The Legend of Sharid: Hyrule Gone Cyberpunk

The Legend of Sharid: Hyrule Gone Cyberpunk, known in Europe as The Legend of Zelda: Sharid Odiato dal Mondo is a game in the Zelda series, the first game in the series to be released on a PS5, and the first game in the Legend of Sharid spin-off saga (which is canon, unlike Hyrule Warriors). 
A sequel, The Legend of Sharid: Outcast Turned Emperor (about the Hyrule ruled by Sharid's supporters and Sharid needing to enforce its authoritarian order to keep it united and eradicate the bourgeoisie which used to rule Hyrule), will build up to a climactic Link vs Ganondorf fight, but from Ganondorf's POV, with Ganondorf's authoritarian rule being well-meaning and put against a Link that is a puppet of a powerful liberal bourgeoisie.
The title is not "Zelda" because it refers to new (non-silent) protagonist Sharid Khansari, a descendant of Ganondorf and inheritor of the Triforce of Power (and because Zelda herself is only mentioned as a character who died many years ago, the Triforce of Wisdom is wielded by someone else). 
It follows the premise of a new Ganondorf is rising in the future. As Hyrule is now industrialized, no one uses horses anymore and the closest equivalent you have to Epona is a motorcycle. The game's Hyrule has a generally 2000s "Americasia" aesthetic (and a major backstory event is a 9/11-inspired large-scale false flag terrorist attack used by powerful corporate leaders as a pretext to start a war). The Snyderverse of DC Comics is a major inspiration.
While the first part of the plot is centered on New Hyrule City and looks like a cyberpunk drama, the second part (leaving the city, the exploration of the rest of Hyrule State, and the five temples) is much closer to a standard Zelda game, albeit in a hi-tech setting.
== Plot ==
It's been 100 years since the Gerudo king Ganondorf Dragmire of the Suzuki Clan was ultimately vanquished by a man known as Link. 
But in the City of Sin, New Hyrule, no one remembers this story as nothing more than legend. 
Gerudo no longer exist in Hyrule, but have founded their nation in the East, the Shogunate of Al-Haqsam, which was bound by tributes to Hyrule. However, hatred against Gerudo descendants never really ceased in Hyrule. The fear of a heir of Ganondorf coming back to finish what the tyrant never managed to do was impossible to quell. Hyrule and Al-Haqsam had been on hostile terms ever since new Gerudo king (and only male due to Ganondorf not existing anymore) Othman Suzuki (self-proclaimed descendant of the Suzuki clan) had taken control and freed al-Haqsam from Hyrule, trying to modernize the country and refused to pay tribute to Hyrule. The leader of the Hyrule Army, Link Levi "Valiant of Steel", fought Othman with his Seven Sages at his side (Sage of Earth, Forest, Water, Sky, Fire, Time and Space), and killed him, reestablishing the peace. until, 18 years after, a bomb detonated in an iron mine near Kakariko City, in the outskirts of Hyrule City, reigniting hatred as Hiromu Omotoso, Sage of Fire and owner of said mine, claims that terrorists paid by al-Haqsam attacked it as part of a hypothetical plan to rebuild Ganondorf's reign.
Enter Sharid Khansari, a member of the gang known as Khamsin. He, and many other well-meaning people bearing a social stigma, have been forced to join Khamsin by the prejudice around them, and what once was just a gang rivaling the Red Dragons of Kakariko has become an ideologically-motivated resistance movement against the warmongering policy of the kingdom and the corporate tyranny of Gallant Corporation which pulls its strings.
== Characters ==
=== Playable characters and party members ===
* Sharid Khansari: Main protagonist of the game. A man of half-Gerudo ethnicity, Sharid lives in New Hyrule City's Igarashi District and is a high-ranking member of the Khamsin, nicknamed "the Animist" for his anime passion (in-universe, the term Animist means what in the real world would be "otaku") and being one of the more well-intentioned members of the Khamsin, who turned said gang into an anti-Gallant resistance. Khansari despises blast kendo, as it was invented to remember people of how Link beat Ganondorf and as such it's unpopular among Gerudo. Originally a childhood friend of Link Zimmermann and student at Aonuma High School, Sharid got accused of terrorism and expelled due to anti-Gerudo racism after the War on the Gerudo, causing him and many other social outcasts to coalesce into Khamsin. Khansari loves Shanraznite cartoons called Anime, and their "anime pop" music, his favorite song being "Noi Mai Domi" by Anime Armate, theme song of the anime "Soldato Ignoto". Khansari is believed to be Ganondorf's descendant, and due to his hatred for Matthew Gallant, he is chosen to succeed Ganondorf. He's got a mission to find the Five Temples (Diamond, Blazing Forest, Ice, Fossil and Steel) and have the Sages whose spirits control those temples join forces with him in his revenge quest against Gallant. He carries a shotgun and has a cybernetic arm called the Zomorrodnegar containing a mystical power (being actually Ghirahim's sword in the form of a prosthetic arm), making him specialized in both brawling and using elementally-charged bombs, and has a special armored form called Demise Shogun when he fuses with Yoshiko to awaken the power of the devil god Demise. In the ending, after defeating Matthew, Sharid proclaims himself leader of the Khamsin Force, a new army independent from the main Hyrule Army, which fights for the people. As he's talking to Link, Zelda and Haruka, he mentions the necessity of eradicating the capitalists' control over society, the fact that some people don't deserve freedom, and the need for Hyrule to be a strong, authoritarian nation in order to resist cultural and psychological control. In the end, Sharid renames himself Ganondorf Khansari, as he accepts he has the Triforce of Power and he sees himself as similar to Ganondorf. 
