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The Legend of Zelda's Official Timeline Revealed?!?


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wut??

In a recent Zelda artbook released in japan (over 200 pages! Whoa!) there's apparently an article on the official timeline with, wait for it: 3 alternate timeline??

Main Timeline

Skyward Sword

Minish Cap

Four Swords

Ocarina of Time

Split 1: Link defeats Ganon — childhood branch

Majora's Mask

Twilight Princess

Four Swords Adventures

Split 2: Link defeats Ganon — adult branch

Wind Waker

Phantom Hourglass

Spirit Tracks

Split 3: Link fails in Ocarina Of Time

A Link to the Past

Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons

Link's Awakening

Legend of Zelda

Zelda II: Adventure of Link

0.0

I don't think the possibility of a split timeline occurring due to Link failing, but apparently it does! I think we all need a while to process this new information...

And bear in mind this may be a mistranslation or the artbook may not be fully sanctioned by Nintendo. Whatever the case, this is all a little up in the air at the moment.

But regardless of the exact timeline, one thing has always sort of confused me: what/where is the Sacred Realm? It is a real, physical place as you go there in OoT and LttP, but what is it really? At the end of Skyward Sword, Link and Zelda have the complete triforce in the temple on the ground, around which we can presume they built hyrule. At what point did the triforce make its way into the Sacred Realm? I feel that there's a game from early on in the timeline that's missing. Hopefully the next Zelda game can fill in this strange blank.

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Check the link you posted; there's an update that casts doubt upon this particular timeline.

Now, I've been to the site that originally posted this model (the screwattack article links all the way back to Kotaku, which based it upon this site, same as mentioned above) and as you can see, there are no pictures of the scan to show as proof on the site.

The only picture is that of the book's cover.

My assumption is, providing this doesn't turn out true, someone used the hype surrounding the book and its possible timeline revelation to their advantage and are masquerading what they think it is as the real timeline.

But only time will tell (no pun intended).

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I have been working on a time-line for Madden NFL. There must be a connection between all the games... If we can figure it out, it would explain everything about the series! Who knows what secrets are hidden behind every corner! :<

I find it funny how the first 5 games didn't need time-lines to be enjoyed, but now, no Zelda game can be taken seriously without fitting in to one somehow.

I also find it funny how they include the obviously non-canon stuff like Four Swords Adventures while ignoring the three CDi titles, which were just as official as any other in the series. They were authorized by Nintendo, after all.

I bet most of the people that play Zelda games have no idea of any time-line stuff, and even if they did, they wouldn't care.

But on the other hand, it's nice to see more art books of games. There really aren't that many. I'd kill for a Game Freak art book.

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The AVGN already tried to solve this mystery.

Personally, I'm not going to believe there is any timeline until one is made offical.

As far as i'm concerned, its like the simpsons episodes - sometimes has chronological links to other games/episodes, but generally, they are self contained in terms of plot. Chronology doesn't come into it.

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:whatevaa:

I've played it many times. It hardly has a story, and it doesn't seem to tie into anything at all. I'd say it was a stand-alone multiplayer game than part of the series. It's kind of like Mario Kart; it doesn't really fit into the regular Mario series, and nothing that happens in it is carried on in any other game.

In case anyone doesn't want to read a Japanese half-translated bunch of pics and would rather have some sort of simple layout to the whole thing.

English chart

WHERE ARE FACES OF EVIL AND ZELDA'S ADVENTURE?

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Regardless of everyone's thoughts on the timeline, why does EVERYONE place Four Swords Adventures so long after Four Swords?

Do they forget that part of the FSA -you know, the fucking intro- that states that it takes place just a short time after FS?

Like I said, it always bugs the hell out of me, not for timeline consistency, but because everyone just seems to ignore that pretty big fucking clue when constructing all this gobbledy-gook.

Also, my reaction to there being an alleged "Link fails" timeline.

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The overarching timeline is there for people for whom it would hold an attraction. It gives structure to the larger world-building process. And, quite honestly, does it hurt if you don't care? It's completely external to the games themselves, so you don't have to worry about it changing your experience if the timeline doesn't interest you. I personally find it neat, especially since it provides room for a lot of 'what if...?' branches and theories.

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The only problem with that is you have many time-line theorists that refuse to let you toil in ignorance and force the explanation of it, as well as their personal theory, upon you the instant they find out you don't know or care about it.

Seriously, it happens. No, I don't mean just on the internet. I'm talking about real-life. Sitting down, playing a game, they see you, you start chatting, the time-line thing comes up, and BAM, they won't SHUT UP ABOUT IT.

Internet fanboyism is bad enough, but when it happens in your own living room, FUCK THEM.

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Way back in 2006(ish) when I first joined these forums, I made a Zelda Timeline thread that went on for quite a while. At that point, it was just something I was thinking about; I never knew there was a huge debate over it.

Fast forward years later and we have an official answer. And you know what? It actually makes sense in some way (minor nitpicks aside).

But I guess the real bottom line isn't so much a "who cares" issue as much as it is a "Nintendo probably doesn't really care." Think about it; each Zelda game is a little world unto its own. Certainly some games connect with one another (Zelda & Adventure of Link, Ocarina & Majora, etc.), but overall, I really get the feeling that Nintendo doesn't give a damn. Zelda is a video game formula. Hero (Link) must save/work with/otherwise help Heroine (Zelda) to defeat villain (Ganon et al.), and within that framework, a fairly formulaic game plays out.

