This theory gets even better when a speedrunner is playing. Think about a Link that knows its a simulation and starts taking advantage of glitches to beat it.

The biggest point against this is that I refuse to believe that the monk’s would place 900 hundred koroks around the map

Link finally wakes up for real in his 100 year slumber. Having played Breath of the Wild so many times, with an estimated 800 hours of playtime, he proceeds to speedrun calamity ganon and scare the butts off of everyone.

Alternate idea as to why weapons explode into blue sheikah tech: the weapons are digitized to be stored in the Sheikah Slate for use later! It's why Link can carry so much on him, swapping out as needed! It explains why they explode like they do, plus how Hestu can increase our carrying space.

All the people saying that the slate digitizes weapons we pick up, this would also explain why the weapons Link uses aren't durable in the slightest. Sheikah weaponry is notoriously brittle under pressure (see: guardian and royal guard's weaponry), and none of these same weapons break when used by enemies, but somehow, the moment we pick them up, they start to break? Maybe it has to do with the digitization process.

A somewhat related theory, is that the slate does turn items into digital information, kind of like the transporters in Star Trek, for the ultimate storage capabilities. Unfortunately, there is a minor memory leak, which causes items to shatter the way they do.

It wouldn’t be a popular piece of media without a “The main character is in a coma” theory.

Meanwhile, Zelda in shades and a black coat to Link after he wakes up: "Link... You take the blue rupee, the story ends... You go back to Shrine of Resurrection and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red rupee... You stay in Hyrule and I show you how deep the bluepee hole goes."

This has the same energy as when a villager in Animal Crossing says the dialogue wondering if this is all fake

Imagine how devastating this would be for link to realize he needs to do this all over again

Link: "What are you trying to tell me? That I can dodge Guardian lasers?" Zelda: "That when you are ready, you won't have to" Link: *Parries laser*

Wasn't one of the earliest concepts of the very first "The Legend of Zelda" that everything was computer related, like microchips instead of the Triforce or something like that? I think it's also one of the reasons Link is named Link, like in a Hyper"link" and because he was the link between multiple worlds, which they incorporated in "A Link to the Past" for the first time. Since "Breath of the Wild" was developed as a return to the original concept of the initial game in the series, that might not be too far-fetched, yet still highly unlikely I believe.

I had a kinda similar theory when I first saw the game. I thought it took place in a sort of afterlife and you played as the hero's spirit trying to fight and earn the right to be reborn by defeating a spiritual version of Ganon. It was pretty crazy.

As interesting a theory it is and as fun as it is to explore, it would be so lame if it was true.

This would be such a Sheikah-esque thing to do that it feels hard to object the theory's plausibility.

Yeah, I agree about not buying it. It brings up some interesting points, but when you consider the question of "why" the Sheikh would do this, it's a lot to more difficult to explain. Like, why would they have shrines in a simulation, when they could have programmed a more organic test for Link? Why would they need to create a simulation within the simulation for the sake of the Master Sword trial? Why would they do this at all when the hero seems fully capable of becoming worthy on his own, given historical precedent? It seems simpler that if they had the foresight to make this simulation, they simply would have made better safeguards for their Guardians.

In one of the memories link has, the enemy’s can be seen lying on the floor dead, rather then burst into a pink mist. (Also I remember counting three dead Lynels only inches away from each other! Link before the disaster was way more powerful then he is now!)

Another thing to add to this fun theory, the invisible walls

I have always preferred the idea that the Sheikah simply utilized time shift stones to achieve so much of what they did. When the past King of Hyrule banded their technology they used the stones to look into the future to see the outcome and if abandoning their tech was the right thing to do. This explains how they could predict several out of place situations that Link comes across to access the shrines. Time Shift Stones might also explain how the shrines stayed hidden for so long as most only appeared in the present with the Sheikah Towers charging the long dormant time shift stones which then summoned the shrines to the appropriate point in time. Also once the power emitted by the towers was expended and no longer powering the stones the shrines also phased back in time hence why they cannot be seen in the BotW2 trailers.

Would be a neat idea for botw 2. Going between the sim and real world. The real world being when he's shown with long hair

I don't think the theory is true either, but it does make for an interesting completion of the "Apocryphal Triforce" of falsehood within the series. 1. Link's Awakening is the hallucination/dream 2. Majora's Mask is the alteration/opposition (in the sense of contradiction or opposite, not opposition as in fighting). 3. BotW is the simulation.

