This theory gets even better when a speedrunner is playing. Think about a Link that knows its a simulation and starts taking advantage of glitches to beat it.
Alternate idea as to why weapons explode into blue sheikah tech: the weapons are digitized to be stored in the Sheikah Slate for use later! It's why Link can carry so much on him, swapping out as needed! It explains why they explode like they do, plus how Hestu can increase our carrying space.
Actually, Link stores everything he acquires in that pocket-dimensional pouch on his belt. You grab a sword while you already have one equipped, a new piece of clothing from a chest or material, he puts it in his pouch. Is that so easy to overlook?
as for the weapon explosion animation, just for effect on the player. It's like how monsters don't bleed or show gore when Link cuts them with his sword just to keep a fairly all-ages rating.
Link finally wakes up for real in his 100 year slumber. Having played Breath of the Wild so many times, with an estimated 800 hours of playtime, he proceeds to speedrun calamity ganon and scare the butts off of everyone.
Alternate ending: After 800 hours of practice, Link springs awake, grabs a scrap of wood for use as a shield, and flips into the wall, giving himself a concussion and spending another 100 years recovering.
All the people saying that the slate digitizes weapons we pick up, this would also explain why the weapons Link uses aren't durable in the slightest. Sheikah weaponry is notoriously brittle under pressure (see: guardian and royal guard's weaponry), and none of these same weapons break when used by enemies, but somehow, the moment we pick them up, they start to break? Maybe it has to do with the digitization process.
Nah, it's just game mechanics. Like how in other games, the bad guys have infinite bullets, you kill them, take their gun, and can only use like 30 bullets.
@@g.masterlordoftheg-force4770 *Takes off glasses* *Puts on glasses* *Takes off glasses* *Puts on glasses* *Puts on a **_second_** pair of glasses* Is your argument "It's just a game?" That completely ignores the point of the conversation.
@@CoralCopperHead Did you ignore my other sentence? For BOTW, there is nothing that lets us know that the slate stores items. In Zelda Twilight Princess, there is an actual explanation. You can magically store items thanks to Midna. In BOTW, storing items is just a game mechanic. In Twilight Princess, it’s an actual thing with an in-game explanation.
A somewhat related theory, is that the slate does turn items into digital information, kind of like the transporters in Star Trek, for the ultimate storage capabilities. Unfortunately, there is a minor memory leak, which causes items to shatter the way they do.
When link puts something away or pulls it out, he reaches down to the right to a set of pouches on the right side of his hip. The slate is hanging from his left hip. The pouches are referred to as an Inventory in game too, since Beedle says that he will get somebody to steal the beetles from it. I think what’s going on is that those pouches act like a bag of holding, one for money one for items. Most likely enchanted by the Koroks or Great Deku tree, and given to Link after he claimed the master sword. Since it’s a one of a kind pouch, which was made specifically for link, nobody else in Hyrule has these containers, and therefore need bags and donkeys to carry stuff about.
I was playing earlier when i fast traveled, link disappears into a Blue stringy mist and is reassembled on the Teleport slot so they got something matter related.
Meanwhile, Zelda in shades and a black coat to Link after he wakes up: "Link... You take the blue rupee, the story ends... You go back to Shrine of Resurrection and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red rupee... You stay in Hyrule and I show you how deep the bluepee hole goes."
@@Mboi1836 there's a dialogue for lazy villagers in New Horizons specifically, who start saying: "Do you notice how there's nice music playing everywhere? And fruit grows way too fast?" And other things. They then play it off as a joke, saying they "ate too much last night and had weird dreams" 🙃
@@kaizer712 man, dont you hate it when people have fun? Curse those people who like the game so much they want to contribute to the fandom. Fck those guys in particular amiright?
@@midgematic8659 Oh definitely. People telling themselves they like something and the only thing they can say about it is a theory that has been applied to almost every piece of media, its like "How FUN would it be if the thing that already didn't happen didn't happen EVEN MORE?!" Its almost like its so lacking in creativity its actually reductive :D
imagine waking up after totk and its like "okay, now do it for real this time." and you have to fight the calamity from 10,000 years ago and it brings us back to the beginning of the timeline like some theorize.
Wasn't one of the earliest concepts of the very first "The Legend of Zelda" that everything was computer related, like microchips instead of the Triforce or something like that? I think it's also one of the reasons Link is named Link, like in a Hyper"link" and because he was the link between multiple worlds, which they incorporated in "A Link to the Past" for the first time. Since "Breath of the Wild" was developed as a return to the original concept of the initial game in the series, that might not be too far-fetched, yet still highly unlikely I believe.
i've never heard the computer thing before. isn't link named that way because it's supposed to be a link between the player and the game world, and not as in hyperlink? besides, hyperlinks as we know them today would've been very, very new back then and likely not very mainstream
@@Oreli “Early Zelda concepts involved technological elements, with microchips for the Triforce made of electronic circuits and a time-travelling protagonist, another factor of their name relating to the idea of a computer hyper-”link”.” - NES Classic edition developer issue : the legend of Zelda Surprisingly, it’s true!
Fi can also be heard inside the Master Sword. She always sounded robotic to me. Also there are other ancient Robots in Skyward Sword and Windwaker. There are eye shaped switches all over OoT. Everything in the Twilight Realm in Twilight Princess strongly resembles Sheika technology. Makes me wonder if the "magic" we see in Zelda isn't just ancient technology. It would just appear to be magic to everyone else.
I had a kinda similar theory when I first saw the game. I thought it took place in a sort of afterlife and you played as the hero's spirit trying to fight and earn the right to be reborn by defeating a spiritual version of Ganon. It was pretty crazy.
If it was the Hero's Spirit in-between reincarnations... I wonder if they'd have the memories of all their past lives in that instance. Spirit Ganon doesn't stand a chance in that case. 😂 The might, knowledge and experience of all the heroes throughout Hyrule's history combined into one consciousness... That would be so wild.
@@TimeturnerJ Now there is a concept. Link keeps reincarnating building up skills over a very long period of time to one day fight Demise again in the realm of the gods.
Yeah, I agree about not buying it. It brings up some interesting points, but when you consider the question of "why" the Sheikh would do this, it's a lot to more difficult to explain. Like, why would they have shrines in a simulation, when they could have programmed a more organic test for Link? Why would they need to create a simulation within the simulation for the sake of the Master Sword trial? Why would they do this at all when the hero seems fully capable of becoming worthy on his own, given historical precedent? It seems simpler that if they had the foresight to make this simulation, they simply would have made better safeguards for their Guardians.
Just to make the theory more outrageous, maybe this link isn’t the true link. Maybe he was some Hylian loaded up with memories of the true hero, in an attempt to make an artificial Hero. Maybe the actual link bought the farm, and they had to make a replacement?
@@Streken7 Or the real Link wanted to go off and build his Hero's Paradise and draw attention away from this, so he put the Champion's tunic on the Medic...
I have always preferred the idea that the Sheikah simply utilized time shift stones to achieve so much of what they did. When the past King of Hyrule banded their technology they used the stones to look into the future to see the outcome and if abandoning their tech was the right thing to do. This explains how they could predict several out of place situations that Link comes across to access the shrines. Time Shift Stones might also explain how the shrines stayed hidden for so long as most only appeared in the present with the Sheikah Towers charging the long dormant time shift stones which then summoned the shrines to the appropriate point in time. Also once the power emitted by the towers was expended and no longer powering the stones the shrines also phased back in time hence why they cannot be seen in the BotW2 trailers.
they may also have used a Gate of Time. going back to build the towers guardians and shrines with super tech while everybody would still have swords and bows and none the wiser. like groose and the tree of life
I don't see why not, I think there is a theory somewhere saying Sheikah are/were time travelers or can see the future, explaining much of the things they do
In one of the memories link has, the enemy’s can be seen lying on the floor dead, rather then burst into a pink mist. (Also I remember counting three dead Lynels only inches away from each other! Link before the disaster was way more powerful then he is now!)
I was going to say the same thing. It's interesting that they chose to put an invisible barrier instead of logical obstacles like in Ocarina of Time, Twilight Princess or Wind Waker. They did in the north with the wind, though...
@@jaxad0127 You don't "get a message" as in Breath of the Wild. You are warned by your boat, which is a wise character and tell you that it is dangerous to go any further. Then he just turns back. It is not just an invisible wall which makes Link to walk without moving... Don't you think?
I don't think the theory is true either, but it does make for an interesting completion of the "Apocryphal Triforce" of falsehood within the series. 1. Link's Awakening is the hallucination/dream 2. Majora's Mask is the alteration/opposition (in the sense of contradiction or opposite, not opposition as in fighting). 3. BotW is the simulation.
@@danmccreech8555 could very well be. The first game was preparation for the true state of the world as it is, with a dying land and a trapped power that has been sealed for the thousands of years.
Particularly when thinking about the "ancient" sheika tech. If this was all set up, built, or even possibly currently running during their hay-day rather than in the comparative dark ages of BotW, then it's MUCH more believable and logical. Hell, they have teleportation and handheld computers that can perform magic. A simulation is pretty par for the course, especially being in the resting bed thingie.
@@LingLingthebabypikac And if Gannon controlled the shrine of resurrection, he could just kill link. Or Torment him with Malice forever. And then, not have to deal with "those meddling kids." If he had that much control? He wouldn't have left Zelda alive. And, why would he need a second trap when Him possessing Shieka tech at ALL give him such a clear advantage? Like. He almost won. Why give Link and Zelda a chance at all by sparing them? He already almost crushed all their hopes. He had them in despair. He could have killed them their and get it both ways. Victory, and being a dick about it. So. I don't think this is like the Matrox, Where the Machines/ Gannon would have had a more comllete control than the heroes Realized. I mean. Any more than what we see happen in game.