* Reiko Omiya: Joshua and Martina's classmate at Aonuma High School, and the daughter of the Sage of Earth Julius Omiya. Unlike Joshua, she really wants to befriend Sharid and refuses to believe in the hatred that Gallant is spreading, to the point she tries to convince Joshua to let go of the hatred and open up to Sharid. Reiko is playable, having diamond-based powers due to being a miko at the Diamond Temple and in training as the successor of Julius. Eventually, in the Diamond Temple, she goes with Sharid to convince her father, the Sage Julius, to accept Sharid and join forces with him.
* Erika Stone the Dreamhacker: A beautiful "anime pop" singer, cosplay model and professional gamer, who Sharid sees as his celebrity crush. She inherited a fortune from her true mother Zelda Masako Hyrule (the princess and Sage of Time, who died during the battle to stop Othman), and she uses it to moonlight as a hacker-detective, similar to a female Batman but more reliant on psychic hacking to control machines than a physical fighter. She actually has the powers of the Sage of Time, but at first they only manifest as the Bullet Time ability which allows her to move so fast that time appears slowed down around her. She refuses to kill. Only at the end of the game does she fully awaken to her Sage of Time powers. She's occasionally playable, having various sections where you control her. In the end, Erika refuses to crown herself queen and leaves the crown to Haruka. She looks like her namesake and voice actress Erika Harlacher.
* Lincoln "Link" Zimmermann: Khansari's rival and former childhood friend, explicitly named after Link Levi in hopes that he'd be the one to bring peace. He wields the Triforce of Courage. Unlike Khansari, Zimmermann is a massive fan of blast kendo and especially of Hyrulian professional blast kendoka David MacLaine. Skilled in katanas and assault rifles, he'll get to wield the Master Sword in the form of a katana and rifle called Master Arms. Link is not the protagonist, but despite being an antagonist (and occasionally playable), in the end he leaves New Hyrule and decides to go on a journey around the world as a Ronin to become a better swordsman. 
=== Non-playable and villains ===
* Yoshiko: The "Fairy AI" companion of Sharid, which follows him, and it gives him his Shogun form. Yoshiko can analyze mini-bosses which Sharid has killed and synthesize new programs which serve as dungeon items, as such Yoshiko is this game's equivalent of the Sheikah Slate as the tool that allows Sharid (and his companions) to use items (programs) for exploration and combat. Yoshiko is actually built with the data of Ghirahim's sword, and looks like a kawaii younger female version of Ghirahim, but with a completely different personality, being playful, snarky, but not flamboyant like Ghirahim is, and she likes bragging about being "something that not even samurai or corporate lords can afford" (a real thing, not because she's a Fairy AI that costs too much, but because she's an unnatural one-of-a-kind sentient being that has nothing to do with a Fairy AI, being Ghirahim reincarnated). As a reference to Ghirahim, who tended to touch Link a lot, Yoshiko comments on the cuteness of both girls and boys, and seems to be bi.
* Haruka Kader: A woman of Gerudo ethnicity, the leader of the Khamsin gang and its strategist and ideologue (having reformed the gang from a criminal group to the well-meaning resistance movement it now is), and one who wants peace with al-Haqsam. Haruka is crowned queen at the end, but she decides to change the title from "Queen of Hyrule" to "Red Empress". In the ending, when Sharid tells her that being authoritarian is necessary to resist the psychological control that the bourgeoisie can inflict on the citizens, she agrees with Sharid. The first act she does when crowned is to announce the birth of the Khamsin Force.
