Spirit Tracks Link will meet a descendant of Aryll.
Depending on whether/when their shared ancestry is revealed, there may or may not be a heckuva squick.- I actually had a similar idea, which was even further encouraged by the inclusion of Alfonzo (Aka: Mr. "I look like Tetra's first mate and act a hell of a lot like him"). I had the idea that there will be a farm, similar to Lon Lon Ranch, featuring three sisters who resemble Malon, Ilia, and Aryll respectively. Each of them would take care of another herd of Animals: The Malon-Expy would have cows, the Ilia-Expy would have horses, and the Aryll-Expy chickens. Each of them has her own little mini-game involving their respective animals. (This would give Link a chance to ride Epona in the game, even if just in a limited area!)
- One of the recruits at Hyrule Castle mentions that he wants to go back to his grandmother's farm. You never see this farm in the game, but hey, just maybe.
- He actually says it's his grandpa's farm, and that he needs to use the Spirit Tracks in order to get there. And the ending to The Wind Waker seemed explicit that Link and Aryll would never meet again — even if she did want to follow him, she's never had any experience with sailing. How is she going to get to New Hyrule?
Link is not directly controlling the Phantom soldiers; a spirit of some sort, who'll be allied to him, is.
That spirit will be Link's newest Exposition Fairy and bear great significance to the plot. He/she (I guess it will be female) will also have something to do with the letter that Link delivers to Princess Zelda in the beginning.- Confirmed, Princess Zelda is the spirit.
The villain is still Hijacked by Ganon
Consider Malladus' true form: a floating, gaseous head. Who else have we seen look like this? Ganondorf (in Twilight Princess). Other elements (the Ganontrain, the fact that Cole-Malladus is basically Beast Ganon with a mustache) lead me to think that if Ganon isn't masquerading as Malladus, he's the one who gave him the power to free himself, and couldn't resist putting his appearance on his underling's body and weapons.
- As the Wind Waker/Phantom Hourglass character Niko appears in this game and Tetra is stated to be a friend of Anjean's, wouldn't that mean that Ganon is doing it while his head is still impaled by the Master Sword?
- Alternately, he could be Demise. After all, Demise implies that Ganondorf was a reincarnation of his hatred. When Ganondorf stopped being a suitable vessel, he moved on to a different one.
- He's an incarnation of hatred, not Demise's consciousness, which is still sealed inside the Master Sword.
Cole is a reincarnation of / is the Happy Mask Salesman.
There's just something very.... Mask Salesman-ish about Cole, and it's not just the hair; it probably has to do with the insanely twisted expressions they both pull off, and the themes utilizing "Psycho" Strings that are related to them. Then there's the inexplicable creepiness involved with the Mask Salesman note that was never fully explained.- Is unlikely to be. Happy Mask Salesman is a Lunarian/Moon Child, and his being creepy is just part of his already weird origin. Cole is more like Frank Sahwit from Phoenix Wright. Also, Happy Mask Salesman travels through time, as seen when he saves Link in the last second of Majora's Mask (should Link fail to stop the Moon from crashing) and is seen on ANOTHER timeline, in Oracle of Ages.
- But this in NO WAY declines the possibility that Cole is too a Lunarian; after all Majora's Mask shows other Moon Children...
Zunari was from the Snow Realm
In Wind Waker, he mentions traveling across a cursed sea from a land of blizzards; since it's likely that Malladus was still causing havoc around that time, it's not unthinkable that the entire Snow Realm would be stormy (like the path to the Snow Temple the first time through) and the Ocean Realm/the borders of New-Hyrule-to-be would be harsh enough to call "cursed". He might even be one of the original inhabitants, since one of the Anouki outright states that they aren't locals note . Failing that, he might actually be from Anouki Island, since his statue says that he came from a "C-c-cold Island". (This could be an assumption, though, since the description came from the sculptor who, like everyone else on the Great Sea, can't fathom the idea of a mainland.) Spirit Tracks' Link is Minish Cap's "Hero of Men"
I'll admit, I'm not very good at working out timeline issues, but it kind of makes sense for MC to come after ST — mostly land-wise. Hyrule never seems to stay peaceful for very long, so it's possible that he wound up going on another adventure — possibly with Zelda in tow — that had to do with the Minish/Picori; Light-force-wise, the legends could simply be incorrect (like we haven't heard that a million times) and assumed that Zelda received the light-force from the Picori, since nobody but Link and Zelda actually know what happened with the Spirit Tracks and couldn't know that she had already used it on one occasion. Aside from that, there's not too much proof — the 'Antiquiated shield' (which ST Link is presumably in posession of) appears in one of the stained glass windows in MC's opening, but that doesn't necessarily help the argument.- Jossed by Hyrule Historia. According to the official timeline, Minish Cap comes right after Skyward Sword at the beginning of the timeline, while Spirit Tracks is (for now) at the very end of the "Adult" timeline.
