twilight Princess.

- The girl in the art is not the Master Sword, and it appears the Master Sword will not be in the game.

An interesting change; the Master Sword need not necessarily be in every game in the series, just like Ganon needn't be the main villain all the time.

- The idea of this version of Link also being The Hero of Time has been highly considered, and may already be implemented.

- Time travel plays a roll in the game.

An alternative continuity for the Hero of Time would be really intriguing as technology has moved on so far from the N64 days that the devs can do so much more with the idea of time travel. A new game would potentially allow for a lot more time travel than occasionally leaping forward or back 7 years; dungeons could be based around time-oriented puzzles and even time-based bosses. Braid has shown us that time is a bloody versatile thing, and in 2D can be very cleverly implemented. A 3D implementation with similarly ingenius designers could be astonishing in its simple brilliance.

- The game takes place in more then just Hyrule, and may possibly not be Hyrule at all.

It's about damn time we saw some other kingdoms. Hyrule was made by the Goddesses, but it's a planet and Hyrule is just one small part of it. It'd be interesting to see what other cultures created by different gods or goddesses exist beside Hyrule and her provinces.

[Agent York]

The stuff which I'm hearing, with time travel involved, possibility of the Hero of Time, I believe this game in the timeline this will take place after Link defeats Ganondorf in Ocarina of Time but before Wind Waker. Since they said a while back this will be the oldest Link ever, and if it's the Hero of Time, I believe it will be the Link we've never seen what happened afterward from Ocarina of Time (not the one where Ganondorf was never defeated turning into Majoras Mask).

From the clues laid out, I think this game though that "Steve", now renamed, is in fact, a ghost. Maybe Link was directly linked to her death, and her death has to do with some bigger picture. Since the game is around time travel, I believe it will be the opposite of Majoras Mask, instead of trying to stop something from HAPPENING, I believe Link will be trying to prevent something that HAPPENED. However, the changes you do in the past effect the present, so a butterfly effect.

A butterfly effect means changing something in the past effects what happens in the future. The name originates from a sci-fi novel, where a guy goes back in time to save his wife who is killed ,but by killing a butterfly, completely changes the future. Another example I could give is killing a flower in the past ends up making a bee that was gong to feed off the flower to be elsewhere, and instead sting someone allergic to bees and kills them, which puts people close to that person in depression, which changes what that person does, all related to killing the flower it gets deeper and deeper.

I believe Link will go back in time and try to prevent what happens but then the game will focus on two time zones like Ocarina of Time, the future and the past, but what you do in the past directly affects the future. Maybe the reason the sword girl won't be with Link the whole time is due to the changes, some of them are puzzles, but some of them are for sidequest, story stuff, or just things you do changing story elements in the game.

Also from the clue of the field dungeon system being different, I believe the dungeons will be more woven into the field, and feel more a part of the field than a separate entity. Also finally I think the story will take place away from Hyrule and have darker themes.

These are all my guesses and speculation, what do you think?

[lounge]

If this link is the Hero of Time, then that means it'll be a sequel to Majoras Mask!

[Patticus]

If this link is the Hero of Time, then that means it'll be a sequel to Majoras Mask!

Not necessarily. In the Wind Waker, the King of Red Lions was searching for a person he (or Valoo/the Great Deku Tree/the fish) called 'the Hero of Time reborn'. The game need not be a direct sequel to MM as it has been established in the series that great heroes of Hyrule can be reborn, their spirits can in essence take new forms. What this means is that Twilight Princess Link, who this is I think, could well turn out to be the Hero of Time reborn.

[Jetronic]

Rumor Sounds pretty nice...Except one part 

"One of the characters they are working on is a innkeeper in Link's home village who has a son that looks up to Link."

Wasn't Colin like this in Twilight Princess? Would they really shot for the same character trait again?

[Blacklightning]

Aren't these the same folks that already claimed that the next Zelda was to be a modern-futuristic game of some sort? I remember reading a thread about it here, but that might've been before the board wipe. >.>

[Diogenes]

True or not, nothing in that list has me particularly excited.

Breaking away from the traditional dungeon-field-dungeon-field etc method sounds nice, but I'll have to see what they actually come up with.

Letting the player choose the dominant hand is a good idea, but I honestly never cared in the first place.

None of the character stuff mentioned is particularly interesting.