Ah i get it, this is particularly fascinating if you think about this simulation as training for Link to ACTUALLY face ganon. Neat

Dude, the blade/outfit transition at 8:04 is simply perfect editing right there and perfect execution of a perfect idea!

Being a huge Matrix fan, I love this theory and have thought about it since the first time I saw the code-like sheika information.

Imagine BotW2 starts with Link waking up after the simulation and does everything we did in a few cutscenes lol

It would definitely explain all the inconsistencies with the lore and it’s questionable timeline placement

I want to point out other things that point to simulation: When voiding out, he just respawns at the top of the ledge, same with drowning. Also, you can’t explore outside of Hyrule.

The first time someone played Devil's Advocate and didn't question my human rights for some reason! Love to see it. Theory is goofy but a fun romp.

The connections to Zelda 1 go pretty deep when you recall the prototypical story was that Link was collecting computer chips in a post apocalyptic fantasy world.

The thought of Link being able to manipulate physics in the context of searching evidence for Hyrule being a simulation, begs this question: If Speedrunners can do those ridiculous things with the physics in Breath of the Wild, because Hyrule is a simulation, what if Link inside of the simulation started to do this things? Like wind bombs, shield bounce, catapult things around and use them to get faster around the world, multiplying items, transfer durability between items, fighting ridiculous amounts of enemies at once, making use of physics are this broken and god knows what else? Wouldn’t they stop the simulation instantly and fix it, at the slightest hint of him bending reality, so Link doesn’t become a reckless lunatic in the real world? Also: Why would they add these ridiculous runes to begin with? Well… okay, fine, maybe because there’s magic in the real Hyrule. Fair enough…

I can just imagine the disappointment of completing the game and finding out it was all just a "dream"

Sheika satellite! Weather, teleportation, mapping, object location, GPS, etc. That's why when you can't teleport or see the map during sandstorms. Id love to see a theory based of this...

I’ve thought of this before, and think the game could have been exactly the same except just add an extra scene after you recover all of your memories. You wake up in the Shrine again in the exact same state you completed the memories (basically you remembered everything you had done in Hyrule so Hyrule matches the dream simulation preventing progression issues) and can continue from there. If you get all the memories and wake up you get an alternate second phase of calamity Ganon where he’s much harder (because everything before waking up was based on his memories whereas the Sheikah could only speculate what the calamity battle would be like) and alternate ending with Zelda where she explains what happened and that you had to re-experience your adventure because the shrine not only took away your memories but your experience and ability to wield the master sword. That would be a pretty mindblowing ending. It would also make sense to have the dlc here as normal because you’d be out of the dream state and the sheikah trials would then test your retraining from the simulation.

I like that you added music from Link's Awakening as you hinted at the fantasy of not being awake for the game. Koholint Island was essentially an illusory realm that Link adventures in before waking up after the boat he was on sank. Maybe that's kind of where the simulation theory finds its roots? Link's Awakening was but a dream on the lids of a restless sleeper after all.

I think the reason the weapons break into blue shards is to show they’re done or they’ve completed their purpose. Throughout botw, orange light means undiscovered/incomplete, whereas blue light means discovered/complete. So while you’re hitting an enemy you see orange sparks but when the weapon breaks you see blue sparks

It's amazing how Zeltic makes a totally crazy matrix theory sound pretty believable

Interesting to ponder for a while, but as you pointed out with theorizing our own existence as a simulation, when you are thinking about entities of unknown capabilities and generalized motives, it becomes a never ending cycle of untestable speculation. It would be a wild twist to see Nintendo follow of BotW with it's sequel revealing that all the memories, experiences and ending was all a training simulation, with the real fight against Ganon starting now

Counterpoint: Link’s Awakening is what Link experienced within the Resurrection Shrine, the purpose of which was to keep Link’s Mind as intact as possible during the procedure…but it still went wrong. It ended up taking 100 years, and Link experienced retrograde amnesia. -Zelda’s and Marin’s voices are respectively the first/last thing heard in these games -Both girls beg Link to “remember them”/wake/wake the Windfish -Canonically Zelda and Marin look identical or near-identical (and I don’t mean Marin and Zelda sharing the same GBC Sprite (only with a crown and necklace for Zelda’s)). Botw Zelda even has strawberry blond hair -while in the Remake Marin has ginger hair, her GBC Sprite and Official and NonCanon Art always had more of a strawberry blond than true ginger until then- -there is a DREAM SHRINE in Mabe Village -BotW has the Windfish’s Remains, so it clearly existed at one point and no doubt had its own lore -Ballad of the Windfish plays at Hyrule Castle’s ground zero -the Nightmares and Koholint itself try to keep Link from waking -the Final Nightmares shift and change form much like Malice does for Malice, Blights, Calamity, and that final aura boar -(Koholint’s Destruction is far less depressing if it was a medical coma dream verses a Dream World (which is really just an alternate reality sustained by a deity’s dreaming. It’s still real or “real enough.”))

