A modder is attempting to rebuild Hyrule in Breath of the Wild, using content from Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity. The new Zelda spinoff takes the form of a prequel which will bring players to the past, 100 years before the events of the iconic open-world game, to take part in the epic war against the forces of Ganon that set the stage for Breath of the Wild. It will feature recurring and fully playable characters like Impa.
The modding community has had a lot of fun with Breath of the Wild. Like any open world game, the beloved Zelda game is very fertile ground for mods. Its vast map and open-ended nature make a perfect environment for players to slot in whatever content they want, and players definitely have. One fan took a racetrack from Mario Kart 8 and put the whole thing into the game. It's fully playable, too; the modder added obstacles, time trials, rewards, and all the bells and whistles you'd expect from a Mario Kart circuit. It's a pretty impressive sight.
One fan is using their modding powers a bit more productively. GameBanana user Banan039 is using the structures and buildings seen in Age of Calamity to bring Hyrule back to the state it was in before it suffered a hundred years under Ganon's wrath. Ruined villages and cities are rebuilt, the caustic pools of malice that Link encounters in his travels are removed, and even the giant ruined coliseum has been restored to its former glory. Better yet, the changes aren't just visual; every building has full collision, and Link can climb all over them. The modder says that some areas are still under construction, which is evident in the attached video. Link visits an open air market, about half of which is floating ominously above the ground. Despite these minor issues, though, the mod is fully playable, and available for download right now.
Most of the mods one encounters in games like Breath of the Wild are strange and silly joke projects, like the aforementioned Mario Kart track. A YouTuber also modified the game by replacing every enemy with the insanely difficult Golden Lynel, to hilarious effect. It's much less common to find a mod like this, but it's certainly no less impressive. Breath of the Wild is renowned for its peaceful, quietly desolate, pseudo-apocalyptic atmosphere. This mod turns that atmosphere on its head, restoring Hyrule to at least a semblance of its former glory. One can only wonder how long it must have taken to model every building just right.
The modding community never ceases to impress. There's no end to the remarkable, delightful, and often outright bizarre creations these people can whip up. Thanks to the efforts of Banan039, the kingdom of Hyrule will never be the same. Fans both of Breath of the Wild and of Age of Calamity will surely appreciate the work this person put in.
Source: GameBanana, Banan039