Hey there everyone! Sorry this videos isn't up to par in terms of quality compared to my regular content. It's been soooo long since we had anything new to talk about and I wanted to get my early thoughts out quick for a change. I will make sure that future videos about this game will meet the standards of production value you are used to from this channel. On another note, I will still be releasing my video about the (hypthetical) Zelda Dungeon Maker in the coming weeks. I worked too hard on it to just let sit on the bench for months upon end. So expect to see it show inbetween videos about Tears of the Kingdom. Lastly, be sure to share your thoughts and ideas as much as possible. Either here, or in my discord. Let's puzzle this thing together as a team! ^^
The video was great :) As for my thoughts on the trailer my first thought when I saw the carving was Ghirahim's ritual to revive Demise (how he sacrificed Zelda) The bigger figure in the carving also reminded me of Hylia Don't overwork yourself and have a nice day/ night
I think that the altar on which zonai rabbit is standing is the glider from the end of the trailer. It also has quite similar design to OOT teleporting pedestals. Thank you, Monster Maze for your video. I was waiting for this.
I don’t know if you noticed monster maze, but at the end of the trailer you see the typical legend of zelda title but you also see that the sword was connected with that green substance…
Now that we know there are more than one green swirling circles, I'm almost completely sold that these are what the Zonai spirals are based off of. So cool that we've had this info since 2019 and it's been right under our noses this whole time
Yeah Nintendo is doing great with raising more questions with what they release info/footage wise. Even now, I’m guessing the mural tells us sooo much without telling us anything at the same. We can’t read the new writings, which is awesome just like with the gerudo text. Think we’ll get a lot of “ooohhh” when the game finally releases 🤣
So, my theory on the mysterious figure is that it’s the goddess Hylia herself. In most mythology and such, gods/goddesses are able to change form, often times into animals. Assuming Hylia can as well, it would explain why we see humanoid figures of Hylia, while she also looks like that owlish figure (which also coincides with the fact that Zelda carries the blood of the goddess and owls are often used to symbolize wisdom, which is the third of the triforce Zelda holds dominion over). This would also makes sense if that last mural we see, is in fact of Zelda and the goddess Hylia with cupped hands, showing them combining power to dispel Ganondorf and the malice once and for all. That being said, it could also be the goddess Nayru for much of the same reasons. And if it were Nayru, that would imply that we may see the other two goddesses of the triforce/the triforce itself.
Zeltik remarked that by turning the "dragon" Nazca glyph in that robo-bird shot upside down, it reveals itself to actually be a person. Either that stylized version of ancient Zelda, or the mysterious deity we saw at the beggining of the trailer, can't remember which it is
I do writeups on and help history and archeology channels on Mesoamerica (Aztec, Maya, etc), and I wanted to pitch in with some cursory thoughts. A disclaimer: I haven't played Breath of the Wild yet, but I know people have identified Zonai ruins as being influenced by Mesoamerica in the past. I see why, and the "swirl/spiral" shape you see on the side of the serpent's cheeks in the logo and in BOTW1's dragon sculptures IS something you see in some Mesoamerican depictions of snakes, such as on the Feathered Serpent sculptures on the Temple of the Feathered Serpent at Teotihuacan, or on some of the Serpent sculptures at the ruins of the Aztec Templo Mayor. "Swirls" and "spirals" and similar shapes in general, which as I understand it Zonai stuff has elsewhere too, are common in other respects: The Mesoamerican step fret for example has a stair step pattern which ends in a geometric spiral/coil, which is sometimes used on it's own, too. Speech, singing, sound, wind, etc is also shown in Mesoamerican art as spiral gusts or tufts, called speech scrolls (which also has iconographic ties to conch shells, serpents, water, etc i'm not gonna get into here). Sometimes it's shown as winding and flowing streams or tendrils, too, such as seen in most "smoking mirror" glyphs in Aztec art, and in Maya art that sort of design is seen commonly too, such as with the Vision serpent. I see some Zonai bird statues from BOTW via googling, and those do remind me of some depictions of Owls in Mesoamerican art, as another example. However, there's also some elements that don't fit, and actually, a lot of stuff i'm talking about here with Zonai stuff and other elements of BOTW's ruin/ancient technology visual design could just as easily be coming from Bronze Age China. There is a LOT of artistic similarity between Bronze age Chinese art (as well as some Chinese art from later periods) and some stuff from Mesoamerica, to the point where there are psuedoarcheology theories that China actually had contact with Prehispanic Mexico (they didn't, it's just a coincidence): Swirly patterns are pretty common in art from Bronze age China, too. And just as much as the bird statues resemble Mesoamerican depictions of owls, they also remind me of patterns from Shang dyansty vessels... and to the face of the goblin looking entity in the mural (which you even say looks like an owl) in the trailer, where, again, you see swirly designs. The frets on the serpents in the BOTW 2 logo (and the golden arm thing from the 2019 teaser) , if anything, resemble frets seen on some sculptures and vessels from the Shang and Zhou dynasties more, with a "hook" shape. In fact, that same motif is seen on the Fused Shadow in Twilight Princess, which is confirmed to have been inspired by Shang dyansty art. I'm not a big Zelda lore guy, i'm sure you'd know more then me about how Twili and Shiekah stuff can look similar to Zonai stuff, but other parts of the Logo with the Mastersword remind me of them too (The mastersword also has "branches" coming off of it, which I know there is a historical example from from Japan, though the sword itself has Chinese writing on it, though it's from quite a bit later then the Zhou or Shang dyanisties. At 4:28 there's also I guess a BOTW sword based on it?) The Dragon head frustrates me. In the screencaps I see from BOTW, it absolutely looks Mesoamerican to me, and it mostly does in the logo for BOTW 2 as well. But the stone dragon head Flamethrower Link uses in the BOTW 2 trailer from last year reads to me as more Chinese, due to whatlooks like fluffy eyebrows, how angular and straight some of the teeth are and their positioning, and some other features. But Chinese art is not my area (Likewise, my comparsions to other pieces of Chinese art could be off too), so when I initially saw the Serpent sculpture flamethrower thing from the trailer from last year that Link uses, and I wasn't sure if it was Mesoamerican or Chinese, I reached out to a mutual who specializes in Chinese history, and she thought it didn't look Chinese to her. So maybe the compression in the footage is just messing with me there, maybe it's my ignorance on Chinese art, or it's just that one model, since no other ZOnai dragon depictions look that asian to me. It's also, of course, possible that BOTH Mesoamerica and Bronze age China is an influence here and one or the other is simply more prevalent depending on the specific model and texture. I'd probably have more observations and actual conclusions for you if I spent a lot of time on this, but i'm pretty busy and don't have the time to dig into it deeper. But hey, when I have more time, if you want, I'd be down to dig into it further and help with some videos, maybe! If you wanna messag me, on twitte, I'm Majora__Z
It's nice to see that someone has also looked closely at the ruins. I'm very interested in forgotten civilizations, mythology and legends so I watch/read as many documentaries/books as I can. When I saw the ruins there in BOTW for the first time, I immediately had to think of the Aztecs. Especially since they had a dragon god. His name was Quetzalcoatl if I'm not mistaken (hope I spelled it right). Unfortunately, analyzing ruins in Zelda in more detail is very difficult. Nintendo just has the talent to blend so many different cultures into one another that you quickly no longer know which ones it could be. But that's the magic of Zelda for me. When I saw the walls at the Zonai Ruins I had to think of various temples. Especially at Ankor Wat, the huge temple complex in Cambodia. Exactly these walls with the pillars Relifs are there too. I do it more as a hobby and I'm not a professional. But it's fun to browse around and wonder what cultures Nintendo took inspiration from.
I was really hoping someone knowledgable on ancient cultures and symbolism related to ToTK would chime in so thanks for that. I personally think everyone would love it if you dug deeper because your comment has been very illuminating, giving much food for thought.
Something I find interesting about the title screen is the depiction of the two dragons circling each other. It's reminiscent of the Ouroboros, an ancient Greek and Egyptian myth about a dragon who eats itself and is reborn continually in an endless cycle..... sound familiar? The fact that its in the Zonai art style and the carvings on the wall in the beginning could also maybe be linked to the Zonai as well makes me think that they're far more knowledgable about the Triforce cycle than we thought they were, even with their "ancient understanding" hinted at in Masterworks
I feel like the choice of "tears" could totally be them pulling a double entendre as it could refers to the kingdom crying tears or the kingdom being torn from the ground/underground.
@@DivineDefect I think its more of the fact that the floating islands dropped pieces of it to the kingdom below and it could be a play that That Kingdom is crying with its tears (rocks and architecture) falling down for years now.
I think that the first carved figure with the owl face is very likely a depiction of Hylia. It's certainly a Zoni carving and we know that they use owl iconography to depict wisdom, and Hylia is who Zelda is in incarnation of, and she represents wisdom. We also know that the legends of Hylia have persisted and that the Zoni have at the very east adopted some of these legends into their own lore. To further my case, there is a carving that seems to depict Zelda herself, and we see this depiction twice, the second time with her hand entwined with another. The character opposite, while obstructed by the logo, does appear to me this owl faced figure, so this could be interpreted to be a depiction of the connection between Hylia and Zelda.
@@Mirage475 The light temple guardian? Yeah its all tied together.. Look back at skyward sword, and a link to the past... 7 maidens.. 7 pendants/tears.. decedents to the 7 shamans who created the triforce..
@@crisnmaryfam7344 The Seven Sages are very important, yeah. They didn’t create the Triforce though, that was the 3 Golden Goddesses. LttP did say the Sages made the Master Sword, but that was mostly retconned by Skyward Sword.
Good job catching that green spiral! I was exploring the area with the glowing patterns last week, coincidentally. It looking south from Rito Village, roughly. The glowing hill is Illumeni Plateau. To the left is Seres Scablands and Washa's Bluff. To the right is Tanagar Canyon and its Great Bridge.
Oh, it's interesting that you interpreted the falling figure as Zelda. Zeltik over on his channel saw that figure as Ganondorf in the pose from the original teaser and the second figure holding hands with another as Zelda bc of the dress looking similar to hers. I really really need to have this game right about now.
I have the feeling that the diety is the zonai depiction of Hylia (since the Zonai has the tendency to use animal imagery when it comes to their architecture). And the deity standing on the floating island reminds me of Skyward Sword's giant Hylia statue.
Hear me out, but I think the first thing we see in the mural is meant to be a guardian of the silent realm like in Skyward Sword, as we see the same figure surrounded by the (presumed) titular tears of the kingdom later. What did the guardians of the silent realm guard? The sacred tears, which have to be collected to prove Link's spiritual growth and get him access to special items to progress through certain areas. It can't be coincidence they released SSHD so close to launch and included the skydiving so prominently, right?