@@LingLingthebabypikac AND if it WASN'T Gannon keeping Link in VR, why would the Sheika not just. Tell Link it was all training? They don't really have a reason to keep him in the dark. Keeping Link as informed as possible is important for their own goals.
@@CloudyDaze Jesus you need to get out of those spaces if you think that’s what Devil’s Advocate is used for. It’s literally used for any opposing point of view, you hang around the extremes of Twitter and Facebook way too much. I asked what OP was talking about because it sounded to me like they were trying to victimize themselves on a completely irrelevant video. It’s so out of left field and cringe.
The connections to Zelda 1 go pretty deep when you recall the prototypical story was that Link was collecting computer chips in a post apocalyptic fantasy world.
I want to point out other things that point to simulation: When voiding out, he just respawns at the top of the ledge, same with drowning. Also, you can’t explore outside of Hyrule.
I think the reason the weapons break into blue shards is to show they’re done or they’ve completed their purpose. Throughout botw, orange light means undiscovered/incomplete, whereas blue light means discovered/complete. So while you’re hitting an enemy you see orange sparks but when the weapon breaks you see blue sparks
@@elleenoel512 what if the trials are glimpses into the real world and that's why they're infested with monsters? But the Monks lie to link about the trials being in his head and the "world" he comes back to is "reality" when really they're testing him in these areas to see if he's ready to wake up for real?
We also have the huge gap between Calamity's first appearance to the beginning of the game, including Link's 100 year slumber. A lot of info is missing.
The thought of Link being able to manipulate physics in the context of searching evidence for Hyrule being a simulation, begs this question: If Speedrunners can do those ridiculous things with the physics in Breath of the Wild, because Hyrule is a simulation, what if Link inside of the simulation started to do this things? Like wind bombs, shield bounce, catapult things around and use them to get faster around the world, multiplying items, transfer durability between items, fighting ridiculous amounts of enemies at once, making use of physics are this broken and god knows what else? Wouldn’t they stop the simulation instantly and fix it, at the slightest hint of him bending reality, so Link doesn’t become a reckless lunatic in the real world? Also: Why would they add these ridiculous runes to begin with? Well… okay, fine, maybe because there’s magic in the real Hyrule. Fair enough…
I’ve thought of this before, and think the game could have been exactly the same except just add an extra scene after you recover all of your memories. You wake up in the Shrine again in the exact same state you completed the memories (basically you remembered everything you had done in Hyrule so Hyrule matches the dream simulation preventing progression issues) and can continue from there. If you get all the memories and wake up you get an alternate second phase of calamity Ganon where he’s much harder (because everything before waking up was based on his memories whereas the Sheikah could only speculate what the calamity battle would be like) and alternate ending with Zelda where she explains what happened and that you had to re-experience your adventure because the shrine not only took away your memories but your experience and ability to wield the master sword. That would be a pretty mindblowing ending. It would also make sense to have the dlc here as normal because you’d be out of the dream state and the sheikah trials would then test your retraining from the simulation.
@A B I already addressed that in my comment. The dream/simulation was based on what really happened, so when you wake up in the shrine of resurrection your progression is the same.
@A B whatever your progress was, yes, but you still played it so it’s not like the other memories that you just watch. It wouldn’t take away from the game at all and would add an interesting story element.
@A B it would take a little reworking in a few story elements to maintain continuity of events but nothing that would greatly alter the gameplay it already has. I have a few ideas on how to make it work with as minimal changes as possible but it would take a while to explain and I’m sure you’ve already come up with some solid ideas yourself.
Sheika satellite! Weather, teleportation, mapping, object location, GPS, etc. That's why when you can't teleport or see the map during sandstorms. Id love to see a theory based of this...
I like that you added music from Link's Awakening as you hinted at the fantasy of not being awake for the game. Koholint Island was essentially an illusory realm that Link adventures in before waking up after the boat he was on sank. Maybe that's kind of where the simulation theory finds its roots? Link's Awakening was but a dream on the lids of a restless sleeper after all.
Interesting to ponder for a while, but as you pointed out with theorizing our own existence as a simulation, when you are thinking about entities of unknown capabilities and generalized motives, it becomes a never ending cycle of untestable speculation. It would be a wild twist to see Nintendo follow of BotW with it's sequel revealing that all the memories, experiences and ending was all a training simulation, with the real fight against Ganon starting now
That's totally what's going on. That explains the way-scifi teleportation, which I never understood how it was supposed to work, as well as how botw has more timeline inconsistencies than any other game. We do see Hyrule pre-calamity in Link's memories, but what if that's just more of the simulation? He wakes up without them, and discovers his "memories" using either the Sheikah slate or locations...in the simulation... Yeah, I love this theory. Also loved the Link's Awakening music.
I love how you distinguish the difference between canon/the developers' intentions vs. theories, and that theories are theories and they are just fun to explore and imagine. That's what Zelda fans have always loved to do. Appreciate what you do. 🙏
Counterpoint: Link’s Awakening is what Link experienced within the Resurrection Shrine, the purpose of which was to keep Link’s Mind as intact as possible during the procedure…but it still went wrong. It ended up taking 100 years, and Link experienced retrograde amnesia. -Zelda’s and Marin’s voices are respectively the first/last thing heard in these games -Both girls beg Link to “remember them”/wake/wake the Windfish -Canonically Zelda and Marin look identical or near-identical (and I don’t mean Marin and Zelda sharing the same GBC Sprite (only with a crown and necklace for Zelda’s)). Botw Zelda even has strawberry blond hair -while in the Remake Marin has ginger hair, her GBC Sprite and Official and NonCanon Art always had more of a strawberry blond than true ginger until then- -there is a DREAM SHRINE in Mabe Village -BotW has the Windfish’s Remains, so it clearly existed at one point and no doubt had its own lore -Ballad of the Windfish plays at Hyrule Castle’s ground zero -the Nightmares and Koholint itself try to keep Link from waking -the Final Nightmares shift and change form much like Malice does for Malice, Blights, Calamity, and that final aura boar -(Koholint’s Destruction is far less depressing if it was a medical coma dream verses a Dream World (which is really just an alternate reality sustained by a deity’s dreaming. It’s still real or “real enough.”))
I have talked to some people about a theory of my own in which yes, Hyrule is in fact a simulated world but not a virtual one. Instead a piece of land hard locked away and controled by the sheikah from the outside. My bigger concern here is why and how Hyrule vanished sheikah tech so effectively and apparently so fast, instead of growing with what tech Hyrule already had at hand theey just went backwards and threw everything away. No one knows really the level of tech there once was and no one seems to care that they were once such an advanced civilization so basically my theory is that the sheikah are the real rulers of the world and the ones vanished were the cursed people, Hylians.. Trust me, if in today's world there existed an elf like race that historically has been the dominant race bc of reasons, they possess magic powers to some degree and THEY decided that technology developed by a race, that was originally intended to be their support, was too powerfull (most likely just too much for the other races to handle) and needed to go while the elf race themselves are cursed to fight a demon entity with apocalyptic powers every once in a while and with no warning... I, as the technologic race, would simply drop out from that world. In no real situation would a more technologically advanced race with waaaaay more military power than the elf like race will simply accept to have themselves forget everything they know and throw away everything they have, just because the elf like race requested it. Better answer would be to: Keep hylian magic away as well as the demon comming for them time and time again, keep insiders in that world making sure Hylians come out victorious everytime, giving advise and just enough information to not raise suspicions. Since the demon can spawn pretty much in any race, Gerudo for example, he is being kept alive in purpose and hidden away, no death means no random resurrection, Link can only be hylian and Zelda can only be born among the royal family so no concers with them. Finally, that thing about the triforce granting a wish would pretty much be a concern for the Sheikah, keeping everyone enclosed in that world and them not knowing it is vital so don't talk about the triforce ever, strip it from history and since ganondorf is being kept alive the triforce cannot be gathered, he has the last piece of it, So it is impossible to gather the triforce whole and wish to it.
This explains several things, including how weapons reappear in the exact same place as they were in the first place, how Link reappears at the shore when he drowns, and how Link can )#&+£ around for so long and Ganon does absolutely nothing.
Usually goos theories have something that proofs or shows it real but all the Stuff is just "So the game works properly" stuff that just there. Say if Ganon was able to rewind your progress or something totally out of the blue that would be something but this is "Fallout 3 is a Test" over "Why the Legion would crumble"
Great video! My take on this is that Botw's hyrule is actually a dream. Botw 2, on the other hand is the continuation from when link wakes up in the real world and goes exploring with zelda.
The sheikah slate is proof to me that this theory wasn’t the developers’ intention. Why would the sheikah give Link a controller to the simulation he’s in? If they were trying to train him so he would be the strongest champion possible, why give him the ability to stop time and summon bombs at will? It would be teaching him to rely on abilities that he wouldn’t have in the real world.
The breaking of weapons could also be explained by the fact that you can carry so many items and equipment. It could be a side effect of the apparent digitization process of storing items in the Slate, it could also explain how things that should be sturdier aren't.
Excellent video. It takes a good amount of skill to present a fewpoint one actually believes to be true in a convincing way. Achieving the same for a theory, one does actually reject is something entirely different. Also, great choice of music!
