Mar 31, 2010 at 5:09 PM
Join Date: Mar 23, 2010
Location: Hidden Palace Zone
Posts: 305
Age: 37
Okay, so this is one of the most hotly debated and discussed topics amongst Zelda fans and always has been. What's the Zelda timeline, in your mind? When do the games take place? Is A Link to the Past really before Zeldas 1 and 2 as you'd normally believe, or was the title misleading? Where do the Oracles games, Link's Awakening, Four Swords, etc. fit in? Should silly games like Soul Calibur 2, Smash Bros. and the CD-i series fit anywhere?
It's all up to you! I realize that some people are adamant about the fact that Zelda doesn't/shouldn't have a solid timeline except obvious connections a few games share with each other (such as OoT/MM, and Wind Waker/Phantom Hourglass/Spirit Tracks) but I've always thought it was really fun to think up how things stack up together.. and I've formulated quite the theory myself between my own observations having been a Zelda fan for 20-some years since I was a toddler on the NES, plus others' theories and things I've read and learned online. So, here's mine:
- Zelda: Ocarina of Time is, thus far, the earliest game in the series.
- At the end of Ocarina of Time, Zelda sends Link back seven years so he can experience his childhood normally instead of having to skip it to save Hyrule. This creates a rift in dimensions;
- There's a dimension in which Link, as a child, is able to convince the King of Hyrule of Ganon's treachery and goes on to experience Majora's Mask. We'll call this Timeline A.
- There's a dimension in which Link, after defeating Ganon, was sent back and 'erased' from the current timeline, after which Ganon returned and, with no Link to stop him, completely ruled over all Hyrule. The gods, with no other choice except to allow mankind to be swallowed by Ganon's evil, flooded Hyrule so that only a spread of islands that could sustain life remained. This is where Wind Waker comes in. We'll call this Timeline B.
TIMELINE A:
- Majora's Mask
- Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons BOTH take place either directly before or directly after Majora's Mask in my opinion. It seems to be the same young Link, the same Epona and the same Hyrule Castle as Ocarina of Time, which would be impossible in Timeline B except possibly at the very end of the timeline anyway. Some people claim that each Oracle game takes place simultaneously on either timeline, but they seem to forget that there was going to be a third Oracle game, themed after Farore and the color green, and unless you give Minish Cap/Four Swords its own timeline there are only two..so I find it plausible that all three--or at least these two--take place one after the other in either order in the same timeline
- Twilight Princess. I have to admit that I still am nowhere near finishing this game even though I've owned it for years, I've just had too many huge games to play and this one hasn't made its way into my schedule yet. However, from what I do know, I feel pretty certain of a few things. First of all, this probably takes place about the same time as Wind Waker does in Timeline B.. but Hyrule's not flooded. Ganon's warped the power of the Triforce and the Twilight Realm is created.. a precursor to LttP's Dark World.
- Link to the Past. The Golden Land has fully formed under Ganon's command of the Triforce into the Dark World. Ganon seems to be completely destroyed for good at the end of this game in Timeline A.
- I like to think that Link's Awakening takes place after Link to the Past. Besides the obvious fact that it was released just after it in real life and the player was probably meant to connect this Link to the one in LttP, one of the Nightmares that Link must face is a Ganon that fights just like he did in LttP, and another Nightmare is Aganhim, who only appears in LttP.
TIMELINE B
- After a few centuries pass, The Wind Waker takes place.
- Link and Zelda head north to find a new land to colonize. The Phantom Hourglass takes place.
- Link and Zelda begin to colonize the land they've found. Spirit Tracks takes place.
- After a huge gap in time, the original Hyrule has finally dried up after the massive flooding. The few remaining people who live in this area have taken residence in caves, many of which are hidden and/or sealed off, due to the fact that the land is swarming in monsters. Ganon has returned and taken the current Princess Zelda hostage, hiding himself in the ancient Spectacle Rock above Death Mountain. The Legend of Zelda takes place.
- The same Link from the Legend of Zelda has grown up and a mark of prophecy has appeared on his hand. Zelda's caretaker, Impa, reveals to Link that he must travel north and find the Triforce of Courage. Link finds that northern Hyrule is much more civilized, full of towns and palaces--it's likely that this is the area that the Link of ages past found and civilized long ago in Phantom Hourglass/Spirit Tracks and where the majority of Hyrulians live at this point. Link must find the Triforce of Courage--the one piece he doesn't have at this time, as he pieced together Wisdom in the previous game and found Power from Ganon--to reform the complete Triforce and awaken a Princess Zelda that fell asleep eons ago. Zelda II: the Adventure of Link takes place.
- It would seem Ganon was destroyed for good from this timeline as of the Legend of Zelda and an attempt to revive him in Zelda II failed.
Now, there are still some more important Zelda games left untold here;
- The Minish Cap--many people seem to think this takes place even before Ocarina of Time, but I think it could take place pretty much anytime in Timeline A. It has to take place after Ganondorf became Ganon in OoT given the existence of Moblins, and the way Hyrule's made up heavily reflects how it looks in Timeline A... plus, the very final form of the Nightmare in Link's Awakening is extremely similar to Vaati from this game, and for the reasons I listed before I'd say Link's Awakening takes place in Timeline A, soo... yeah.