Yeah I just came here to say that the 'spirals' surrounding the figure on the wall look strikingly similar to dusk relics which can only be found in the silent realm. Like the previous commentor here mentioned I'm also thinking it has to do with hylia and the master sword being broke
6:33 If the thing on Link's hip 4:09 is energy for Link to use magic abilities, then maybe that green spiral place is where you can go and get more energy after you have used it. Those places would be in many places over the map. :)
There are places for eight vials. So if it's energy for magic abilities, then you probably get first just one, and you have to do something to get more vials. And then you can use more magic abilities and more often. :)
This would be a really cool way of justifying having really powerful Zonai tech like that portable flamethrower, and using chronos powers, tear drop magic to traverse to the skies, without it seeming overpowered. I like this idea, because you would probably have to fight your way to those spiral points.
My theory for the Volcano is Ganon is using malice to trap/paralyze the Divine Beasts where they stood at the end of BotW. If what we fought in the first game was more like Phantom Ganon being puppeted by a still-mostly sealed Ganon and now Physical Ganon is going to be freed, then he might just be strong enough to basically trap the Beasts in a maelstrom of malice.
I hope to God this game is going to tell the story of the disappearance of the Zonai. Could the title refer to tears of the Zonai Kingdom? I can’t freaking wait. Already put in for vacation for 5/12/23!
A few thoughts: I assumed the two hylian figures shown in the wall carvings were both zelda, with the left figure she's holding hands with being that enigmatic new character in the first shot. Also, I think its safe to assume that the vials on link's hip and the reverse teardrop puddle from the second trailer are both related to the title. A lot of zelda titles highlight the main mechanic of the game. What if the "tears of the kingdom" are physical tears that we are going to use in some way?
The falling figure and the one holding hands with the deity thing are definitely the same...same face, same ears, same dress, same hair. And the green Nazca Lines thing on the mountain at the end is also the same figure but upside down.
If you remember the way link teleports up the sky in the old trailer, it was from a water droplet dropping down from above and then getting sent back up. Those are the tears, I think the kingdom itself will be crying and have these droplets everywhere, and they can be used to teleport back in time to whatever caused the kingdom to cry.
It almost evokes the Tears of Light from Twilight Princess. Which makes sense, as Tears of the Kingdom and Breath of the Wild both evoke Twilight Princess a lot. (From Ganondorf having a chest wound/weakness, to being one of the few games that's explicitly canon to its timeline.)
@@normal6483 While I would like to see the Twili again; I doubt that is the case. Also, An earlier trailer shown Ganondorf has similar wounds on more than just his chest (if I remember correctly).
So this trailer definitely confirmed that the original overworld is going to have some changes to it. Not just in the sky islands, but also the surface. Those runes on the ground, that energy spiral, I think this world is going to be slightly different from the original, where we know every major landmark, but also there's a feeling of "That wasn't there before!"
Nice video for an early analysis ! Lots of things I didn't notice ! People already mentioned these points in various comments but imo : -The person standing is also probably Zelda since they have a very similar design as the one falling. You can see she is holding hands with the new deity in wall carving behind the title reveal btw -The green markings on the mountains are a person, probably the new weird deity (Zelitik's 180° flip makes it very clear) -Just a thought but the 7 objets might be the "tears" And for the people saying it could be the tears as in to tear something, the japanese title is clear about it being crying tears.（テアー vs ティア）
Watching this again a couple weeks later, I think the carvings are pretty much depicting the first trailer. The falling person is Zelda and the standing person is Link, whose arm is entangled with the Deity's arm, symbolizing how the Deity is transfering its powers to link by grabbing his arm. Who the Deity is, I'm not sure. I'm betting on the theory of it being one of the Guardians of the secret realm, mostly because of how strong the connections to SS are all over in this game, and how it would link to the tears depicted around it.
My two cents: I think the platform the long eared figure is standing on in the carving (2:25) looks like a stylized representation of the grey tower with the crescent roof (4:46) we’ve seen in this and the last teaser. Maybe it’s an early dungeon where the figure in the carving is locked away or some such.
Thank you for taking the time to make a video despite your voice hurting ♥ So much awesomeness in this trealer and exciting theories already !! Mine is that the enigmatic figure that look a lot like an owl of course but especially Kaepora Gaebora would be a sort of owl Deity from the Zonai. Following the symbolism of the Zonai (Dragon, Owl and Boar ) it would make indeed sense to have this figure interacting with Zelda ( Owl-wisdom) or at least... An ancient version of Zelda who seemed to fall at some point ? I mean... Just like our Zelda felt in the trailer ! ( Putting the present situation as a mirror of what arrived in theses ancient times ?) If so ! Maybe the green hand from the first trailer could be the Dragon deity one ? Since they save Link from falling too and give him his arms ? I wonder if this orouboros logo is not something like : Two dragons - so... Two Links (the actual and the ancient one) working together to bring back a balance in the broken cycle of both areas since... The two Zelda have fallen ?) It may be a strech XDDD But anyway I'm more than thrilled to see the Zonai Deity designs if it's this !!!!!!! ♥♥♥ Thank you again for your video !! I enjoy so much your theories !!!!
So everyone is focused on the ouroboros, which is all well and good, but another important symbolism is the twin dragons or "twinnings" which I think may be Buddhist and it means duality, which would make sense in respect to Zelda, as she is both the Goddess Hylia, and since Skyward Sword a mortal incarnation. I have a pet theory that isn't just Zelda that has a counterpart, but Ganondorf, and Link too. It would explain why Link is wearing such archaic, Greek looking robes in some shots, and has longer unkempt hair. I maintain that this game will traverse time and go back and forth between Post BOTW, and then before the Zonai were wiped out.
I think it's also probable that the 7 symbols surrounding the malanya-looking spirit figure on the ancient relief are the tears which give the game it's name, possibly some iteration of sacred tears or tears of light; maybe they are even what that glowing element was in the clips on the update trailer posted to twitter a couple of months ago
Here are my notes about the teaser: What if the deity-like image in the codex isn’t standing but sitting like the sheikah monks (Zonai were Sheikah ancestors and maybe they disappeared after some cataclysmic war?), another detail is the sheikah looking eyes. I think the vials in Link’s pouch are some kind of magic that enables the ability we saw in the previous teaser of ascending to the sky islands when interacting with ponds. If you rotate the green drawing on top of the mountain it looks like the “Zelda”-ish carving in the codex. Speaking of the title I can theorize two statements: Tears of the Kingdom as referring to the doom and fall of Hyrule (the end of the chronology?) or Tears as literally Hyrule being teared apart. We’ll see in May. Hope my writing is clear, it’s a long time since I’ve practiced my writing. Greetings from Mexico!
The "Kingdom" in the title may also be referring to a different Kingdom entirely one possibly related to the Zonai who's ancient civilization shared a similar fate to Hyrule's thousands of years ago when they too fell victim to the Calamity which destroyed their Sky Realm and forced the remaining Zonai to live amongst the mortals in Hyrule building temples and constructions in the Faron regions and beyond only to become extinct by the time the events of Breath of the Wild happened. The "Tears" could also be related to the many small floating islands which may hold what little remnants of Zonai history still intact.
I know this is a stretch, but the fact that the glowing orb from the last trailer looked similar to the orb from Twilight Princess and the name Tears of the Kingdom matches with it, because each light spirit had one of the orbs on it, and it required Tears of light. This one is a bit more of a stretch, but the way that the Tears of the Kingdom logo looks similar to the Sol ball in the twilight realm feels connected. This one could just be a common style change, but it’s still worth it to bring it up.
There is snow on the island because some are torn from surface of original map. Maybe holes will serve as a passage to underground level as well, like Elden Ring for recent example? They also showed climbing only on roots next to suspiciously flat-surfaced walls, maybe it's a hint towards climbing being a little bit more limited?
I think the figure that you said might be an ancient incarnation of zelda, is actually ganondorf. The pose is the same as the one we see ganondorf's corpse suspended in, and they share the glowy circle on the forehead. If the main diety is believed to be hylia, then the final image we see of the two of them, may be the eternal conflict between hylia and ganondorf. this would also explain why their hands are like that, because they are mirroring the infinite duality/struggle of the ouroboros symbol that appears over them
Hi Don, just wanna say two things: 1. I'm really amazed at how close your animations are to the actual thing, that's very impressive, good job! 2. Given the similarities between the concepts and some design elements, I'm very much expecting a good ol collaboration with Xenoblade 3. Good games always share inspirations and come from Monolith Soft lol.
2:00; malice would definitely make more sense, but in this art style, it also reminds me of the rectangular black and red twilight enemy patterns. Furthermore, the eyes on that first figure remind me of Majora's mask, and I'm fairly positive there was also a Sheikah eye symbol on the first door opened by Link (3:49). Where have we seen those 2 eye symbols and twilight patterns in the past? Midna's stone helmet. A stretch to be sure, but a cool one, I think.
Bruh we havent seen anything yet, it looks like BOTW, we dont even know if actual dungeons will return. Im excited too but it doesnt look good yet. Or at least not any better than anything weve yet seen
@@HuhJuhWuh I think it looks good. Honestly, you are right in the sense that we still really do know nothing. We have no context for anything we havve seen and no story stuff asside from the first teaser really, but I don't need more to think it looks good. Like BOTW but with Sky Islands automatically looks good to me.
I thought the one figure in the glyphs near the end was supposed to be Zelda. The title is really cool and promises a darker zelda game, which are always my favorite. Loved all the little glimpses we got. The gameplay, story bits, atmosphere, all look great. If those cartridges are like the magic meter, then it'd be cool if it were metered out like the horse stamina. Like there would be little Zonai teardrops under your health and they recharge or you have to smash luminous rocks to refill it, or use luminous chunks to recharge.
I thinking those big Nazca Lines looking things in the final shot may be something crucial to the main quest. Like Link has to go somewhere to illuminate those lines in a manner not too different from saving the divine beasts. The first one closer to Hyrule Castle almost resembles a Rito to my eyes, and the second one could either be a female Hylian or Zora (Zora might be a stretch. I just think it looks like the queen Zora from Twilight Princess.) Maybe Link will have to traverse a Sky Temple of some sort to project them down onto the ground.
So my theory is that the "tears of the kingdom" is how link gains his new abilities - that puddle we saw that turned into a teardrop. Perhaps these flasks on link's belt is how he stores them
I’m starting to wonder if the Zonai split between a sky tribe and a land tribe in the distant past. Because the heads of the dragon engravings on the door match up so well with the dragon heads we’ve seen in Faron. But NOTHING ELSE about the sky island architecture matches: they’re all built from large, smooth blocks of stone that lack the engravings from Zonai structures in BOTW. The cave structures from the 2019 TOTK trailer match much better. So maybe at some point, the tribe split between Ganon worshippers and people devoted to Hylia?
A lot of people seemed surprised that there is snow in the floating islands, naturally being that high up there is a very good chance of being snow, look at the tallest mountains in the world. To me it's very realistic and and I love it, links going to need some warm gear up there!