Is this Zelda's equivalent to "Metal Gear Solid III is a simulation"? Regardless, I love how you narrate the ideas presented on the theory, despite not believing it myself
Another excellent theory presented to us here. It is highly interesting and makes us think about certain elements of the game even harder. Well done depicting the entire theory so thoroughly.
I agree that this was probably not the intent of the developers. I personally thought the the trial of the sword was essentially like a trip to the astral plane. Close to but still adjacent to physical world. If the sheikah could create machines as advanced as the guardians and the divine beasts why not a simulated world. Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. Arthur C. Clarke
I always thought of the blue explosion of weapons was because whenever Link picks up a weapon, the slate somehow digitizes it into a hard light projection. That’s why he can carry an obscene amount of items that would be impossible. Using the item degrades the projection’s file until it unravels.
This can also explain how Link has a seemingly endless amount of space in his pockets. Not just his weapons and shields, since those actually do have a limit, but all the other stuff. Different sets of clothes/armor that he can put on whenever he wants. Countless gemstones, bundles of wood, food, monster parts, etc. If this was a simulation, it would make sense how Link can not only carry all this but also can swap outfits on the go.
Honestly, not really. If the Shiekah are running this simualtion to train link, why would they give him the ability to hold way more stuff than he could hold in the real world?
I just think that he's digitalised it. He doesn't even have pockets for most outfits, so I'm pretty sure he's storing it all in his slate, Not in a pocket. Wouldn't surprise me if the ancient sheika are capable of turning real objects into digital data, and then back again.
All of these elements could also be considered as metatextual comments, intradiegetic references to the software being software. And, to me, the presence of advance technology is what makes the lore of the series so unique and more than just a fantasy tale.
I think it’s also intresting to look at they way the champions control their divine beasts. If I remember correctly they are controlled by mind, no gears or physical input. And they are so deeply linked with their champion, that the even the spirits of those can gain some level of control over them - blasting their final strike against the calamity. So the sheikhs definitely have invented some sort of neuro-Link that can access the memory’s and even various traits of the person connecting with it. The same could be done with link in the resurrection shrine, as he already knows all these monsters and encountered many of them in his years.
Stating that something was obviously a visual cue from the dev and the saying “but let’s over think this” is such a power move and also a very good way to approach fan theories
I know he's playing devil's advocate and all, but the need to take everything ever made and shove it into a hard magic system with the laws of our own world is exhausting imo. Thank god most game designers and writers aren't as obsessed with "making everything work in the real world" as the internet seems to be.
Just watched the Zelda video of Overly Sarcastic Production where they acknowledged you quite a bit, so it was exciting for me to see your newest video on the same day. Always love your content! 😊
The simulation theory would be a good way to bring Ganon back without retconning the end of BOTW. Personally, I'd be pretty upset if I played through all of BOTW and beat Ganon's final incarnation only to have him come on back for the sequel. If BOTW was a simulated training program for Link as he slumbered for 100 years to make him ready for the IRL final battle in BOTW 2, that would allow for Ganon to be the antagonist while keeping the first game's ending.
We defeated Calamity Ganon. We never even saw Ganondorf. BotW 2 started as DLC, implying the story was planned beforehand. I think the plan was to have the Ganondorf fight be a major part of the DLC.
@@whitelasagna6786 Ganon and Ganondorf are the same person, though. Ganondorf is his corporeal form, but the only thing that makes him the enemy is the spirit of Demise. If that spirit has been defeated, then Ganondorf isn't really Ganondorf; he's just some dude.
@@GKplus8 I've always seen them as one in the same; that Ganondorf the man would never have been born without the curse being present. Ganondorf is Demise in the same way Link is the Hero and Zelda is the Princess. None of them have any individuality outside their archetype; they are their role or they don't exist at all. To that end, I don't think the curse can be 'removed' from Ganon as they are one in the same. If the curse dies, he dies, utterly and completely. If we're arguing translation, the Japanese version does state a different translation; however, that same version also has Zelda saying "Now that Ganon is gone, there is much for us to do" which agrees more with the 'mistranslation' found in the English game. The English, on the other hand, initially presents a finality "he has given up on reincarnation" but later says Ganon is gone "for now", insinuating this wasn't, in fact, the final fight. Having said all that, I am wondering if Zelda meant he'd given up on the Calamity Ganon incarnation and not reincarnation altogether?
@@victoriousf.i.g.3311 Yes. I know these things. I'm speaking in terms of gameplay, not story. In every game except like one, when we fight Ganon or Ganondorf (speaking in terms of physical form) we fight both versions.
Honestly not totally out of the question. Another high-fantasy game series has a hidden layer of hyper-advanced technology in the lore (The Elder Scrolls) and it works totally well. LoZ and TES have always struck me in a similar way, and to me it makes sense that LoZ would also have hyper-advanced tech.
I just got Botw recently and when you fast travel, link disappears into blue stringy mist and appears on the Teleport Pad, i think the Shekiah got tech to reassemble Matter maybe the slate can absorb the broken matter from items to power itself? Their stuff is timeless but with the added functions of the Slate, it may weaken the weapons to the point they break faster then normal or just converts the broken weapon into sparks to keep you safe, would suck if you get slayed by a rusty broadsword breaking.
Out of curiosity, got any theories on Bipin, Blossom, and their son (Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons)? Do both games really take 20+ years to complete, or do you think funky time currents might explain the growth of their son?
I am new to this theory... and I LOVE it. It also explains the Hyrule Compendium, as well as Beedle moving faster than you... always. Not to mention the Blood Moon. The simulation checks the percentage of enemies and objects you've destroyed and refreshes them if it's too low. The invisible walls, being able to eat infinite amounts of food. Being able to carry a flame blade or frost blade without it harming you. Hell, the "found memories" could be implanted. Maybe this Link isn't the chosen hero. There is no chosen hero, so the Sheikah had to MAKE a chosen hero. They implanted memories and everything. and when you finally do awaken from the simulation, you think and believe what they need you to.
When you consider how much BotW leans on Zelda's stray scifi elements, coupled with reports of how Nintendo has been toying with the idea of wanting the game to have a modern setting early on, I think it's entirely within the realm of possibility for a Zelda game to feature a "digital hero", so to speak. Especially when you consider that the schism that caused the Yiga clan to exist in the first place was due to the royal family's (justified) fear of what the shiekah are capable of when left to their own devices. Do I think BotW is our digital hero? Eh. But the design space within both BotW and Zelda as a whole certainly allows for it.
There is one thing which bugged me about the game which it being a simulation would explain... WHY IS THE SHRINE WHERE YOU HAVE TO SHOVE A HUGE BLOCK OF ICE TO SOMEONE SO THEY CAN MAKE THE PERFECT DRINK FOR SOMEONE WHO JUST HAPPENED TO PASS OUT AT THE SHRINE A BLESSING SHRINE?
Maybe they put Ganon in a simulation aswell and that's why he's been asleep under the castle. He's wreaking havoc in another false world but doing so is awakening him and he will soon break out
I think this is absolutely FANTASTIC! It would bring Link into the sequel just as himself, but allow the developers to change the map of the game to the "real" Hyrule. This will give the players the sense of a new map so things dont get stale but still feeling familiar. Also allowing Links health to revert back to 3 hearts as well.
I think something that could support this theory is the world border. For example, at Gerudo Desert, there is nothing, that physically prevents Link from exploring beyond the border. It just says, that you can't go any further. Maybe, that's the limit of the simulation. It can't simulate a larger area. Just a thought I had.
the simulation is how Hyrule tests the Prince Consort to the future Queen. sending him on an impossible quest to save her, going far beyond anything that might happen in the real world so that they know he will fit the role when she is elevated to the crown.
I personally don’t think the high-tech presentation of Breath of the Wild has anything to do with the notion that it somehow proves its a simulation. Rather, I think we sometimes see a high-tech presentation because science and technology are the magic of this game’s world. I think throughout real-world history, many things that happened were explained away as magic until scientific knowledge eventually was able to explain what was once to be thought of as magic. For instance, many people at least have a basic understanding of how aircraft vehicles are able to fly, but without those explanations it would be very easy-natural, even-to say these machines can fly because they use magic. So, back to Breath of the Wild; the advanced Sheikah technology enables Link to do things that would otherwise be seen as magic. Link doesn’t need a magic meter because he uses technology. Still, how are these technological devices powered? What powers the Sheikah Slate? There are still some mysteries in Breath of the Wild that for now could be explained as magic. Either the Sheikah Slate is powered by the best batteries ever made, or it’s powered by some sort of infinite power source. Perhaps Breath of the Wild’s sequel will somehow be able to turn these magicks into another piece of technology.
Idea: This is why there's no Sheikah tech visible when the castle is rising in the second and third trailers. By this point, he's awake..and the Shrines and Towers aren't real.
Yes, Breath of the Wild’s bosses were underwhelming, but I just don’t think Nintendo would completely negate their entire game with a sequel claiming it was just a simulation. I agree more with the theory that Calamity Ganon was just a fluctuation of Ganondorf’s power, who was kept underground below Hyrule Castle. This would have the same effect as the simulation theory and I just think this is far more likely. But I still really enjoyed the video!