* Demetrio Iacuscino: A spy from Shan-Raznik (which he calls "Impero dello Scianraznicco")'s Coloro che Vedono, who is working with the Khamsin group as part of an alliance between al-Haqsam and Shan-Raznik (referencing the real world support for Palestine by Russia, against the Israeli regime). Demetrio is the main hacker and weapon supplier of the Khamsin, as he helps smuggling weapons from Shan-Raznik using his hacking to avoid Gallant's security. Demetrio sees the Dreamhacker/Erika as a proud rival. Due to Shanraznite names having Italian spellings, his name is pronounced as yah-koo-SHEE-noh, instead of ee-ah-koo-SKEE-noh.
* Alexander Zimmermann: Link's father, who works as an elite Samurai for Gallant Corporation and the bodyguard of Matthew. Before the bomb in Kakariko City reignited the hatred, Alexander had tried to care for Sharid and even train him in marksmanship. He fights Sharid in a final duel in order to save Matthew's life from his attack.
* Fi: The "Fairy AI" companion of Link, containing the data of the Master Sword's spirit. It's partnered with Link and gives him the Master Arms and the Hylia Shogun form. After the final battle with Matthew, Fi dissolves into pixels, then, in the post-credit scene, says "may we meet again, Ganondorf" in Matthew's voice, implying Matthew and Fi have become one and that she's . 
* Joshua Zimmermann: Link's younger brother, a freshman at the prestigious Aonuma High School. When he was a child, he and Link used to play together with Sharid, but Gallant's propaganda corrupted Joshua's innocence, as such Joshua shows insensitivity toward the Gerudo and calls the Khamsin "terrorists".
* Martina Sorochina: A classmate of Joshua Zimmermann and Reiko Omiya, who's secretly an informant for Demetrio Iacuscino and the Khamsin. Her name is pronounced "soh-roh-KEE-nah" rather than "soh-ROH-chee-nah" because Shanraznite names have Italian spellings.
* Matthew Gallant: Main villain of this game, and one of the few Zelda villains who aren't affiliated with Ganondorf. The new Sage of Space (after his father Daniel Gallant passed away) and as such CEO of Gallant Military Company, which has the Hyrule Army almost completely under its control. Gallant, inspired by Lex Luthor from the Snyderverse, is a young, autistic businessman (and completely inherited his father's hatred of the Gerudo and fear of a Ganondorf successor). Gallant is the leader of the anti-Gerudo faction of the government and sees his late father as an example to be admired. When his father hired the Red Dragons to bomb Kakariko so that he could reignite hatred against al-Haqsam and control the Hyrulians through manipulating their hatred, Matthew saw it as a heroic action for "terrorism prevention" and is now relishing in following the terrible example his predecessor set up. Matthew refers to the Gerudo as "human animals" and is sending the Hyrule Army in al-Haqsam and even in other foreign nations to hunt down the Gerudo and exterminate them. Matthew has a lot of connections in the criminal underworld of Hyrule, especially with the Kakariko-based gang Red Dragons. Matthew's company can reverse-engineer Twili technology and is in contact with the Twilight Realm due to the portal built by his father: Gallant built synthetic Twili-like cyborgs called Malaks which it uses in battle. As the Sage of Space, Matthew can distort space and gravity and open portals to other worlds, from which he takes tech, but since he's so young, he doesn't have great control over this power so he can use it in battle but still can't go to other worlds (unlike his father who had opened a permanent portal to the Twilight Realm). Matthew is the main villain, not Ganondorf: in the end, he builds Twili-like construct known as Chayot na Kodesh, proclaiming himself the only true avatar of Goddess Hylia, then he dissolves to ashes sayng: "the Legend of Zelda is subverted forever. But my fellow mankind, my fellow planet, my fellow goddess Hylia, fear not the return of Ganondorf, for I am the successor of Link the Slayer of Ganondorf. I am in full control, I have calculated everything that would have happened. Even in prison, or in death, I will stop Ganondorf once and for all". In the post-credit scene, when Link leaves the Hyrule Socialist Empire, Fi says "may we meet again, Ganondorf", in Matthew's voice, implying Matthew is possessing Fi (and Link through her). 
* Hiromu Omotoso "Gor Draco": A Goron, the Sage of Fire, and the don of the Kakariko Red Dragons. Gor Draco owns mines and factories in the Death Mountain region of Hyrule (being completely in control of said region), and acts as the most important supplier of Gallant. He intentionally had one of his own iron mines bombed (to test an experimental weapon made by Gallant) in order to frame al-Haqsam and give Gallant a casus belli to justify his desire to genocide the Gerudo.
