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[DGrayson]

Everytime I look into the Zelda timeline I just stop immediately.

TLDR:

- It doesn't make sense.
- Its fake.
- It makes no sense.


These games don't need a timeline or a continuity.

 

[DGrayson]

I'd watch but no time.

 

[Woopah]

The timeline has existed since the 80s, and the events in the games constantly impact the events in other games.

The idea that each game is standalone a la Final Fantasy simply isn't true.

Having said that, Nintendo doesn't put too much emphasis on the timeline and there are several potholes/retcons.

Hence why it is so messy and has that weird triple split thing.

 

[jufonuk]

They had to retcon the whole thing and came up with this.

 

[Chuck Berry]

so. I have been playing zelda since botw. gotten into it more with totk and decided to play the older games a bit too. I like all of them.

I also have gotten more into Nintendo stuff in general in the last few years. so there is a nintendo forum I have started to read (just read, not post on, I try to avoid console specific communities because the discussions get soooo bad) for ideas on what games to play. and then I come across this bullshit:

what the fuck is this? I thought this series was like final fantasy or persona, where all the games are standalone stories but have cute references to each other. in fact I was specifically told that tears of the kingdom is the first real sequel in the zelda series so I always thought the games dont connect to each other. but what is this? what is this kingdom hearts tier shit? how is anyone supposed to keep track of this?

please at least tell me this is a fan made thing and not an actual real thing, because how can you follow along with this nonsense?

How old are you? Did you recently start playing video games?

 

[cinnamonandgravy]

i just want to know more about dampe

 

[Hudo]

That image is bullshit. Aonuma and Fujibayashi themselves said that Breath of the Wild doesn't fall anywhere into the "timeline". And I think Aonuma also said (or at least hinted at) in another interview that they don't really care for the timeline stuff.

 

[Bruno_Arrais85]

That image is bullshit. Aonuma and Fujibayashi themselves said that Breath of the Wild doesn't fall anywhere into the "timeline". And I think Aonuma also said (or at least hinted at) in another interview that they don't really care for the timeline stuff.

on the contrary, Aonuma said they won't reveal where the new games fit because they want the fans to talk about it. https://www.thegamer.com/the-legend-of-zelda-timeline-eiji-aonuma-tears-of-the-kingdom/

Also yes, this image is bullshit and fanmade (the part that includes BOTW and TOTK).

 

[Hudo]

they won't reveal where the new games fit because they want the fans to talk about it.

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[Sakura]

Technically it does, but Nintendo also doesn't follow the timeline and keeps breaking it.
Tears of the Kingdom for example doesn't make any damn sense, which is why it is in its own timeline in your picture OP.
Any new Zelda game can be put nonsensically into whatever timeline Nintendo wants, or they'll just make up their own brand new timeline, because why not.
So really, there is little reason to care about the timeline, outside games that aren't sequels of others.

 

[MLSabre]

I've been a fan since Link's Awakening and honestly? There's no point in taking the timeline seriously. Just enjoy the journeys as their own thing (with exception of direct sequels, of course).

 

[Banjo64]

My favourite timeline is the one where Link and Zelda team up to defeat Ganon.

 

[MLSabre]

My favourite timeline is the one where Link and Zelda team up to defeat Ganon.

 

[Muffdraul]

I started with ALttP in 1993 and it always seemed to me they were just going back the drawing board every time and rehashing the same basic plot pillars every time and adding new features, replacing old stuff with new stuff. Occasionally there would be references to other games, but to me they seemed more like little wink-wink call backs for fun rather than direct sequel or prequel connections. I think it was after Wind Waker that it seemed like the squawking "JUST TELL US THE OFFICIAL TIMELINE!!!" nerds became so vocal and loud that Nintendo made the mistake of trying to appease them. I've never cared about figuring out how the games connect on a timeline, that's just not what Zelda is about for me. Not one of the reasons it's been one of my all time favorite franchises for 30 frigging years now.

 

[kunonabi]

The only reason the timeline is screwy is because Oot was supposed to be the Imprisoning war but they screwed it up and they could never reconcile things afterwards. Now the downfall scenario while unfortunate still works really just not branching off oot. If you do it off minish cap, which actually has a ending where links, then everything works perfectly.

I hate that Nintendo went through all this trouble to put botw and totk in the far future to avoid timeline conflicts just retell the founding of hyrule and the Imprisoning war only shittier.

 

[Efren is G.O.A.T.]

 

[MAtgS]

My favourite timeline is the one where Link and Zelda team up to defeat Ganon.

Spirit Tracks, mate. It ain't Ganon they fight, but it's still the best depiction of their relationship.

 

[Swagballs717]

The Zelda timeline is as convoluted as it is because the people making the games didn't give a shit and said whatever they felt they needed to say to justify the setting and story, then going "This timeline shit is someone else's problem"