Funny, just today someone posted a video about PSO2: NGS and had some speculation from people about THAT game being a simulation too. This is relevant because I personally think visual effects that people often point out as evidence of simulation, isn't actually meant to be 'read' that way. Whenever technology is used as part of the gameplay experience in a third-person game, what developers usually do is overlay those effects on the screen as if you were looking through the character's eyes instead. In PSO, we know for a fact that the characters are running around with an AR system marking targets and objectives and providing other necessary visual information, hence, when you get low on health, you see a warning vignette around the edges of the screen and you see minor visual distortions like a screen glitching. This is what the character sees when they've taken a lot of damage and it's affecting the tech they view the world through. The game is just showing you what that looks like by casting that effect over your screen, as it'd be pointless detail if only your character saw it in a 3rd person game. For Breath of the Wild, the effects you see with things like Magnesis would not be what Link sees through his eyes, but rather what the Shiekah Slate would display on its screen, which Link does appear to look at when using some of its functions. Again, this effect is just being shown on your screen so that it's actually useful to the player.
So, you're telling me that the Sheikah not only created an entire simulation of Hyrule, but _also_ designed Paya to have a suspiciously-placed birthmark? I now have more questions than answers, lol
The developers were trying to break the conventions of the series with Breath of the Wild, so perhaps they would have been willing to create a "Computer Simulation" story. They were thinking about having Hyrule be invaded by aliens in flying saucers, after all.
My theory building on this: Calamity Ganon actually *did* destroy Hyrule 10,000 years ago. However, after the destruction of the world, the remaining Sheikah placed all remaining Hylians, Gorons, Zora, and other beings underground in pods connected to a Sheikah simulation computer. In this simulation, Ganon *was* defeated 10,000 years ago and the world was never destroyed. In this this new world, while not being “real,” life and the history of Hyrule can continue.
Slightly off topic but 12:33 was mentioning about how Calamity Ganon is underwhelming. But I think, and have thought for a while, that if you remove the easy fight, third person camera, and past experiences from other games, Calamity Ganon as well as the blights, are TERRIFYING. They scream *real* screams (not like fantasy monster roars, but human-like high pitched screams) and burst into *pools* of malice if defeated. Now allow me to paint a scene: *As the gross, pulsating cocoon breaks, showering down malice, an abomination of malice and machinery emerges, hurdling toward the ground. As the limp corpse crumbles to the castle floor, barely missing you, the whole room starts to shake, as though the mere presence of this beast is enough to make the entirety of Hyrule quake. The cold stone below you crumbles and you fall down into the depths of the secrets that lie beneath the throne. After you barely pull out your paraglider in time to save you from an early grave, you slide into the smooth Sheikah floor, struggling to retain your footing. You look up, only to find that the that the beast that brought you here is laying down right in front of you. As awakens slowly, you see it in all it's glory. A twisted, decaying skull housing worn down teeth and glowing, hate-filled eyes stare back at you. Its mane of blood red hair coats its neck, making a rough transition to the gooey and dripping body of malice. Its spider-like arms heave the body of this monster up. It seems where arm used to be are now chopped off in place of guardian parts, by choice? By force? As the monster struggles to keep itself up by its weak arms and heavy weapons, you feel a sense of pity for it. A shadow of the powerful man it used to be. A bitter taste fills your mouth, one of certainty that only one man will remain standing. You grip your blade, breathe in, and prepare for the worst.*
I'm actually in favor of this, because looking further than what is just in this video, this would allow for all of the lore inconsistencies we see in the game and have been subtly arguing about for years now, what with all the timeline placement problems... This also works with everything Nintendo has said about it. It's canon, which would work. It's on the timeline, which also works, and that they haven't given a specific time for it, which makes sense. As if everything we've seen up to this point was all ran inside of that simulation, there would be no context clues as to where it is on the timeline. Being way at the end of the timeline, which is perfect logic as every civilization is more advanced the more time goes on, theoretically allowing for such an advanced simulation to even occur. Secondarily, this gives Nintendo a massive out for the extreme backlash they received by many fans, as the game seems to not be aging as well by people who don't look at this game as an isolated case, which, unfortunately is extremely common. (People can have fun with the game, but the second it's related to other games, isolated cases need to be tossed if we're considering cross game lore). It also gives them something extremely useful for the next game, a massive plot twist. This would work well with the "darker" theme they have pushed verbally as a way to hype up the player base. Attempting to escape that simulation, even if it was created and ran by Ganon himself as a way to trick the only person who can wield the Master Sword into thinking he had succeeded, would be a neat experience, although it sort of throws some of the Zelda theme out the window. Although considering the Sheikah have advanced tech, who's to say Ganon didn't manage to corrupt that as well? So it could redefine a lot of our understanding of the Sheikah in the first place. Ultimately, I doubt it's a very accurate theory, but I could pull even more strings to make it align if I wanted to. BotW was a fairly mediocre game from my perspective of what many other Zelda games have been, and a huge part of that was game pacing and repetition beyond belief, but the entire game being a simulation would be a passable excuse, even if it's likely not true. Until the next game releases or we have more confirmed info on this title, I think this is what I'm personally going to go with. It sadly, works better as a story that what was provided in the game. (Not sad as in pathetic, sad as in disappointed. I love these games so much, so of course I want to see unique or neat things done with them)
I love how you know it's completely over the top and definitely untrue, yet still give it as much credit as a legit convincing theory. Great professionalism !!
Honestly, "It's all a simulation/dream/hallucination" is the laziest, unimaginative, and boring theory for anything. It's just a weak cop-out and more often than not, every point on theories along those lines are too stretched to fit the narrative. But hey, I'll still watch this because I like watching Zeltik's content.
This theory gets even better when a speedrunner is playing. Think about a Link that knows its a simulation and starts taking advantage of glitches to beat it.
He's beginning to believe.
Wait this is a sick game concept
I want game designed to be broken now
Like the groundhog day but deadlier
Hahaha fax
The biggest point against this is that I refuse to believe that the monk’s would place 900 hundred koroks around the map
The game designers did, soo...
it’s to test Link’s patience :o)
I think the Sheikah would absolutely be that sadistic
Meanwhile the Sheikah themselves live in a simulation created by the powerful race of Nintendo developers.
idk, testing just how dedicated the hero is to becoming as strong as possible by making it super tedious sounds like something they could do
Alternate idea as to why weapons explode into blue sheikah tech: the weapons are digitized to be stored in the Sheikah Slate for use later! It's why Link can carry so much on him, swapping out as needed! It explains why they explode like they do, plus how Hestu can increase our carrying space.
Interesting thought. But that would mean everything he carries is digitized: food, armor, monster parts etc.
So Hestu is a software developer assigning unaloted space in the system. He's literally downloading more ram for us.
@@UltravioletNomad 🤣
Actually, Link stores everything he acquires in that pocket-dimensional pouch on his belt. You grab a sword while you already have one equipped, a new piece of clothing from a chest or material, he puts it in his pouch. Is that so easy to overlook?
as for the weapon explosion animation, just for effect on the player. It's like how monsters don't bleed or show gore when Link cuts them with his sword just to keep a fairly all-ages rating.
Link finally wakes up for real in his 100 year slumber. Having played Breath of the Wild so many times, with an estimated 800 hours of playtime, he proceeds to speedrun calamity ganon and scare the butts off of everyone.
Yep my thoughts exactly
What if he died and couldn't find the respawn button
This sounds like the plot of a TerminalMontage BotW video xD
Alternate ending: After 800 hours of practice, Link springs awake, grabs a scrap of wood for use as a shield, and flips into the wall, giving himself a concussion and spending another 100 years recovering.
With a stick
All the people saying that the slate digitizes weapons we pick up, this would also explain why the weapons Link uses aren't durable in the slightest. Sheikah weaponry is notoriously brittle under pressure (see: guardian and royal guard's weaponry), and none of these same weapons break when used by enemies, but somehow, the moment we pick them up, they start to break? Maybe it has to do with the digitization process.
Nah, it's just game mechanics. Like how in other games, the bad guys have infinite bullets, you kill them, take their gun, and can only use like 30 bullets.
how old that tablet? makes sense old tech likes to act up if not maintained right too!
Should get someone to fix it lol
@@justarandomguyontheinterne681 What if Purah fixes the durability problem in the sequel by making repairs to the slate, that would be pretty funny
@@g.masterlordoftheg-force4770 *Takes off glasses*
*Puts on glasses*
*Takes off glasses*
*Puts on glasses*
*Puts on a **_second_** pair of glasses*
Is your argument "It's just a game?" That completely ignores the point of the conversation.
@@CoralCopperHead Did you ignore my other sentence?
For BOTW, there is nothing that lets us know that the slate stores items.
In Zelda Twilight Princess, there is an actual explanation. You can magically store items thanks to Midna.
In BOTW, storing items is just a game mechanic. In Twilight Princess, it’s an actual thing with an in-game explanation.
A somewhat related theory, is that the slate does turn items into digital information, kind of like the transporters in Star Trek, for the ultimate storage capabilities. Unfortunately, there is a minor memory leak, which causes items to shatter the way they do.
When link puts something away or pulls it out, he reaches down to the right to a set of pouches on the right side of his hip. The slate is hanging from his left hip.
The pouches are referred to as an Inventory in game too, since Beedle says that he will get somebody to steal the beetles from it. I think what’s going on is that those pouches act like a bag of holding, one for money one for items. Most likely enchanted by the Koroks or Great Deku tree, and given to Link after he claimed the master sword. Since it’s a one of a kind pouch, which was made specifically for link, nobody else in Hyrule has these containers, and therefore need bags and donkeys to carry stuff about.
I was playing earlier when i fast traveled, link disappears into a Blue stringy mist and is reassembled on the Teleport slot so they got something matter related.
@@Subject_Keter like a matter transporter!
