With Skyward Sword coming out really soon I figured now would be as
good of time as any to go ahead and get a "timeline" posted. Now
Nintendo has stated that there IS in fact a Zelda Timeline, but they
said it is up to the players to actually figure it out. Well, here's
what I've come up with so far.
*WARNING: THIS BLOG POST WILL CONTAIN SOME MINOR AND SOME MAJOR SPOILERS FROM THE ZELDA GAMES, HOWEVER I WILL BE LEAVING OUT SKYWARD SWORD SPOILERS DUE TO THE FACT THAT IT HAS NOT BEEN OFFICIALY RELEASED YET! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!*
==============
Normal Timeline:
==============
The "Normal Timeline" is the timeline that the Zelda games normally follow. Later on there was a "split" in the timeline, but that actually leads us to another whole set of games. To sum it up, this is the timeline the Zelda games NORMALLY follow.
------------------------------------------------
Legend of Zelda Minish Cap -
------------------------------------------------
Minish Cap the "first Zelda" in many fans eyes simply because of the legend told at the start of the game. Apparently there was a past hero that saved the day, which the main character decends from, but that hero did NOT have a hat. Minish Cap Link ends up getting sucked into an adventure of his own, but once it is finally done and over with one of his "friends" gives him a parting gift. A hat.
Minish Cap also takes place before the whole Ganon story, so its safe to assume that Minish Cap is close to the start of the timeline.
------------------------------------------------
Legend fo Zelda: Four Swords -
------------------------------------------------
Four Swords could actually take place at any point in the timeline, but since it ties directly with Minish Cap I'll go ahead and list it here. The game was just lately released for free on DSi Ware and on the eShop, but this pretty much sums up the story.
A new Link goes with another Zelda to check on the Four Sword which was used to seal the bad guy from Minish Cap away, and he escapes. The new Link Splits into four, and he sets out to save the world.
It is a pretty simple story, and it doesn't really have too big of an effect on other games, but it still happened.
Four Swords Adventure was also released on the Gamecube, but it is also a spin off story which features yet ANOTHER Link.
------------------------------------------------
Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time -
------------------------------------------------
OoT was released as the "first" game in the timeline back during its original release. Nintendo stated that it would be the first appearance of Ganon, and it would be the game to provide the back story to all other Zelda games. Well this game also created a split in the timeline which allowed Nintendo to take two different directions. I'll talk about the split a little bit later. This game features a brand new Link who grew up in a magical forest.
At the end of OoT, Link is sent back in time to his original time (apparently before he actually met Zelda for the first time as a kid), and he's able to warn her about what is going to happen. Apparently Hyrule listened to the warning, they were able to fight off Ganon during his attack, however much of Hyrule was still damaged, and he was "completely" stopped.
------------------------------------------------
Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask -
------------------------------------------------
Majora's Mask takes place right after OoT and follows the same Link. Link sets out on a quest to search for his lost friend Navi along with his horse Epona. It really isn't clear how Link has Epona since he was sent back in time before most of the events of OoT happened, but it is possible that he still had to collect them stones for whatever reason. In other words, there's a really good chance that the "childhood" events in OOT still happened.
After being attacked by a Skullkid, who apparently is the Skullkid Link became friends with during OoT, he finds himself being sucked into an alternate world. Once there Link goes on another adventure to save the world, and he once again sets out to find Navi once its all over with. Really Majora's Mask is more of a stand alone game, and has almost no impact on the rest of Zelda (mainly because it takes place in an alternate world that isn't directly attached to the one we all know and love).
------------------------------------------------
Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess -
------------------------------------------------
Twilight Princess takes place after Marjoa's Mask and once again features a new Link. After Ganon was captured, he manages to escape into a type of "dark world" and cause even more chaos. Because of this our new hero finds himself setting out on an adventure to save everyone he loves, along with the rest of the world.
In Twilight Princess we learn more about the battle that took place when Ganon tried to take control of Hyrule, and we also find that the Temple of Time has almost been overgrown by the forest.