They've already done time travel. A few times, even. And I kind of doubt they can come up with a better usage of time travel than they did in Majora's Mask. I'd rather see a new gimmick...

I don't really care whether this Link is a "Hero of Time" or "Hero of Winds" or "Hero of Hits Things With Swords" or whatever. And I'd be kind of disappointed if this was going back to OoT Link (or even TP Link, who I found as entertaining as a sack of potatoes); part of the fun of the Zelda series is seeing all new Links going out and becoming heroes.

Maybe it's just because I'm not that big a Zelda fan, but the whole list seems pretty "meh" to me.

...I'm still waiting for a game with a female Link...

[Solly]

I hope this list is true. It sounds pretty cool- especially the bits about the unlockable sword abilities.

That, and I've been dying for new info on the game, so if this were real, I'd be able to say I leaned something about it... Is that strange?

Not necessarily. In the Wind Waker, the King of Red Lions was searching for a person he (or Valoo/the Great Deku Tree/the fish) called 'the Hero of Time reborn'. The game need not be a direct sequel to MM as it has been established in the series that great heroes of Hyrule can be reborn, their spirits can in essence take new forms. What this means is that Twilight Princess Link, who this is I think, could well turn out to be the Hero of Time reborn.

My understanding was that they're all the Hero reborn/reincarnated into another body, so if by saying "he's the Hero of Time" they meant "he's the rebirth of the Hero of Time" it would be kind of redundant because that applies for pretty much EVERY Link, depending on where Ocarina of Time fits in the timeline(which I'm not about to debate).

So what I'm saying is that if they said he could be the Hero of Time, they likely meant that specific Link- otherwise they wouldn't have said anything.

Edited January 21, 2010 by The Soldier

[SuperLink]

That's what I'm worried about; it being the same Link. The thing is we already know from Miyamoto and Aonuma interviews that this is a new Link in a new era... which makes "The Hero of Time" sound even worse.

Reusing a plot device/character trait just because it was the most popular entry in the series without a truly original one? For shame Nintendo, for shame.

So I definitely hope "The Hero of Time" stuff is false.

And personally I've always liked the idea of a forgotten Link, one ignored by legend. So having a game set between OoT and WW sounds pretty cool, as it would tell a story of well.. futility really. We already know the outcome, we already know that the people never recognised a hero who would be able to save them, and the legend states the hero never returned and Hyrule was flooded by the Goddesses.

However this would also mean that Ganondorf returns, which I honestly think Nintendo will try to avoid this time.

Atm I'm still thinking this will be set before OoT, or some time after TP. The timeline after TP is pretty much empty as far as I can see. (Obviously all down to fan speculation, but I personally find most Zelda titles easier to place in the WW/PH/ST timeline, especially now that ST is out and gives even greater focus to Force Gems)

[Solly]

And personally I've always liked the idea of a forgotten Link, one ignored by legend. So having a game set between OoT and WW sounds pretty cool, as it would tell a story of well.. futility really. We already know the outcome, we already know that the people never recognised a hero who would be able to save them, and the legend states the hero never returned and Hyrule was flooded by the Goddesses.

I don't really get the appeal of that. I know Zelda has always been a series with violence and dark themes despite not being known for it, but a story of, as you put it, "futility' doesn't sound fun at all. It's too depressing. This is Zelda we're talking about; a game series for people of all ages, primarily kids- and would kids enjoy that? I doubt it.

Eh, to each his own, I suppose.

[Patticus]

My understanding was that they're all the Hero reborn/reincarnated into another body, so if by saying "he's the Hero of Time" they meant "he's the rebirth of the Hero of Time" it would be kind of redundant because that applies for pretty much EVERY Link, depending on where Ocarina of Time fits in the timeline(which I'm not about to debate).

So what I'm saying is that if they said he could be the Hero of Time, they likely meant that specific Link- otherwise they wouldn't have said anything.

Not every Link is the Hero of Time. WW Link is the Hero of Wind, for example, while others are (to my knowledge) heroes without a specfic title to their name. If this is the Hero of Time, I would think that either he has actually been reborn or it's an alternative OOT continuity (effectively a re-imagining of that game in a brand new style, kinda like how the Silent Hill re-imagining on Wii re-tells the first game's story in a new way).

