User:Dermotmacflann/Theories: Difference between revisions
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Breath of the Wild's Link is from Zora's Domain
(Theory of 60 (I'm really proud of this one)) |
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My "Theory of 60" is thus: If one in-game minute takes one real world second to elapse (and one in-game hour—60 in-game minutes—takes one real world minute to elapse), then the "real" size of the game geography being played is actually 60 times its dimensions in any direction. I previously applied this theory to ''Xenoblade Chronicles X'' which has the same 24-minute day, but it also works for {{BotW}}. As such, if the [[Hyrule]] of ''Breath of the Wild'' is approximately 9 km × 6.8 km in-game (61.2 km², about the size of real world [[w:Bermuda|Bermuda]] or [[w:San Marino|San Marino]]), then its "real" size is actually 540 km × 408 km (220320 km², about the size of real world [[w:Laos|Laos]]). This is not to say that everything seen in game is actually necessarily literally 60 times the size seen in-game—trees aren't 60 times taller, 60 times wider, etc.; rather, this theory understands that the geography seen in-game is a "condensed" version of the "real" place, which may have more actual villages, more actual inhabitants, more trees in each forest, more forests between point A and point B, more mountains, more mountain valleys, etc. In open world game design where extreme affinity with the terrain is expected for a completionist playthrough, it makes sense to condense the "real" geography to something smaller, or the gameplay experience would take longer and be far more tedious to complete, and even most hardcore gamers don't want to put forward ''that'' large of a commitment. But this also makes the "real" Link's achievements more impressive, as it can be understood that he's scaling 60 times more terrain and completing more momentary tasks than the player is in controlling his actions. | My "Theory of 60" is thus: If one in-game minute takes one real world second to elapse (and one in-game hour—60 in-game minutes—takes one real world minute to elapse), then the "real" size of the game geography being played is actually 60 times its dimensions in any direction. I previously applied this theory to ''Xenoblade Chronicles X'' which has the same 24-minute day, but it also works for {{BotW}}. As such, if the [[Hyrule]] of ''Breath of the Wild'' is approximately 9 km × 6.8 km in-game (61.2 km², about the size of real world [[w:Bermuda|Bermuda]] or [[w:San Marino|San Marino]]), then its "real" size is actually 540 km × 408 km (220320 km², about the size of real world [[w:Laos|Laos]]). This is not to say that everything seen in game is actually necessarily literally 60 times the size seen in-game—trees aren't 60 times taller, 60 times wider, etc.; rather, this theory understands that the geography seen in-game is a "condensed" version of the "real" place, which may have more actual villages, more actual inhabitants, more trees in each forest, more forests between point A and point B, more mountains, more mountain valleys, etc. In open world game design where extreme affinity with the terrain is expected for a completionist playthrough, it makes sense to condense the "real" geography to something smaller, or the gameplay experience would take longer and be far more tedious to complete, and even most hardcore gamers don't want to put forward ''that'' large of a commitment. But this also makes the "real" Link's achievements more impressive, as it can be understood that he's scaling 60 times more terrain and completing more momentary tasks than the player is in controlling his actions. | ||
===Breath of the Wild's Link is from Zora's Domain=== | |||
{{BotW}} has been vague on Link's origins before becoming Princess Zelda's Champion, but the strongest clue seems to come from [[Zora's Domain]]. It's not just that [[Zora]]s tend to be long-lived and many personally remember Link from 100 years before; but there's actual evidence that Link grew up there. Back then, the Zora [[Bazz]] was a child, and ran a club called the [[Big Bad Bazz Brigade]], which was made up of other Zora children...and Link. Link was the one who originally taught Bazz swordfighting. However, I have reason to believe that Link himself may have still been fairly young when this happened. It is known that Link was a son of a knight of Hyrule, but it's never said ''where'' in Hyrule Link and his father lived. An easy suggestion would be [[Castle Town]], but one has to remember that Hyrule's military was responsible for defending the entire realm and not just its capital, and there are multiple military outposts including the [[Akkala Citadel Ruins|Akkala Citadel]] and [[Fort Hateno]]. The different non-Hylian polities (like that of the [[Gerudo]], the [[Goron]]s, etc.) had their own local forms of government and guard, but it would have been practical to keep representatives of Hyrule's central government in their polities, at least in an attaché capacity. And Zora's Domain has one ruin that appears not to be Zora-built—the ruins at [[Toto Lake]], presumably once dry land but now inundated with water over the passage of time. Now, consider one of the [[Zora Stone Monuments]]: | |||
:H---ory of the Zor-, Part S-ven | |||
:The H-ro Who D-feat-d the Ly--l | |||
:As T--d b- King Dorephan | |||
: | |||
:T--re was a time when the p--ple of the land were thre--ened by the dr--- beast Ly-e- who lived on the Pl--mu- M--ntain. But one Hy---n drove th- beast back an- re--ored p--ce to the do--in. Th- Zora helm w-n in th-s fight i- no- north of --- in the r--ns near ---- L-ke. It re--s ther- to h--or the d--ds of the he-- L---. | |||
The text seems to be worn by the passage of time, but with gameplay context, the details can be pieced together: | |||
:History of the Zora, Part Seven | |||
:The Hero Who Defeated the [[Lynel]] | |||
:As Told by King [[Dorephan]] | |||
: | |||
:There was a time when the people of the land were threatened by the dread beast Lynel who lived on the [[Ploymus Mountain]]. But one [[Hylian]] drove the beast back and restored peace to the domain. The Zora helm won in this fight is now north of --- in the ruins near Toto Lake. It rests there to honor the deeds of the hero Link. | |||
There is one word I couldn't decipher in context, but the message is clear: Link demonstrated his heroism by fighting back a Lynel, and the Zora helm he won would later be rested at the ruins of Toto Lake to ''honor'' him. Indeed, the player can recover the Zora helm from a chest in the flooded ruins. But why specifically those ruins? I think perhaps they were not ruins before 100 years ago, but a functioning Hyrulean outpost, and the helm was laid to rest and the stone monument carved ''after'' the Calamity 100 years before; the particular elements of the monument's location merely weathered it more severely in a shorter amount of time, rendering its text barely legible. I believe the Toto Lake ruins have significance in honoring Link because he may have actually ''lived'' there, and perhaps was even born there, to the small number of Hylians that probably lived there. And the heroic acts recorded in the monument may have been one of his earliest accomplishments as Hero, and perhaps was the event that truly gained him wider recognition so he could later be appointed the Princess's Champion. And there's still yet another piece of evidence that suggests Link grew up in Zora's Domain: His relationship with [[Mipha]] is strikingly similar to other incarnations' relationships with [[Saria]] or [[Ilia]]—that of an implied childhood sweetheart who had already known him for years. Overall, it is possible that Link could have spent significant parts of his childhood in other parts of Hyrule, and could have been born practically anywhere else, and the lack of evidence may merely reflect a lack of surviving witnesses after 100 years. But in Zora's Domain, Link appears to have genuine ties and roots, those which he himself can barely remember, but are still well-remembered by numerous Zora adults who appear to have grown up with him. | |||
{{Theory|end}} | {{Theory|end}} | ||