Meanwhile, Zelda in shades and a black coat to Link after he wakes up:
"Link... You take the blue rupee, the story ends... You go back to Shrine of Resurrection and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red rupee... You stay in Hyrule and I show you how deep the bluepee hole goes."
Almost reported you for saying "bluepee hole".
I have been waiting for someone to make this comment so I didn't have to. Have a like and good day.
@@spenpinner report the Wachowskis then xD
@@micahjones1451 haha, thanks bro 😄
I would say that Link taking the "Blue Potion" or the "Red Potion" would be more fitting than taking a red or blue rupee.
This has the same energy as when a villager in Animal Crossing says the dialogue wondering if this is all fake
That dialogue scared me when I first triggered it. I never expected animal crossing to break the fourth wall.
@@MotobugGaming ME TOO
Wait what? Can you give me a example? I've never played ac
@@Mboi1836 there's a dialogue for lazy villagers in New Horizons specifically, who start saying: "Do you notice how there's nice music playing everywhere? And fruit grows way too fast?" And other things. They then play it off as a joke, saying they "ate too much last night and had weird dreams" 🙃
Oh and they do use the word simulation
It wouldn’t be a popular piece of media without a “The main character is in a coma” theory.
true
And, just like in every other instance
the theory adds nothing to the narrative even if true
@@kaizer712 man, dont you hate it when people have fun? Curse those people who like the game so much they want to contribute to the fandom. Fck those guys in particular amiright?
@DJ does he tho? :o
@@midgematic8659 Oh definitely. People telling themselves they like something and the only thing they can say about it is a theory that has been applied to almost every piece of media, its like "How FUN would it be if the thing that already didn't happen didn't happen EVEN MORE?!"
Its almost like its so lacking in creativity its actually reductive :D
Imagine how devastating this would be for link to realize he needs to do this all over again
Yeah. Like he kills the calamity and then…poof he’s awake
*Sad link grunting*
Majoras Mask Link:
"First time?"
Well, he does! In TotK. A _much_ better and exciting game than Breath.
imagine waking up after totk and its like "okay, now do it for real this time." and you have to fight the calamity from 10,000 years ago and it brings us back to the beginning of the timeline like some theorize.
Wasn't one of the earliest concepts of the very first "The Legend of Zelda" that everything was computer related, like microchips instead of the Triforce or something like that? I think it's also one of the reasons Link is named Link, like in a Hyper"link" and because he was the link between multiple worlds, which they incorporated in "A Link to the Past" for the first time. Since "Breath of the Wild" was developed as a return to the original concept of the initial game in the series, that might not be too far-fetched, yet still highly unlikely I believe.
Ya know what…..🤔
i've never heard the computer thing before. isn't link named that way because it's supposed to be a link between the player and the game world, and not as in hyperlink? besides, hyperlinks as we know them today would've been very, very new back then and likely not very mainstream
i thought link was called link because it was the link between the game and the real world.
@@Oreli “Early Zelda concepts involved technological elements, with microchips for the Triforce made of electronic circuits and a time-travelling protagonist, another factor of their name relating to the idea of a computer hyper-”link”.” - NES Classic edition developer issue : the legend of Zelda
Surprisingly, it’s true!
Fi can also be heard inside the Master Sword. She always sounded robotic to me. Also there are other ancient Robots in Skyward Sword and Windwaker. There are eye shaped switches all over OoT. Everything in the Twilight Realm in Twilight Princess strongly resembles Sheika technology. Makes me wonder if the "magic" we see in Zelda isn't just ancient technology. It would just appear to be magic to everyone else.
I had a kinda similar theory when I first saw the game. I thought it took place in a sort of afterlife and you played as the hero's spirit trying to fight and earn the right to be reborn by defeating a spiritual version of Ganon. It was pretty crazy.
That's the most insane Zelda theory I've ever heard.
And now I want it.
@@whitelasagna6786 Lol. Well, glad someone likes it. 😅
If it was the Hero's Spirit in-between reincarnations... I wonder if they'd have the memories of all their past lives in that instance.
Spirit Ganon doesn't stand a chance in that case. 😂 The might, knowledge and experience of all the heroes throughout Hyrule's history combined into one consciousness... That would be so wild.
@timeturner wouldn’t that go the same way around tho?
@@TimeturnerJ Now there is a concept. Link keeps reincarnating building up skills over a very long period of time to one day fight Demise again in the realm of the gods.
Yeah, I agree about not buying it. It brings up some interesting points, but when you consider the question of "why" the Sheikh would do this, it's a lot to more difficult to explain. Like, why would they have shrines in a simulation, when they could have programmed a more organic test for Link? Why would they need to create a simulation within the simulation for the sake of the Master Sword trial? Why would they do this at all when the hero seems fully capable of becoming worthy on his own, given historical precedent? It seems simpler that if they had the foresight to make this simulation, they simply would have made better safeguards for their Guardians.
Just to make the theory more outrageous, maybe this link isn’t the true link. Maybe he was some Hylian loaded up with memories of the true hero, in an attempt to make an artificial Hero. Maybe the actual link bought the farm, and they had to make a replacement?
The original theory was that ganon simulated all of this to learn Links fighting pattern to finish him instantly off when he really wakes up.
@@Miguel-fm8xh wow, that's an insane twist of plot xD
@@Densema yeah😂
@@Streken7 Or the real Link wanted to go off and build his Hero's Paradise and draw attention away from this, so he put the Champion's tunic on the Medic...
Link: "What are you trying to tell me? That I can dodge Guardian lasers?"
Zelda: "That when you are ready, you won't have to"
Link: *Parries laser*
As interesting a theory it is and as fun as it is to explore, it would be so lame if it was true.
My thoughts exactly! Such a cool, well thought out idea, but I hate it 😂
Would basically be like if Link was in Assassin's Creed using the Animus.
True. In Star Ocean until the end of time it was true, and it totally ruined the game.
it makes perfect sense though.
@@kingleonidas6352 Not really.
I have always preferred the idea that the Sheikah simply utilized time shift stones to achieve so much of what they did. When the past King of Hyrule banded their technology they used the stones to look into the future to see the outcome and if abandoning their tech was the right thing to do. This explains how they could predict several out of place situations that Link comes across to access the shrines. Time Shift Stones might also explain how the shrines stayed hidden for so long as most only appeared in the present with the Sheikah Towers charging the long dormant time shift stones which then summoned the shrines to the appropriate point in time. Also once the power emitted by the towers was expended and no longer powering the stones the shrines also phased back in time hence why they cannot be seen in the BotW2 trailers.
they may also have used a Gate of Time. going back to build the towers guardians and shrines with super tech while everybody would still have swords and bows and none the wiser. like groose and the tree of life
I don't see why not, I think there is a theory somewhere saying Sheikah are/were time travelers or can see the future, explaining much of the things they do
That's actually a really good theory that makes alot of sense!
In one of the memories link has, the enemy’s can be seen lying on the floor dead, rather then burst into a pink mist.
(Also I remember counting three dead Lynels only inches away from each other! Link before the disaster was way more powerful then he is now!)
They might’ve just been injured so much they were on a half health point
This would be such a Sheikah-esque thing to do that it feels hard to object the theory's plausibility.
There is no way this is cannon but it is still very interesting.
Another thing to add to this fun theory, the invisible walls
Gameplay-world boundaries.
I was going to say the same thing. It's interesting that they chose to put an invisible barrier instead of logical obstacles like in Ocarina of Time, Twilight Princess or Wind Waker.
They did in the north with the wind, though...
@@sefirotsgame How are WW's any better? Go too far on the Great Sea and you get a message that you're going to far and can't go any further.
@@jaxad0127 You don't "get a message" as in Breath of the Wild. You are warned by your boat, which is a wise character and tell you that it is dangerous to go any further. Then he just turns back.
It is not just an invisible wall which makes Link to walk without moving... Don't you think?
Like assassins creed almost lol
I don't think the theory is true either, but it does make for an interesting completion of the "Apocryphal Triforce" of falsehood within the series.
1. Link's Awakening is the hallucination/dream
2. Majora's Mask is the alteration/opposition (in the sense of contradiction or opposite, not opposition as in fighting).
3. BotW is the simulation.
Doing it backwards this time, simulation first and actual world in botw2
@@danmccreech8555 could very well be. The first game was preparation for the true state of the world as it is, with a dying land and a trapped power that has been sealed for the thousands of years.
It's just a video game nothing more 😭
@Disparia Books THANK YOU. Somebody finally recognizes the presence of Link's Awakening in Breath of the Wild.
Would be a neat idea for botw 2. Going between the sim and real world. The real world being when he's shown with long hair
that's a really cool idea actually
it would be cool but links hair is already long in botw lol its just in a ponytail
Being a huge Matrix fan, I love this theory and have thought about it since the first time I saw the code-like sheika information.
haha yeah same
I do think this theory is stupid but not terrible. Also I have seen The Matrix and I think it’s pretty good.
Ah i get it, this is particularly fascinating if you think about this simulation as training for Link to ACTUALLY face ganon. Neat
Particularly when thinking about the "ancient" sheika tech. If this was all set up, built, or even possibly currently running during their hay-day rather than in the comparative dark ages of BotW, then it's MUCH more believable and logical. Hell, they have teleportation and handheld computers that can perform magic. A simulation is pretty par for the course, especially being in the resting bed thingie.
i mean it does mean that the entire game is pointless, from the audience and the player too
It's neat, but I still think it's not correct
@@LingLingthebabypikac
And if Gannon controlled the shrine of resurrection, he could just kill link. Or Torment him with Malice forever. And then, not have to deal with "those meddling kids."
