The Timeline of Zelda

[TRIFORCE89]

The long-debated topic of ZeldaFans comes to PokéCommunity...

The official timeline, long thought to be known to only a small handful of Nintendo's creative team, was recently revealed this month. It is no longer confined to the fabled text document on Miyamoto's computer.

Click here to see it (large image)

What do you think of it? Do you agree with it? Could you do better? What did you think the timeline was? Did you ever think about it before?

 

[Morkula]

My biggest gripe with the official timeline is...absolutely nowhere is it ever even hinted at that Link failed in OoT. Link either pulls the Master Sword and stays in the Sacred Realm for seven years, then defeats Ganondorf, or he goes back in time and warns the royal family and Ganondorf gets arrested. That's the only timeline split I can see. I can't think of any possible way that Link ever fails his quest.

 

[Captain Fabio]

I agree with Mork.
Looking at the timeline, I guess it is fine but the fail/succeed part is a little... strange and unexplained.​

​

 

[-Jared-]

That is odd. I mean, why would that even be included? I can't think of any plausible explanation...

But regardless, the timeline for the series has always fascinated me, and I never thought they would ever release an official timeline, so this is kinda cool that they did. ^__^

 

[TRIFORCE89]

My biggest gripe with the official timeline is...absolutely nowhere is it ever even hinted at that Link failed in OoT. Link either pulls the Master Sword and stays in the Sacred Realm for seven years, then defeats Ganondorf, or he goes back in time and warns the royal family and Ganondorf gets arrested. That's the only timeline split I can see. I can't think of any possible way that Link ever fails his quest.

Yeah, that's my main problem.

I'm a little iffy on FSA being in the child branch, if only because of the art style of it and the fact that Hyrule is surrounded by water in the official art work. But, being in the child branch makes more sense since the sanctuary wouldn't have to magically appear above the sea.

Also, the legend of sleeping Zelda being right before the original LoZ is kinda O_o

 

[Xackery]

I think this sums it up pretty well:

Note: Due to being new to the forums, I am unable to post links until 15 posts. So, if you copy/paste this url you'll see an image.
tinyurl.com/88sxjwp

It is a very large PNG rendition mocking the timeline.

 

[Ivysaur]

It's pretty easy for Link to fail: just allow him to get defeated in any moment in the final fight. Or get stuck in the Water Temple. Either way, whoops, he has failed. In short, it means that Link was destined to fail and 'the player' was the one who created the other timelines by defeating Ganon.

There is also a fourth-wall explanation that makes some degree of sense to me here if you prefer it:

 

[TRIFORCE89]

It's pretty easy for Link to fail: just allow him to get defeated in any moment in the final fight. Or get stuck in the Water Temple. Either way, whoops, he has failed. In short, it means that Link was destined to fail and 'the player' was the one who created the other timelines by defeating Ganon.

There is also a fourth-wall explanation that makes some degree of sense to me here if you prefer it:

Water Temple or any other "Game Over" scenario doesn't work because that would create infinite potential timeline splits from any game in the series. The book that revealed the timeline says that Link was defeated by Ganon. So, the explanation in that YouTube video about the original adult timeline being abandoned during trips through time isn't plausible.

Link has to lose to Ganon, which doesn't happen. If the player loses so what? You can lose in any game and it doesn't alter anything.

 

[Zet]

Perhaps the next game(if there is one) will be about the sealing war and explains how the hero was defeated by Ganon.

 

[Kotowari]

As many that already posted here, I'm kind of iffy about the triple split timeline. I always assumed that the Timeline split in two: One branch for the Hyrule Link left as an adult, one branch for the Huryle Link returned to.
It's just odd to assume that there's a third branch which suggests Link would fail...No where in Ocarina of Time is mentioned that the hero might fail. The player finishes the game and Link is send back, leaving one Hyrule doomed to flood.

I haven't played enough of the Defeated Time line games (except the oracles and part of LttP and LA) to fully know that Hyrule, but I guess it would have been more plausible to put them some era's in the future after Twilight Princess.

I mean, I do like the idea of hero that failed (What? It's drama, fanfiction inspiration.), but to me, it just doesn't fit in the OoT story.

Oh well, its official...So I'll guess we'll have to accept it, right? ;B At least until, as Zet said, a new game comes, (maybe set before OoT), which gives the option of success (leading to OoT) /failure (leading to the dark ages).

 

[TRIFORCE89]

I haven't played enough of the Defeated Time line games (except the oracles and part of LttP and LA) to fully know that Hyrule, but I guess it would have been more plausible to put them some era's in the future after Twilight Princess.

The best placement for those old games (and Four Swords Adventures), I always thought, would be after Spirit Tracks on the new continent that they've discovered. New Hyrule. We were hinted at this since The Wind Waker with the words of the Deku Tree.

But nope. Nintendo went in a totally illogical direction

 

[Kotowari]

That's another option, which actually makes more sense. New countries are explored after the landing in Phantom Hourglass/Spirit Tracks (didn't play those yet either due to lack of a DS) which would make a perfect explanation for the Oracle series and others. Yes, let's go with that. |D;

I really hope Nintendo comes up with some explanation for the triple split, since OoT only suggests a double split...

 

[Aura Vitae]

Why a Triple Split? The split between Adult era and Child era Link makes sense but where in OoT is Triple Split even suggested?

 

[TRIFORCE89]

Why a Triple Split? The split between Adult era and Child era Link makes sense but where in OoT is Triple Split even suggested?

It doesn't. That's the thing. It kind of looks as if OoT was a bit of reboot of franchise, so they tried to push the old games off to the side but not out of the way altogether.

And yet, Oracles is in that third branch and that was released after Majora's Mask.


I updated the image link in the first post since it was broken. You can also view it here. It's huge!

For me, this is my personal timeline at the moment:


SS - OoT
CT: MM - TP - ALttP/OoS/OoA/LA
AT: TWW/PH - ST - TMC - FS - FSA - LoZ/AoL

This one is more consistent than Nintendo's since they put the FS games before OoT even though those games have the same Hylian language as TWW. Ganon ends up destroyed at the end of both strands.

The only problems are why is the Triforce complete in ALttP? Nintendo's explanation is not applicable here. And I'm not fond of the Oracles and LA being on the child timeline since there is some sailing which would indicate placement post-flood in the adult timeline.

If you're stickler for the old single timeline days then...
SS - OoT/MM - TP - TWW/PH - ST - TMC - FS - FSA - ALttP/OoS/OoA/LA - LoZ/AoL

 

[Shinigami_]

Have to be truthful..I never really bothered with the timeline because it's just..way too confusing by my standards. though I am glad they finally brought it back to how it all started off with Skyward Sword, finally. I'd been waiting to see the day where we'd learn the origins of the Master Sword.