The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild truly was a breath of fresh air for the open-world genre when it came out. And, with a 97 on Metacritic, seems like everyone else felt similarly. Then, during E3 2019, Nintendo slapped down a sequel announcement that had us all floored.

RELATED: Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild: Stamina Vs HeartsIt was a frankly disturbing trailer in the best of ways. But, not much actual information about the game was unveiled, so we got out our analytical goggles to take a deeper look.

Updated on July 3, 2021 by Jacob Buchalter: It’s been almost two years since this list first came out, but in all that time there hasn’t been a whole lot of news on Breath of the Wild 2's development, until now. During Nintendo’s E3 2021 press conference, the staff behind the game basically gave fans a little “check-in” trailer to let them know that development was still well underway and that the game was coming sometime in 2022. So, let’s comb through this rather short new trailer for the game, and see what other hidden details we can dig up that people might not have noticed.

Disclaimer: For now, we're just going to use Ganondorf as the identifier for the mummy, as that is the most likely answer, but it still isn't 100% confirmed.

Details From The 2021 Trailer

Legend-Of-Zelda-Breath-Of-The-Wild-2-Second-Trailer---The-Start-Of-The-Trailer-Where-Links-Arm-Seems-To-Be-Getting-Infected-With-Malice-1

First up in the newest trailer are these two flash-frame moments of Link getting attacked by the tendril-like Malice, which seems much more alive than in the first game. It’s only on screen for a second, but there’s a lot we could glean from this still-frame, such as:

  • Finger-like tendrils of Malice are climbing up his arm and up the Master Sword as well. This is the same arm that later gets “possessed” by the glowing green arm holding Ganondorf down, so did the green arm possess Link’s to stop the spread of Malice?
  • Link is holding Master Sword as well, which is also being covered by the Malice. Maybe that's why he's right-handed in this game when the character is usually a lefty?
  • Link’s hood from the first trailer is gone, so they either changed his outfit for this cutscene, or he takes it off between the mummified Ganondorf waking up and his arm getting attacked.

The Floating Islands & What They Mean

Legend-Of-Zelda-Breath-Of-The-Wild-2-Second-Trailer---The-New-Sky-Islands-Seen-From-Above-1

After that horrifying intro, the screen fades to black and a white light appears. Very quickly, the light gets bigger and bigger until it covers the whole screen and reveals to us that Link is falling from the sky! Granted, he's falling in a way that’s very similar to how he did Skyward Sword. Link falling, his outfit, and the sky islands below him all imply some pretty neat stuff:

  • This falling animation is almost one-to-one with the animation in Skyward Sword, though the games themselves couldn't be more different in many ways. Still, that game also takes place (in part) on a bunch of different floating islands. Maybe that implies BOTW2 will have some lore from Skyward Sword in its narrative (such as Demise), or maybe just some similar mechanics.
  • Link is wearing a completely different outfit, leading a lot of fans to speculate that the black to white transition was actually a symbol of some sort of “portal” Link went through to get to this new area with the floating islands, either in his same world, in some other world, or far in the past. Though, to be fair, it's not like Link only had one outfit in the first game either.
  • His outfit is pretty barebones and he has no weapons equipped, meaning this might be the tutorial area for the second game, similar to the Plateau from the first one.
Legend-Of-Zelda-Breath-Of-The-Wild-2-Second-Trailer---Link-Isnt-Wearing-The-Master-Sword-In-The-Rest-Of-The-Trailer-1

We briefly mentioned the Master Sword earlier and how it was covered in Malice when Link was attacked at the start of the trailer. Well, after seeing it very briefly in that first instance, the Master Sword is nowhere else in this trailer. Maybe that’s why the Malice actually attacked Link’s arm in the first place, in order to steal the one weapon that could beat it? In any case, Link doesn’t seem to have it anymore, and in the trailer, he’s also missing:

  • His glider (he’s using a new one).
  • The Sheikah Slate.
  • His Champion’s Tunic.