Usually I can’t tell when someone is sick or is losing their voice or horse in RUclips videos but I immediately noticed it straight from the beginning right before he even mentioned it so uhh your voice must have been EXTREMELY messed up for ME to notice it glad you got better
Definitely some kind of Zonai god figure and I think the long hair guy is Ganondorf making a deal with it. The 7 Sage tokens could also be for 7 tears. It looks like you can skydive straight down from the islands into Hyrule, which is awesome! When he's climbing that island with the tree on it, I bet the walls of the island are unclimbable since he he strictly on the tree. Lots of Twilight Princess imagery, and art design too.
I just looked at the poster for the game. And there are three things in it. The Death Mountain spuing malice, Hyryle Castle with malice, and then there is a slightly pinkish tornado looking place. That could be the Deku Tree and and the Lost Wood. :)
Thank you for the video! Hope your voice will recover soon! The wall behind the logo at the end seems like it is the shot at 3:25 only in full view. I think it is Zelda together with the creature we saw earlier at 1:39 or 2:38. Above them are two of the "orbs" from 2:41 Two tribes maybe joining together or two people with some kind of power combining there powers to create something.
The 7 circles are the 7 “tears of hyrule” tears have been used in previous Zelda games. Probably 7 tears within 7 dungeons used to restore the master sword.
Hey don, If you look in the title screen you can see on the wall behind the logo the Zelda character and the god like creature are the ones interlocking hands. I think whoever this character is could be the original owner of the hand.
In the start is the war between the demise and zonai before skyward sword when he get trapped The long hair women is godes hylia The zonai are the creator of the Lanayru mining What trying to escape from ganondorf's body is the demise And In skyward sword to "unfroze" areas you collecting tears tha they protected by knight with face and ears like the figure in the altar (zonai)
Has anyone else even noticed the massive holes in the ground underneath each floating island which makes me think that we're going to see how the islands get up into the sky in this game like how the castle is floating now I feel like the islands are on the ground but broke loose and went up to the sky in this game and I think we're going to see that cuz again there's massive holes in the ground in the shape of each island.
The ‘tears of the kingdom’ must be objects of power that we collect from temples. The wall carvings show that monk looking guy with 7 tears around him. Much like rescuing sages in past zelda games. I’ve also just thought what if each tear is related to different Links in the past and gives botw link abilities they once had? For example the ability to move things back in time such as that boulder in the first real trailer relates to the hero of time? As he travelled in time/reverted time in majoras mask. A link between worlds Link gives us the ability to merge through the islands like he could merge into walls as a painting? This is very far fetched but everyone has their own theories and here’s mine lol
So, the hero of Winds, Twilight, Time, and Sky would definitely get in in that case. Then.. the LTTP/Oracle link, the original NES link, and the link between worlds link like you mentioned?
@@meatmobile Potentially, however I wouldn’t know what other abilities there would be. Maybe the hero of the sky’s ability is to be able to summon that glider looking thing which represents a loft wing? I am probably wrong but no shame in taking a guess haha
Ahh! This was great early analysis! Loved it! I just wanted to say that I think the laying down/bent back figure is Ganondorf from the first trailer and the figure with the cupped hand is Zelda. Dunno why they have stylized forehead eyes, maybe there's a connection to having powers, sacred or otherwise. Also I wanted to throw out a request: Monster Maze, If at any point you have the time could you please make another trailer compilation like your "The Big Puzzle" video? I just thought that was the coolest thing, and I'd to see everything we know now all in one big trailer.
So, regarding the title: TEARS OF THE KINGDOM. In that mural with the characters and seven orbs, the symbols in those orbs kind of look like tears. So this scene might implicate we have to collect 7 tears, maybe in 7 different dungeons. Then we see those cartridges hanging on Link's belt. There is enough room for 8 cartridges, but they might actually contain those tears that we have to collect. And then there is this new ability to fly upwards and through the ceiling. How do you activate that, based on the earlier teaser video? Correct: It's a water drop, or - a tear! Also, just as a side notice: They chose an interestingly similar title to the first game. Breath of the Wild - Tears of the Kingdom. Most certainly not a coincidence. Tears and breath are both parts of living people; and the kingdom is a contrast to the bare wild we had in the first game.
Maybe those 7 icons represent the "tears" that maybe need to be collected throughout the game like in 7 dungeons? The zonai vibes are strong and I'm all for it! My mind is racing with theories now and I can't wait to see what everyone thinks!
Personal theory is that the tear shaped things on the mural could be pieces of the triforce that got broken and that's why it's never mentioned and why two of them coming together looks important. It's a long shot but I think it's cool.
Hey Monster Maze! So this was pointed out to me by a friend, but for the figure you pointed out at 6:21, if you rotate the image upside down it becomes a humanoid figure similar to something we see earlier in the trailer.
The glowing rune on the surface that you see before the title reveal looks like one of the murals at the start of the trailer, just upside down, and I think the 7 orbs around that mural of the "elder" might just represent the 7 heroines instead of the Sages (the "elder" could be the lost 8th heroine?). Would be interesting if this game is centered around those 7/8 heroines and perhaps there are giant runes around the map now that somehow lead Link to dungeons based around each of those heroines. Just a thought. The possibility of the heroines being of Zonai descent is also there if this were true. Additionally, the new item on Link's hip has 8 slots, perhaps these could be given after completing each dungeon? Maybe this is how we reforge the Master Sword, collecting the essence/spirit of each heroine to cleanse the sword of its blight. Or could just be a way to limit his abilities like you said and I'm way overthinking this haha Either way I'm so stoked for this game, and can't wait for your next videos on it! :D
Just a thought, I think the floating figure could be Ganondorf. You see malice reaching below him and its the same pose from one of the previous trailers.
Perhaps the island with the elder like thing on it is the Monk Maz Koshia arena. The green swirls could be Zonai spirals. What if they represent a spirit? Maybe that's what the green stuff in the vial thing Link has. He can release them, giving him powers? So much new information. I still call it BotW 2 in my head though.
So this is my theory for this game. We'll start the game in a Hyrule that looks just like the one on BOTW and with the divine beasts failing Link and Zelda will attempt to figure out what is causing this by investigating a series of underground "temples" which will work as the first set of temples in the game this will lead to them discovering the body of Ganondorf and accidentally breaking the spell or seal that is upon his body (similar to what Link and Zelda did in ocarina of time with the (Spiritual Stones) by attempting to do good they will release an old evil. These temples or whatever they are will contain different segments of the Ganondorf history we've seen this far hence why we have seen different style murals in what seem to be underground places and they could be locations hidden in similar way to the spot where we find the diamond circlet, not necessarily under the labyrinths but hidden in similar way around Hyrule. Once Ganondorf is released from the seal/spell whatever it is he will curse the land which will result in all the malice eruptions and change in the world this can explain why in the trailers we can see both a calm Hyrule and chaos.
Here comes the crazy part of my theory... So the Central figure we see in the latest trailer is non other than Midna (Look at the similarities of her "human" form and the mural) This also explains why she and Zelda are holding hands on the mural on the latest trailer since Zelda told her "light and dark are two sides of the same coin" (End of Twilight) and this Zelda did have long hair so they stand opposite each other holding hands... Hear me up the first time we hear the term DIVINE BEAST is during the cutscene as we are to enter the Twili realm and it is no other than Midna Saying it as a reference to Link. So the Zonai are either Twili worshipers or the Twili themselves that were entrusted to guard Ganondorf who could have spit into two groups one worshiping Ganondorf and the others preventing his resurrection leading to their own annihilation (Similar to the Yiga and Sheikah) This would explain my following ideas 1. Malice is nothing more than a type of Dark energy that Ganondorf has been gathering from the Twili realm since at the end he does not posses the Triforce of power he survived by consuming this energy. (During the our time in the Twili realm when first facing the black fog Midna mentions Zand made this fog from "dark crystals"), also as wolf link while using our senses this fog changes colour to purple same as malice plus he can not be around it in human form which explains why touching malice corrupts. This can explain why link being the chosen hero is only affected by it in this way so close to the source since the concentration near the source is at it's highest levels. Curiously all corrupted enemies in this Game do carry marks of this energy on their bodies while non corrupted Twili inside the realm carry green markings on their bodies . (Ganondorf has been able to get this energy due to his connection to Zand somehow since the last thing he sees before "dying" is Zand and in the farewell scene Midna does say "Never forget there's another world bound to this one."
2. The green energy is the opposite of Malice. Now we see link carrying in cartridges or whatever they are as well as the hand are the positive energy from the Twili realm just like the spheres we use in the Twili realm to cleanse the Malice away and turn back the people from the realm back to normal and powered their city. (Also the Twili realm are a bunch of floating islands similar to the ones in the latest trailer) 3. Whenever we see link using his new arm it has a glow which could mean that Zelda was trapped in the Twili realm once she fell and the abilities we get is her essence helping us from the Twili realm. During Twilight princess when on Hyrule Midna appears to be our shadow and since Zelda is the opposite to Midna she would be represented as a shining beacon and it shines in a similar way to the way seems to be holding the calamity during the events of BOTW. This could explain why in the first trailer we got we saw both energies seemingly flowing from that inverted pyramid thingy Malice in the center and the positive energy around it attempting to contain it (the green energy resembles the text around the portal to the Twili realm more than any other scripture of Hyrule also hear the voice from Midna at the end of twilight princess and compare it to the chanting in the trailer) anyway... it has been so long since the events from Twilight princess it has started leaking from Ganondorf. (Since they are opposite energies they do not mix and or repel each other hence why portals in twilight princes change color once we have conquered them)
Okay, this is fasinating to me! Zeltik said he thinks the figure falling is possible Ganondorf and the other figure looks sort of like Zelda. However, you're seeing the falling figure as a possible past Zelda and the other as possible a past Link or the ancient hero. I like that you both have your own thoughts on this. Both of them made me think of Zelda (not the current one) when I first saw the trailer, just different scenes. It'll be interesting to learn who they actually represent.
My guess is the giant being is the original owner of the Green Arm. The being seems to tower over the other figure, and the hand holding Ganondorf appeared to be huge. If I'm correct, I get a feeling the right silhouette is probably Link, with the mural at the end symbolizing the two of them joining forces via their arm.