- Four Swords/Four Swords Adventures has to take place in the same timeline as Minish Cap for a myriad of reasons. Yet another thing that tells me these games all probably take place sometime in Timeline A is how outrageously similar Hyrule looks in these two games compared to in Link to the Past.
Whew... and that's all for now. What do you guys think?
It's all up to you! I realize that some people are adamant about the fact that Zelda doesn't/shouldn't have a solid timeline except obvious connections a few games share with each other (such as OoT/MM, and Wind Waker/Phantom Hourglass/Spirit Tracks) but I've always thought it was really fun to think up how things stack up together.. and I've formulated quite the theory myself between my own observations having been a Zelda fan for 20-some years since I was a toddler on the NES, plus others' theories and things I've read and learned online. So, here's mine:
- Zelda: Ocarina of Time is, thus far, the earliest game in the series.
- At the end of Ocarina of Time, Zelda sends Link back seven years so he can experience his childhood normally instead of having to skip it to save Hyrule. This creates a rift in dimensions;
- There's a dimension in which Link, as a child, is able to convince the King of Hyrule of Ganon's treachery and goes on to experience Majora's Mask. We'll call this Timeline A.
- There's a dimension in which Link, after defeating Ganon, was sent back and 'erased' from the current timeline, after which Ganon returned and, with no Link to stop him, completely ruled over all Hyrule. The gods, with no other choice except to allow mankind to be swallowed by Ganon's evil, flooded Hyrule so that only a spread of islands that could sustain life remained. This is where Wind Waker comes in. We'll call this Timeline B.
TIMELINE A:
- Majora's Mask
- Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons BOTH take place either directly before or directly after Majora's Mask in my opinion. It seems to be the same young Link, the same Epona and the same Hyrule Castle as Ocarina of Time, which would be impossible in Timeline B except possibly at the very end of the timeline anyway. Some people claim that each Oracle game takes place simultaneously on either timeline, but they seem to forget that there was going to be a third Oracle game, themed after Farore and the color green, and unless you give Minish Cap/Four Swords its own timeline there are only two..so I find it plausible that all three--or at least these two--take place one after the other in either order in the same timeline
- Twilight Princess. I have to admit that I still am nowhere near finishing this game even though I've owned it for years, I've just had too many huge games to play and this one hasn't made its way into my schedule yet. However, from what I do know, I feel pretty certain of a few things. First of all, this probably takes place about the same time as Wind Waker does in Timeline B.. but Hyrule's not flooded. Ganon's warped the power of the Triforce and the Twilight Realm is created.. a precursor to LttP's Dark World.
- Link to the Past. The Golden Land has fully formed under Ganon's command of the Triforce into the Dark World. Ganon seems to be completely destroyed for good at the end of this game in Timeline A.
- I like to think that Link's Awakening takes place after Link to the Past. Besides the obvious fact that it was released just after it in real life and the player was probably meant to connect this Link to the one in LttP, one of the Nightmares that Link must face is a Ganon that fights just like he did in LttP, and another Nightmare is Aganhim, who only appears in LttP.
TIMELINE B
- After a few centuries pass, The Wind Waker takes place.
- Link and Zelda head north to find a new land to colonize. The Phantom Hourglass takes place.
- Link and Zelda begin to colonize the land they've found. Spirit Tracks takes place.
- After a huge gap in time, the original Hyrule has finally dried up after the massive flooding. The few remaining people who live in this area have taken residence in caves, many of which are hidden and/or sealed off, due to the fact that the land is swarming in monsters. Ganon has returned and taken the current Princess Zelda hostage, hiding himself in the ancient Spectacle Rock above Death Mountain. The Legend of Zelda takes place.
- The same Link from the Legend of Zelda has grown up and a mark of prophecy has appeared on his hand. Zelda's caretaker, Impa, reveals to Link that he must travel north and find the Triforce of Courage. Link finds that northern Hyrule is much more civilized, full of towns and palaces--it's likely that this is the area that the Link of ages past found and civilized long ago in Phantom Hourglass/Spirit Tracks and where the majority of Hyrulians live at this point. Link must find the Triforce of Courage--the one piece he doesn't have at this time, as he pieced together Wisdom in the previous game and found Power from Ganon--to reform the complete Triforce and awaken a Princess Zelda that fell asleep eons ago. Zelda II: the Adventure of Link takes place.
- It would seem Ganon was destroyed for good from this timeline as of the Legend of Zelda and an attempt to revive him in Zelda II failed.
Now, there are still some more important Zelda games left untold here;
- The Minish Cap--many people seem to think this takes place even before Ocarina of Time, but I think it could take place pretty much anytime in Timeline A. It has to take place after Ganondorf became Ganon in OoT given the existence of Moblins, and the way Hyrule's made up heavily reflects how it looks in Timeline A... plus, the very final form of the Nightmare in Link's Awakening is extremely similar to Vaati from this game, and for the reasons I listed before I'd say Link's Awakening takes place in Timeline A, soo... yeah.
- Four Swords/Four Swords Adventures has to take place in the same timeline as Minish Cap for a myriad of reasons. Yet another thing that tells me these games all probably take place sometime in Timeline A is how outrageously similar Hyrule looks in these two games compared to in Link to the Past.
Whew... and that's all for now. What do you guys think?