If he had that much control? He wouldn't have left Zelda alive. And, why would he need a second trap when Him possessing Shieka tech at ALL give him such a clear advantage? Like. He almost won. Why give Link and Zelda a chance at all by sparing them? He already almost crushed all their hopes. He had them in despair. He could have killed them their and get it both ways. Victory, and being a dick about it.
So. I don't think this is like the Matrox, Where the Machines/ Gannon would have had a more comllete control than the heroes Realized. I mean. Any more than what we see happen in game.
@@LingLingthebabypikac
AND if it WASN'T Gannon keeping Link in VR, why would the Sheika not just. Tell Link it was all training? They don't really have a reason to keep him in the dark. Keeping Link as informed as possible is important for their own goals.
Dude, the blade/outfit transition at 8:04 is simply perfect editing right there and perfect execution of a perfect idea!
Imagine BotW2 starts with Link waking up after the simulation and does everything we did in a few cutscenes lol
The first time someone played Devil's Advocate and didn't question my human rights for some reason! Love to see it. Theory is goofy but a fun romp.
What in god's name is that supposed to mean
@@Braver. when people play devil's advocates it's usually used to excuse slave owners, nazi's, and confederates on places like facebook and Twitter
@@CloudyDaze Well that answers that, though…I’m not sure why that was randomly brought up in a Zelda theory video’s comment section.
@@TerranPersoid725 devils advocate is just saying or doing something to spark debate. has nothing to do with anything other dude/chick said.
@@CloudyDaze Jesus you need to get out of those spaces if you think that’s what Devil’s Advocate is used for. It’s literally used for any opposing point of view, you hang around the extremes of Twitter and Facebook way too much. I asked what OP was talking about because it sounded to me like they were trying to victimize themselves on a completely irrelevant video. It’s so out of left field and cringe.
The connections to Zelda 1 go pretty deep when you recall the prototypical story was that Link was collecting computer chips in a post apocalyptic fantasy world.
I want to point out other things that point to simulation: When voiding out, he just respawns at the top of the ledge, same with drowning.
Also, you can’t explore outside of Hyrule.
those are game mechanics almost every game has
@@CreativePublisher all of the games are simulations
tf is a rescapon and when does Link become one?
@@br2k he meant respawns
@@CreativePublisher prob shouldn't YT while having a stroke, idk
I think the reason the weapons break into blue shards is to show they’re done or they’ve completed their purpose. Throughout botw, orange light means undiscovered/incomplete, whereas blue light means discovered/complete. So while you’re hitting an enemy you see orange sparks but when the weapon breaks you see blue sparks
It would definitely explain all the inconsistencies with the lore and it’s questionable timeline placement
Exactly what I said! That of course leads me to wonder...what's going on in the real world the whole time?
@@elleenoel512 what if the trials are glimpses into the real world and that's why they're infested with monsters? But the Monks lie to link about the trials being in his head and the "world" he comes back to is "reality" when really they're testing him in these areas to see if he's ready to wake up for real?
We also have the huge gap between Calamity's first appearance to the beginning of the game, including Link's 100 year slumber. A lot of info is missing.
The thought of Link being able to manipulate physics in the context of searching evidence for Hyrule being a simulation, begs this question: If Speedrunners can do those ridiculous things with the physics in Breath of the Wild, because Hyrule is a simulation, what if Link inside of the simulation started to do this things? Like wind bombs, shield bounce, catapult things around and use them to get faster around the world, multiplying items, transfer durability between items, fighting ridiculous amounts of enemies at once, making use of physics are this broken and god knows what else? Wouldn’t they stop the simulation instantly and fix it, at the slightest hint of him bending reality, so Link doesn’t become a reckless lunatic in the real world? Also: Why would they add these ridiculous runes to begin with? Well… okay, fine, maybe because there’s magic in the real Hyrule. Fair enough…
It's amazing how Zeltic makes a totally crazy matrix theory sound pretty believable
I’ve thought of this before, and think the game could have been exactly the same except just add an extra scene after you recover all of your memories. You wake up in the Shrine again in the exact same state you completed the memories (basically you remembered everything you had done in Hyrule so Hyrule matches the dream simulation preventing progression issues) and can continue from there. If you get all the memories and wake up you get an alternate second phase of calamity Ganon where he’s much harder (because everything before waking up was based on his memories whereas the Sheikah could only speculate what the calamity battle would be like) and alternate ending with Zelda where she explains what happened and that you had to re-experience your adventure because the shrine not only took away your memories but your experience and ability to wield the master sword. That would be a pretty mindblowing ending. It would also make sense to have the dlc here as normal because you’d be out of the dream state and the sheikah trials would then test your retraining from the simulation.
@A B I already addressed that in my comment. The dream/simulation was based on what really happened, so when you wake up in the shrine of resurrection your progression is the same.
@A B whatever your progress was, yes, but you still played it so it’s not like the other memories that you just watch. It wouldn’t take away from the game at all and would add an interesting story element.
@A B it would take a little reworking in a few story elements to maintain continuity of events but nothing that would greatly alter the gameplay it already has. I have a few ideas on how to make it work with as minimal changes as possible but it would take a while to explain and I’m sure you’ve already come up with some solid ideas yourself.
Sheika satellite!
Weather, teleportation, mapping, object location, GPS, etc.
That's why when you can't teleport or see the map during sandstorms.
Id love to see a theory based of this...
I like that you added music from Link's Awakening as you hinted at the fantasy of not being awake for the game. Koholint Island was essentially an illusory realm that Link adventures in before waking up after the boat he was on sank. Maybe that's kind of where the simulation theory finds its roots? Link's Awakening was but a dream on the lids of a restless sleeper after all.
Interesting to ponder for a while, but as you pointed out with theorizing our own existence as a simulation, when you are thinking about entities of unknown capabilities and generalized motives, it becomes a never ending cycle of untestable speculation.
It would be a wild twist to see Nintendo follow of BotW with it's sequel revealing that all the memories, experiences and ending was all a training simulation, with the real fight against Ganon starting now
Unlikely or no, this is a really interesting theory. It's a completely new way to think of the game, and theories like this keep the story alive imo.
That's totally what's going on. That explains the way-scifi teleportation, which I never understood how it was supposed to work, as well as how botw has more timeline inconsistencies than any other game. We do see Hyrule pre-calamity in Link's memories, but what if that's just more of the simulation? He wakes up without them, and discovers his "memories" using either the Sheikah slate or locations...in the simulation... Yeah, I love this theory. Also loved the Link's Awakening music.
I can just imagine the disappointment of completing the game and finding out it was all just a "dream"
But can you imagine the disappointment of completing the game just to get a 30 second long cutscene with Zelda?
I love how you distinguish the difference between canon/the developers' intentions vs. theories, and that theories are theories and they are just fun to explore and imagine. That's what Zelda fans have always loved to do. Appreciate what you do. 🙏
Counterpoint: Link’s Awakening is what Link experienced within the Resurrection Shrine, the purpose of which was to keep Link’s Mind as intact as possible during the procedure…but it still went wrong. It ended up taking 100 years, and Link experienced retrograde amnesia.
-Zelda’s and Marin’s voices are respectively the first/last thing heard in these games
-Both girls beg Link to “remember them”/wake/wake the Windfish
-Canonically Zelda and Marin look identical or near-identical (and I don’t mean Marin and Zelda sharing the same GBC Sprite (only with a crown and necklace for Zelda’s)). Botw Zelda even has strawberry blond hair -while in the Remake Marin has ginger hair, her GBC Sprite and Official and NonCanon Art always had more of a strawberry blond than true ginger until then-
-there is a DREAM SHRINE in Mabe Village
-BotW has the Windfish’s Remains, so it clearly existed at one point and no doubt had its own lore
-Ballad of the Windfish plays at Hyrule Castle’s ground zero
-the Nightmares and Koholint itself try to keep Link from waking
-the Final Nightmares shift and change form much like Malice does for Malice, Blights, Calamity, and that final aura boar
-(Koholint’s Destruction is far less depressing if it was a medical coma dream verses a Dream World (which is really just an alternate reality sustained by a deity’s dreaming. It’s still real or “real enough.”))
and it would link everything to Mappy Land on the NES, OMG you're a genius
I love you looking into these "false theories" like how you looked at Ocarina's Sages "deaths" a while back. I'd definitely love to see more!
I have talked to some people about a theory of my own in which yes, Hyrule is in fact a simulated world but not a virtual one. Instead a piece of land hard locked away and controled by the sheikah from the outside.
My bigger concern here is why and how Hyrule vanished sheikah tech so effectively and apparently so fast, instead of growing with what tech Hyrule already had at hand theey just went backwards and threw everything away. No one knows really the level of tech there once was and no one seems to care that they were once such an advanced civilization so basically my theory is that the sheikah are the real rulers of the world and the ones vanished were the cursed people, Hylians..
Trust me, if in today's world there existed an elf like race that historically has been the dominant race bc of reasons, they possess magic powers to some degree and THEY decided that technology developed by a race, that was originally intended to be their support, was too powerfull (most likely just too much for the other races to handle) and needed to go while the elf race themselves are cursed to fight a demon entity with apocalyptic powers every once in a while and with no warning... I, as the technologic race, would simply drop out from that world. In no real situation would a more technologically advanced race with waaaaay more military power than the elf like race will simply accept to have themselves forget everything they know and throw away everything they have, just because the elf like race requested it.