That's totally what's going on. That explains the way-scifi teleportation, which I never understood how it was supposed to work, as well as how botw has more timeline inconsistencies than any other game. We do see Hyrule pre-calamity in Link's memories, but what if that's just more of the simulation? He wakes up without them, and discovers his "memories" using either the Sheikah slate or locations...in the simulation... Yeah, I love this theory. Also loved the Link's Awakening music.

This explains several things, including how weapons reappear in the exact same place as they were in the first place, how Link reappears at the shore when he drowns, and how Link can )#&+£ around for so long and Ganon does absolutely nothing.

Unlikely or no, this is a really interesting theory. It's a completely new way to think of the game, and theories like this keep the story alive imo.

Choose blue tech you’ll face new changes, choose the red magic you’ll face traditional ganon

The Legend of Zelda: Matrix of Time anyone?

Is this Zelda's equivalent to "Metal Gear Solid III is a simulation"? Regardless, I love how you narrate the ideas presented on the theory, despite not believing it myself

I agree that this was probably not the intent of the developers. I personally thought the the trial of the sword was essentially like a trip to the astral plane. Close to but still adjacent to physical world. If the sheikah could create machines as advanced as the guardians and the divine beasts why not a simulated world. Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. Arthur C. Clarke

Great video! My take on this is that Botw's hyrule is actually a dream. Botw 2, on the other hand is the continuation from when link wakes up in the real world and goes exploring with zelda.

I love how you distinguish the difference between canon/the developers' intentions vs. theories, and that theories are theories and they are just fun to explore and imagine. That's what Zelda fans have always loved to do. Appreciate what you do. 🙏

Lol, your final “Doesn’t he?” gave me a chuckle. Great video as always!

I have talked to some people about a theory of my own in which yes, Hyrule is in fact a simulated world but not a virtual one. Instead a piece of land hard locked away and controled by the sheikah from the outside. My bigger concern here is why and how Hyrule vanished sheikah tech so effectively and apparently so fast, instead of growing with what tech Hyrule already had at hand theey just went backwards and threw everything away. No one knows really the level of tech there once was and no one seems to care that they were once such an advanced civilization so basically my theory is that the sheikah are the real rulers of the world and the ones vanished were the cursed people, Hylians.. Trust me, if in today's world there existed an elf like race that historically has been the dominant race bc of reasons, they possess magic powers to some degree and THEY decided that technology developed by a race, that was originally intended to be their support, was too powerfull (most likely just too much for the other races to handle) and needed to go while the elf race themselves are cursed to fight a demon entity with apocalyptic powers every once in a while and with no warning... I, as the technologic race, would simply drop out from that world. In no real situation would a more technologically advanced race with waaaaay more military power than the elf like race will simply accept to have themselves forget everything they know and throw away everything they have, just because the elf like race requested it. Better answer would be to: Keep hylian magic away as well as the demon comming for them time and time again, keep insiders in that world making sure Hylians come out victorious everytime, giving advise and just enough information to not raise suspicions. Since the demon can spawn pretty much in any race, Gerudo for example, he is being kept alive in purpose and hidden away, no death means no random resurrection, Link can only be hylian and Zelda can only be born among the royal family so no concers with them. Finally, that thing about the triforce granting a wish would pretty much be a concern for the Sheikah, keeping everyone enclosed in that world and them not knowing it is vital so don't talk about the triforce ever, strip it from history and since ganondorf is being kept alive the triforce cannot be gathered, he has the last piece of it, So it is impossible to gather the triforce whole and wish to it.

Woah, now that’s quite the theory

I love you looking into these "false theories" like how you looked at Ocarina's Sages "deaths" a while back. I'd definitely love to see more!

