There should be a connection, because some things were taken from the third game. For example, Sandro's cloak.
Nonsense. Sandro and other heroes were mentioned purely for publicity, because they are "cool" heroes and everyone knows them. And to create a "connection" with the old parts, but simply mentioning the names of the heroes doesn't connect the two worlds. In general, they did it for newbies. It's just a way to lure them in.