By the end of the game Ganon is once again trapped in the strange Twilight Realm, and the world is saved. Throughout the game there are also refrences to a hero in the past, including a Heroes Spirit which teaches Link moves, but it hasn't been quite confirmed just who these items belonged to/who the Hero Spirit really is. Chances are, he's either "Skyward Sword Link," or a Link we haven't seen before.
(There were rumors that it could be the Hero of Time, but TP takes place during the normal timeline, a timeline where the Hero of Time never got his adult tunic or his adult items... All of which were apparently passed down anyway...)
------------------------------------------------
Legend fo Zelda: A Link to the Past -
------------------------------------------------
LttP follows another Link farther down the timeline. Ganon once again comes back by using the dark realm that he was trapped in to his advantage (most likely, the Twilight Realm). As stated in Twilight Princess, only special people are able to keep any type of form at all in this alternate world, while others become like ghosts. In Twilight Princess Link got a wolf form, and in LttP he gets a rabbit form.
Besides seeing the possible return of the Twilight Realm, Link also goes to the very same forest the Temple of Time is located in; however this time the temple is completely over grown. (It's obvious that Nintendo used Twilight Princess to explain how the sword ended up in a forest. Its nice fan service, and it confirms that LttP does in fact take place after OoT.)
At the end of LttP, Link actually is able to finish off Ganon for good (something no other Link had ever done before), and the world is finally safe (again).
------------------------------------------------
Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening -
------------------------------------------------
This game is a strange crossover with Mario, but it worked really well. The game follows the same Link from LttP who is now setting out to sea inorder to get some training done. Link ends up ship wrecking on a strange island, and his new adventure begins.
Really this game is an "alternate world" game just like Majora's Mask, but it is still canon (as was Majora's Mask).
------------------------------------------------
Legend of Zelda: Orical of Seasons/Ages -
------------------------------------------------
The Orical games were actually the first Zelda games created by Capcom. Really no one is completely sure just WHICH Link we play as in these games, but it is possible that he is a completely new Link (this is also backed up in the NON canon manga which states Link comes from a long line of heroes, and that he plans on becoming a knight).
The Orical games also take place in alternate worlds just like Majora's Mask and Link's Awakening, but they also have more of an impact on the rest of the story. It really doesn't matter which game you play first, but they both play out the same way. Link is sucked into a new world, he helps them save the day, end of story.
If you beat one Orical game and carry your save file over into the other, you'll actually come across a different ending that actually ends the games. It turns out the twin witches were able to revive Ganon, who was killed in LttP, and he's out to finish what he started. Yeah, he fails...
As of right now, this is the current "end" that we really know about. Yes there are two more games that MIGHT fall into this timeline, but I'm going to be listing them in another section.
==============
Future Timeline:
==============
After the Hero of Time saves the day in OoT, he is sent back in time to his childhood. Well, that actually causes a lot of problems for the future.
You see, although the Hero of Time told everyone about Ganon's plan inorder to change the future, it doesn't mean the timeline is completely overwritten. By changing the past you simply create a new timeline, while the old future ends up branching off on its own.
Normal Timeline Fixed Future (Normal Timeline)
___________________________________________>
\ Split Original Future (Future Timeline)
\_______________________>
That's the best way I can explain it. (Or if you've ever seen Back to the Future II, think about the future split where the Doc and Marty jump back into a world Biff changed.)
Anyway in the Future Timeline the past is completely cut off, and the Hero of Time no longer exists (since he was sent back in time to a point they are no longer connected to). Since there was no one to continue the bloodline, Ganon was able to come back, take over the world, and Hyrule was lost.
------------------------------------------------
Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker -
------------------------------------------------
Wind Waker follows the story of a young boy who sets out with a group of pirates to save his sister. Along the way he uncovers the truth about what happened to Hyrule, he gathers the Triforce of Courage, and becomes the next hero bloodline.
------------------------------------------------
Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass -
------------------------------------------------
PH features the same Link as WW, and it simply continues the story. The game also has some ties in with Link's Awakening, but it is still not directly related to the original timeline.
------------------------------------------------
Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks -
------------------------------------------------
Spirit Tracks takes place years after Link and Zelda (from WW/PH) form the country of New Hyrule which apparently happened shortly after PH. The game features yet another new Link, and it follows shows a story of a new world where steam technology has been invented.