Great video! I never noticed the thing on his hip very intriguing! A few observations of my own: 1. 3:00 I've seen a few people interpret this character as a female figure (mainly Zelda) But to me, my first thought is that it actually looks like Ganondorf in his current suspended form, complete with the long hair, arched back and everything, obviously the arm holding him down is missing so I don't know for sure but I just haven't seen many people make that parallel 2: 3:24 This figure on the other hand actually does look like Zelda (or maybe an ancestor/ Hylia) It could just be me but it seems like the dress this figure is wearing looks just like the white ceremonial robe that Zelda wears. As for the person who is looping hands with them, I personally feel like this could also be Ganondorf simply due to it's large size and the theory that Ganon may also be a part of some ritual or ceremony that they need him for, hence why they go looking for his corpse. 3: 5:09 Many people have noticed/ pointed this out but there appears to be a huge storm cloud or Thunder head in the sky here that looks like it's covering some other floating island, probably somewhere important (maybe a temple?) 4: 5:28 While there isn't much here to disect I did notice the particles and fog here seems to indicate this is a forest-y area most likley above the lost woods, or perhaps the skies very own forest? 5: 5:50 Just an extra point here, they also released the cover art at the same time which I'm sure you've seen by now, but you get a better looks at both Death Mountain and Hyrule castle and can see that they have the same giant malice tendrils coming out of them! You can also see what looks like a giant tornado like thing in that picture but that's a topic for another video I'm sure. 6: 6:04 You can also a see a giant crater right next to that, most likley where an island has shot up from, exciting to see what might be in that crater and what other there may be! 7: 6:21 If you actually look at this upside down you can see that this is actually appears to be one of the figures depicted in the mural at the beginning! Again, looks like Zelda to me but who knows! EDIT: I just realised that the full image of the figures looping hands at 3:24 can actually be seen behind the title reveal at the very end! It seems that the other figure is the main central "owl-masked god thing" that we see right at the beginning!
Thanks for taking the time to make an analysis, even if your voice was not OK. You should've rested it first, but I am very thankful for the sacrifice you've made in order to get something up to share your opinions with us. 🙌🏼 You're always realistic and honest with your analysis, I appreciate it, man.
The circles surrounding the figure on the mural strongly resemble the drums depicted surrounding the thunder god Raijin. A Japanese studio wouldn't include that symbolism on accident, especially when Nintendo has made so many references to Raijin (and Fujin) in so many of their games
Could be that Nintendo has created their own Zelda version of both Raijin and Fujin who had some kind of relationship with the Zonai and in turn Ganondorf for as of yet unknown reasons. Maybe the villain this time around won't be Ganondorf himself but instead one of this 2 new deities.
I did not notice Death Mountain‘s malice… damn, I would not be surprised if there’s a dungeon there. It would be really cool if the tunnels under Hyrule Castle connected to others all around Hyrule (letting malice erupt out of the mountain) and Link has to clear them of malice or something? Maybe the underground Hebra dungeon from that really old video collaboration about underwater traversal could be a thing in some form. For all the stuff they were saying about the title being plot-relevant, Tears of the Kingdom doesn’t seem that specific to me… just makes it seem like it’s going to be sad- wait, what if Zelda dies- Anyway. Great video, Don, looking forward to more!
You may also notice as a small fun detail, that the dragons are also present in the floating island world. Head and tail seen behind a far left isle in the distance just before Link dives off.
I’m still absolutely convinced that the floating islands are part of the sacred realm that have been pulled into Hyrule by Ganondorf in a bid for the Triforce. They just evoke the sense of that original artwork for the sacred realm from LttP and everything looks gold and godly. It’s what I’ve thought since we originally saw the islands
The seven orbs look like they either have the zonai swirl or possibly a magatama inside? Interesting! Great video, thank you for making it despite your sore throat! Take care of it 🙂
The first thing that popped into my head was the story will show the first recorded example of the curse of demise and the cycle with the first “ganondorf” and the people’s attempt at sealing it away. Or it’s the ocarina of time / TLP Ganondorf which I guess would be more likely but it was still a fun hypothetical. I’m finally excited about the game again, I had absolutelyyyy given up a lot of hope haha
If the Zonai are a different species, then the Barbarian Armor fitting Link perfectly is pretty strange. They’d have to be very closely related to Hylians, like the Sheikah and Gerudo. Also I’m pretty sure the second figure, the one you couldn’t identify, is also Zelda, the same one in the falling pose. Their clothing and hair seems identical, and they both have the forehead thing (which to me looks like just a part of her hair). If you’ve seen Zeltik’s video, he pointed out the large glowing glyph on the ground is the same figure as that mysterious one in the carving, albeit in profile and viewed from upside down.
Maybe the Zonai are a "subspecies" of Hylian similar to the Sheikah and Gerudo who both mostly ressemble Hylians with some slight physical features like white hair and tanned skin. Maybe the Zonai afe part of a trio with the Sheikah and Gerudo as representatives of the 3 pieces of the Triforce.
@@javiervasquez625 I’m pretty sure Hylians, Sheikah, and Gerudo are all actually subspecies of humans, hence why they can all interbreed. I’m not sure about the Triforce thing though. We already have the Gorons, Zora, and Kokiri/Koroks for that.
@@akakay0131 Definetly not "subspecies" considering the divine purpose behind the Hylians and co's pointy ears implying the Goddessess choosing the Hylian race to be able to "hear the messages from the Gods" as stated by Shad in Twilight Princess. It's safe to assume the Hylian race is *above* the human race for they're the ones who continue to birth Link and Zelda to do battle with Ganondorf's many reincarnations. Yeah i agree on the "Triforce trio" part i was just speculating for speculating's sake so i don't have a strong basis for this scenario to be plausible. We'll just have to wait and see what the Zeldatubers are able to discover in this brief trailer.
@@javiervasquez625 “Hylian” and “human” are actually used pretty interchangeably. In Twilight Princess, Link is called a human by a Goron, and Telma’s cat refers to everyone in the bar as humans, even though some are Hylians. Even Ganondorf is called a human by Zelda in FSA. Maybe “subspecies” was the wrong word. “Race” is more accurate.
@@akakay0131 Yes i know that technically both humans and hylians are seen as the "same" species without difference but clear distinction between pointy eared humans(Hylians) and round eared human (normal humans) it's easy to confuse the both of them by assuming both can be called Hylian interchangeably. Yes i agree with you race fits better in this context just like the Lake Zora and River Zora.
Horse or not, I love the sound of your voice Don. Can't wait for more videos. Also the figure at 6:20 if you flip it around its a depiction of the deity or whatever in a side profile.
I hope those vials on Link's hip are healing items. I found being able to shove 10 steaks down your throat to heal in BOTW made combat too easy and not punishing enough when you got hurt. So if he has some sort of limited healing items, like Dark Soul's Estus Flask, I would like that a lot more.
I just noticed the horns on the bokoblins in the cave paintings are long like the ones we saw in the second trailer (riding the stone talus and getting hit by the time-reversed spiked ball). That means one of two things. Either the gameplay featuring the Bokobline is from the same time as the cave paintings, or the cave paintings are a prophecy of something in the future.
I hope that the vessel holder on Links side unlocks different locations. For example each tear opens up another area or floating island. That way it's still open but you can't just go to any area immediately but you can choose which area to unlock first. Maybe by beating a dungeon/tunnel. Thanks for the content!
I think the green markings on the ground (when Link is on that glider thing) is actually one of the characters depicted in the wall art (or at least in a similar style), but upside down from our perspective. As for who it is, I'm thinking it's whoever owned the magic green hand from earlier trailers. The style reminds me heavily of the "jewelry" the hand/arm is wearing in the first look trailer from E3 2019 (check the 43 second mark for reference). One more thing. When the title is revealed, we get a more complete picture of one of the wall arts. Looks to me like the figure on the left is the same person we see a front view of at the beginning of the teaser. I think this is depicting a leader/mage/witchdoctor making a pact with the person on the right - possibly giving them power to guard/protect/seal Ganondorf's rotting corpse. This could explain where that green hand in the first trailer came from. If so, then the markings on the ground could be this same person after they were given their power, which could have altered their appearance.
At the end, behing the game title is the thing we see in the trailer on a wall where someone (past hero/past zelda or?) is forming a circle with his hand and the hand of someone else, who happens to be the godlike figure we saw even earlier in the trailer who was on a platform in the sky with the seven flying things
The figure that is "floating" or "falling" is very likely a hint pointing towards a ritual that involves Zelda. Possibly even connected to access of the triforce.
Mystery Figure - Hylia or a Occa from Twilight Princess "Floating/Falling" figure is Ganondorf as the pose is similar to Mummydorf's posture while sealed 3rd figure - Zelda, as the long hair and attire is similar to Zelda when she is in her ceremonial dress going into the springs.
Considering the long hand/fingers the strange figure in the carving has my theory is that this depicts the person whose green glowing hand we see on ganondorfs chest in previous teasers
Hey there everyone! Sorry this videos isn't up to par in terms of quality compared to my regular content. It's been soooo long since we had anything new to talk about and I wanted to get my early thoughts out quick for a change. I will make sure that future videos about this game will meet the standards of production value you are used to from this channel.
On another note, I will still be releasing my video about the (hypthetical) Zelda Dungeon Maker in the coming weeks. I worked too hard on it to just let sit on the bench for months upon end. So expect to see it show inbetween videos about Tears of the Kingdom.
Lastly, be sure to share your thoughts and ideas as much as possible. Either here, or in my discord. Let's puzzle this thing together as a team! ^^
The video was great :)
As for my thoughts on the trailer my first thought when I saw the carving was Ghirahim's ritual to revive Demise (how he sacrificed Zelda)
The bigger figure in the carving also reminded me of Hylia
Don't overwork yourself and have a nice day/ night
@Monster Maze Can we have an invite link to the Discord sever?
I think that the altar on which zonai rabbit is standing is the glider from the end of the trailer. It also has quite similar design to OOT teleporting pedestals. Thank you, Monster Maze for your video. I was waiting for this.
What if the spiral on the ground was either a recharge point for the battery thing or actually a way down to the underground?
I don’t know if you noticed monster maze, but at the end of the trailer you see the typical legend of zelda title but you also see that the sword was connected with that green substance…
Now that we know there are more than one green swirling circles, I'm almost completely sold that these are what the Zonai spirals are based off of. So cool that we've had this info since 2019 and it's been right under our noses this whole time
Yeah Nintendo is doing great with raising more questions with what they release info/footage wise.
Even now, I’m guessing the mural tells us sooo much without telling us anything at the same. We can’t read the new writings, which is awesome just like with the gerudo text. Think we’ll get a lot of “ooohhh” when the game finally releases 🤣
I am waiting for the game to release until I play it
Is that a zonai swirl?!
@@jacquikopplin3774 yeah kinda hard to play it before it’s released
@@jacquikopplin3774
8,000,000,000 IQ
So, my theory on the mysterious figure is that it’s the goddess Hylia herself. In most mythology and such, gods/goddesses are able to change form, often times into animals. Assuming Hylia can as well, it would explain why we see humanoid figures of Hylia, while she also looks like that owlish figure (which also coincides with the fact that Zelda carries the blood of the goddess and owls are often used to symbolize wisdom, which is the third of the triforce Zelda holds dominion over). This would also makes sense if that last mural we see, is in fact of Zelda and the goddess Hylia with cupped hands, showing them combining power to dispel Ganondorf and the malice once and for all. That being said, it could also be the goddess Nayru for much of the same reasons. And if it were Nayru, that would imply that we may see the other two goddesses of the triforce/the triforce itself.
honestly my guess was ritualistic mask.