Out of curiosity, got any theories on Bipin, Blossom, and their son (Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons)? Do both games really take 20+ years to complete, or do you think funky time currents might explain the growth of their son?

This can also explain how Link has a seemingly endless amount of space in his pockets. Not just his weapons and shields, since those actually do have a limit, but all the other stuff. Different sets of clothes/armor that he can put on whenever he wants. Countless gemstones, bundles of wood, food, monster parts, etc. If this was a simulation, it would make sense how Link can not only carry all this but also can swap outfits on the go.

This is one of the more wild theories. I did like the theme with Morpheus' speech. Good job 👍

I think it’s also intresting to look at they way the champions control their divine beasts. If I remember correctly they are controlled by mind, no gears or physical input. And they are so deeply linked with their champion, that the even the spirits of those can gain some level of control over them - blasting their final strike against the calamity. So the sheikhs definitely have invented some sort of neuro-Link that can access the memory’s and even various traits of the person connecting with it. The same could be done with link in the resurrection shrine, as he already knows all these monsters and encountered many of them in his years.

The breaking of weapons could also be explained by the fact that you can carry so many items and equipment. It could be a side effect of the apparent digitization process of storing items in the Slate, it could also explain how things that should be sturdier aren't.

Excellent video. It takes a good amount of skill to present a fewpoint one actually believes to be true in a convincing way. Achieving the same for a theory, one does actually reject is something entirely different. Also, great choice of music!

The simulation theory would be a good way to bring Ganon back without retconning the end of BOTW. Personally, I'd be pretty upset if I played through all of BOTW and beat Ganon's final incarnation only to have him come on back for the sequel. If BOTW was a simulated training program for Link as he slumbered for 100 years to make him ready for the IRL final battle in BOTW 2, that would allow for Ganon to be the antagonist while keeping the first game's ending.

I know he's playing devil's advocate and all, but the need to take everything ever made and shove it into a hard magic system with the laws of our own world is exhausting imo. Thank god most game designers and writers aren't as obsessed with "making everything work in the real world" as the internet seems to be.

Zeltik, one of two channels i enjoy watching zelda theories on. THANKS BOSS.

The way the weapons "explode" when they run out of durability is suspicious

Another excellent theory presented to us here. It is highly interesting and makes us think about certain elements of the game even harder. Well done depicting the entire theory so thoroughly.

Loved the editing on this one, great work!

Just watched the Zelda video of Overly Sarcastic Production where they acknowledged you quite a bit, so it was exciting for me to see your newest video on the same day. Always love your content! 😊

Honestly not totally out of the question. Another high-fantasy game series has a hidden layer of hyper-advanced technology in the lore (The Elder Scrolls) and it works totally well. LoZ and TES have always struck me in a similar way, and to me it makes sense that LoZ would also have hyper-advanced tech.

When you consider how much BotW leans on Zelda's stray scifi elements, coupled with reports of how Nintendo has been toying with the idea of wanting the game to have a modern setting early on, I think it's entirely within the realm of possibility for a Zelda game to feature a "digital hero", so to speak. Especially when you consider that the schism that caused the Yiga clan to exist in the first place was due to the royal family's (justified) fear of what the shiekah are capable of when left to their own devices. Do I think BotW is our digital hero? Eh. But the design space within both BotW and Zelda as a whole certainly allows for it.

I was kind of hoping the video would be 10 seconds long and feature Zeltik just saying "Yes. Literally yes."

I always thought of the blue explosion of weapons was because whenever Link picks up a weapon, the slate somehow digitizes it into a hard light projection. That’s why he can carry an obscene amount of items that would be impossible. Using the item degrades the projection’s file until it unravels.

That weapon animation transition was smooth af!

I want to see a zelda in a modern like world with the characters looking more modern with the plot being a ganon taking over the world

All of these elements could also be considered as metatextual comments, intradiegetic references to the software being software. And, to me, the presence of advance technology is what makes the lore of the series so unique and more than just a fantasy tale.

This could explain why the map of BotW has familiar locations from earlier games that don’t line up geographically

The sheikah slate is proof to me that this theory wasn’t the developers’ intention. Why would the sheikah give Link a controller to the simulation he’s in? If they were trying to train him so he would be the strongest champion possible, why give him the ability to stop time and summon bombs at will? It would be teaching him to rely on abilities that he wouldn’t have in the real world.

You can literally add “is a simulation” to anything and it would still be interesting.