==============
???????????????:
==============
Ok so there are actually many other Zelda games out there, some are canon, and some are not; however some of the canon ones still do not neatly fall into the timeline. This is why I decided to list them here, and with good reason.
------------------------------------------------
Legend of Zelda -
------------------------------------------------
The very first game features an underdeveloped Hyrule, and even shows people living in caves. How can that be? Some people believe that the game actually takes place in the "Adult Timeline" (or Future Timeline), and the Hyrule we see is actually "New Hyrule." Really I can understand where they're coming from, but there's no way Nintendo could have had this planned from the start. Unless they planned it with OoT?
------------------------------------------------
Zelda II: The Adventures of Link -
------------------------------------------------
Zelda II features a much more developed "modern" Hyrule, and is also the game Nintendo made to end the storyline. The game features the story of "The Legend of Zelda," and has our hero Link going around the world to save her. APPARENTLY Zelda II features the same Link from The Legend of Zelda, but that still doesn't add up.
How did the world change so much from Zelda 1 to Zelda 2? Could Zelda 1 have taken place on some island outside of Hyrule instead of actually in it? Or did Nintendo just mess up? Really, its hard to tell.
It's pretty easy to tell that Zelda II does in fact end the games, but it is still hard to tell what timeline it takes place in. Chances are it takes place in the normal/child timeline, but it still doesn't match up with Zelda 1.
------------------------------------------------
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword -
------------------------------------------------
Finally here comes Skyward Sword! Now I did say I would avoid talking about the game since it is not officially out yet, however quite a few stores have released it early, but I would like to at least bring it up.
Nintendo has officially stated that Skyward Sword will tie directly into OoT, and it does in fact take place before it. The only thing is, just how far in the past DOES it take place? Does it take place inbetween Minish Cap and Ocarina of Time, or does it even take place before Minish Cap? Well I can't answer that. It's true that most people don't know about Hyrule yet, heck Link and Zelda don't even live there, but who says their ancestors didn't?
Anyway I guess this is a mystery we'll have to find out for ourselves once the game officially comes out!
So what do you guys think? Does everything add up? If not, please feel free to share any information that I might not have already listed!
*WARNING: THIS BLOG POST WILL CONTAIN SOME MINOR AND SOME MAJOR SPOILERS FROM THE ZELDA GAMES, HOWEVER I WILL BE LEAVING OUT SKYWARD SWORD SPOILERS DUE TO THE FACT THAT IT HAS NOT BEEN OFFICIALY RELEASED YET! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!*
==============
Normal Timeline:
==============
The "Normal Timeline" is the timeline that the Zelda games normally follow. Later on there was a "split" in the timeline, but that actually leads us to another whole set of games. To sum it up, this is the timeline the Zelda games NORMALLY follow.
------------------------------------------------
Legend of Zelda Minish Cap -
------------------------------------------------
Minish Cap the "first Zelda" in many fans eyes simply because of the legend told at the start of the game. Apparently there was a past hero that saved the day, which the main character decends from, but that hero did NOT have a hat. Minish Cap Link ends up getting sucked into an adventure of his own, but once it is finally done and over with one of his "friends" gives him a parting gift. A hat.
Minish Cap also takes place before the whole Ganon story, so its safe to assume that Minish Cap is close to the start of the timeline.
------------------------------------------------
Legend fo Zelda: Four Swords -
------------------------------------------------
Four Swords could actually take place at any point in the timeline, but since it ties directly with Minish Cap I'll go ahead and list it here. The game was just lately released for free on DSi Ware and on the eShop, but this pretty much sums up the story.
A new Link goes with another Zelda to check on the Four Sword which was used to seal the bad guy from Minish Cap away, and he escapes. The new Link Splits into four, and he sets out to save the world.
It is a pretty simple story, and it doesn't really have too big of an effect on other games, but it still happened.
Four Swords Adventure was also released on the Gamecube, but it is also a spin off story which features yet ANOTHER Link.