== Dungeons ==
* Abandoned Subway
* TBA
* TBA
* TBA
* Gallant HQ: Also known as Space Temple, it's the headquarters of Gallant Corporation, where Matthew (as the Sage of Space) is based in: it serves as both a skyscraper headquarters for a megacorporation and a magical temple with gravity-altering and teleporting mechanisms, making it really hard to infiltrate. Inside this dungeon, Erika assists Sharid. This dungeon has no item because its mini-bosses are human Elite Samurai and as such are impossible to analyze for Programs. Link, My Proud Rival is fought as boss at the dungeon's entrance, in which Sharid shoots him in the throat causing him to turn mute but survive due to his Triforce of Courage awakening. The boss of the dungeon is Matthew and Alexander, the Sage of Space and the Master Samurai, AKA Sharid and Erika fighting both Matthew Gallant and Alexander Zimmermann at the same time: in the second phase, Alexander traps Sharid after Matthew flees, and fights him to the death in a fight that requires Sharid to fight in Shogun form. 
* Diamond Temple: The temple where the Sage of Earth was based in, located in the Gayane Mountain Range in the far west of the Hyrule State. Reiko joins you before going through this dungeon. It's a temple completely filled with gems and giant crystals and with a lot of light redirection puzzles. After defeating the mini-boss Mirror Guardian, you obtain the Reflector Program, which works similar to the Mirror Shield in most games by allowing you to reflect light. The boss is the avatar of the human Julius Omiya, the Sage of Earth, Diamoldra, the Crystal Serpent.
* Blazing Forest Temple: The temple where the Sage of Forest was based in, located in the Forbidden Jungle, it's got both a forest and a fire theme, as it's an Indian-style jungle temple containing lava. Its puzzles are heavy on using fire to burn wood or controlling the temperature to control plant growth. After defeating the mini-boss Vapor Mothula, you obtain the Yin-Yang Program, which allows you to switch between a flamethrower (to burn wood, melt ice and light up darkness) and a water shot (which can be used to put out flames, short-circuit machines or make plants grow). The boss is the avatar of the Kikwi Shiharam Mahaspar, the Sage of Forest, Asraksas, the Blazing Devil. 
* Ice Temple: The temple where the Sage of Water was based in, located deep beneath the Hylia Icewind Ravine (once a lake, now dried and turned into a pit from where cold wind rises) in the south of the Hyrule State. Its puzzles focus on changing water currents and freezing water, or melting or forming ice. After defeating the mini-boss Shapchu-Shifchu, you get the Liquefaction Program, which allows you to swim without the need for oxygen, turn into a blob of water to pass through small cracks, follow water currents, run on ice walls (as part of your body turns into ice and sticks to the wall) and climb through small pipes. The boss is the avatar of the Zora Yuki Apsaras, the Sage of Water, Koraken, the Chilling Tentacles. 
* Fossil Temple: The temple where the Sage of Sky was based in, located in the Great Desert, it's got a wind, a desert and a shadow theme and features lots of darkness, ghosts and undead enemies, and since it was originally the Arbiter's Grounds, it's used as a prison too. Its puzzles focus on wind manipulation, flying, moving objects, gravity manipulation and invisible items. Defeating its mini-boss, Gust Bubbles, gives you the Glider Program, allowing you to glide and follow wind currents in a similar way to what the Roc's Cape did in Minish Cap. Its boss is the avatar of the Rito Antonio Fuma, the Sage of Sky, Stalfuuniks, the Skeletal Soarer. 
* Steel Temple: The temple where the Sage of Fire was based in, and which serves as the headquarter of the Red Dragons gang, it's got an electric, earth and fire theme and it's the combination of a mine, a factory, a Japanese-style temple and a volcano (in its deepest levels), as such it focuses on magnetism, lava, rock-based and mechanical enemies. Its puzzles are mostly based on magnetism and destroying rocks, but also on taking control of machines. Its boss is two phases, Gor Draco, Sage of Fire, the leader of the Red Dragons is the first phase, then after being beaten directly, he sends his avatar monster Behemogohma, the Armored Tyrant.
* Empyrean Tower: The Gallant HQ, powered up by Twili technology reverse-engineered by Matthew. The boss is the final duel between Sharid and Link, in which Sharid is forced to fight in Demise Shogun form, Hylia Shogun Link, Wielder of the Master Arms.
* Twilight Realm: A hi-tech world beyond a portal deep in Gallant HQ, where Matthew takes his technology from. 
== Gameplay ==
This game returns to a linear storyline similar to Twilight Princess or Skyward Sword, eschewing the open-ended nature of Breath of the Wild. Elements such as weapon crafting, different types of weapon, costume customization and playing the dungeons in the order you want are completely removed because the plot is linear and focused on Sharid. 
Items are relevant in dungeons and dungeon items return. To fit the cyberpunk theme, items in this game are called "Programs" and work akin to the Runes in BOTW, being virtual in nature and usable through Sharid's Fairy AI Yoshiko. Dungeon items are justified in this game as Yoshiko has the ability to synthesize new Programs by analyzing and copying techniques used by mini-bosses. 