Idea: This is why there's no Sheikah tech visible when the castle is rising in the second and third trailers. By this point, he's awake..and the Shrines and Towers aren't real.

It would be bloody brilliant if in BOTW2 Link actually walks trough a tunnel out of the "Sheikah created Hyrule", and is reunited with Navi and you hear the Hyrule Field theme from OOT being played as the "real game" and the real fight against Gnondorf begins. Yes please, Nintendo!

Saw the title, now I'm confised

Watching. This is Fascinating. I know it’s unlikely, but it’s still a powerful concept.

8:00 That is a damn smooth edit, and I've been watching it on loop. It's so clean and satisfying.

I think something that could support this theory is the world border. For example, at Gerudo Desert, there is nothing, that physically prevents Link from exploring beyond the border. It just says, that you can't go any further. Maybe, that's the limit of the simulation. It can't simulate a larger area. Just a thought I had.

I personally don’t think the high-tech presentation of Breath of the Wild has anything to do with the notion that it somehow proves its a simulation. Rather, I think we sometimes see a high-tech presentation because science and technology are the magic of this game’s world. I think throughout real-world history, many things that happened were explained away as magic until scientific knowledge eventually was able to explain what was once to be thought of as magic. For instance, many people at least have a basic understanding of how aircraft vehicles are able to fly, but without those explanations it would be very easy-natural, even-to say these machines can fly because they use magic. So, back to Breath of the Wild; the advanced Sheikah technology enables Link to do things that would otherwise be seen as magic. Link doesn’t need a magic meter because he uses technology. Still, how are these technological devices powered? What powers the Sheikah Slate? There are still some mysteries in Breath of the Wild that for now could be explained as magic. Either the Sheikah Slate is powered by the best batteries ever made, or it’s powered by some sort of infinite power source. Perhaps Breath of the Wild’s sequel will somehow be able to turn these magicks into another piece of technology.

I think this is absolutely FANTASTIC! It would bring Link into the sequel just as himself, but allow the developers to change the map of the game to the "real" Hyrule. This will give the players the sense of a new map so things dont get stale but still feeling familiar. Also allowing Links health to revert back to 3 hearts as well.

Stating that something was obviously a visual cue from the dev and the saying “but let’s over think this” is such a power move and also a very good way to approach fan theories

Maybe they put Ganon in a simulation aswell and that's why he's been asleep under the castle. He's wreaking havoc in another false world but doing so is awakening him and he will soon break out

This theory is such a stretch… I LOVE IT

ahem link start

The transitions between weapon swings at around 8:00 was TIGHT!

I am new to this theory... and I LOVE it. It also explains the Hyrule Compendium, as well as Beedle moving faster than you... always. Not to mention the Blood Moon. The simulation checks the percentage of enemies and objects you've destroyed and refreshes them if it's too low. The invisible walls, being able to eat infinite amounts of food. Being able to carry a flame blade or frost blade without it harming you. Hell, the "found memories" could be implanted. Maybe this Link isn't the chosen hero. There is no chosen hero, so the Sheikah had to MAKE a chosen hero. They implanted memories and everything. and when you finally do awaken from the simulation, you think and believe what they need you to.

So, you're telling me that the Sheikah not only created an entire simulation of Hyrule, but _also_ designed Paya to have a suspiciously-placed birthmark? I now have more questions than answers, lol

I want this to be true, because it is easily more interesting than any other possibility.

the simulation is how Hyrule tests the Prince Consort to the future Queen. sending him on an impossible quest to save her, going far beyond anything that might happen in the real world so that they know he will fit the role when she is elevated to the crown.

The physicality of the Trials, dangers and all, is the _point_ of them. Let's not forget, this iteration of Link is a former knight -- a swordsman who, even in his downtime, we see running training drills with his blade; he's _used_ to training himself physically, and likely learns _best_ that way, as incorporating your whole body into training a new skill ingrains the information into more parts of the brain than just watching how it's done -- even if he's forgotten himself, Link's body still remembers that training.

My theory building on this: Calamity Ganon actually *did* destroy Hyrule 10,000 years ago. However, after the destruction of the world, the remaining Sheikah placed all remaining Hylians, Gorons, Zora, and other beings underground in pods connected to a Sheikah simulation computer. In this simulation, Ganon *was* defeated 10,000 years ago and the world was never destroyed. In this this new world, while not being “real,” life and the history of Hyrule can continue.