Nothing wrong with that, but there is an issue now that we have a timeline. When did Nintendo decide on an official structure? Miyamoto at one point claimed that a document existed detailing the timeline (presumably providing the same version that we have now), but do you really, honestly think that the place of a given game in the Zelda timeline was a pertinent concern when fleshing out the story? For most, I would argue that it was not. Clearly Skyward Sword's placement was a relevant concern, but I strongly doubt most of the other titles were at issue. Wind Waker takes place 100 years after Ocarina. Why? Either (a) because that was its predetermined point, or (B) because it's a convenient way to say that tons of shit can happen in 100 years and that's why the world's flooded. My guess would be (B).

So in the end of the day, I think the timeline's interesting and at least fairly logical to the extent that it follows some form of time travel rules, but I wonder what--if any--relevance it will have to the next 15 Zelda games.

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WW probably takes place many hundreds of years after OoT, I've heard that's a translation issue

the timeline is pretty silly in general, I just try to look at each game as mostly being it's own entity. probably the best philosophy I've heard on the series is to just think of it as a literal legend, oral traditions are living stories that change over time depending on who's telling them

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Way back in 2006(ish) when I first joined these forums, I made a Zelda Timeline thread that went on for quite a while. At that point, it was just something I was thinking about; I never knew there was a huge debate over it.

Fast forward years later and we have an official answer. And you know what? It actually makes sense in some way (minor nitpicks aside).

But I guess the real bottom line isn't so much a "who cares" issue as much as it is a "Nintendo probably doesn't really care." Think about it; each Zelda game is a little world unto its own. Certainly some games connect with one another (Zelda & Adventure of Link, Ocarina & Majora, etc.), but overall, I really get the feeling that Nintendo doesn't give a damn. Zelda is a video game formula. Hero (Link) must save/work with/otherwise help Heroine (Zelda) to defeat villain (Ganon et al.), and within that framework, a fairly formulaic game plays out.

Nothing wrong with that, but there is an issue now that we have a timeline. When did Nintendo decide on an official structure? Miyamoto at one point claimed that a document existed detailing the timeline (presumably providing the same version that we have now), but do you really, honestly think that the place of a given game in the Zelda timeline was a pertinent concern when fleshing out the story? For most, I would argue that it was not. Clearly Skyward Sword's placement was a relevant concern, but I strongly doubt most of the other titles were at issue. Wind Waker takes place 100 years after Ocarina. Why? Either (a) because that was its predetermined point, or (B) because it's a convenient way to say that tons of shit can happen in 100 years and that's why the world's flooded. My guess would be (B).

So in the end of the day, I think the timeline's interesting and at least fairly logical to the extent that it follows some form of time travel rules, but I wonder what--if any--relevance it will have to the next 15 Zelda games.

Miyamoto has stated on multiple occasions that his main concern for the Zelda series is the gameplay, and that story comes after the main functions of the game are established (game mechanics, items, dungeons, etc.). He would like to stress that the story is important, but he and Nintendo are not spending a lot of time checking every nit-pick over the continuity of the timeline.

I honestly think that there is no "official" timeline for each game, but some games clearly come before and after others. From a business standpoint that would force Nintendo to work within the limits of their own timeline.

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I just can't accept the game over timeline. Where in the game of OoT was it hinted that getting a game over changes anything? If this was true, then EVERY zelda you die in makes an alternate time line.

The only true zelda that does this is Zelda 2 for the NES. Other than that, I can't think of a single zelda that hints at anything saying that there is an alternate timeline where he dies. Like I said, if this was true, then EVERY zelda you die in makes an alternate time line.

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GlitterBerri has done some translations on this available here. I find myself particularly interested in what she posted about the War in LttP's story.

"After Link dies in Ocarina of Time, Ganon obtains the entire Triforce. The Seven Sages seal away Ganon and the whole Triforce as a last resort, but villains with their eyes on the Triforce make for the Sacred Realm, which eventually turns into the Dark World and is filled with evil power. The Seven Sages then try to seal away the Sacred Realm itself, but end up fighting with monsters. This is the Imprisoning War of A Link to the Past."

That sure makes a lot more sense than assuming OoT itself was the War, and that oral retelling corruptions changed the story of the King and a few guards dying and Link taking care of the whole shebang himself into thousands of soldiers against Ganon's forces.

But yeah, I can see the entire timeline as posted working fine, minus the questionable link (har) of FSA's inconsistencies.

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The theory I've heard on other sites to explain the "Link fails" branch is basically this.

The game starts on one timeline. When you pull the Master Sword from its pedestal, you are removed from that timeline (this is the "fails" timeline).

When you awake 7 years later, you are now on a divergent timeline. If Link is sent to the past once more, it's not the same timeline as he was originally in. This one leads to MM and the others.

If Link remains an adult after defeating Ganon (something that isn't really offered in-game) then the WW branch occurs.

Since it's all based on the time-travel in OoT, we can easily blame any inconsistencies and anomalies on aftereffects of that. :P

EDIT:

7Yl7Y.jpg

This is the real timeline, btw.

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