@@zachjaeger6401 it could be that too. That would still fit with the theory of the figure being Hylia or Nayru
Yeah, Hylia was my first guess also!
but hylia IS zelda
Hylia = Zelda only in Skyward Sword, whilst the Zeldas in the future are her descendants.
Zeltik remarked that by turning the "dragon" Nazca glyph in that robo-bird shot upside down, it reveals itself to actually be a person. Either that stylized version of ancient Zelda, or the mysterious deity we saw at the beggining of the trailer, can't remember which it is
He said it was the entity, i'm personally leaning more towards Zelda or Hylia.
I do writeups on and help history and archeology channels on Mesoamerica (Aztec, Maya, etc), and I wanted to pitch in with some cursory thoughts. A disclaimer: I haven't played Breath of the Wild yet, but I know people have identified Zonai ruins as being influenced by Mesoamerica in the past. I see why, and the "swirl/spiral" shape you see on the side of the serpent's cheeks in the logo and in BOTW1's dragon sculptures IS something you see in some Mesoamerican depictions of snakes, such as on the Feathered Serpent sculptures on the Temple of the Feathered Serpent at Teotihuacan, or on some of the Serpent sculptures at the ruins of the Aztec Templo Mayor. "Swirls" and "spirals" and similar shapes in general, which as I understand it Zonai stuff has elsewhere too, are common in other respects: The Mesoamerican step fret for example has a stair step pattern which ends in a geometric spiral/coil, which is sometimes used on it's own, too. Speech, singing, sound, wind, etc is also shown in Mesoamerican art as spiral gusts or tufts, called speech scrolls (which also has iconographic ties to conch shells, serpents, water, etc i'm not gonna get into here). Sometimes it's shown as winding and flowing streams or tendrils, too, such as seen in most "smoking mirror" glyphs in Aztec art, and in Maya art that sort of design is seen commonly too, such as with the Vision serpent. I see some Zonai bird statues from BOTW via googling, and those do remind me of some depictions of Owls in Mesoamerican art, as another example.
However, there's also some elements that don't fit, and actually, a lot of stuff i'm talking about here with Zonai stuff and other elements of BOTW's ruin/ancient technology visual design could just as easily be coming from Bronze Age China.
There is a LOT of artistic similarity between Bronze age Chinese art (as well as some Chinese art from later periods) and some stuff from Mesoamerica, to the point where there are psuedoarcheology theories that China actually had contact with Prehispanic Mexico (they didn't, it's just a coincidence): Swirly patterns are pretty common in art from Bronze age China, too. And just as much as the bird statues resemble Mesoamerican depictions of owls, they also remind me of patterns from Shang dyansty vessels... and to the face of the goblin looking entity in the mural (which you even say looks like an owl) in the trailer, where, again, you see swirly designs. The frets on the serpents in the BOTW 2 logo (and the golden arm thing from the 2019 teaser) , if anything, resemble frets seen on some sculptures and vessels from the Shang and Zhou dynasties more, with a "hook" shape. In fact, that same motif is seen on the Fused Shadow in Twilight Princess, which is confirmed to have been inspired by Shang dyansty art. I'm not a big Zelda lore guy, i'm sure you'd know more then me about how Twili and Shiekah stuff can look similar to Zonai stuff, but other parts of the Logo with the Mastersword remind me of them too (The mastersword also has "branches" coming off of it, which I know there is a historical example from from Japan, though the sword itself has Chinese writing on it, though it's from quite a bit later then the Zhou or Shang dyanisties. At 4:28 there's also I guess a BOTW sword based on it?)
The Dragon head frustrates me. In the screencaps I see from BOTW, it absolutely looks Mesoamerican to me, and it mostly does in the logo for BOTW 2 as well. But the stone dragon head Flamethrower Link uses in the BOTW 2 trailer from last year reads to me as more Chinese, due to whatlooks like fluffy eyebrows, how angular and straight some of the teeth are and their positioning, and some other features. But Chinese art is not my area (Likewise, my comparsions to other pieces of Chinese art could be off too), so when I initially saw the Serpent sculpture flamethrower thing from the trailer from last year that Link uses, and I wasn't sure if it was Mesoamerican or Chinese, I reached out to a mutual who specializes in Chinese history, and she thought it didn't look Chinese to her. So maybe the compression in the footage is just messing with me there, maybe it's my ignorance on Chinese art, or it's just that one model, since no other ZOnai dragon depictions look that asian to me.
It's also, of course, possible that BOTH Mesoamerica and Bronze age China is an influence here and one or the other is simply more prevalent depending on the specific model and texture. I'd probably have more observations and actual conclusions for you if I spent a lot of time on this, but i'm pretty busy and don't have the time to dig into it deeper. But hey, when I have more time, if you want, I'd be down to dig into it further and help with some videos, maybe! If you wanna messag me, on twitte, I'm Majora__Z
The Sheikah technology and the shrines architecture is inspired in the japanese Jomon period.
It's nice to see that someone has also looked closely at the ruins.
I'm very interested in forgotten civilizations, mythology and legends so I watch/read as many documentaries/books as I can.
When I saw the ruins there in BOTW for the first time, I immediately had to think of the Aztecs.
Especially since they had a dragon god.
His name was Quetzalcoatl if I'm not mistaken (hope I spelled it right).
Unfortunately, analyzing ruins in Zelda in more detail is very difficult.
Nintendo just has the talent to blend so many different cultures into one another that you quickly no longer know which ones it could be.
But that's the magic of Zelda for me.
When I saw the walls at the Zonai Ruins I had to think of various temples.
Especially at Ankor Wat, the huge temple complex in Cambodia.
Exactly these walls with the pillars Relifs are there too.
I do it more as a hobby and I'm not a professional.
But it's fun to browse around and wonder what cultures Nintendo took inspiration from.
I was really hoping someone knowledgable on ancient cultures and symbolism related to ToTK would chime in so thanks for that.
I personally think everyone would love it if you dug deeper because your comment has been very illuminating, giving much food for thought.
Thanks for all that Info, this was very interesting :)
Something I find interesting about the title screen is the depiction of the two dragons circling each other. It's reminiscent of the Ouroboros, an ancient Greek and Egyptian myth about a dragon who eats itself and is reborn continually in an endless cycle..... sound familiar? The fact that its in the Zonai art style and the carvings on the wall in the beginning could also maybe be linked to the Zonai as well makes me think that they're far more knowledgable about the Triforce cycle than we thought they were, even with their "ancient understanding" hinted at in Masterworks
The Uroboros isn’t depicted as 2 different serpents with their mouths closed, but rather a single one eating it’s own tail.
I feel like the choice of "tears" could totally be them pulling a double entendre as it could refers to the kingdom crying tears or the kingdom being torn from the ground/underground.
The Japanese name apaprently translates to tears as in crying so it may be unlikely.
@@Mirage475 Ah that's a shame. Could have been a clever play on words!
tear from the maidens who are trapped.. hmm... link to the past anyway... Maidens who are descended from the 7 shamans who created the triforce..
I think the tears are the 7 things around the misterious figure at the begining (which look like the relics in Skyward Sword btw)
@@DivineDefect I think its more of the fact that the floating islands dropped pieces of it to the kingdom below and it could be a play that That Kingdom is crying with its tears (rocks and architecture) falling down for years now.
I think that the first carved figure with the owl face is very likely a depiction of Hylia. It's certainly a Zoni carving and we know that they use owl iconography to depict wisdom, and Hylia is who Zelda is in incarnation of, and she represents wisdom. We also know that the legends of Hylia have persisted and that the Zoni have at the very east adopted some of these legends into their own lore. To further my case, there is a carving that seems to depict Zelda herself, and we see this depiction twice, the second time with her hand entwined with another. The character opposite, while obstructed by the logo, does appear to me this owl faced figure, so this could be interpreted to be a depiction of the connection between Hylia and Zelda.
Maybe. The horns/rabbit ears also makes them look a lot like a Blupee, at least to me. Maybe there’s a relation to the Lord of the Mountain?
@@akakay0131 This could also be accurate, The King of the Mountain is a representation of reincarnation after all.
What about Gaepora the owl?
@@Mirage475 The light temple guardian? Yeah its all tied together.. Look back at skyward sword, and a link to the past... 7 maidens.. 7 pendants/tears.. decedents to the 7 shamans who created the triforce..
@@crisnmaryfam7344 The Seven Sages are very important, yeah. They didn’t create the Triforce though, that was the 3 Golden Goddesses. LttP did say the Sages made the Master Sword, but that was mostly retconned by Skyward Sword.
The landscape looks much more stylized now in a few shots. I really like it and it blends with link more.
I think its just low poly version of the map looking at it from afar and at different angles than in BoTW
Good job catching that green spiral! I was exploring the area with the glowing patterns last week, coincidentally. It looking south from Rito Village, roughly. The glowing hill is Illumeni Plateau. To the left is Seres Scablands and Washa's Bluff. To the right is Tanagar Canyon and its Great Bridge.
Oh, it's interesting that you interpreted the falling figure as Zelda. Zeltik over on his channel saw that figure as Ganondorf in the pose from the original teaser and the second figure holding hands with another as Zelda bc of the dress looking similar to hers. I really really need to have this game right about now.
I have the feeling that the diety is the zonai depiction of Hylia (since the Zonai has the tendency to use animal imagery when it comes to their architecture). And the deity standing on the floating island reminds me of Skyward Sword's giant Hylia statue.
Hear me out, but I think the first thing we see in the mural is meant to be a guardian of the silent realm like in Skyward Sword, as we see the same figure surrounded by the (presumed) titular tears of the kingdom later. What did the guardians of the silent realm guard? The sacred tears, which have to be collected to prove Link's spiritual growth and get him access to special items to progress through certain areas.
It can't be coincidence they released SSHD so close to launch and included the skydiving so prominently, right?
Just Google an image. Yes that is totally a Skyward Sword Silent Realm Guardian! Maybe because we re-reforge the Master Sword?
Yeah I just came here to say that the 'spirals' surrounding the figure on the wall look strikingly similar to dusk relics which can only be found in the silent realm. Like the previous commentor here mentioned I'm also thinking it has to do with hylia and the master sword being broke
6:33 If the thing on Link's hip 4:09 is energy for Link to use magic abilities, then maybe that green spiral place is where you can go and get more energy after you have used it. Those places would be in many places over the map. :)
There are places for eight vials. So if it's energy for magic abilities, then you probably get first just one, and you have to do something to get more vials. And then you can use more magic abilities and more often. :)
This would be a really cool way of justifying having really powerful Zonai tech like that portable flamethrower, and using chronos powers, tear drop magic to traverse to the skies, without it seeming overpowered. I like this idea, because you would probably have to fight your way to those spiral points.