The Automaton In The Sky & Its Power Source

Legend-Of-Zelda-Breath-Of-The-Wild-2-Second-Trailer---The-Spinal-Column-Of-The-Golem-Link-Fights-And-How-It-Looks-Similar-To-The-Energy-Sealing-Ganondorf-1

After landing on the sky islands in this trailer, Link ends up having to fight against some weird sort of Golem with a pretty unique design not seen anywhere in the first game. This Golem is obviously very different from the Guardians, as it has not a speck of the red energy/color anywhere that would imply Malice or Ganon. Instead, we can see by the beam of energy coursing through its “spine” that this Golem is powered by a different power source altogether. Even with how recent this trailer was, there are already a ton of theories about it:

  • It could be powered by the same type of energy that the seal on Ganondorf had, since they're both the same color.
  • Again, total speculation, but the “earring” things hanging off both sides of the Golem have an upside-down eye shape similar to the Sheikah symbol or even Vaati’s symbol from Four Swords.
  • The similarities to the hand sealing Ganondorf also imply that this automaton was created by the same people or person — possibly, because it senses the Malice in Link, and that’s why it attacks him in the first place.

These Gates Each Sky Island Seems To Have

Legend-Of-Zelda-Breath-Of-The-Wild-2-Second-Trailer---The-Gates-Seen-On-Each-Sky-Island-1

Another thing we noticed all throughout this brief trailer is the unique architecture the buildings and ruins on these floating islands had. They have their own hieroglyphics, but those haven't been identified or translated yet. Frankly, the architecture, in general, looks a bit like it was inspired by feudal Japan (another connection to the Sheikah), and most of the islands seen so far have had these Torii Gate-like arches near the end of the landmass. They could be:

  • Just simple pieces of architecture that serve no purpose.
  • Teleportation gates that connect all the islands.
  • Specific spots where Link can use whatever method of movement to get from one island to the next.
  • The theorized “portal” Link hops through to go back to his own time, timeline, world, or reality.

That Awesome New Flamethrower Weapon

Legend-Of-Zelda-Breath-Of-The-Wild-2-Second-Trailer---Links-New-Flamethrower-Weapon-Or-Shield-1

Next up is a weapon seen only briefly in the recent trailer, but we really needed to talk about it. During one of the clips where Link is fighting what could potentially be the BOTW variant of a Like-Like underground, he uses this new flamethrower weapon.

RELATED: Legend Of Zelda Breath Of The Wild: Which Places Are The Best?

But, if you look closely, the design of this thing looks very similar to the structures or statues depicting the dragons in the first BOTW game. But, more than that:

  • Link blocks an attack with this thing, meaning that it’s not just a flamethrower, but also an awesome shield.
  • The “eyes” of the flamethrower light up for just a second after Link uses it, and they light up with a very similar color to the sealing hand energy (similar to the Golem's power source).
  • This looks to be underground, but the carvings on the walls and floor look very similar to the ones on the sky islands, implying they might both be made by the same group of people or person.

No Deku Tree Where It Should Be

Legend-Of-Zelda-Breath-Of-The-Wild-2-Second-Trailer---Theres-No-Deku-Tree-On-The-Horizon-Anymore-1

Where the heck did the Deku Tree go? Or the Korok Forest, for that matter? There are a couple of moments in the trailer where Link is on the ground or near it, and in those moments we can see the horizon with some similar landmarks, albeit with some differences. But, the Deku Tree is completely missing from where it should be! This isn’t the first time this thing has disappeared or gone away in a Zelda game, but it means that:

  • It could’ve died or disappeared in between BOTW 1 and 2.
  • This part of BOTW2 takes place in a different time period before it was there or after it was gone.
  • The overflowing Malice destroyed it.
  • It was lifted into the sky as well.
  • Or quite simply, this is a reality that Link is in where the Deku Tree just isn’t in that same spot or doesn’t exist at all.
Legend Of Zelda Breath Of The Wild 2 Second Trailer - Link Using His New Arm To Reverse The Time Of An Object

Other than the new weapon, this brief look at BOTW2 also showed us one of the new abilities Link can use, which seems to be some sort of "time-reversal." Link uses his power on this spike ball rolling down a hill, it stops, the game turns black and white, and the ball goes back up the hill in the exact reverse path from the way it came down. But, there are a few other key details to pick up here:

