The Legend of Zelda series has done an incredible job of reinventing itself without losing what makes it special over the years. It’s moved from a top-down 2D game to a 3D adventure, ditched its signature dungeons, and revolutionized open-world games, all while focusing on the same core characters. The Legend of Zelda isn’t afraid to reexamine and complicate its own history, even traveling through time to do it. Now, a bizarre fan theory suggests an even wilder leap is coming for the series in Breath of the Wild 2.
The speculation comes from Nintendo YouTuber Commonwealth Realm in a new video predicting what we’ll see in the next trailer for the Breath of the Wild sequel. Commonwealth Realm’s video posits a lot of different ideas for what fans can expect, but one in particular stands out. Peppered throughout the video is the suggestion that Breath of the Wild 2 will take the series to one place you probably never even considered it would go: space!
So what evidence does Commonwealth Realm cite for this shocking theory? Well, not much. The YouTuber mainly picks up on a comment series producer Eiji Aonuma made when announcing the game’s delay to 2023. In that video, Aonuma says, “...this sequel will take place not just on the ground as in the previous game, but also in the skies above. However, the expanded world goes beyond that...”
Going with the common assumption that Breath of the Wild 2 will be a sequel of sorts to Skyward Sword, the theory says that a series that started in the sky will do more than return there for its final act. Commonwealth Realm takes Aonuma’s comment to mean that the game’s world expands beyond the sky — in other words, into space — for the ultimate confrontation with Ganon.
It’s not the most convincing Breath of the Wild 2 fan theory by a long shot, but it’s a fun one to think about. Even some of Breath of the Wild’s designers had space in mind when they proposed including some wild UFO designs in the game (seen in the video below at about 3:00).
The closest The Legend of Zelda has come to exploring space is when the Moon got a little too cozy with Termina, the parallel world setting of Majora’s Mask. While there’s been no hint of it so far, BOTW 2 could send Link to another parallel world, which would certainly fit the description of being “beyond” the skies of Hyrule.
Commonwealth Realm’s video also makes reference to The Legend of Zelda’s three goddesses, who are said to live in the heavens, as goddesses are wont to do. While it’s not exactly space proper, a journey to the lofty realm of the goddesses would be a huge moment for the Zelda series, and a hell of a way to end a game. The Legend of Zelda has a tendency to go all-out for its final battles against Ganon, so even the wildest theories about Breath of the Wild 2’s finale don’t seem too out of touch with the series’ tone.
A more down-to-Hyrule explanation for Aonuma’s comment (still assuming it’s meant literally) appears later in the video. Commonwealth Realm suggests that rather than heading to space, Breath of the Wild 2 could send Link underwater. It’s not the first time such a theory has been raised. Nintendo reportedly planned to include underwater exploration in Breath of the Wild but scrapped the idea before implementing it. Link is an accomplished swimmer in many Zelda games, and letting him reach new depths in the next adventure would fit with Breath of the Wild’s focus on traversing Hyrule in fun new ways.
Ultimately, it’s best not to put too much faith in fan theories, especially ones like this that aren’t backed by any inside information. But with a series as varied and surprising as The Legend of Zelda, you shouldn’t dismiss anything out-of-hand either. Who expected Breath of the Wild to be what it is, after all? Even if this idea never materializes, you’re now imagining Link in a cute little spacesuit, so you’ve already won.
The sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild launches in 2023 on Nintendo Switch.
