After three and a half years of waiting since the last original game in the franchise, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity. With the prequel's release only weeks away, many players have been taking the opportunity to revisit Breath of the Wild, reacquainting themselves with the story and characters. But while Breath of the Wild deviated from many established aspects of the long-running Zelda franchise, its core elements are not exactly new.
The Zelda series launched more than thirty years ago with the release of The Legend of Zelda for NES in 1986. Since then, the franchise has become one of the most successful video game series of all time, with many of its nearly twenty main titles considered some of the best video games ever made. As such, Breath of the Wild took a major risk with its reinvention of the series in 2017.
While it marked a departure from previous Zelda titles in gameplay and world, Breath of the Wild never forgot its roots. The game is brimming with references to previous Zelda games, paying homage to every single title in the main series.
1. The Legend of Zelda in Breath of the Wild
Breath of the Wild pays homage to the game that started it all with the bridges located throughout the game world. Several of the bridges in Breath of the Wild are named after bosses that appeared in the very first Legend of Zelda game, such as Gleeok Bridge (named after Gleeok, a dragon that recurs as a boss in multiple Zelda games), Aquame Bridge (named for Aquamentus, a horned dragon that later reappears in Oracle of Seasons), Manhala Bridge (named after Manhandla, a boss that recurs in subsequent Zelda games), and Digdogg Suspension Bridge (named for Digdogger, another Zelda recurring boss).
2. Zelda II: The Adventure of Link in Breath of the Wild
Breath of the Wild continues this pattern with several bridges named after bosses that appeared in the second Zelda game, The Adventure of Link. Examples include Carok Bridge (named for Carock, the magic-weilding guardian of the Maze Island Palace), Helmhead Bridge (named after the guardian of Midoro Palace, Helmethead), Orsedd Bridge (named for Horsehead, the guardian of Parapa Palace), and Rebonae Bridge (named after the Island Palace boss, Rebonack).
3. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past in Breath of the Wild
Moving away from geographic references, Breath of the Wild pays subtle homage to A Link to the Past in its design. A Link to the Past was the first Zelda game to feature the Master Sword, now considered a staple of the series. At the Pedestal of the Master Sword in Korok forest, three flowers grow in the exact same spots they were placed around the pedestal in A Link to the Past: two on the left, one on the right.
Though the flowers aren’t identified by name in A Link to the Past, in Breath of the Wild they are Silent Princesses, another subtle nod to the series history as Breath of the Wild was the first Zelda game to give Princess Zelda a voice actor.
4: The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening in Breath of the Wild
Breath of the Wild is bananas for this fruit, which appears as a reward any time Link defends a member of the Yiga clan. Bananas are also a key item in a trading quest in the recently remade Link’s Awakening, which, in contrast to subsequent Zelda instalments, is a requirement in order to complete the game.
5. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time in Breath of the Wild
Breath of the Wild is rife with references to this classic Zelda game, but none more exalting than the Temple of Time itself. The Temple is one of the first locations Link can visit in Breath of the Wild, accessible even before he acquires the Paraglider. The crumbling temple firmly sets Breath of the Wild at the end of the Zelda timeline, establishing the setting while acknowledging the series’ long history. Despite its dilapidated appearance, the Temple also serves as a nod to long-time Zelda fans, welcoming them home and granting them their first extra heart after completion of the game’s first Main Quest.
6. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask in Breath of the Wild
The titular mask from this famous Zelda game is actually present and attainable in Breath of the Wild, provided players purchase the Master Trials DLC. After installing the DLC, players will be able to access the EX Treasure: Ancient Mask side quest, which culminates in the discovery of Majora’s Mask.
The mask can actually be equipped as armor, and while some fans may be turned off by its meagre one-point defense, Breath of the Wild’s Majora’s Mask offers Link a special advantage: he can approach multiple enemies without aggroing them, including the game’s dreaded Lynels.
7. & 8. The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons/Oracles of Ages in Breath of the Wild
Breath of the Wild pays homage to the Oracle games with more geographical references. Lodrum Headland and Brynna Plain, both located in Lanayru Great Spring, take their names from the overworlds of the Oracle games: Holodrum in Oracle of Seasons, and Labrynna in Oracle of Ages.
9. The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords in Breath of the Wild
Four Swords was originally launched as a multiplayer-only companion game to A Link to the Past. Released as a remaster in 2011 with a new single-player mode and additional content, the game is now generally considered the ninth installment in the long-running Zelda series.
Four Swords marks the first appearance of Vaati, a recurring villain in The Legend of Zelda who, similar to Ganon, is capable of taking on both humanoid and monstrous forms. Breath of the Wild gives a nod to Vaati in the Glowing Eyeball enemies that grow from the Malice that plagues much of Hyrule. The Eyeballs were clearly modelled after Vaati’s Sprite form, leading some fans to wonder if Vaati has a role to play in the Breath of the Wild sequel.
10. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker in Breath of the Wild
While hardly a Souls game, Breath of the Wild even sneaks some lore into its item descriptions. The Rock Salt commonly found throughout Hyrule is described in Link’s inventory as “crystallized salt from the ancient sea”, a subtle reference to the Great Sea that covers much of Wind Waker’s game world.
11. The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures in Breath of the Wild
At first glance, Four Swords Adventures is seemingly absent from Breath of the Wild. However, four is a key number in Breath of the Wild’s story: just as all four Links were required to defeat Ganon in Four Swords Adventures, Breath of the Wild’s Link must liberate all four Divine Beasts and combine the powers of the four Champions in order to face Hyrule’s dreaded foe.