  • You can see the previous states of the spike ball as “afterimages” (technically "beforeimages"), and it perfectly traces those images as it rolls back up the hill. Meaning that in-game, you’ll likely be able to see the same "afterimages" with whatever you use this power on.
  • When Link activates the ability, that golden light isn't coming from a Sheikah Slate, it comes from his now transformed arm. But, even weirder than that, it’s golden light, not the tell-tale green light, meaning this might be a power coming from Link’s part of the Triforce rather than his new magic arm.
  • No other object or monster other than the spike ball moves backward during this, meaning Link can likely use this ability like Statis on objects he's standing on to travel across the map in style and possibly skip the entire narrative once again.

Random Mobs Now Seemingly Work Together

Legend Of Zelda Breath Of The Wild 2 Second Trailer - Moblins Working With Stone Talus

One of the greatest things seen in this trailer is the moment where Link is gliding toward a Bokoblin Camp, and suddenly the whole camp raises up out of the ground and reveals it is on the back of a Stone Talus. Finally, mobs will work together in this game more than just throwing each other around. Also, some other aspects to note:

  • This act of a piece of earth “rising” out of the ground is very similar to what happens to Hyrule Castle and to other sky islands, just on a much smaller scale.
  • The Bokoblins are actually protecting the Stone Talus’ core, putting up barricades around it so Link can't easily get to it.
  • There are spikes on the bottom of the wood platforms, seemingly to limit where Link can climb up.
  • This introduces the possibility of mobile enemy camps or camps that move around.
  • The Bokoblin's horns are substantially longer now. This could imply a passage of time or just that their creator, Ganondorf, has become more powerful now that he's unsealed.

Phasing Through Terrain With The New Arm

Legend Of Zelda Breath Of The Wild 2 Second Trailer - Link Using His New Arm To Phase Through Terrain

And lastly for the 2021 trailer, let’s highlight another one of the new gameplay mechanics that was briefly shown: Link literally swimming up through solid ground. This happens at the end, right before the big panning landscape shot, but Link jumps up headfirst into the bottom of a cliffside, and there a few things that might confuse you about that:

  • Link motions like he’s “swimming” or “climbing” while doing this, implying that this power just softens the ground rather than “phasing” Link through it.
  • Link’s arm glows and there’s green light while this happens, heavily implying its another ability tied to his new magic arm.
  • It’s not clear whether this will be an ability that can only be used at certain points or on certain platforms, or if it's this game's version of the Champion abilities (we'll miss you Urbosa).
  • This power doesn’t seem to be “time-based” at all, which might be why it glows green while the reversing power shown earlier glowed gold. Perhaps green = magic hand, gold = Triforce time powers.

Hidden Details In The 2019 Trailer

Secret Message In The Reversed Song

The Legend Of Zelda Breath Of The Wild 2 2019 Reveal Trailer - Seeing The Sealed Mummy From A Top-Down View

Now, in regards to the 2019 trailer, let's talk about that spooky music. The first thing heard in the trailer is this unsettling "singing" almost like a spell or chant. It's obvious to anyone familiar with audio editing that this has been reversed or modified in some way.

So as usual, fans dove right in to find any hidden secrets — and what's been found so far is interesting, to say the least:

  • It sounds like someone whispering "help us" right at the beginning of the "song."
  • The song sounds similar to OoT music, among other tracks.
  • With the newest trailer showing Link using an ability to reverse time, maybe this audio bite playing in reverse has more significance than fans first thought?

The Language In The Air Particles

The Legend Of Zelda Breath Of The Wild 2 2019 Reveal Trailer - The Particles Of The Magic In The Air

This is the most obvious little detail, but those floating green trails don't seem to just be particle effects. We can see in all parts of the trailer that these lines of energy:

  • Become symbols of an unknown language as they get closer to the center.
  • They aren't Hylian or Sheikah languages, at least not known ones, so they're probably either a dead language or from an unknown civilization.
  • Based on the atmosphere, the singing, and the situation, these are likely symbols that are part of a chant or spell somehow related to the Malice or Ganondorf.