Like Tears of the Kingdom, Sharid has the ability to call allies (for instance Yoshiko, Reiko and Erika), but, unlike in TOTK, the party members are fully playable characters with their own movesets rather than being used for one ability, and control can be freely switched from Sharid to the ally by just pressing a button. In-story, those allies are actual party members and have dialogue in cutscenes. Some dungeons such as the penultimate one have different sections where the player is forced to split the party and play as a non-Sharid party member. All party members can use Programs due to all of them being followed by Yoshiko. 
Unlike most Zelda games, bosses in this game aren't fought only in dungeons. There are various bosses outside dungeons, such as the various battles between Sharid and Link or Erika. 
== Soundtrack ==
Fitting the cyberpunk/2000s emo aesthetic, most of the music (including remixes of iconic Zelda songs) is based on 2000s styles such as eurodance, pop punk, emo and nu metal. Italian anime singer Giorgio Vanni (associated with Dragon Ball's theme) sings most of the vocal songs.
The character song associated with the protagonist Sharid is "Noi Mai Domi", in-universe the theme song of the anime "Soldato Ignoto" that Sharid is a fan of (an anime set in a fictional place known as "Italy", likely during WW1), sung in-universe by Anime Armate (by Giorgio Vanni in real life), it's only the first stanza and chorus which are shown in game cutscenes. Its lyrics are:
È tempo di saluti, è tempo di commiati
Da questa dura vita che abbiamo sempre amata
Da questo nostro popolo che abbiamo onorato
Noi quel tricolore che in cuore abbiamo portato!
Il tempo è stato speso per essere d'esempio
Per dare voce e forza a chi giaceva in silenzio
Perché non scomparisse nel cielo turpe e opaco
Un cuore puro che alla patria tutto avea donato
Noi mai domi, poeti guerrieri, eroi condottieri!
Noi mai domi, sempre più fieri di quei giorni immortali!
Noi mai domi, sulla strada dell'onore vissuti!
Noi mai domi, stesso lo spirito, immutato l'orgoglio!
Noi mai domi!
Quel gladio, quel pugnale, quell'armatura nera
Quella estrema battaglia non era certo un'utopia
Marchiato in fondo all'anima il senso del dovere
Scorreva nelle vene dell'Italia il destino!
Noi mai domi, poeti guerrieri, eroi condottieri!
Noi mai domi, sempre più fieri di quei giorni immortali!
Noi mai domi, sulla strada dell'onore vissuti!
Noi mai domi, stesso lo spirito, immutato l'orgoglio!
Noi mai domi!
È tempo di saluti, è tempo di commiati
Saranno i capelli imbiancati, ma non ci hanno mai fermati
Stendete il tricolore, alzate il pugno al cielo
E poi andate avanti, è tempo di lottare!
Noi mai domi, poeti guerrieri, eroi condottieri!
Noi mai domi, sempre più fieri di quei giorni immortali!
Noi mai domi, sulla strada dell'onore vissuti!
Noi mai domi, stesso lo spirito, immutato l'orgoglio!
Noi mai domi, noi mai domi, noi mai domi
Noi mai domi, noi mai domi, noi mai domi!
The original Ultima Frontiera version mentioned a "camicia nera" and an "alzate il braccio al cielo" (which in Italy are associated with racist symbolism and hat and obviously unfitting for the leitmotif of a victim of racism, and later socialist revolutionary, as Sharid is). The Giorgio Vanni version for this video game changed the lyrics to "armatura nera" and "alzate il pugno al cielo" in order to feel more like a heroic anime song and to reference Ganondorf's black armor (as a double entendre that Sharid is becoming Ganondorf's successor) and his authoritarian left-wing and anti-fascist ideology. It's in-universe an anime theme song that Sharid Khansari is a fan of, but a Japanese (Hylian in-universe) version of this song, still sung by Vanni out-of-universe, is used as the credits theme as it becomes the anthem of his Khamsin forces and the main theme of the Sharid saga. 
The themes of the five temples have an EDM/trance style and include remixed samples of a few bars from the Ocarina of Time temple themes: the Diamond Temple samples the Spirit Temple, the Blazing Forest Temple samples the Forest Temple, the Ice Temple samples the Water Temple, the Fossil Temple samples the Shadow Temple and the Steel Temple samples the Fire Temple. The Space Temple (Gallant HQ) is an electronic remix of the Temple of Time from OOT. 
Another vocal song, "Bloodstained Waka Poem", an in-universe pop hit, is sung in-universe, in Hylian, by fictional popstar AKIRA and out-of-universe, in Japanese, by Cristina d'Avena, and has a part reminiscent of Waka Waka but is played with Japanese instruments such as shamisen, shakuhachi and taiko drums. 
