Taking place in the alternate timeline 100 years before the Great Calamity, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is full of references to Breath of the Wild, either through the levels themselves or the characters that inhabit Hyrule. Along with these, there are also many references to past games in the series hidden among the many levels you can fight in.
Some of these are fairly obvious, though some are well hidden and require exploring the level to find them, as the frantic and fast-paced nature of combat and general gameplay means you are more likely to breeze past many of these references than spot them in passing.
10 Mabe Village
One of the main open areas in Age of Calamity is Mabe Village, one of the main civilian areas surrounding Castle Town that is left decimated by the time Link wakes up in Breath of the Wild. In the prequel, Mabe Village is still alive and kicking though swarmed by Moblins and Bokoblins. Despite being in both Breath of the Wild and Age of Calamity, Mabe Village is actually the main central hub town of Link’s Awakening, with many of the buildings having a similar geographic location in Age of Calamity as they do in Link’s Awakening.
9 Scarecrows
In Mabe Village, there are several other references to past Zelda titles, including one that is very easy to breeze past from both Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask. In the farm area, you can find small crops of wheat growing off to the side of the map that each hold a scarecrow to keep the birds away. These scarecrows are all dressed in the same way as Bonooru and Pierre, the characters who appear in both Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask, though this incarnation of them doesn’t dance to the music and is very much an inanimate object.
8 Lon Lon Ranch
Another major reference to past Zelda titles in Mabe Village is one that many players may have noticed in one of Link’s side missions for his two-handed weapon training with Daruk. The stables area, as well as the surrounding buildings, is the unruined Lon Lon Ranch that also appeared in Breath of the Wild, though in a far more dilapidated state.
While not an exact replica of the Ocarina of Time incarnation, this version of Lon Lon Ranch has an almost identical building layout, though it isn’t positioned at the top of a hill and is surrounded by more homes than are present in the N64 title.
7 Hyrule Castle’s Internal Layout
During one of the earlier missions around Hyrule Castle, before Calamity Ganon manages to take it over and wreck the place, there is a brief moment where you can explore the main lobby area of the castle that was destroyed in Breath of the Wild. Now that it is whole again, it’s clear that the internal layout of the castle is very similar to its incarnation in both A Link to the Past and A Link Between Worlds, with there even being a hidden door off to the side of the main throne room.
6 Link’s Hyrule Warriors Outfit
After completing a few mainline missions, a handful of stars will appear on the Hyrule map that will unlock various gear options for Link once you have completed all of the side missions in that particular area. Many of these are simply crowns or earrings, though the main unlockable gear item in Central Hyrule is only unlocked once all others have been completed, and gifts the player with the traditional hero’s garb seen in every other Zelda game. This version of the hero’s garb is actually the one from the original Hyrule Warriors, with his signature chain mail and long blue scarf.
5 The Song Of Time
Unless you’re a music aficionado or are very familiar with the songs in both Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask, this is one that can be very easy to miss. While Terrako, the little egg guardian who is very attached to Zelda, often plays Zelda’s Lullaby when she is down, it also plays another song when it opens portals through time, being the first four notes of the Song of Time. Considering the time manipulation powers of the Song of Time, Terrako should probably have learned or used the Inverted Song of Time as well.
4 Dampe’s Graveyard
Dampe’s graveyard is a recurring area in many different Zelda games, even those that don’t take place in Hyrule, though the reference here is clearly from Ocarina of Time. In the far corners of Mabe Village, overlooking the Temple of Time, there are a few gravestones lined up in the same orientation as seen in Dampe’s graveyard, including one that is pulled back further than the others.
This is a reference to the moving gravestones that Link can manipulate to find rupees, Poes, and the Sun’s Song in Ocarina of Time, as well as unlock the Color Dungeon in Link’s Awakening.
3 Cucco Gliding
This nod to many past Zelda games is one that is very easy to miss, especially if you aren’t choosing to take Link on major missions. When setting out to do a story mission, on rare occasions, Link might jump off while holding onto a Cucco rather than using his glider, which is a reference to the many games in the series where Link can use a Cucco to glide short distances. This feature also returned in Breath of the Wild but didn’t have the same use as it once did since Link can climb and glide from just about anywhere.
2 Link’s One-Handed Moveset
The majority of characters from Hyrule Warriors don’t make a return in Age of Calamity, since they were mostly Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess callbacks in a fan service game. While Daruk’s standard string combo is very similar to Darunia’s from Hyrule Warriors, it is just different enough for the two to stand apart from one another. Link’s one-handed standard string combo, on the other hand, is almost beat for beat identical to his Hylian Sword and Master Sword moveset from Hyrule Warriors, right down to how his charged strong attack causes him to perform his signature spin attack. While some differences appear in his strong attack combos, this connection makes Link very easy to play for those who played the original Hyrule Warriors.
1 Rhoam’s Study
A nice return from Breath of the Wild that appears inside Hyrule Castle after Calamity Ganon has decided to make it his new home is King Rhoam’s hidden study, which was originally hidden behind a bookcase inside the grand library area. This study was home to Rhoam’s final diary entry, where he regretted treating Zelda so poorly and promises to make it up to her, but dies before he is given the chance. In Age of Calamity, this study isn’t as hidden as it once was and you can find a chest inside with a randomized item inside.