Magic Oddly Similar to Sheikah Tech

The Legend Of Zelda Breath Of The Wild 2 2019 Reveal Trailer - The Spiraling Energy Sealing The Mummy

Now there isn't much proof of this next entry. But the way that this green magic is slowly condensing itself onto a single point, starting from the top of the room and trickling down, seems oddly familiar. It's actually relatively close to the way Sheikah tech works in Breath of the Wild.

Remember in the towers whenever Link would reveal more of the map on his tablet with that "drop" of Sheikah technology? We never really figured out how that actually works, huh? Now, who really knows what this means, but there are some theories, such as:

  • The Sheikah unintentionally caused the conflict in the sequel and that everything is less black and white than is customary for a Zelda title.
  • The Sheikah first discovered the advanced tech of this older civilization and made it their own.
  • Or, alternatively, this green magic is the remnants of a separate Sheikah sect or another group of people is repurposing the Sheikah tech.

The Hieroglyphics Are Also Sheikah

The Legend Of Zelda Breath Of The Wild 2 2019 Reveal Trailer - The Torch Revealing The Hieroglyphics On The WAll

Here's the weirdest thing — we've already confirmed that the symbols in the air aren't Hylian or Sheikah. And, they also aren't any language from a past Zelda game that the fans can tell (at least so far). Yet, oddly enough, the hieroglyphics on the walls specifically, are probably of Sheikah origin:

  • They're drawn in the exact same style as the word "Legend" in the intro.
  • The hieroglyphics have the same color scheme.
  • They're radically different from the architecture and runes that were seen during the rest of this trailer.

But, what does that mean? The Sheikah were obviously in this room at some point. The only question is, was it long after this spell/sacrifice had been performed, or during? What is their relation to this whole ritual?

The Legend Of Zelda Breath Of The Wild 2 2019 Reveal Trailer - Link Struggling To Hold Back His New Magic Arm

Now here's the most interesting part of the trailer. It's only on screen for a second, but Link actually gets controlled by the green magical force:

  • His arm is seemingly taken over by the symbols and the hand holding the mummy down.
  • He tries to hold the energy back but can't seem to do it.
  • So, he loses control and releases a big burst of energy.

This is only a guess, but it might be Link that unintentionally released the seal, freeing the Malice. Now, after seeing the new footage in 2021, the most likely situation is that Link got too close, the Malice started possessing his arm and/or taking him over, and the green hand holding the seal together chose to save Link using its power over keeping the seal in place. And, while it was distracted, Ganondorf likely freed himself. Again, this is all speculation, but it does connect the two events rather succinctly.

Come On, It's Ganondorf

The Legend Of Zelda Breath Of The Wild 2 2019 Reveal Trailer - Circling Some Of The Mummy's Features That Heavily Imply It's Ganondorf

But who is that zombie? The red hair, jewelry, and gem all point to the Gerudo, but they so rarely have male children. So then, who is a male Gerudo, who wears a gem in their forehead, who would be associated with dark magic? Man, we just can't figure this one ou— of course it's Ganondorf.

RELATED: The Legend Of Zelda: The Easiest Ways To Obtain Ancient Cores In Breath Of The Wild

He wears different gems depending on the game, but this singular gold gem points to OoT, Wind Waker, or Twilight Princess Ganondorf specifically. Funny enough, it also points to Hyrule Warriors Ganondorf, a design of his that Breath of the Wild is sorely missing. Fans are speculating like wild after seeing this mummy, such as:

  • This incarnation of the Dark Lord might've been the victim, and quite possibly not so evil.
  • Ganondorf's Malice grew so large, it fully separated the man Ganondorf and the beast Ganon
  • Or possibly, this could literally be one of the incarnations of Ganondorf from the other games and not a new incarnation altogether.

Each one of these theories is incredibly interesting and would be a very different direction for the series, so here's hoping one of them (or something similar) is true.

Although, What If It's Not Ganondorf?