An optional collectible item is Anime Armate Discs, which play various songs of the "Anime Pop" band which Sharid loves. In real-life, they're Giorgio Vanni covers of various real-life songs (only a few are actual anime songs by Vanni, other are covers). Some of those songs were rewritten to be about anime, hiding references to the real world (Uomini Contro Navi for instance is changed to mention One Piece places such as Wano instead of real places, and says "Sakazuki" instead of "Decima"), while others had their lyrics intact (even songs about the IRA and the conflicts in Syria and Palestine are considered "Anime Pop" in Hyrule, as the Israel-Palestine war, the War on Terror, and the Troubles in Ireland, are fantasy anime in the world Hyrule is in). Once you collect them, Anime Armate songs can be set as BGM to replace the background music in various areas. The songs in the Anime Armate Discs are: 
# Noi Mai Domi (Ultima Frontiera cover)
# Noi Non Siamo Uomini D'Oggi - Dragon Ball Super (Massimo Morsello cover)
# Hunter x Hunter
# Dragon Ball Z
# MAS 96 (Ultima Frontiera cover)
# La Ballata del Nero (Compagnia dell'Anello cover)
# Bushido (Skoll cover)
# Popolicontrodollari (Gesta Bellica cover)
# Come Mai (Sottofasciasemplice cover)
# La Luce dei Kami (Ultima Frontiera cover)
# Per la Siria, Per Assad (Zetazeroalfa cover)
# Sole E Acciaio (Skoll cover)
# Uomini Contro Navi (Ardimento Romantico cover)
# I Cavalieri del Drago
# Naruto: Io Credo in Me
# Pokémon - Oltre I Cieli dell'Avventura
# All'Arrembaggio - One Piece
# Palestina (Massimo Morsello cover)
# Yugioh Duel Runner
# Naruto Shippuuden
# Radio Mishima (Skoll cover)
# Il Giorno di San Patrizio (duet with Cristina d'Avena) (Dian cover)
# Soldato Ignoto (duet with Cristina d'Avena) (Ultima Frontiera and Dian cover)
# Noi Mai Domi - Hylian version (Japanese version of Noi Mai Domi)
== DLC (Linked Horizon: Rising Sun of Hyrule) ==
A DLC, titled "Linked Horizon: Rising Sun of Hyrule", has been published, and it's about how goddess Hylia and the Triforce were created, and how the Japanese became the Twili. It's about the first Chosen Hero of Hylia (and how Kyoto became Skyloft while the rest of Japan became the Twilight Realm). 
It follows a mysterious cyborg warrior only known as The Linked (who is linked with the AI Farore, and from whose name the name "Link" is born) whose combat style is sword-based. The Linked lives in Kyoto, in a war-torn third-world country known as Japan (known in the entire world for exporting drugs such as opium and cocaine, and minerals such as gold, wolframite and diamonds: NATO soldiers exploit people in opium and coca plantation and in mines), called the "most deadly country on Earth". A government loyal to NATO rules tyrannically from the city of Tokyo, but Japan is torn between three forces: NATO occupational forces, the communist revolutionaries Akai Nitou/Dva Krasniykh Mecha (led by Masatoshi Higuchi, AKA Zant, but Zant is not in Kyoto when it's transported to Thule), and the ultranationalists New Sakurakai (led by Kazuma Suzuki), the latter being the "Hylians" hailing from Skyloft (as the Thulean humans which were the ancestors of the Indo-Europeans have gone extinct). Other forces include the Shamans, a gang of immigrants, mostly Arab, African and Chinese, which acts as a Santeria-like cult (they are the ones from which the Gerudo are truly descended, since they kill Kazuma and name themselves Suzuki), and the yakuza (who became the ancestors of the Gorons due to a special mutagenic serum they get from the black market which causes their skin to turn into rock). 
All of those factions are interested in finding an abandoned WW2 top-secret project made by the Japanese Empire, the mysterious supercomputer HYLIA buried in Kyoto (and named after its creators, Hijikata, Yasuhara, Lucania, Ishida and Arashiyama), which seems to be able to time travel and create wormholes to teleport: NATO wants to own HYLIA as part of the UN's Agenda 2030, in order to put forward an agenda of transhumanism and complete capitalist control of the world through an omniscient AI controlled by the UN, which is meant to judge everyone and decide what is the truth or lies according to what the UN wants. Meanwhile, the communists led by Higuchi only want HYLIA to give it to Russia (which wants to study HYLIA). Meanwhile, New Sakurakai wants HYLIA because HYLIA is said to be built with a core that is a magic relic brought to Europe by the Thulean ancestors of the Indo-Europeans, and as such is able to reach said apparently mythical world of Thule (which is real, and the planet Zelda takes place in). 
The Linked is a cyborg militant of the New Sakurakai, is skilled in katana swordsmanship and ninjutsu and firearms, and is mute due to having lost his voice in an accident, after which the Sakurakai found him and cybernetized him. 