My theory for the Volcano is Ganon is using malice to trap/paralyze the Divine Beasts where they stood at the end of BotW. If what we fought in the first game was more like Phantom Ganon being puppeted by a still-mostly sealed Ganon and now Physical Ganon is going to be freed, then he might just be strong enough to basically trap the Beasts in a maelstrom of malice.
I hope to God this game is going to tell the story of the disappearance of the Zonai. Could the title refer to tears of the Zonai Kingdom? I can’t freaking wait. Already put in for vacation for 5/12/23!
May? :(
A few thoughts: I assumed the two hylian figures shown in the wall carvings were both zelda, with the left figure she's holding hands with being that enigmatic new character in the first shot. Also, I think its safe to assume that the vials on link's hip and the reverse teardrop puddle from the second trailer are both related to the title. A lot of zelda titles highlight the main mechanic of the game. What if the "tears of the kingdom" are physical tears that we are going to use in some way?
The falling figure and the one holding hands with the deity thing are definitely the same...same face, same ears, same dress, same hair. And the green Nazca Lines thing on the mountain at the end is also the same figure but upside down.
If you remember the way link teleports up the sky in the old trailer, it was from a water droplet dropping down from above and then getting sent back up. Those are the tears, I think the kingdom itself will be crying and have these droplets everywhere, and they can be used to teleport back in time to whatever caused the kingdom to cry.
Maybe that figure is hylia? Since shes every Zelda’s ancestor. She shares a blood tie to this zelda, just as she has to every zelda in the past.
It almost evokes the Tears of Light from Twilight Princess. Which makes sense, as Tears of the Kingdom and Breath of the Wild both evoke Twilight Princess a lot. (From Ganondorf having a chest wound/weakness, to being one of the few games that's explicitly canon to its timeline.)
@@normal6483 While I would like to see the Twili again; I doubt that is the case. Also, An earlier trailer shown Ganondorf has similar wounds on more than just his chest (if I remember correctly).
So this trailer definitely confirmed that the original overworld is going to have some changes to it. Not just in the sky islands, but also the surface. Those runes on the ground, that energy spiral, I think this world is going to be slightly different from the original, where we know every major landmark, but also there's a feeling of "That wasn't there before!"
I’m almost certain the 7 orbs / vials Link carries are likely Tears of Light, which plays into the game’s title.
Nice video for an early analysis ! Lots of things I didn't notice !
People already mentioned these points in various comments but imo :
-The person standing is also probably Zelda since they have a very similar design as the one falling. You can see she is holding hands with the new deity in wall carving behind the title reveal btw
-The green markings on the mountains are a person, probably the new weird deity (Zelitik's 180° flip makes it very clear)
-Just a thought but the 7 objets might be the "tears"
And for the people saying it could be the tears as in to tear something, the japanese title is clear about it being crying tears.（テアー vs ティア）
Watching this again a couple weeks later, I think the carvings are pretty much depicting the first trailer. The falling person is Zelda and the standing person is Link, whose arm is entangled with the Deity's arm, symbolizing how the Deity is transfering its powers to link by grabbing his arm. Who the Deity is, I'm not sure. I'm betting on the theory of it being one of the Guardians of the secret realm, mostly because of how strong the connections to SS are all over in this game, and how it would link to the tears depicted around it.
My two cents: I think the platform the long eared figure is standing on in the carving (2:25) looks like a stylized representation of the grey tower with the crescent roof (4:46) we’ve seen in this and the last teaser. Maybe it’s an early dungeon where the figure in the carving is locked away or some such.
Another great video. I can hardly wait for your full analysis!
The long awaited analysis from the best of the best!! 🤩
Good job on this Don, very quick too! Looking forward to what else you've got on the way :D
Thank you for taking the time to make a video despite your voice hurting ♥
So much awesomeness in this trealer and exciting theories already !!
Mine is that the enigmatic figure that look a lot like an owl of course but especially Kaepora Gaebora would be a sort of owl Deity from the Zonai.
Following the symbolism of the Zonai (Dragon, Owl and Boar ) it would make indeed sense to have this figure interacting with Zelda ( Owl-wisdom) or at least... An ancient version of Zelda who seemed to fall at some point ? I mean... Just like our Zelda felt in the trailer ! ( Putting the present situation as a mirror of what arrived in theses ancient times ?)
If so ! Maybe the green hand from the first trailer could be the Dragon deity one ? Since they save Link from falling too and give him his arms ?
I wonder if this orouboros logo is not something like : Two dragons - so... Two Links (the actual and the ancient one) working together to bring back a balance in the broken cycle of both areas since... The two Zelda have fallen ?)
It may be a strech XDDD But anyway I'm more than thrilled to see the Zonai Deity designs if it's this !!!!!!! ♥♥♥
Thank you again for your video !! I enjoy so much your theories !!!!
So everyone is focused on the ouroboros, which is all well and good, but another important symbolism is the twin dragons or "twinnings" which I think may be Buddhist and it means duality, which would make sense in respect to Zelda, as she is both the Goddess Hylia, and since Skyward Sword a mortal incarnation.
I have a pet theory that isn't just Zelda that has a counterpart, but Ganondorf, and Link too. It would explain why Link is wearing such archaic, Greek looking robes in some shots, and has longer unkempt hair. I maintain that this game will traverse time and go back and forth between Post BOTW, and then before the Zonai were wiped out.
I think it's also probable that the 7 symbols surrounding the malanya-looking spirit figure on the ancient relief are the tears which give the game it's name, possibly some iteration of sacred tears or tears of light; maybe they are even what that glowing element was in the clips on the update trailer posted to twitter a couple of months ago
Here are my notes about the teaser:
What if the deity-like image in the codex isn’t standing but sitting like the sheikah monks (Zonai were Sheikah ancestors and maybe they disappeared after some cataclysmic war?), another detail is the sheikah looking eyes. I think the vials in Link’s pouch are some kind of magic that enables the ability we saw in the previous teaser of ascending to the sky islands when interacting with ponds. If you rotate the green drawing on top of the mountain it looks like the “Zelda”-ish carving in the codex.
Speaking of the title I can theorize two statements: Tears of the Kingdom as referring to the doom and fall of Hyrule (the end of the chronology?) or Tears as literally Hyrule being teared apart. We’ll see in May.
Hope my writing is clear, it’s a long time since I’ve practiced my writing. Greetings from Mexico!
The "Kingdom" in the title may also be referring to a different Kingdom entirely one possibly related to the Zonai who's ancient civilization shared a similar fate to Hyrule's thousands of years ago when they too fell victim to the Calamity which destroyed their Sky Realm and forced the remaining Zonai to live amongst the mortals in Hyrule building temples and constructions in the Faron regions and beyond only to become extinct by the time the events of Breath of the Wild happened. The "Tears" could also be related to the many small floating islands which may hold what little remnants of Zonai history still intact.
I know this is a stretch, but the fact that the glowing orb from the last trailer looked similar to the orb from Twilight Princess and the name Tears of the Kingdom matches with it, because each light spirit had one of the orbs on it, and it required Tears of light. This one is a bit more of a stretch, but the way that the Tears of the Kingdom logo looks similar to the Sol ball in the twilight realm feels connected. This one could just be a common style change, but it’s still worth it to bring it up.
There is snow on the island because some are torn from surface of original map. Maybe holes will serve as a passage to underground level as well, like Elden Ring for recent example?
They also showed climbing only on roots next to suspiciously flat-surfaced walls, maybe it's a hint towards climbing being a little bit more limited?
Ah so happy so many zelda tubers are already making videos, really makes the trailer last longer in a way haha
I think the figure that you said might be an ancient incarnation of zelda, is actually ganondorf. The pose is the same as the one we see ganondorf's corpse suspended in, and they share the glowy circle on the forehead. If the main diety is believed to be hylia, then the final image we see of the two of them, may be the eternal conflict between hylia and ganondorf. this would also explain why their hands are like that, because they are mirroring the infinite duality/struggle of the ouroboros symbol that appears over them
It is definitely made to be ambiguous on purpose so good job Aonuma lol.
Hi Don, just wanna say two things: 1. I'm really amazed at how close your animations are to the actual thing, that's very impressive, good job! 2. Given the similarities between the concepts and some design elements, I'm very much expecting a good ol collaboration with Xenoblade 3. Good games always share inspirations and come from Monolith Soft lol.
I mean, there was a collab between botw and Xeno 2 so maybe
And the ouroboros symbolism! That's a pretty neat link it can share with Xenoblade 3, innit?
They had collars already?
2:00; malice would definitely make more sense, but in this art style, it also reminds me of the rectangular black and red twilight enemy patterns. Furthermore, the eyes on that first figure remind me of Majora's mask, and I'm fairly positive there was also a Sheikah eye symbol on the first door opened by Link (3:49). Where have we seen those 2 eye symbols and twilight patterns in the past? Midna's stone helmet. A stretch to be sure, but a cool one, I think.
dude i can’t wait to play this game. it looks so good.
Bruh we havent seen anything yet, it looks like BOTW, we dont even know if actual dungeons will return. Im excited too but it doesnt look good yet. Or at least not any better than anything weve yet seen
@@HuhJuhWuh so it looks bad?
@@HuhJuhWuh I think it looks good. Honestly, you are right in the sense that we still really do know nothing. We have no context for anything we havve seen and no story stuff asside from the first teaser really, but I don't need more to think it looks good. Like BOTW but with Sky Islands automatically looks good to me.
@@HuhJuhWuh actin like half of us aren’t fine with just breath of the wild again lol
I think the “pattern” near Hyrule Castle is just the Castle Town grounds. Location fits and there seems to still be the ramparts around it.
I'm not so sure - Castle Town is more up and right in frame (south on the map), while this weird mark is almost directly west of the castle
No one should ever try to guess a Zelda title, as it is nearly impossible to do.
I thought the one figure in the glyphs near the end was supposed to be Zelda. The title is really cool and promises a darker zelda game, which are always my favorite. Loved all the little glimpses we got. The gameplay, story bits, atmosphere, all look great. If those cartridges are like the magic meter, then it'd be cool if it were metered out like the horse stamina. Like there would be little Zonai teardrops under your health and they recharge or you have to smash luminous rocks to refill it, or use luminous chunks to recharge.
I thinking those big Nazca Lines looking things in the final shot may be something crucial to the main quest. Like Link has to go somewhere to illuminate those lines in a manner not too different from saving the divine beasts. The first one closer to Hyrule Castle almost resembles a Rito to my eyes, and the second one could either be a female Hylian or Zora (Zora might be a stretch. I just think it looks like the queen Zora from Twilight Princess.) Maybe Link will have to traverse a Sky Temple of some sort to project them down onto the ground.
So my theory is that the "tears of the kingdom" is how link gains his new abilities - that puddle we saw that turned into a teardrop.
