Zelda U Analyzed and Explained!
I will try to analyze this picture of what might be Hyrule Field from the latest The Legend of Zelda game, coming to Wii U next year, and then I will try to explain where and when this all fits in. Let's get started, shall we?
What do we see? An open field which stretches on and on, with lots of clues in it. Let's start with the BIG One: Hyrule Town. Can you see it? I've numbered it as 1.
1. As we can see there is no Castle yet built here, but we can clearly see some sort of structers in this place. Probably houses.
2. And to the right of that we have what appears to be a body of water. It's at least bluer than anything in its surroundings. A river?
3. And looming above the ”water” is Death Mountain. That's pretty plain to see.
4. Moving down and to the right we can see some sort of wooden structure.
5. Moving a little bit further down and to the right we see what seems to be the beginning of a forest.
6. Just in front of the forest we can see a sheep herder
7. and to the left of him/her we can see a house with a well
8. and in the background we see some sort of pillars. Possibly ruins?
9. In the foreground we can see the Protagonist on a horse. We'll return to that character a little later.
10. Close to the Protagonist we find a set of stone walls with grass growing on them. Ruins? Or a former house ground?
11. More sheep herder/farmers
12. Another house.
13. In the distance we can see some sort of reflection in the sun light. Could this be from a mist or from water? Just a little bit to the right, on the same level as the Reflections, we see that blue-ish color again seen in Area nr 2. Could this be Lake Hylia?
14. Further in to the distance we see what appears to be a mountain cleaved in two. Is this some sort of Mountain Pass? To Gerudo Desert?
15. The last thing I've discovered is this... fortification, for a lack of a better word. It seems to be a wall and watch towers made of wood, and it seems to be located just below ”Lake Hylia”. Is this some sort of Encampment?
So that's all I've been able to spot so far. Let's analyze this! What does this all tell us? Well, for one, this seem to match the layout of Hyrule Field in Ocarina of Time! The Sun seem to be to the Left of the Protagonist – which would make that South. That quickly tell us that ”Lake Hylia” (if that indeed IS Lake Hylia) is to the South, with ”Hyrule Town” in the West and Death Mountain in the North West, with what could be a River flowing just beneath it. That would mean that the Wooden Structure and the Forest would be located to the East/North East. This Layout seem relatively consistent with the map of Ocarina of Time, does it not? The only major difference is Hyrule Town which have been shifted somewhat to the West. Even the Mountain Pass cor response roughly to the entrance to Gerudo Valley in OoT. It's also worth noting that the land is quite over grown; the grass is tall, there's few buildings and forests seem to have spread quite a bit.
What does this mean for when and where the game is set? I think we can safely exclude Time Line C, since that time line Hyrule was covered in water, and even after they find the New Continent, I highly doubt the layout of the land would match the ”Old Hyrule” this well.
And then we have to take into consideration that there is no Hyrule Castle. It's either been destroyed, or it's never been built. And the Castle has only been destroyed once; when Link defeated Ganon in OoT. So this could game could be set in Time Line B, before Twilight Princess. But there is another possibility; that this is a game about the Sealing War, in Time Line A. Could this game revolve around ANOTHER hero other than Link? A hero that unites the people of Hyrule and expels Ganon from the lands? That would explain the lack of Castle Hyrule (Ganon destroys it and the city lies in ruin). The other possibility is that this is a sequel to Skyward Sword.
People have comment a lot about ”Link's” look, saying he looks rather... feminine. Or even that he resembles Zelda. And what if that is true? What if he resembles Zelda for a reason? For those who have played SS it comes as no surprise that Link and Zelda might have been in love, which then might have lead to a... you guessed it! A kid! What if this Protagonist is an offspring to Link and Zelda from SS? That would explain the Zelda-ism in his face and the lack of Castle in Hyrule Town; it hasn't been built yet.
Personally I like the idea that you're the hero (even if it's not Link) that Seals Ganon away. Perhaps your father, Link, died and you have to step up instead of him? Maybe Zelda will be your mother and guide you? I also like the idea that this might be the offspring of Zelda and Link from SS – that would mean this might be the very first time you encounter Ganon!
Conclusion: When and Where is this game set then? My strongest contender is that this is a sequel to SS, and that the Link in this game might be the offspring to Zelda and (the older) Link. What speaks for this theory is that there isn't a Castle built yet and that Link seems to have certain features reminiscent of Zelda's. That would mean this story will probably be centred around the first appearance of Ganon in any Zelda game, and would explain why they built a Castle in the first place (to hide and guard the Triforce). My second theory is that this is a prequel to ALTTP and that the Castle has been destroyed by Ganon, and that the protagonist isn't Link at all, but maybe a relative. That would explain the somewhat different facial features in this hero. This game would almost certainly be about the Sealing War, when Hyrule rose up and Sealed Ganon in the Dark Realm. And after a lot of thinking I think the third theory is in fact that this takes place before WW, but after OoT! This could be Link's and Zelda's child or grandchild, and would explain the similarities between them and this hero. The blue tunic also fits nicely in this Time Line since Link started out with one of this in that game. Could this be the story about how Hyrule got Flooded?
TL;TR: The game is either set before TP or before ALTTP, or it might be a sequel to SS because no Hyrule Castle.
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