Recent The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom leaks show that Hyrule may be overtaken by a great flood. There has been a lot of speculation about what direction the story of Tears of the Kingdom may take, with even the trailers leaving a lot of unanswered questions. While nothing is set in stone, there are enough hints to make the flood of Hyrule in TOTK a feasible possibility.
Until recently, the only information that could be used to glean anything about Tears of the Kingdom and its plot was contained in the trailers, alongside some other details that have been announced. It's known that the story will feature Hyrule once again being thrown into an apocalyptic situation, as it is seen crumbling under an energy that is eerily similar to that wielded by Calamity Ganon in BOTW. In addition, Link has a glowing arm in TOTK that appears to be a significant part of his arsenal in the new game. However, the biggest hints so far may have come from recent alleged Tears of the Kingdom leaks of the artbook.
Tears Of The Kingdom Leaks Show A Lot Of Water Locations, Ships, & Fish
In recent days, images from the artbook for Tears of the Kingdom leaked online, and they revealed plenty of secrets well before the game's release. Amidst the Tears of the Kingdom leaks were several images of fish and ships. It's already known that the game will feature floating islands around Hyrule, so it's possible that the ships could be airships of some sort. When combined with several different fish shown off, though, it gives off the impression that they're designed for the ocean instead.
Tears of the Kingdom's vehicle construction already looks to be one of the game's big gimmicks, but sailing could act alongside that, potentially with self-constructed boats. Not to mention, a flood overtaking Hyrule could be what the title Tears of the Kingdom refers to, as Hyrule is flooded by a deluge almost like the tears of the goddess falling onto the land. It's possible that the title could have been foreshadowing such an event all along.
If Tears of the Kingdom has ships sailing around, then it's not out of the realm of possibility to think that Hyrule could be flooded during the events of TOTK. There are already floating islands, and it's possible that they could end up being an escape from the waters down below. Tears of the Kingdom may not be dark compared to other Zelda games, after all, but that doesn't mean that it won't see Hyrule experiencing another great turmoil.
Tears Of The Kingdom Could Play Out Wind Waker's Flooded Hyrule Backstory
The first Legend of Zelda game to feature sailing as a prominent mechanic was The Wind Waker, and the similarities between its story and the possibility of TOTK's Hyrule being flooded are difficult to ignore. It's possible that the stories of the two games could be tied together as much as Tears of the Kingdom is with Breath of the Wild. While more information would be needed in order to confirm this, a clear line could be drawn connecting the two if a flood ends up being vital to the upcoming title's plot.
The Wind Waker takes place in the Great Sea, which Link sails across in his adventure to save his sister and defeat the resurrected Ganondorf, whose destruction of Greatfish Isle in Wind Waker shows him to have similar destructive power to Calamity Ganon. Late in the game, it's revealed that the Great Sea is on top of Hyrule, which flooded ages ago in that timeline. It was frozen in time in the last moments before the water overtook it, and at Wind Waker's climax it disappears under the waves for good, with the memories of the kingdom and Ganondorf consigned to memory and legend for the rest of time.
If Tears of the Kingdom leads to the flooding of Hyrule, then it could secretly be the prequel to The Wind Waker. This idea could play into the Tears of the Kingdom trailer from the most recent Nintendo Direct. Ganon's minions are raging, and his influence is still strong across the land despite his defeat. That combined with the TOTK leak potentially hinting at time-travel could see the flood, and therefore the Wind Waker timeline as a future that Link must avoid. While Hyrule may get buried beneath the waves, it could be Link's duty to make sure that it doesn't stay that way.
Tears Of The Kingdom Could Be Zelda's Latest Timeline Split
Tears of the Kingdom flooding Hyrule and leading to The Wind Waker would be an interesting twist, but that's not the only direction that it could go. In fact, there is already at least one contradiction between the two games. Not only did the King of Hyrule have different names in both Breath of the Wild and The Wind Waker, but BOTW's king was already dead long before that game, much less TOTK, while Wind Waker's king was there at Hyrule's end. The Kings of The Legend of Zelda's Hyrule are not the only difference, but they are one of the most prominent.
Tears of the Kingdom could end up reenacting Wind Waker's, but with a different result than the timeline that led to that game's events. There have been so many incarnations of Link and Hyrule in The Legend of Zelda that almost every game could take place in its own dimension, all tied together with the vital elements of the series. Tears of the Kingdom's flood may not be as world-changing as Wind Waker's was, and perhaps the land could still be habitable by the game's end.
A new version of the great flood would be sure to become a famous moment in the series. Such a dramatic change in Hyrule is rare to see in The Legend of Zelda, especially over the course of a single game. If TOTK is part of a new Zelda timeline, then seeing Hyrule go through such a transformative event would be a good way to establish the game's importance in said timeline.
It's possible that the ships seen in the Tears of the Kingdom leaks could be innocuous parts of the game. However, it would be much more exciting if they were a hint toward a major twist that significantly changed the game. Although it may sound outrageous, it's possible that Tears of the Kingdom could see the next great flood of Hyrule.
Source: Nintendo of America/YouTube