Spirit Tracks is the latest/"most recent" adventure
Same temporally-ignorant troper as the above; alternate to that theory, none of the other games come after Spirit Tracks (as of yet). There are already trains and train tracks — who's to say that technology won't march on in that timeline? It doesn't make sense to go from having trains and steamboats to getting around the entire kingdom on foot and using rafts. Maybe there won't be anything added to that timeline, or maybe we'll see a Steampunk installment or a literal Urban Legend of Zelda, eventually. (Doubtful, but hey, this is WMG).- It is not stated, but it is possible that with Malladus' defeat, the Spirit Tracks (which worked as his chains) will vanish, leaving the people of New Hyrule to either scramble to figure out how to cast railroad tracks, or causes the trains to become lost knowledge. For all we know, the trains could have been used by the native people of the land - before Tetra and her crew founded the kingdom.
- One of the endings features Link going ahead and becoming an engineer, though, and that's after Malladus's defeat. So, in that ending at least, the tracks were still there...
Upon moving to New Hyrule, Aryll lived in Papuchia Village
It's in the Ocean Realm right on the water (easy to adapt to after growing up on an island), is a fishing village relatively close to the Forest Realm/civilization, and there are birds swarming the place. It's like New Hyrule's version of Outset (ignoring the PAL name for Aboda).- Doesn't seem likely due to Aryll being on Outset at the end of Wind Waker, with the implication that Tetra and crew would not be returning. But who knows...
Spirit Tracks's time period is equivalent to Europe in the 1800s
- The clothing styles and the technology level match that of the 1800s. There are mentions of real-world 19th century inventions and ideas (steam trains, photography, cinema, electricity, the space-time continuum). It means that we could probably see a 20th century-like Zelda set after Spirit Tracks in the Adult Timeline, but that's highly unlikely.
When Wind Waker/Phantom Hourglass' Link grew up, he changed his hat style.
- That's the reason why the veteran guards use a different style of hat, which resembles the one that Link started wearing when he became a veteran hero, while the new recruits wear the same style as kid Link, who was just starting out as a hero.
The Spirit Train is nuclear powered.
- I always found it odd how clean and unrealistic the trains in this game are. The Spirit Train has no tender, no visible funace, never runs out of fuel, and always discharges pretty white balls of smoke. The reason for this is that the Spirit Train actually contains a nuclear reactor and the water is boiled by nuclear fission instead of coal. It still works on the premise of using steam to push the pistons, it just uses a different heat source. A single uranium fuel rod is enough to last a good few decades and the white "smoke" is actually just steam from the cooling chamber. As for why such technology exists in an 18th century setting? Simply put... it doesn't. The spirits who created the train are godlike entities and know all about the laws of the physics because they created them. The human built trains you see (Hylian Trams, Alfonzo's Train, ETC.) just burn coal like normal.
- And, yes, this does likely mean that the steam discharged from the pistons is radioactive, and Link's life expectency was sufficiantly shortened over the course of the adventure.
- Or, OR, OR, it's a goddamn magic train powered by magic. I mean, it's not like this is a world of inexplicable magic with a sacred relic of unlimited wishing or anything.
- Moreover, Alfonso's train and the others you come across all give off pretty puffs of white smoke. So scratch that off the list.
