'The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild' Trailer Might Tease Timeline Clues Through Flowers

“The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild” trailer has tons of clues about Nintendo’s upcoming RPG, and some fans have theorized about the game’s timeline placement using flowers.

While the theory has been percolating since E3, it was recently recapped by HMK on YouTube, as well as fan comments on IGN and Now Loading. The creator of the idea remains unknown, but it’s got a lot of people talking regardless.

In the trailer’s opening moments, viewers see a glimpse of Link’s iconic Master Sword entombed and surrounded by three small flowers with white petals and a blue center. The scene looks innocuous at first blush, but it’s actually an obvious homage to 1992’s “The Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past.” When Link first secures the Master Sword in the opening moments of that game, it’s surrounded by the same three flowers in the same spots.

Given this commonality, many fans are wondering if the trailer might be teasing something. If the same plants are in the exact same place in “Breath Of The Wild,” does that mean the new game has some kind of timeline connection to “A Link To The Past?” That much seems possible considering yet another flower appears on the game’s complete logo later in the clip. Knowing how passionate gamers are about “Zelda,” Nintendo often makes its promotional content with a purpose. With two direct botanical references, these flowers seem to have some kind of significance in the story.

For those not so in tune with “The Legend Of Zelda” universe, “A Link To the Past” is infamously on what’s called the Fallen Hero Timeline. It’s accompanied by “Link’s Awakening,” “A Link Between Worlds” and the recently released “Tri Force Heroes.” In that lore split, Link actually loses the final battle against his main foe, Ganondorf.

With common elements in the form of flowers, “Breath Of The Wild” could be a continuation of that narrative. After all, from the E3 2016 demo, we know that Link begins “Breath Of The Wild” with the world in ruin. The Fallen Hero timeline offers a perfect catalyst for that type of tale.

Those opposed to significance being placed on flowers allege that “Breath Of The Wild” makes more sense on the Child Timeline of “Twilight Princess.” In this lore fork, the so-called Hero Of Time goes to the past after defeating his nemesis. Nintendo officials have said that “Twilight Princess” is related to “Breath Of The Wild” in some way, so the opposing theory is that the two games might be on the same timeline.

As with most theories crafted by fans, both of these scenarios are far from official conformations. That being said, it’s interesting to see how something as simple as flowers can be the epicenter for heated debate about “Breath Of The Wild’s” plot. The “Link To The Past” connection is clear, but is it more than a simple homage?

“The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild” comes to Wii U and NX in 2017.

What do you think of this timeline theory? Which plot will “Breath Of The Wild” explore? Tell us in the comments section!