Better answer would be to:
Keep hylian magic away as well as the demon comming for them time and time again, keep insiders in that world making sure Hylians come out victorious everytime, giving advise and just enough information to not raise suspicions.
Since the demon can spawn pretty much in any race, Gerudo for example, he is being kept alive in purpose and hidden away, no death means no random resurrection, Link can only be hylian and Zelda can only be born among the royal family so no concers with them.
Finally, that thing about the triforce granting a wish would pretty much be a concern for the Sheikah, keeping everyone enclosed in that world and them not knowing it is vital so don't talk about the triforce ever, strip it from history and since ganondorf is being kept alive the triforce cannot be gathered, he has the last piece of it, So it is impossible to gather the triforce whole and wish to it.
This explains several things, including how weapons reappear in the exact same place as they were in the first place, how Link reappears at the shore when he drowns, and how Link can )#&+£ around for so long and Ganon does absolutely nothing.
I think that's also just the fact its a game lol.
Usually goos theories have something that proofs or shows it real but all the Stuff is just "So the game works properly" stuff that just there.
Say if Ganon was able to rewind your progress or something totally out of the blue that would be something but this is "Fallout 3 is a Test" over "Why the Legion would crumble"
@@callumfinlayson-palmer8393 let people theorize.
@@shadowthedestroyer2241 im fine with people theorising, but unless special attention was drawn to it, this is just a game mechanism in this case.
Come on, guys. It's just a joke.
Great video! My take on this is that Botw's hyrule is actually a dream. Botw 2, on the other hand is the continuation from when link wakes up in the real world and goes exploring with zelda.
The sheikah slate is proof to me that this theory wasn’t the developers’ intention. Why would the sheikah give Link a controller to the simulation he’s in? If they were trying to train him so he would be the strongest champion possible, why give him the ability to stop time and summon bombs at will? It would be teaching him to rely on abilities that he wouldn’t have in the real world.
Good thought
The breaking of weapons could also be explained by the fact that you can carry so many items and equipment. It could be a side effect of the apparent digitization process of storing items in the Slate, it could also explain how things that should be sturdier aren't.
Lol, your final “Doesn’t he?” gave me a chuckle. Great video as always!
Choose blue tech you’ll face new changes, choose the red magic you’ll face traditional ganon
Excellent video. It takes a good amount of skill to present a fewpoint one actually believes to be true in a convincing way. Achieving the same for a theory, one does actually reject is something entirely different. Also, great choice of music!
Is this Zelda's equivalent to "Metal Gear Solid III is a simulation"? Regardless, I love how you narrate the ideas presented on the theory, despite not believing it myself
Another excellent theory presented to us here. It is highly interesting and makes us think about certain elements of the game even harder. Well done depicting the entire theory so thoroughly.
Zeltik, one of two channels i enjoy watching zelda theories on. THANKS BOSS.
What's the other one?
This is one of the more wild theories. I did like the theme with Morpheus' speech. Good job 👍
I agree that this was probably not the intent of the developers. I personally thought the the trial of the sword was essentially like a trip to the astral plane. Close to but still adjacent to physical world. If the sheikah could create machines as advanced as the guardians and the divine beasts why not a simulated world. Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. Arthur C. Clarke
I always thought of the blue explosion of weapons was because whenever Link picks up a weapon, the slate somehow digitizes it into a hard light projection. That’s why he can carry an obscene amount of items that would be impossible. Using the item degrades the projection’s file until it unravels.
This can also explain how Link has a seemingly endless amount of space in his pockets. Not just his weapons and shields, since those actually do have a limit, but all the other stuff. Different sets of clothes/armor that he can put on whenever he wants. Countless gemstones, bundles of wood, food, monster parts, etc. If this was a simulation, it would make sense how Link can not only carry all this but also can swap outfits on the go.
Honestly, not really. If the Shiekah are running this simualtion to train link, why would they give him the ability to hold way more stuff than he could hold in the real world?
I just think that he's digitalised it. He doesn't even have pockets for most outfits, so I'm pretty sure he's storing it all in his slate, Not in a pocket.
Wouldn't surprise me if the ancient sheika are capable of turning real objects into digital data, and then back again.
All of these elements could also be considered as metatextual comments, intradiegetic references to the software being software. And, to me, the presence of advance technology is what makes the lore of the series so unique and more than just a fantasy tale.
Woah, now that’s quite the theory
I think it’s also intresting to look at they way the champions control their divine beasts. If I remember correctly they are controlled by mind, no gears or physical input. And they are so deeply linked with their champion, that the even the spirits of those can gain some level of control over them - blasting their final strike against the calamity. So the sheikhs definitely have invented some sort of neuro-Link that can access the memory’s and even various traits of the person connecting with it. The same could be done with link in the resurrection shrine, as he already knows all these monsters and encountered many of them in his years.
The way the weapons "explode" when they run out of durability is suspicious
Stating that something was obviously a visual cue from the dev and the saying “but let’s over think this” is such a power move and also a very good way to approach fan theories
I know he's playing devil's advocate and all, but the need to take everything ever made and shove it into a hard magic system with the laws of our own world is exhausting imo. Thank god most game designers and writers aren't as obsessed with "making everything work in the real world" as the internet seems to be.
Just watched the Zelda video of Overly Sarcastic Production where they acknowledged you quite a bit, so it was exciting for me to see your newest video on the same day.
Always love your content! 😊
The simulation theory would be a good way to bring Ganon back without retconning the end of BOTW. Personally, I'd be pretty upset if I played through all of BOTW and beat Ganon's final incarnation only to have him come on back for the sequel.
If BOTW was a simulated training program for Link as he slumbered for 100 years to make him ready for the IRL final battle in BOTW 2, that would allow for Ganon to be the antagonist while keeping the first game's ending.
We defeated Calamity Ganon. We never even saw Ganondorf.
BotW 2 started as DLC, implying the story was planned beforehand. I think the plan was to have the Ganondorf fight be a major part of the DLC.
@@whitelasagna6786 Ganon and Ganondorf are the same person, though. Ganondorf is his corporeal form, but the only thing that makes him the enemy is the spirit of Demise. If that spirit has been defeated, then Ganondorf isn't really Ganondorf; he's just some dude.
@@GKplus8 I've always seen them as one in the same; that Ganondorf the man would never have been born without the curse being present. Ganondorf is Demise in the same way Link is the Hero and Zelda is the Princess. None of them have any individuality outside their archetype; they are their role or they don't exist at all. To that end, I don't think the curse can be 'removed' from Ganon as they are one in the same. If the curse dies, he dies, utterly and completely.
If we're arguing translation, the Japanese version does state a different translation; however, that same version also has Zelda saying "Now that Ganon is gone, there is much for us to do" which agrees more with the 'mistranslation' found in the English game. The English, on the other hand, initially presents a finality "he has given up on reincarnation" but later says Ganon is gone "for now", insinuating this wasn't, in fact, the final fight.
Having said all that, I am wondering if Zelda meant he'd given up on the Calamity Ganon incarnation and not reincarnation altogether?
@@victoriousf.i.g.3311 Yes. I know these things. I'm speaking in terms of gameplay, not story. In every game except like one, when we fight Ganon or Ganondorf (speaking in terms of physical form) we fight both versions.
@@victoriousf.i.g.3311 Also, I think Ganondorf would still be a worthwhile villain even without Demise.
I was kind of hoping the video would be 10 seconds long and feature Zeltik just saying "Yes. Literally yes."
Honestly not totally out of the question. Another high-fantasy game series has a hidden layer of hyper-advanced technology in the lore (The Elder Scrolls) and it works totally well. LoZ and TES have always struck me in a similar way, and to me it makes sense that LoZ would also have hyper-advanced tech.
What hyper-advanced technology does TES have? Are you talking about the Numidium?
I just got Botw recently and when you fast travel, link disappears into blue stringy mist and appears on the Teleport Pad, i think the Shekiah got tech to reassemble Matter maybe the slate can absorb the broken matter from items to power itself?
Their stuff is timeless but with the added functions of the Slate, it may weaken the weapons to the point they break faster then normal or just converts the broken weapon into sparks to keep you safe, would suck if you get slayed by a rusty broadsword breaking.
Out of curiosity, got any theories on Bipin, Blossom, and their son (Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons)? Do both games really take 20+ years to complete, or do you think funky time currents might explain the growth of their son?
I want to see a zelda in a modern like world with the characters looking more modern with the plot being a ganon taking over the world
That weapon animation transition was smooth af!
I am new to this theory... and I LOVE it. It also explains the Hyrule Compendium, as well as Beedle moving faster than you... always. Not to mention the Blood Moon. The simulation checks the percentage of enemies and objects you've destroyed and refreshes them if it's too low. The invisible walls, being able to eat infinite amounts of food. Being able to carry a flame blade or frost blade without it harming you.
Hell, the "found memories" could be implanted. Maybe this Link isn't the chosen hero. There is no chosen hero, so the Sheikah had to MAKE a chosen hero. They implanted memories and everything. and when you finally do awaken from the simulation, you think and believe what they need you to.
When you consider how much BotW leans on Zelda's stray scifi elements, coupled with reports of how Nintendo has been toying with the idea of wanting the game to have a modern setting early on, I think it's entirely within the realm of possibility for a Zelda game to feature a "digital hero", so to speak. Especially when you consider that the schism that caused the Yiga clan to exist in the first place was due to the royal family's (justified) fear of what the shiekah are capable of when left to their own devices.