- Artistic License – Nuclear Physics: It very well could be nuclear. Basically, nuclear reactors don't work the way you think they do. The reactor heats water in the primary loop (which is sealed and does not leave the reactor). Some designs don't even use water in the primary loop, but something like liquid sodium. The heat from the primary loop is used to heat a secondary loop, which is used to generate steam. Some designs don't even have the secondary loop generate steam, but have a tertiary loop that generates steam. So no, a nuclear reactor driving a steam turbine does not generate radioactive steam. The water being boiled to generate steam never comes into contact with the reactor core. Nuclear driven steam turbines are actually quite safe, and in fact this is how nuclear power works in real life. I don't know of it ever being implemented on a train in real life, but it's certainly possible, and it has been implemented in submarines. Given that this is a fantasy world though, probably better to go with A Wizard Did It, since the Spirit Train does not have a tender (a nuclear driven steam turbine would still need a constant supply of water to make steam with, and this means hauling a tender full of water). And even nuclear trains would not explain the Demon Train being able to fly.
- This is jossed. According to developer's notes shown in the Hyrule Encyclopedia, the train runs on Force energy that it gets from the Spirit Tracks, explaining why the wheels glow and the smoke is so clean. If you slapped it down onto some ordinary tracks, you presumably would need an additional power source in order to get it running.
Byrne would've become the Lokomo sage of the Dark Realm
- Unused concept art has been released showing the design of an unused Lokomo, who would've represented the element of shadow. Not only does Byrne feature a much darker and more dour appearance than his elderly brethren, but he uses what resembles dark magic during his battle with Link and, like the other Lokomo, was responsible for an instrument that allows for exploration of the Dark Realm when used - it just wasn't the musical kind.
Link is part-Lokomo
- It would explain how he's the only person who's able to see Zelda's spirit, and Byrne's past hints that the Lokomo people aren't all wizened old guardians by default. There could've been some of them who chose to live more normal lives in New Hyrule, and Link is descended from one of them. Anjean may even know or at least suspect this, which is why she sees fit to lend him artifacts such as the Spirit Train and the Lokomo Sword.
The Dark Ore originates from the Dark Realm
- Sounds plausible enough, given their similar names, but the ore has the same aesthetic as the environment inside the Dark Realm. The Goron selling the ore even mentions that it's stronger than iron, hinting that the Demon Train and Byrne's gauntlet might be made of the stuff.
Byrne cut off his nose.
- In order to hide his ties to the pointy-nosed Lokomo once he defected from them and joined Cole. It's the most grounded explanation why he wears a scarf throughout the game, and you can even see the stump beneath it where his nose should be.
Spirit Tracks is an allegory for Zelda becoming a woman
Princess Zelda — or the girl Princess Zelda represents — wants to become intimate with Link/the boy Link represents. However, the two must go through the traditional process of courtship to do so. Zelda must come to terms with her maturity and her new status as a sexual being (reclaiming her body), fighting back against her own immaturity (Cole) yet warding off her own primal urges (Malladus), eventually seeking aid from a mature, middle ground (Byrne).Link, meanwhile, does all the hard work, as is the chivalrous way to go, seeking the advice of his friends and elders and Zelda's guardians (the Lokomos) while pampering Zelda with gifts and the like (the items). Together, they must go on a set path (the Spirit Tracks) from one stage of their relationship to the next. Before they finish their formal quest, Zelda can only interact through a suit of armor (always wear protection, kids!). But when they finally finish their arduous process, love will bloom at last.
This is to say nothing about the numerous imagery of building a tower and trains going into dark tunnels.
- So you're trying to tell us, that the Phantom is a Kondome?... What.
- Well, perhaps it's more of a giant chastity belt.
- Well, what do the three different endings mean?
The events of Spirit Tracks are a Batman Gambit on part of the Lokomotos.
In the ending, Anjean refers to Byrne as "my old friend" and reveals that he is also one of the Lokomotos. We never saw the two fight with each other, and Byrne didn't kill Link and Alfonso over his supposed ambitions. His Face–Heel Turn was staged in order to eventually give Link and Zelda, who they knew to be the ones able to do so, a chance to defeat Malladus once and for all, ending their duty as guardians of the Spirit Tracks.Link was a part of a massive money laundering scam along with Alfonzo.
The Whole "engineer" thing was a clever smokescreen to cover said scam. Link and Alfonzo used grass clippings and broken pottery to fabricate fake rupees which were indistinguishable from real ones. This is how they were able to cover the cost of the free transport and passenger services. Link only got caught up in the whole "saving the world" thing by accident. Also free treasures as well.