------------------------------------------------
Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time -
------------------------------------------------
OoT was released as the "first" game in the timeline back during its original release. Nintendo stated that it would be the first appearance of Ganon, and it would be the game to provide the back story to all other Zelda games. Well this game also created a split in the timeline which allowed Nintendo to take two different directions. I'll talk about the split a little bit later. This game features a brand new Link who grew up in a magical forest.
At the end of OoT, Link is sent back in time to his original time (apparently before he actually met Zelda for the first time as a kid), and he's able to warn her about what is going to happen. Apparently Hyrule listened to the warning, they were able to fight off Ganon during his attack, however much of Hyrule was still damaged, and he was "completely" stopped.
------------------------------------------------
Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask -
------------------------------------------------
Majora's Mask takes place right after OoT and follows the same Link. Link sets out on a quest to search for his lost friend Navi along with his horse Epona. It really isn't clear how Link has Epona since he was sent back in time before most of the events of OoT happened, but it is possible that he still had to collect them stones for whatever reason. In other words, there's a really good chance that the "childhood" events in OOT still happened.
After being attacked by a Skullkid, who apparently is the Skullkid Link became friends with during OoT, he finds himself being sucked into an alternate world. Once there Link goes on another adventure to save the world, and he once again sets out to find Navi once its all over with. Really Majora's Mask is more of a stand alone game, and has almost no impact on the rest of Zelda (mainly because it takes place in an alternate world that isn't directly attached to the one we all know and love).
------------------------------------------------
Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess -
------------------------------------------------
Twilight Princess takes place after Marjoa's Mask and once again features a new Link. After Ganon was captured, he manages to escape into a type of "dark world" and cause even more chaos. Because of this our new hero finds himself setting out on an adventure to save everyone he loves, along with the rest of the world.
In Twilight Princess we learn more about the battle that took place when Ganon tried to take control of Hyrule, and we also find that the Temple of Time has almost been overgrown by the forest.
By the end of the game Ganon is once again trapped in the strange Twilight Realm, and the world is saved. Throughout the game there are also refrences to a hero in the past, including a Heroes Spirit which teaches Link moves, but it hasn't been quite confirmed just who these items belonged to/who the Hero Spirit really is. Chances are, he's either "Skyward Sword Link," or a Link we haven't seen before.
(There were rumors that it could be the Hero of Time, but TP takes place during the normal timeline, a timeline where the Hero of Time never got his adult tunic or his adult items... All of which were apparently passed down anyway...)
------------------------------------------------
Legend fo Zelda: A Link to the Past -
------------------------------------------------
LttP follows another Link farther down the timeline. Ganon once again comes back by using the dark realm that he was trapped in to his advantage (most likely, the Twilight Realm). As stated in Twilight Princess, only special people are able to keep any type of form at all in this alternate world, while others become like ghosts. In Twilight Princess Link got a wolf form, and in LttP he gets a rabbit form.
Besides seeing the possible return of the Twilight Realm, Link also goes to the very same forest the Temple of Time is located in; however this time the temple is completely over grown. (It's obvious that Nintendo used Twilight Princess to explain how the sword ended up in a forest. Its nice fan service, and it confirms that LttP does in fact take place after OoT.)
At the end of LttP, Link actually is able to finish off Ganon for good (something no other Link had ever done before), and the world is finally safe (again).
------------------------------------------------
Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening -
------------------------------------------------
This game is a strange crossover with Mario, but it worked really well. The game follows the same Link from LttP who is now setting out to sea inorder to get some training done. Link ends up ship wrecking on a strange island, and his new adventure begins.
Really this game is an "alternate world" game just like Majora's Mask, but it is still canon (as was Majora's Mask).
------------------------------------------------
Legend of Zelda: Orical of Seasons/Ages -
------------------------------------------------
The Orical games were actually the first Zelda games created by Capcom. Really no one is completely sure just WHICH Link we play as in these games, but it is possible that he is a completely new Link (this is also backed up in the NON canon manga which states Link comes from a long line of heroes, and that he plans on becoming a knight).
The Orical games also take place in alternate worlds just like Majora's Mask and Link's Awakening, but they also have more of an impact on the rest of the story. It really doesn't matter which game you play first, but they both play out the same way. Link is sucked into a new world, he helps them save the day, end of story.