Do I think BotW is our digital hero? Eh. But the design space within both BotW and Zelda as a whole certainly allows for it.
There is one thing which bugged me about the game which it being a simulation would explain...
WHY IS THE SHRINE WHERE YOU HAVE TO SHOVE A HUGE BLOCK OF ICE TO SOMEONE SO THEY CAN MAKE THE PERFECT DRINK FOR SOMEONE WHO JUST HAPPENED TO PASS OUT AT THE SHRINE A BLESSING SHRINE?
EXACTLY. in fact, MOST of the “blessing shrines” are, to me, the strongest evidence for this being a simulation
The Legend of Zelda: Matrix of Time anyone?
Matrix of the wild
Matrix Waker
A Link to the Matrix.
Maybe they put Ganon in a simulation aswell and that's why he's been asleep under the castle. He's wreaking havoc in another false world but doing so is awakening him and he will soon break out
This theory is such a stretch… I LOVE IT
The game: *Is a video game, i.e. a virtual simulation.*
Fans: "WHAT IF ITS A SIMULATION?"
I think this is absolutely FANTASTIC! It would bring Link into the sequel just as himself, but allow the developers to change the map of the game to the "real" Hyrule. This will give the players the sense of a new map so things dont get stale but still feeling familiar.
Also allowing Links health to revert back to 3 hearts as well.
This could explain why the map of BotW has familiar locations from earlier games that don’t line up geographically
Saw the title, now I'm confised
I think something that could support this theory is the world border. For example, at Gerudo Desert, there is nothing, that physically prevents Link from exploring beyond the border. It just says, that you can't go any further. Maybe, that's the limit of the simulation. It can't simulate a larger area.
Just a thought I had.
Watching. This is Fascinating. I know it’s unlikely, but it’s still a powerful concept.
the simulation is how Hyrule tests the Prince Consort to the future Queen. sending him on an impossible quest to save her, going far beyond anything that might happen in the real world so that they know he will fit the role when she is elevated to the crown.
Another game, still no Zelink.
I personally don’t think the high-tech presentation of Breath of the Wild has anything to do with the notion that it somehow proves its a simulation. Rather, I think we sometimes see a high-tech presentation because science and technology are the magic of this game’s world. I think throughout real-world history, many things that happened were explained away as magic until scientific knowledge eventually was able to explain what was once to be thought of as magic. For instance, many people at least have a basic understanding of how aircraft vehicles are able to fly, but without those explanations it would be very easy-natural, even-to say these machines can fly because they use magic.
So, back to Breath of the Wild; the advanced Sheikah technology enables Link to do things that would otherwise be seen as magic. Link doesn’t need a magic meter because he uses technology. Still, how are these technological devices powered? What powers the Sheikah Slate? There are still some mysteries in Breath of the Wild that for now could be explained as magic. Either the Sheikah Slate is powered by the best batteries ever made, or it’s powered by some sort of infinite power source. Perhaps Breath of the Wild’s sequel will somehow be able to turn these magicks into another piece of technology.
Idea: This is why there's no Sheikah tech visible when the castle is rising in the second and third trailers. By this point, he's awake..and the Shrines and Towers aren't real.
ahem
link start
The transitions between weapon swings at around 8:00 was TIGHT!
Yes, Breath of the Wild’s bosses were underwhelming, but I just don’t think Nintendo would completely negate their entire game with a sequel claiming it was just a simulation. I agree more with the theory that Calamity Ganon was just a fluctuation of Ganondorf’s power, who was kept underground below Hyrule Castle. This would have the same effect as the simulation theory and I just think this is far more likely. But I still really enjoyed the video!
And that’s why he says he doesn’t believe this is true at the beginning of the video lol
@@varden506 Yes and I agree with him
Funny, just today someone posted a video about PSO2: NGS and had some speculation from people about THAT game being a simulation too. This is relevant because I personally think visual effects that people often point out as evidence of simulation, isn't actually meant to be 'read' that way.
Whenever technology is used as part of the gameplay experience in a third-person game, what developers usually do is overlay those effects on the screen as if you were looking through the character's eyes instead. In PSO, we know for a fact that the characters are running around with an AR system marking targets and objectives and providing other necessary visual information, hence, when you get low on health, you see a warning vignette around the edges of the screen and you see minor visual distortions like a screen glitching. This is what the character sees when they've taken a lot of damage and it's affecting the tech they view the world through. The game is just showing you what that looks like by casting that effect over your screen, as it'd be pointless detail if only your character saw it in a 3rd person game.
For Breath of the Wild, the effects you see with things like Magnesis would not be what Link sees through his eyes, but rather what the Shiekah Slate would display on its screen, which Link does appear to look at when using some of its functions. Again, this effect is just being shown on your screen so that it's actually useful to the player.
So, you're telling me that the Sheikah not only created an entire simulation of Hyrule, but _also_ designed Paya to have a suspiciously-placed birthmark?
I now have more questions than answers, lol
The developers were trying to break the conventions of the series with Breath of the Wild, so perhaps they would have been willing to create a "Computer Simulation" story. They were thinking about having Hyrule be invaded by aliens in flying saucers, after all.
My theory building on this: Calamity Ganon actually *did* destroy Hyrule 10,000 years ago. However, after the destruction of the world, the remaining Sheikah placed all remaining Hylians, Gorons, Zora, and other beings underground in pods connected to a Sheikah simulation computer. In this simulation, Ganon *was* defeated 10,000 years ago and the world was never destroyed. In this this new world, while not being “real,” life and the history of Hyrule can continue.
Why. Why does everything end up in a Coma Theory? At least it took 5 years since launch
I want this to be true, because it is easily more interesting than any other possibility.
Slightly off topic but 12:33 was mentioning about how Calamity Ganon is underwhelming. But I think, and have thought for a while, that if you remove the easy fight, third person camera, and past experiences from other games, Calamity Ganon as well as the blights, are TERRIFYING. They scream *real* screams (not like fantasy monster roars, but human-like high pitched screams) and burst into *pools* of malice if defeated. Now allow me to paint a scene:
*As the gross, pulsating cocoon breaks, showering down malice, an abomination of malice and machinery emerges, hurdling toward the ground. As the limp corpse crumbles to the castle floor, barely missing you, the whole room starts to shake, as though the mere presence of this beast is enough to make the entirety of Hyrule quake. The cold stone below you crumbles and you fall down into the depths of the secrets that lie beneath the throne. After you barely pull out your paraglider in time to save you from an early grave, you slide into the smooth Sheikah floor, struggling to retain your footing. You look up, only to find that the that the beast that brought you here is laying down right in front of you. As awakens slowly, you see it in all it's glory. A twisted, decaying skull housing worn down teeth and glowing, hate-filled eyes stare back at you. Its mane of blood red hair coats its neck, making a rough transition to the gooey and dripping body of malice. Its spider-like arms heave the body of this monster up. It seems where arm used to be are now chopped off in place of guardian parts, by choice? By force? As the monster struggles to keep itself up by its weak arms and heavy weapons, you feel a sense of pity for it. A shadow of the powerful man it used to be. A bitter taste fills your mouth, one of certainty that only one man will remain standing. You grip your blade, breathe in, and prepare for the worst.*
I'm actually in favor of this, because looking further than what is just in this video, this would allow for all of the lore inconsistencies we see in the game and have been subtly arguing about for years now, what with all the timeline placement problems... This also works with everything Nintendo has said about it. It's canon, which would work. It's on the timeline, which also works, and that they haven't given a specific time for it, which makes sense. As if everything we've seen up to this point was all ran inside of that simulation, there would be no context clues as to where it is on the timeline. Being way at the end of the timeline, which is perfect logic as every civilization is more advanced the more time goes on, theoretically allowing for such an advanced simulation to even occur.
Secondarily, this gives Nintendo a massive out for the extreme backlash they received by many fans, as the game seems to not be aging as well by people who don't look at this game as an isolated case, which, unfortunately is extremely common. (People can have fun with the game, but the second it's related to other games, isolated cases need to be tossed if we're considering cross game lore). It also gives them something extremely useful for the next game, a massive plot twist. This would work well with the "darker" theme they have pushed verbally as a way to hype up the player base. Attempting to escape that simulation, even if it was created and ran by Ganon himself as a way to trick the only person who can wield the Master Sword into thinking he had succeeded, would be a neat experience, although it sort of throws some of the Zelda theme out the window. Although considering the Sheikah have advanced tech, who's to say Ganon didn't manage to corrupt that as well? So it could redefine a lot of our understanding of the Sheikah in the first place.
Ultimately, I doubt it's a very accurate theory, but I could pull even more strings to make it align if I wanted to. BotW was a fairly mediocre game from my perspective of what many other Zelda games have been, and a huge part of that was game pacing and repetition beyond belief, but the entire game being a simulation would be a passable excuse, even if it's likely not true. Until the next game releases or we have more confirmed info on this title, I think this is what I'm personally going to go with. It sadly, works better as a story that what was provided in the game. (Not sad as in pathetic, sad as in disappointed. I love these games so much, so of course I want to see unique or neat things done with them)
I love how you know it's completely over the top and definitely untrue, yet still give it as much credit as a legit convincing theory. Great professionalism !!
Honestly, "It's all a simulation/dream/hallucination" is the laziest, unimaginative, and boring theory for anything. It's just a weak cop-out and more often than not, every point on theories along those lines are too stretched to fit the narrative.
But hey, I'll still watch this because I like watching Zeltik's content.
What is this, Legend of Metal Gear of Solid?