Perhaps these flasks on link's belt is how he stores them
I’m starting to wonder if the Zonai split between a sky tribe and a land tribe in the distant past. Because the heads of the dragon engravings on the door match up so well with the dragon heads we’ve seen in Faron. But NOTHING ELSE about the sky island architecture matches: they’re all built from large, smooth blocks of stone that lack the engravings from Zonai structures in BOTW. The cave structures from the 2019 TOTK trailer match much better. So maybe at some point, the tribe split between Ganon worshippers and people devoted to Hylia?
A lot of people seemed surprised that there is snow in the floating islands, naturally being that high up there is a very good chance of being snow, look at the tallest mountains in the world. To me it's very realistic and and I love it, links going to need some warm gear up there!
Usually I can’t tell when someone is sick or is losing their voice or horse in RUclips videos but I immediately noticed it straight from the beginning right before he even mentioned it so uhh your voice must have been EXTREMELY messed up for ME to notice it glad you got better
Definitely some kind of Zonai god figure and I think the long hair guy is Ganondorf making a deal with it.
The 7 Sage tokens could also be for 7 tears.
It looks like you can skydive straight down from the islands into Hyrule, which is awesome!
When he's climbing that island with the tree on it, I bet the walls of the island are unclimbable since he he strictly on the tree.
Lots of Twilight Princess imagery, and art design too.
The drawing on top of the mountain is actually really similar to the stone carving of the Zelda incarnation seen earlier in the trailer.
I just looked at the poster for the game. And there are three things in it. The Death Mountain spuing malice, Hyryle Castle with malice, and then there is a slightly pinkish tornado looking place. That could be the Deku Tree and and the Lost Wood. :)
Thank you for the video! Hope your voice will recover soon!
The wall behind the logo at the end seems like it is the shot at 3:25 only in full view. I think it is Zelda together with the creature we saw earlier at 1:39 or 2:38. Above them are two of the "orbs" from 2:41
Two tribes maybe joining together or two people with some kind of power combining there powers to create something.
Legitimately can’t wait! Looks sick!!!!
The 7 circles are the 7 “tears of hyrule” tears have been used in previous Zelda games. Probably 7 tears within 7 dungeons used to restore the master sword.
Hey don, If you look in the title screen you can see on the wall behind the logo the Zelda character and the god like creature are the ones interlocking hands. I think whoever this character is could be the original owner of the hand.
In the start is the war between the demise and zonai before skyward sword when he get trapped
The long hair women is godes hylia
The zonai are the creator of the Lanayru mining
What trying to escape from ganondorf's body is the demise
And In skyward sword to "unfroze" areas you collecting tears tha they protected by knight with face and ears like the figure in the altar (zonai)
Has anyone else even noticed the massive holes in the ground underneath each floating island which makes me think that we're going to see how the islands get up into the sky in this game like how the castle is floating now I feel like the islands are on the ground but broke loose and went up to the sky in this game and I think we're going to see that cuz again there's massive holes in the ground in the shape of each island.
The ‘tears of the kingdom’ must be objects of power that we collect from temples. The wall carvings show that monk looking guy with 7 tears around him. Much like rescuing sages in past zelda games. I’ve also just thought what if each tear is related to different Links in the past and gives botw link abilities they once had? For example the ability to move things back in time such as that boulder in the first real trailer relates to the hero of time? As he travelled in time/reverted time in majoras mask. A link between worlds Link gives us the ability to merge through the islands like he could merge into walls as a painting? This is very far fetched but everyone has their own theories and here’s mine lol
So, the hero of Winds, Twilight, Time, and Sky would definitely get in in that case. Then.. the LTTP/Oracle link, the original NES link, and the link between worlds link like you mentioned?
@@meatmobile Potentially, however I wouldn’t know what other abilities there would be. Maybe the hero of the sky’s ability is to be able to summon that glider looking thing which represents a loft wing? I am probably wrong but no shame in taking a guess haha
Ahh! This was great early analysis! Loved it! I just wanted to say that I think the laying down/bent back figure is Ganondorf from the first trailer and the figure with the cupped hand is Zelda. Dunno why they have stylized forehead eyes, maybe there's a connection to having powers, sacred or otherwise.
Also I wanted to throw out a request: Monster Maze, If at any point you have the time could you please make another trailer compilation like your "The Big Puzzle" video? I just thought that was the coolest thing, and I'd to see everything we know now all in one big trailer.
So, regarding the title: TEARS OF THE KINGDOM.
In that mural with the characters and seven orbs, the symbols in those orbs kind of look like tears. So this scene might implicate we have to collect 7 tears, maybe in 7 different dungeons.
Then we see those cartridges hanging on Link's belt. There is enough room for 8 cartridges, but they might actually contain those tears that we have to collect.
And then there is this new ability to fly upwards and through the ceiling. How do you activate that, based on the earlier teaser video? Correct: It's a water drop, or - a tear!
Also, just as a side notice: They chose an interestingly similar title to the first game. Breath of the Wild - Tears of the Kingdom. Most certainly not a coincidence. Tears and breath are both parts of living people; and the kingdom is a contrast to the bare wild we had in the first game.
Maybe those 7 icons represent the "tears" that maybe need to be collected throughout the game like in 7 dungeons? The zonai vibes are strong and I'm all for it! My mind is racing with theories now and I can't wait to see what everyone thinks!
Personal theory is that the tear shaped things on the mural could be pieces of the triforce that got broken and that's why it's never mentioned and why two of them coming together looks important. It's a long shot but I think it's cool.
Excellent video, as always. The circle image on the title reminds me of an Ouroboros, which Zeltik already pointed out
just here to appreciate how fast you did this im so happy your video came so fast!
Maybe the first character with the owl-like eyes could be a reincarnation of Kaepora Gaebora
6:33 Very Nazca lines reminiscent. Gives the feel of "left there by a ancient people for us to find later"...
And the beginning art style resembles Incas/Aztects. :)
Hey Monster Maze! So this was pointed out to me by a friend, but for the figure you pointed out at 6:21, if you rotate the image upside down it becomes a humanoid figure similar to something we see earlier in the trailer.
The glowing rune on the surface that you see before the title reveal looks like one of the murals at the start of the trailer, just upside down, and I think the 7 orbs around that mural of the "elder" might just represent the 7 heroines instead of the Sages (the "elder" could be the lost 8th heroine?). Would be interesting if this game is centered around those 7/8 heroines and perhaps there are giant runes around the map now that somehow lead Link to dungeons based around each of those heroines. Just a thought.
The possibility of the heroines being of Zonai descent is also there if this were true. Additionally, the new item on Link's hip has 8 slots, perhaps these could be given after completing each dungeon? Maybe this is how we reforge the Master Sword, collecting the essence/spirit of each heroine to cleanse the sword of its blight. Or could just be a way to limit his abilities like you said and I'm way overthinking this haha
Either way I'm so stoked for this game, and can't wait for your next videos on it! :D
Just a thought, I think the floating figure could be Ganondorf. You see malice reaching below him and its the same pose from one of the previous trailers.
Honestly couldn't believe what I was seeing when the trailer appeared i was just as excited as you were
Perhaps the island with the elder like thing on it is the Monk Maz Koshia arena. The green swirls could be Zonai spirals. What if they represent a spirit? Maybe that's what the green stuff in the vial thing Link has. He can release them, giving him powers? So much new information. I still call it BotW 2 in my head though.
So this is my theory for this game.
We'll start the game in a Hyrule that looks just like the one on BOTW and with the divine beasts failing Link and Zelda will attempt to figure out what is causing this by investigating a series of underground "temples" which will work as the first set of temples in the game this will lead to them discovering the body of Ganondorf and accidentally breaking the spell or seal that is upon his body (similar to what Link and Zelda did in ocarina of time with the (Spiritual Stones) by attempting to do good they will release an old evil.
These temples or whatever they are will contain different segments of the Ganondorf history we've seen this far hence why we have seen different style murals in what seem to be underground places and they could be locations hidden in similar way to the spot where we find the diamond circlet, not necessarily under the labyrinths but hidden in similar way around Hyrule.
Once Ganondorf is released from the seal/spell whatever it is he will curse the land which will result in all the malice eruptions and change in the world this can explain why in the trailers we can see both a calm Hyrule and chaos.
Here comes the crazy part of my theory... So the Central figure we see in the latest trailer is non other than Midna (Look at the similarities of her "human" form and the mural) This also explains why she and Zelda are holding hands on the mural on the latest trailer since Zelda told her "light and dark are two sides of the same coin" (End of Twilight) and this Zelda did have long hair so they stand opposite each other holding hands...
Hear me up the first time we hear the term DIVINE BEAST is during the cutscene as we are to enter the Twili realm and it is no other than Midna Saying it as a reference to Link.
So the Zonai are either Twili worshipers or the Twili themselves that were entrusted to guard Ganondorf who could have spit into two groups one worshiping Ganondorf and the others preventing his resurrection leading to their own annihilation (Similar to the Yiga and Sheikah)
This would explain my following ideas
1. Malice is nothing more than a type of Dark energy that Ganondorf has been gathering from the Twili realm since at the end he does not posses the Triforce of power he survived by consuming this energy. (During the our time in the Twili realm when first facing the black fog Midna mentions Zand made this fog from "dark crystals"), also as wolf link while using our senses this fog changes colour to purple same as malice plus he can not be around it in human form which explains why touching malice corrupts. This can explain why link being the chosen hero is only affected by it in this way so close to the source since the concentration near the source is at it's highest levels.
Curiously all corrupted enemies in this Game do carry marks of this energy on their bodies while non corrupted Twili inside the realm carry green markings on their bodies . (Ganondorf has been able to get this energy due to his connection to Zand somehow since the last thing he sees before "dying" is Zand and in the farewell scene Midna does say "Never forget there's another world bound to this one."
2. The green energy is the opposite of Malice. Now we see link carrying in cartridges or whatever they are as well as the hand are the positive energy from the Twili realm just like the spheres we use in the Twili realm to cleanse the Malice away and turn back the people from the realm back to normal and powered their city. (Also the Twili realm are a bunch of floating islands similar to the ones in the latest trailer)
3. Whenever we see link using his new arm it has a glow which could mean that Zelda was trapped in the Twili realm once she fell
and the abilities we get is her essence helping us from the Twili realm.
During Twilight princess when on Hyrule Midna appears to be our shadow and since Zelda is the opposite to Midna she would be represented as a shining beacon and it shines in a similar way to the way seems to be holding the calamity during the events of BOTW.
This could explain why in the first trailer we got we saw both energies seemingly flowing from that inverted pyramid thingy Malice in the center and the positive energy around it attempting to contain it (the green energy resembles the text around the portal to the Twili realm more than any other scripture of Hyrule also hear the voice from Midna at the end of twilight princess and compare it to the chanting in the trailer) anyway... it has been so long since the events from Twilight princess it has started leaking from Ganondorf. (Since they are opposite energies they do not mix and or repel each other hence why portals in twilight princes change color once we have conquered them)
This could also explain the 7 heroines in the Gerudo desert and the mysterious 8th heroine could be Midna?
