A tinyLegend of Zeldadetail apparently paid off six years after it was first revealed, and no one even noticed.Zeldagames aren’t always known for their continuity - although they are technically interconnected, it’s only through acomplicated and confusing timelinethat, at the end of the day, doesn’t really matter from one game to the next.
That said, every so often, aZeldagame includes a tiny detail that nods to another game in the series:maybe a paraglider fabric, a familiar ruin, or a throwaway line of dialogue. It’s mastered the art of subtlety when it comes to these homages, and it’s never actually clear whether it’s a deliberate reference or just a convenient coincidence. Even so, it’s fun to wonder about little details like this -until the rare occasion when they pay off, that is.
Shamae’s Hidden Sidequest
If you happen to be wandering around the Woodland Stable inBreath of the Wild, you may notice a girl named Shamae out working by some barrels. Talk to her, and she’ll share a little story: she’s heard tell ofpeople living in the sky a long time ago, has frequently dreamt of them, and wants to go visit them someday.
Shamae will ask you to help make her dream come true. Of course, all you have to do is slap a couple of Octo Balloons onto one of the nearby barrels, at which point it’ll float up into the air. Shamae will grant you a Star Fragment as thanks, and tell you that she dreams ofriding a big birdthrough the clouds.
Given TOTK’s Timeline Placement, Was BOTW Referencing Its Sequel?
Sky Islands Are A Zelda Staple, But…
Now,this detail was first believed to be referencingSkyward Sword, and after all, it may still be. The bird comment does make me think of Loftwings. It could have ties to otherZeldagames as well-The Minish Capalso has a city in the sky, as doesTwilight Princess.
But could it be thatthis was actually aTears of the Kingdomreferencehidden in aZeldagame six years before its release? It’s certainly possible, given what we know about the games' timeline.
TOTKcame out in 2023, six years afterBOTWin 2017.
TOTKdoes, of course, take place afterBOTW. However,the sky islands that reappear at the beginning of the game are known to be much olderin origin: they feature ancient Zonai architecture, from much earlier inZeldachronology. It’s possible that Shamae’s dialogue references legends of the ancient sky islands and the Zonai as they exist inTOTK, not Skyloft as it exists inSkyward Sword.
In that case, though,the bird comment would have to be considered a throwaway line, just a child’s dream of what sky life might be like. Or would it? Shamae could also have experienced a sort of reverse prophetic dream, in which she saw visions of ancient Zonai technology like the giant, bird-shaped gliders Link can use inTOTK.
It’s Cool To Think Zelda Devs Were Thinking That Far Ahead
We Have To Imagine
Of course, there’s no guarantee that this was really aTOTKreference, butI choose to believe that it was, at least to some extent. TheZeldatimeline is complicated, and it can be difficult to tell when a feature in one game is related to another. I’ll seize on that ambiguity to interpret details like this one however I want, thank you very much.
Now that we’re a couple of years out from its release, I’m occasionally forced to reevaluate my opinion onTOTK. While I thought (and still think) its free-building mechanics were pretty incredible,I still find it pretty disappointingoverall. Maybe it was the novelty ofBOTWat the time that made it feel more exciting, butTOTKreusing so much of the same map left it feeling empty, at least from my point of view.
But knowingthe developers may have been planning parts ofTOTK- even just tiny details like this one - so far in advance does make me feel a little better about it. It shows that there was more of a vision forTOTKthan I ever thought, that it wasn’t a totally incremental follow-up toBOTW.
So, whether or not this detail is really referencingTOTKsix years in advance, I choose to believe that it’s at least somewhat related due to the proliferation of sky islands throughout theZeldaseries. It’s a rare case of aLegend of Zeldagame successfully predicting the franchise’s future.