[SuperLink]

I don't really get the appeal of that. I know Zelda has always been a series with violence and dark themes despite not being known for it, but a story of, as you put it, "futility' doesn't sound fun at all. It's too depressing. This is Zelda we're talking about; a game series for people of all ages, primarily kids- and would kids enjoy that? I doubt it.

Eh, to each his own, I suppose.

I initially hated the idea too, because back when TP was announced that's what all Zelda fans thought it would be about; the gap between OoT and WW. I even remember people saying "it's a bit lame that we already know it'll end from the flood", but that turned out to be completely false and the game wasn't even set in the same timeline.

But now I quite like the idea, I just think it could be made really interesting, and Nintendo would be able to focus on the characters and emotion again for once, which is something they need to do more often. Yeah, Zelda is a series for all ages, but we've had hundreds of "Zelda for kids" thrown at us in recent years. I wouldn't mind at all if Zelda Wii had 12+ or even 16+ in mind... I just hope they don't reuse TP's boring visual style.

If this is the Hero of Time, I would think that either he has actually been reborn or it's an alternative OOT continuity (effectively a re-imagining of that game in a brand new style, kinda like how the Silent Hill re-imagining on Wii re-tells the first game's story in a new way).

A retelling of OoT would make Nintendo just as bad as S-E. Tbh I'm a little tired of them milking the franchise's most popular points instead of creating a game based on new ideas.

Also I can't be the only one getting sick of Gorons? There are so many brilliant races in the series that we just never see. Who wants to bet we'll never see the Rito again? It's a crying shame really.

Edited January 21, 2010 by SuperLink

[Solly]

Not every Link is the Hero of Time. WW Link is the Hero of Wind, for example, while others are (to my knowledge) heroes without a specfic title to their name. If this is the Hero of Time, I would think that either he has actually been reborn or it's an alternative OOT continuity (effectively a re-imagining of that game in a brand new style, kinda like how the Silent Hill re-imagining on Wii re-tells the first game's story in a new way).

I didn't say that every Link was the Hero of time- just that they were all the same character being reborn, which would be the Hero of Time if that actually comes first in the timeline.

And I didn't think the titles meant anything, really. The Hero of Winds IS still the rebirth of the Hero of Time, from what I can understand.

But now I quite like the idea, I just think it could be made really interesting, and Nintendo would be able to focus on the characters and emotion again for once, which is something they need to do more often.

You say this like having a Zelda game with a down-beat ending is the only way to make it an emotional experience.

Er, whatever. YOU SHOULD GO BACK TO HATING IT

[SuperLink]

You say this like having a Zelda game with a down-beat ending is the only way to make it an emotional experience.

Er, whatever. YOU SHOULD GO BACK TO HATING IT

Ah.. I guess it's just hard to explain how I feel about it. I just always find that desperation makes for the most epic and emotion filled gaming experiences.

Especially if there was some level of a happy ending. Speaking of which if there's one thing I don't like about recent Zelda games it's their endings. I thought WW, TP, and PH's endings were all very inconclusive. On the other hand Minish Cap and Spirit Tracks had what I thought were great endings.

But Majora's Mask has to have one of the greatest ending sequences in gaming history.

"DAWN OF A NEW DAY"

Oh shi-

[Patticus]

I didn't say that every Link was the Hero of time- just that they were all the same character being reborn, which would be the Hero of Time if that actually comes first in the timeline.

How do you know they're all the same hero reborn? It never says that.

And I didn't think the titles meant anything, really. The Hero of Winds IS still the rebirth of the Hero of Time, from what I can understand.

So why did the King of Red Lions say he had not found the long sought-after Hero of Time reborn while WW Link was in his care? I think it was in the Great Deku Tree and Jabun conversations. He was specifically searching for the hero reborn, he did not find him. He found another hero, yes, but that game strongly implied that he was not the reincarnation of the Hero of Time.

Great Deku Tree: "That garb you wear... Could you be the legendary hero?

Has the king at long last found the Hero of Time?

What is the matter? Do you not understand the ancient Hylian tongue?"

---

Jabun: "If you have sought me out...it must mean you have found the Hero of Time, does it not?"

King of Red Lions: "Unfortunately, that is not so."

Jabun: "Then for what purpose have you come to see me?"

King of Red Lions: "The one I have brought with me has no connection to the legendary one.

And yet I sense great promise in the courage that this one possesses."