@MonsterMaze
Okay, this is fasinating to me! Zeltik said he thinks the figure falling is possible Ganondorf and the other figure looks sort of like Zelda. However, you're seeing the falling figure as a possible past Zelda and the other as possible a past Link or the ancient hero. I like that you both have your own thoughts on this. Both of them made me think of Zelda (not the current one) when I first saw the trailer, just different scenes. It'll be interesting to learn who they actually represent.
My guess is the giant being is the original owner of the Green Arm. The being seems to tower over the other figure, and the hand holding Ganondorf appeared to be huge.
If I'm correct, I get a feeling the right silhouette is probably Link, with the mural at the end symbolizing the two of them joining forces via their arm.
I Love the Trailer and your thoughts on it! And again, your voice always sounds good.
Great video! I never noticed the thing on his hip very intriguing!
A few observations of my own:
1. 3:00 I've seen a few people interpret this character as a female figure (mainly Zelda) But to me, my first thought is that it actually looks like Ganondorf in his current suspended form, complete with the long hair, arched back and everything, obviously the arm holding him down is missing so I don't know for sure but I just haven't seen many people make that parallel
2: 3:24 This figure on the other hand actually does look like Zelda (or maybe an ancestor/ Hylia) It could just be me but it seems like the dress this figure is wearing looks just like the white ceremonial robe that Zelda wears.
As for the person who is looping hands with them, I personally feel like this could also be Ganondorf simply due to it's large size and the theory that Ganon may also be a part of some ritual or ceremony that they need him for, hence why they go looking for his corpse.
3: 5:09 Many people have noticed/ pointed this out but there appears to be a huge storm cloud or Thunder head in the sky here that looks like it's covering some other floating island, probably somewhere important (maybe a temple?)
4: 5:28 While there isn't much here to disect I did notice the particles and fog here seems to indicate this is a forest-y area most likley above the lost woods, or perhaps the skies very own forest?
5: 5:50 Just an extra point here, they also released the cover art at the same time which I'm sure you've seen by now, but you get a better looks at both Death Mountain and Hyrule castle and can see that they have the same giant malice tendrils coming out of them! You can also see what looks like a giant tornado like thing in that picture but that's a topic for another video I'm sure.
6: 6:04 You can also a see a giant crater right next to that, most likley where an island has shot up from, exciting to see what might be in that crater and what other there may be!
7: 6:21 If you actually look at this upside down you can see that this is actually appears to be one of the figures depicted in the mural at the beginning! Again, looks like Zelda to me but who knows!
EDIT: I just realised that the full image of the figures looping hands at 3:24 can actually be seen behind the title reveal at the very end! It seems that the other figure is the main central "owl-masked god thing" that we see right at the beginning!
Thanks for taking the time to make an analysis, even if your voice was not OK. You should've rested it first, but I am very thankful for the sacrifice you've made in order to get something up to share your opinions with us. 🙌🏼 You're always realistic and honest with your analysis, I appreciate it, man.
I'm genuinely convinced the new Deity is Majora. It resembles them so much and the oroboros symbol just makes that connection so much stronger
The circles surrounding the figure on the mural strongly resemble the drums depicted surrounding the thunder god Raijin. A Japanese studio wouldn't include that symbolism on accident, especially when Nintendo has made so many references to Raijin (and Fujin) in so many of their games
Could be that Nintendo has created their own Zelda version of both Raijin and Fujin who had some kind of relationship with the Zonai and in turn Ganondorf for as of yet unknown reasons. Maybe the villain this time around won't be Ganondorf himself but instead one of this 2 new deities.
PUT ME IN A HIBERNATION CHAMBER AND WAKE ME UP WHEN OTS OUT
I did not notice Death Mountain‘s malice… damn, I would not be surprised if there’s a dungeon there. It would be really cool if the tunnels under Hyrule Castle connected to others all around Hyrule (letting malice erupt out of the mountain) and Link has to clear them of malice or something? Maybe the underground Hebra dungeon from that really old video collaboration about underwater traversal could be a thing in some form.
For all the stuff they were saying about the title being plot-relevant, Tears of the Kingdom doesn’t seem that specific to me… just makes it seem like it’s going to be sad- wait, what if Zelda dies-
Anyway. Great video, Don, looking forward to more!
Did we see how Malice reacts to water? Malice coming from an underground crack could solidify into an island.
Keen for your full analysis, take your time buddy 😊
You may also notice as a small fun detail, that the dragons are also present in the floating island world. Head and tail seen behind a far left isle in the distance just before Link dives off.
Thanks for the vid and I hope you feel better soon
I’m still absolutely convinced that the floating islands are part of the sacred realm that have been pulled into Hyrule by Ganondorf in a bid for the Triforce. They just evoke the sense of that original artwork for the sacred realm from LttP and everything looks gold and godly. It’s what I’ve thought since we originally saw the islands
Short and sweet. Good job dude
Thank you for that video analyse. 🥺💘
The seven orbs look like they either have the zonai swirl or possibly a magatama inside? Interesting! Great video, thank you for making it despite your sore throat! Take care of it 🙂
The first thing that popped into my head was the story will show the first recorded example of the curse of demise and the cycle with the first “ganondorf” and the people’s attempt at sealing it away. Or it’s the ocarina of time / TLP Ganondorf which I guess would be more likely but it was still a fun hypothetical. I’m finally excited about the game again, I had absolutelyyyy given up a lot of hope haha
If the Zonai are a different species, then the Barbarian Armor fitting Link perfectly is pretty strange. They’d have to be very closely related to Hylians, like the Sheikah and Gerudo.
Also I’m pretty sure the second figure, the one you couldn’t identify, is also Zelda, the same one in the falling pose. Their clothing and hair seems identical, and they both have the forehead thing (which to me looks like just a part of her hair).
If you’ve seen Zeltik’s video, he pointed out the large glowing glyph on the ground is the same figure as that mysterious one in the carving, albeit in profile and viewed from upside down.
Maybe the Zonai are a "subspecies" of Hylian similar to the Sheikah and Gerudo who both mostly ressemble Hylians with some slight physical features like white hair and tanned skin. Maybe the Zonai afe part of a trio with the Sheikah and Gerudo as representatives of the 3 pieces of the Triforce.
@@javiervasquez625 I’m pretty sure Hylians, Sheikah, and Gerudo are all actually subspecies of humans, hence why they can all interbreed.
I’m not sure about the Triforce thing though. We already have the Gorons, Zora, and Kokiri/Koroks for that.
@@akakay0131 Definetly not "subspecies" considering the divine purpose behind the Hylians and co's pointy ears implying the Goddessess choosing the Hylian race to be able to "hear the messages from the Gods" as stated by Shad in Twilight Princess. It's safe to assume the Hylian race is *above* the human race for they're the ones who continue to birth Link and Zelda to do battle with Ganondorf's many reincarnations.
Yeah i agree on the "Triforce trio" part i was just speculating for speculating's sake so i don't have a strong basis for this scenario to be plausible. We'll just have to wait and see what the Zeldatubers are able to discover in this brief trailer.
@@javiervasquez625 “Hylian” and “human” are actually used pretty interchangeably. In Twilight Princess, Link is called a human by a Goron, and Telma’s cat refers to everyone in the bar as humans, even though some are Hylians. Even Ganondorf is called a human by Zelda in FSA.
Maybe “subspecies” was the wrong word. “Race” is more accurate.
@@akakay0131 Yes i know that technically both humans and hylians are seen as the "same" species without difference but clear distinction between pointy eared humans(Hylians) and round eared human (normal humans) it's easy to confuse the both of them by assuming both can be called Hylian interchangeably.
Yes i agree with you race fits better in this context just like the Lake Zora and River Zora.
Horse or not, I love the sound of your voice Don. Can't wait for more videos. Also the figure at 6:20 if you flip it around its a depiction of the deity or whatever in a side profile.
I hope those vials on Link's hip are healing items. I found being able to shove 10 steaks down your throat to heal in BOTW made combat too easy and not punishing enough when you got hurt. So if he has some sort of limited healing items, like Dark Soul's Estus Flask, I would like that a lot more.
I just noticed the horns on the bokoblins in the cave paintings are long like the ones we saw in the second trailer (riding the stone talus and getting hit by the time-reversed spiked ball).
That means one of two things. Either the gameplay featuring the Bokobline is from the same time as the cave paintings, or the cave paintings are a prophecy of something in the future.
I hope that the vessel holder on Links side unlocks different locations. For example each tear opens up another area or floating island. That way it's still open but you can't just go to any area immediately but you can choose which area to unlock first. Maybe by beating a dungeon/tunnel. Thanks for the content!
I think the green markings on the ground (when Link is on that glider thing) is actually one of the characters depicted in the wall art (or at least in a similar style), but upside down from our perspective. As for who it is, I'm thinking it's whoever owned the magic green hand from earlier trailers. The style reminds me heavily of the "jewelry" the hand/arm is wearing in the first look trailer from E3 2019 (check the 43 second mark for reference).
One more thing. When the title is revealed, we get a more complete picture of one of the wall arts. Looks to me like the figure on the left is the same person we see a front view of at the beginning of the teaser. I think this is depicting a leader/mage/witchdoctor making a pact with the person on the right - possibly giving them power to guard/protect/seal Ganondorf's rotting corpse. This could explain where that green hand in the first trailer came from. If so, then the markings on the ground could be this same person after they were given their power, which could have altered their appearance.
I get so happy when I watch the three trailer but then i realize
I have to go through an entire school year before this comes out
"As far as I know, no one guessed correctly"
IVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS VIDEO!!!
At the end, behing the game title is the thing we see in the trailer on a wall where someone (past hero/past zelda or?) is forming a circle with his hand and the hand of someone else, who happens to be the godlike figure we saw even earlier in the trailer who was on a platform in the sky with the seven flying things
The carving or mural reminds me a lot of the blupees and the Lord of the Mountains face. Maybe some connections to an even greater spirit?
So excited for the game!!!
"A title wich, as far as i'm aware nobody guessed correctly"
yea i felt that
The figure that is "floating" or "falling" is very likely a hint pointing towards a ritual that involves Zelda. Possibly even connected to access of the triforce.
Mystery Figure - Hylia or a Occa from Twilight Princess
"Floating/Falling" figure is Ganondorf as the pose is similar to Mummydorf's posture while sealed
3rd figure - Zelda, as the long hair and attire is similar to Zelda when she is in her ceremonial dress going into the springs.
One of my theories is that the island link jumps off of and how some islands have different climates, that location is actually the great plateau
Considering the long hand/fingers the strange figure in the carving has my theory is that this depicts the person whose green glowing hand we see on ganondorfs chest in previous teasers