He's assisted by Zelda Suzuki (true name: Zelda Misato Payne), daughter of NATO general Hector Payne, born in Japan and kidnapped by the Sakurakai to be protected from the bad example of her father and turned into a cyborg (and the closest thing he has to a childhood friend) and specialized in hacking, gathering information, controlling machines, and long-distance communication (Zelda can be considered Link's voice, and she's linked to the AI Nayru, which is made to improve hacking capabilities). Zelda is much younger than the Linked and in her childlike innocence refers to him as Link. 
The third cyborg soldier of New Sakurakai is Kazuma Suzuki himself (the Gerudo clan Suzuki, in which Ganondorf is born, named themselves after him). Suzuki is a full-conversion-cyborg linked to the AI Din, which improves direct combat capabilities and allows him to become a walking arsenal.
The three AIs Farore, Nayru and Din are part of a computer system called the Triforce, combining three AIs built by the New Sakurakai to power up their three cyborgs.
The DLC is open world, similar to a miniaturized version of BOTW, being set in the Infernal City Kyoto (its districts being called Caina, Antenora, Tolomea and Judecca), and mostly has the player control The Linked in order to look for three (cyberspace) dungeons in Kyoto called Black Sun Shrines: the fire-themed Cyber-Shrine of Power (from which the core of Din was taken), the water-themed Cyber-Shrine of Wisdom (from which Nayru was taken) and the wind-themed Cyber-Shrine of Courage (from which Farore was taken), but, if you want, you can access the Black Sun Temple (the final dungeon) in the Judecca district any time you want. 
As the Linked takes control of HYLIA, the supercomputer warps Kyoto to the planet Thule, where it becomes Skyloft. Japan is set to become the Twilight Realm of Twilight Princess fame. 
== Trivia ==
* Sharid Odiato dal Mondo is Italian for "Sharid, hated by the world". The Sharid trilogy's European names are kept in Italian in all of Europe because they are supposed to be in Shanraznite and are directly mentioned in the game by Shanraznite characters, as such they're literally in Italian in-universe rather than just translations. 
* This game is meant to be a "Zelda, but reversed", meant to show a Link, Zelda and Ganondorf who are still growing into their roles (to the point that until the ending, Link is an antagonistic corporate samurai loyal to Gallant, and he's even shown speaking until Sharid mutes him in battle, Erika hasn't developed her time powers nor is she a good leader, Sharid is a well-intentioned extremist who has corrupted the five sages but has not yet fallen to his dark side). The sequel to this game, called The Legend of Sharid: Outcast Turned Emperor (in Europe: The Legend of Zelda: Sharid of the New Empire) will build up a final Link vs Ganondorf confrontation... but from Ganondorf's POV.
* The Sage of Time has no Avatar form. The Sage of Time doesn't need an avatar because they can move between time and rewrite causality entirely, making them virtually untouchable once awakened.
* The place where anime are from, Shan Raznik, seems to be a mix of Italy and Russia more than: all anime which exist in this Hyrule have titles and theme songs in Italian and Shanraznite soldiers have uniforms which are reminiscent of a futuristic version of Roman armor:
** Shan-Raznik ("Impero dello Scianraznicco" in Shanraznite) seems to have Asian elements too (but the romanization follows Italian spelling rules rather than Japanese or Russian ones), and names of Shanraznite origin are a mishmash of vaguely Italian, Japanese and Russian names, for instance you can meet two Shanraznite NPCs, a transfer student at Aonuma named Martina Sorochina (with an Italian name and the Russian/Japanese last name Sorokin), and a spy named Demetrio Iacuscino (Italian-sounding corruption of Asian name Dimitri Yakushin), its emperor is named Alessandro Sciogunno (from "Shoigu", a Russian/Japanese name), and the capital of Shan-Raznik is named Magnocastro di Cagagliacastelle, from "Magnus Castrum" (Latin for "great castle"), "Kagayaku" (Japanese for "shining") and "Stelle" (Italian for "stars"), and a city named Vegliatti is mentioned as a popular vacation location, the name coming from Russian city of Tolyatti, in Siberia, mixed with Venezia in Italy.
* This game has a playable shoot-em-up minigame similar to Magical Alisa LS in Trails into Reverie, but themed after the fictional anime "Soldato Ignoto" and named "Soldato Ignoto: Difendere l'Italia", the name referencing the fictional nation the anime takes place in (in the universe of Hyrule, the anime "Soldato Ignoto" is fantasy).