If you beat one Orical game and carry your save file over into the other, you'll actually come across a different ending that actually ends the games. It turns out the twin witches were able to revive Ganon, who was killed in LttP, and he's out to finish what he started. Yeah, he fails...
As of right now, this is the current "end" that we really know about. Yes there are two more games that MIGHT fall into this timeline, but I'm going to be listing them in another section.
==============
Future Timeline:
==============
After the Hero of Time saves the day in OoT, he is sent back in time to his childhood. Well, that actually causes a lot of problems for the future.
You see, although the Hero of Time told everyone about Ganon's plan inorder to change the future, it doesn't mean the timeline is completely overwritten. By changing the past you simply create a new timeline, while the old future ends up branching off on its own.
Normal Timeline Fixed Future (Normal Timeline)
___________________________________________>
\ Split Original Future (Future Timeline)
\_______________________>
That's the best way I can explain it. (Or if you've ever seen Back to the Future II, think about the future split where the Doc and Marty jump back into a world Biff changed.)
Anyway in the Future Timeline the past is completely cut off, and the Hero of Time no longer exists (since he was sent back in time to a point they are no longer connected to). Since there was no one to continue the bloodline, Ganon was able to come back, take over the world, and Hyrule was lost.
------------------------------------------------
Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker -
------------------------------------------------
Wind Waker follows the story of a young boy who sets out with a group of pirates to save his sister. Along the way he uncovers the truth about what happened to Hyrule, he gathers the Triforce of Courage, and becomes the next hero bloodline.
------------------------------------------------
Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass -
------------------------------------------------
PH features the same Link as WW, and it simply continues the story. The game also has some ties in with Link's Awakening, but it is still not directly related to the original timeline.
------------------------------------------------
Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks -
------------------------------------------------
Spirit Tracks takes place years after Link and Zelda (from WW/PH) form the country of New Hyrule which apparently happened shortly after PH. The game features yet another new Link, and it follows shows a story of a new world where steam technology has been invented.
==============
???????????????:
==============
Ok so there are actually many other Zelda games out there, some are canon, and some are not; however some of the canon ones still do not neatly fall into the timeline. This is why I decided to list them here, and with good reason.
------------------------------------------------
Legend of Zelda -
------------------------------------------------
The very first game features an underdeveloped Hyrule, and even shows people living in caves. How can that be? Some people believe that the game actually takes place in the "Adult Timeline" (or Future Timeline), and the Hyrule we see is actually "New Hyrule." Really I can understand where they're coming from, but there's no way Nintendo could have had this planned from the start. Unless they planned it with OoT?
------------------------------------------------
Zelda II: The Adventures of Link -
------------------------------------------------
Zelda II features a much more developed "modern" Hyrule, and is also the game Nintendo made to end the storyline. The game features the story of "The Legend of Zelda," and has our hero Link going around the world to save her. APPARENTLY Zelda II features the same Link from The Legend of Zelda, but that still doesn't add up.
How did the world change so much from Zelda 1 to Zelda 2? Could Zelda 1 have taken place on some island outside of Hyrule instead of actually in it? Or did Nintendo just mess up? Really, its hard to tell.
It's pretty easy to tell that Zelda II does in fact end the games, but it is still hard to tell what timeline it takes place in. Chances are it takes place in the normal/child timeline, but it still doesn't match up with Zelda 1.
------------------------------------------------
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword -
------------------------------------------------
Finally here comes Skyward Sword! Now I did say I would avoid talking about the game since it is not officially out yet, however quite a few stores have released it early, but I would like to at least bring it up.
Nintendo has officially stated that Skyward Sword will tie directly into OoT, and it does in fact take place before it. The only thing is, just how far in the past DOES it take place? Does it take place inbetween Minish Cap and Ocarina of Time, or does it even take place before Minish Cap? Well I can't answer that. It's true that most people don't know about Hyrule yet, heck Link and Zelda don't even live there, but who says their ancestors didn't?
Anyway I guess this is a mystery we'll have to find out for ourselves once the game officially comes out!
So what do you guys think? Does everything add up? If not, please feel free to share any information that I might not have already listed!
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