Yes, Breath of the Wild’s bosses were underwhelming, but I just don’t think Nintendo would completely negate their entire game with a sequel claiming it was just a simulation. I agree more with the theory that Calamity Ganon was just a fluctuation of Ganondorf’s power, who was kept underground below Hyrule Castle. This would have the same effect as the simulation theory and I just think this is far more likely. But I still really enjoyed the video!

I just got Botw recently and when you fast travel, link disappears into blue stringy mist and appears on the Teleport Pad, i think the Shekiah got tech to reassemble Matter maybe the slate can absorb the broken matter from items to power itself? Their stuff is timeless but with the added functions of the Slate, it may weaken the weapons to the point they break faster then normal or just converts the broken weapon into sparks to keep you safe, would suck if you get slayed by a rusty broadsword breaking.

BOTW 2 is him actually waking up in a pool of stale water with a missing arm from his original ganon fight (which he lost). The first game could EASILY be a simulation and still be the intended interpretation.

Honestly, "It's all a simulation/dream/hallucination" is the laziest, unimaginative, and boring theory for anything. It's just a weak cop-out and more often than not, every point on theories along those lines are too stretched to fit the narrative. But hey, I'll still watch this because I like watching Zeltik's content.

I'm actually in favor of this, because looking further than what is just in this video, this would allow for all of the lore inconsistencies we see in the game and have been subtly arguing about for years now, what with all the timeline placement problems... This also works with everything Nintendo has said about it. It's canon, which would work. It's on the timeline, which also works, and that they haven't given a specific time for it, which makes sense. As if everything we've seen up to this point was all ran inside of that simulation, there would be no context clues as to where it is on the timeline. Being way at the end of the timeline, which is perfect logic as every civilization is more advanced the more time goes on, theoretically allowing for such an advanced simulation to even occur. Secondarily, this gives Nintendo a massive out for the extreme backlash they received by many fans, as the game seems to not be aging as well by people who don't look at this game as an isolated case, which, unfortunately is extremely common. (People can have fun with the game, but the second it's related to other games, isolated cases need to be tossed if we're considering cross game lore). It also gives them something extremely useful for the next game, a massive plot twist. This would work well with the "darker" theme they have pushed verbally as a way to hype up the player base. Attempting to escape that simulation, even if it was created and ran by Ganon himself as a way to trick the only person who can wield the Master Sword into thinking he had succeeded, would be a neat experience, although it sort of throws some of the Zelda theme out the window. Although considering the Sheikah have advanced tech, who's to say Ganon didn't manage to corrupt that as well? So it could redefine a lot of our understanding of the Sheikah in the first place. Ultimately, I doubt it's a very accurate theory, but I could pull even more strings to make it align if I wanted to. BotW was a fairly mediocre game from my perspective of what many other Zelda games have been, and a huge part of that was game pacing and repetition beyond belief, but the entire game being a simulation would be a passable excuse, even if it's likely not true. Until the next game releases or we have more confirmed info on this title, I think this is what I'm personally going to go with. It sadly, works better as a story that what was provided in the game. (Not sad as in pathetic, sad as in disappointed. I love these games so much, so of course I want to see unique or neat things done with them)

Funny, just today someone posted a video about PSO2: NGS and had some speculation from people about THAT game being a simulation too. This is relevant because I personally think visual effects that people often point out as evidence of simulation, isn't actually meant to be 'read' that way. Whenever technology is used as part of the gameplay experience in a third-person game, what developers usually do is overlay those effects on the screen as if you were looking through the character's eyes instead. In PSO, we know for a fact that the characters are running around with an AR system marking targets and objectives and providing other necessary visual information, hence, when you get low on health, you see a warning vignette around the edges of the screen and you see minor visual distortions like a screen glitching. This is what the character sees when they've taken a lot of damage and it's affecting the tech they view the world through. The game is just showing you what that looks like by casting that effect over your screen, as it'd be pointless detail if only your character saw it in a 3rd person game. For Breath of the Wild, the effects you see with things like Magnesis would not be what Link sees through his eyes, but rather what the Shiekah Slate would display on its screen, which Link does appear to look at when using some of its functions. Again, this effect is just being shown on your screen so that it's actually useful to the player.

Would be a clever way for Hylia to get rid of Ganon forever... Make him think he's won by giving him everlasting dominion over a simulated Hyrule.