* Hyrule looks much more Japanese-esque in this series, to the point that a lot of Hyrulians have Japanese names (and this game uses the format surname in kanji followed by first name in katakana, for instance Link Zimmermann has the "Link" part of the name in katakana but the "Zimmermann" in Kanji). In the Japanese version, Hyrulean names are in Japanese order, with the last name first, but, as with Japanese names in English, Hyrulean names are in Western order (for instance it's said as Link Zimmermann in English but as Zimmermann Link in Japanese). Unlike most Zelda games, the Hylian language spoken in New Hyrule is written with Japanese kanji and kana (vertically right-to-left) in signs.
* The names of the five temples (and their themes) are in order to give a non-standard elemental theme to the various dungeons: 
** Earth in Zelda is usually associated with deserts and caves, and crystal dungeons are rare. In this game, Earth is associated with a crystal-themed dungeon.
** Wood in Zelda is, alongside fire and water, one of the three standard elemental themes. In this game, the wood dungeon is itself also a fire dungeon.
** Water in Zelda is one of the three standard elemental themes. Here, water is combined with ice, and the ice theming is more prominent.
** Sky dungeons in Zelda are usually set in the sky itself or are combined with forest dungeons. In this game, the wind theme is associated with both desert and shadow, being connected to a dungeon filled with undead enemies.
** Fire dungeons are the three standard elemental themes, and often associated with earth in volcanic caves. Here, like the Goron Mines from TP, the fire dungeon is a technologically advanced place associated with magnetism, being a set of a mine and a factory, and it's also got a vaguely Chinese theme as it's an actually inhabited place and is the headquarters of an organized crime group.
*A fictional popstar popular in Hyrule, AKIRA, and her hit "Bloodstained Waka Poem" being associated with the Blast Kendo World Tournament which is happening in Shan-Raznik during the events of this game are a reference to 2010 pop hit Waka Waka being the anthem of the 2010 World Cup (in the world where Hyrule is in, kendo is a big deal and more dangerous kendo matches with bokkens with steel tips, distorting gravity and stage hazards, called blast kendo, have a huge follow except among Gerudo because kendo seems to have been invented by Link himself).
*Not only is the fashion in Hyrule themed after 2000s fashion (mixed with traditional Japanese clothes and hairstyles), but in-universe pop culture is mentioned and based on 2000s pop culture: for instance there's a reference to Pokémon with in-universe fad of Shanraznite anime such as Centurioni delle Costellazioni (Cavalieri dello Zodiaco) and Sangue di Drago (Dragon Ball), Shanraznite monster toys Legiomon (including a Pikachu analogue called Folgoratto and a Charizard analogue called Ardirago) and a reference to the Zack Snyder movie Watchmen as the movie "Grigori - The Watchers" by Takeshi Snyder, an in-universe hit MMO called Ikusa Cosmos (World of Warcraft), to the in-universe pop idols in Hyrule being singers such as AKIRA (Shakira), Bethany Blade (Britney Spears), Gaia the Galactic (Lady Gaga), or songs such as "Impression" by Dark-Mouthed Baba ("I Gotta Feeling" by Black Eyed Peas), "Awaken Me" by Poes Vanishing ("Bring Me To Life" by Evanescence) "Creeping" by A Park for Link ("Crawling" by Linkin Park), and "Burn It Down" by Vault Pip Boy ("Light 'Em Up" by Fall Out Boy). As J-pop was a hit in 2000s USA (and is strongly associated with that period's anime boom because nowadays it's eclipsed by K-pop), Shanraznite "anime pop" is said to be massively popular in Hyrule (though Shanraznite anime pop seems to be sung in Italian, not Japanese, as the eastern Empire of Shan-Raznik seems to be an odd mishmash of Italy and Russia and Japan). Playstation is mentioned as Ludostazione 2 (PS2) being an old-gen console famous for its "SRPGs" (Shanraznite RPGs) and Ludostazione 3 (PS3) being an expensive modern-gen console.
**The DLC is said to be set in 2000, but it's alternate history so it's got extremely futuristic technology such as The Linked being a cyborg straight out of Metal Gear Rising, combined with cars that seem taken from the 1940s, tommy guns from the 20s, people wearing traditional Japanese clothes with fedora hats, and Roman salutes are commonly performed in Japan, and Apple Pippin and Sega Saturn being called successful consoles. It also mentions Nintendo 64 as having flopped so hard Nintendo (only referred to as "that Italian company which made Super Mario, Pokémon and Final Fantasy") was bought by SEGA (whose Sega Saturn was a success in this alternate continuity). Pac-Man is mentioned as a DC superhero and the movie "La Bufera Gialla" about Pac-Man having been a recent movie by Christopher Nolan (in real life, it was "Il Cavaliere Oscuro" and it was Batman, not Pac-Man) and a Marvel Godzilla movie being also said to be a success, while no mention is made of the MCU. 
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Category:The Legend of Zelda (series)
Category:The Legend of Zelda Games