The Legend Of Zelda Breath Of The Wild 2 2019 Reveal Trailer - Circling The Mummy's Sharp Teeth And Comparing Them To Demise

Now it's time to get a bit out there with speculation. Sure, the most likely option is that it's Ganondorf, but what if it's actually Demise? Demise was the villain in Skyward Sword who is even more ancient and mysterious than Ganon. He's known as the Demon King, the eerie music sounds similar to his theme when played at a normal speed, and he shares similar visual traits:

  • They both have red hair as well as an overall muscular build.
  • But, the body in the BOTW2 trailer (both new and old) has these sharp incisors, which is new for Ganondorf.
  • Also, in the 2021 trailer, we see that this mummy has holes in his palms, his arms, his chest, and all over his body. While Ganondorf could survive all that, it makes much more sense for a God to "live" with these wounds than Ganondorf.

And, to add to it even further, there are other theories that Demise might've been behind the curse that turned Ganondorf into Calamity Ganon in the first place! Keeping up with all the fan theories, breakdowns, and speculation videos is half the fun of the buildup leading to a game release, and BOTW2 is especially fun to ponder on.

Blood Moon Particles Floating Around

The Legend Of Zelda Breath Of The Wild 2 2019 Reveal Trailer - The Mummy Waking Up And Showing Its Horrifying Eyes

It seems that the same magic behind the Blood Moons in BotW is the cause for this zombie's resurrection, or at least very similar. Why? Well:

  • When the eyes of this creep-show flicker to life, we can see that the particles in the air have become eerily similar to the ones during the Blood Moon
  • The color in the room, as well, shifts from green to red.
  • Plus, the eyes in this zombie creature are also similar to the Malice eyes we destroy all over post-apocalyptic Hyrule.

Whatever is going on, it seems like the same Malice that created Calamity Ganon is behind it.

Terrible Tyrant Tag Team?

The Legend Of Zelda Breath Of The Wild 2 2019 Reveal Trailer - All Of The Greatest Zelda Villains Imposed Over An Image Of The Hand Sealing The Mummy

Alright now we might be going a bit too far down the rabbit hole, but a good number of people have been thinking that maybe the Twili from Twilight Princess are involved in this as well. Remember:

  • Ganondorf did play a major part in the narrative of LoZ: TP, primarily in the second half.
  • All this green and gold is telling of their design's architecture, as well as the spirals.
  • And, the rectangular, almost circuit board-esque shapes in the pattern of the gold armband is similar as well to their overall aesthetics.

What if all the biggest villains from the franchise (even the lesser-known ones) played a part in the events of BoTW2? We're talking Zant, Demise, and Ganondorf. That would be such a celebration of the franchise as a whole, and also one of the most frightening team-ups in history, especially if they were all incomplete and grotesque versions of these characters, similar to Calamity Ganon and the mummy itself.

Early Signs Point Towards "So-Called" Villian As A Victim

The Legend Of Zelda Breath Of The Wild 2 2019 Reveal Trailer - The Shadow On The Wall Being Attacked

We said it earlier and we'll say it again: Ganondorf might've just been a helpless victim here. Let's assume the body is Ganondorf's, for the time being, and let's ask some questions with that in mind:

  • Why is it so somber and sad? The position it's in is not a "powerful" position, but rather one that evokes the emotion of "despair".
  • Why does the corpse look so helpless and unhappy rather than wrathful?
  • And finally, why when the light flashes do the shadows projected on the wall seem like some old decrepit magi or witch is sealing a powerful warrior? Notice how the primary shadow has normal, rounded fingers while the hand sealing it has nails like talons?

The common theory (other than the standard "Ganondorf is evil and he was sealed away because of it") is that this shadow is a snippet of the past showing how this spell or seal was forced onto someone? What if Ganondorf was the pride of the Gerudo in this timeline, and he was on the right track? But, for better or worse, he still desired power — power that betrayed him, betrayed his destiny as the incarnation of Demise, or maybe even a power that was forced into him. The story of BOTW one was one of the game's weaker aspects, so here's hoping BOTW2 takes it up a notch.

NEXT: The Biggest Post-Apocalyptic Games