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[kunonabi]

If Link is a previous Link, he's probably Skyward Sword Link, considering he's right handed, and SS Link is the only canonically right-handed Link (for good reason in Skyward Sword, but for seemingly no reason in BotW...)

It would be cool to have the "final" story in the Zelda timline star the very first Link.

I'd love to see SS Link back. If that floating mass turns out to be Skyloft that could be really damn emotional. Finding the worn down Master Sword would be too if Fi had actually elicited the response the ending of SS assumed had happened.

 

[SweetDonuts]

I wouldn't mind that OP. A sort of reset? the timeline thing has gotten a little messy. If they can tie everything together in this game and then go forward with a clean slate it'd be cool.

 

[Mik2121]

Unrelated, but the more I see the logo, the more I love it. It has the simplicity of the old Zelda games.

 

[Enduin]

I kind of hope to see new races. I like the Goron and Zora a lot, but some new stuff would be cool too. But proper races like them. Some of the new races they've made in other games have been a bit too goofy and silly. Like the Kikwi and Koroks or the Anouki or Oocca. It would be nice to see proper human settlements, especially Gerudo, as well as Human, maybe even Sheikah given how prominent they are in this game. But also some other non-human races that actually feel like feasible civilizations.

For me in order of best non-humans goes

Goron
Kokiri
Zora
Twili
Rito
Minish
Deku
.
.
.
.
Everything else.

With such a vast and massive world it would be nice to see real settlements and a community for some of these other beings on par with humans and not just cute weird creatures.

 

[somedevil]

If this does take place after the Wind Waker when the flood waters dissipated it still leaves alot of questions.

Does it mean it takes place far after the water dissipated and people came back to the Kingdom because all that was left was the King and Ganon with a sword in his head.

Also, if this does take place far after wind waker where did all the Sheikah come from and who pulled the sword out of Ganon's head?

 

[NimbusD]

Honestly I think this game takes place after Zelda 2 in the fallen hero timeline. Mainly because of the parallels between Link trying to awaken Princess Zelda and now a female voice (most likely Zelda) wakes Link up from a deep sleep. Maybe it's just parallels or maybe it's a coincidence but that was the first thing I thought of when I saw the trailer.

Not to mention their the only two Zelda games with a jump button. Zelda 2 Link is the same one and the only Link to ever know how to jump! It all makes sense!

Yeah, I just thought it was after Zelda II because look, they're trying to go back to the roots of zelda where you can explore however you want. So why not go back there?

Plus this has technology this time, so it has to be pretty forward in the timeline (though I think some zeldas had some bits of technology at points? I cant remember).

 

[RagnarokX]

It's not timeline convergence. That's not how timelines work.

I think this is the most likely story:

When the Hero of Time was defeated by Ganon, Ganon obtained the complete triforce and was able to make his wish. Ganon became a power on par with a force of nature. The Sheikah, who had concealed their technology from the Hylians, aided Princess Zelda in containing Ganon with in Hyrule Castle and spirited the Hero of Time away to a rejuvenation chamber. Ganon took control of the Sheikah's guardian machines and lay waste to the land, but ultimately they were able to keep Ganon contained. For some reason they needed to keep him in stasis for 100 years, and during this time Hyrule fell into a state of decay. Now, with Ganon almost free of Zelda's restraints, the Sheikah Towers have emerged and Link has been awakened. He has no memory of before he was put in stasis.

This is essentially an expansion of the time between OoT and the Imprisoning War. That story is that after Link was defeated, Ganon got the full triforce and made his wish. Zelda and the sages were able to seal Ganon in the Sacred Realm. Centuries later Ganon's evil spilled out of the Sacred Realm and the Imprisoning War broke out. The sages sealed the Sacred Realm again. This game would concern that first sealing of Ganon. Just adding Link to the mix. The reason Link hasn't been shown in his normal clothes is because he won't be remembered as a Hero by the people.

 

[Zero-ELEC]

Well, if you look at the Hyrule Historia timeline, it shows PH at the beginning of 1 era and ST at the end of another era. Since we don't know the exact time between them, 100 years might be just right for Link's rebirth at the beginning of the Era of Hyrule's Rebirth.

A character from Phantom Hourglass appear in Spirit Tracks. It's been 3 generations, as shown by Linebeck. ST is actually stated to take place 100 years after PH[/I. There couldn't have been another Link + 100 years of destructions in such short a time, especially since there's the obvious Old Hyrule landmarks in Breath of the Wind, which are not featured at all in the New Hyrule.

I personally believe this takes place after The Hyrule Fantasy and The Adventure of Link.

 

[Sawneeks]

My only issue with the connection the Wind Waker is the sheer existence of using 'Hylia' and referring to her as a Goddess. I believe it's in either SS or Hyrule Historia but 'the Goddess Hylia' became forgotten over time due to her giving up her immortality and that's why she is never mentioned again as opposed to Din/Farore/Nayru.

So why is she the prominent Goddess, why does she have over 100 mummies praising her name, and why is there a statue of her in the Temple of Time? In a post-WW world it doesn't make any sense. But at the same time there is enough evidence to suggest this is a sequel to WW time wise as well and it wouldn't make sense if this takes place before that.

Just give me a story trailer or something Nintendo, please.

Ok, well that probably explains the Guardians being all over, and might even explain some of the technology (though that's a stretch).

So why would Link be put into a slumber 100 years prior just as Calamity Ganon was taking over?

Maybe, in the style of OoT, Link was not strong enough to take him on? Instead of having the hero killed they could hide him away and hope that when he does awaken the natural flow of time could weaken Ganon. Or, seeing as the Guardians are everywhere and are hostile, maybe they were going to be overrun and deciding hiding was a better option.

That is assuming the Guardians work for Ganon.

 

[Sawneeks]

It's not timeline convergence. That's not how timelines work.

I think this is the most likely story:

When the Hero of Time was defeated by Ganon, Ganon obtained the complete triforce and was able to make his wish. Ganon became a power on par with a force of nature. The Sheikah, who had concealed their technology from the Hylians, aided Princess Zelda in containing Ganon with in Hyrule Castle and spirited the Hero of Time away to a rejuvenation chamber. Ganon took control of the Sheikah's guardian machines and lay waste to the land, but ultimately they were able to keep Ganon contained. For some reason they needed to keep him in stasis for 100 years, and during this time Hyrule fell into a state of decay. Now, with Ganon almost free of Zelda's restraints, the Sheikah Towers have emerged and Link has been awakened. He has no memory of before he was put in stasis.
.

Incorrect. The mysterious Old Man at the start says that the Sheikah are Ancient Heroes of Hyrule and uses their power and wisdom to save the land time and time again. This means they were known about, at least enough to have their memory be 'they were heroes'.

I will see if I can find the screenshots.

For me in order of best non-humans goes

Goron
Kokiri
Zora
Twili
Rito
Minish
Deku
.
.
.
.
Everything else.
.

My man!

 

[NimbusD]

If timeline convergence is too crazy for your tastes, currently I'm of the mindset that it's just in a post-Wind Waker world.

The Koroks in Wind Waker plant trees in a hope to one day drain the great sea and reunite the people of the islands in one place. They only appear in Wind Waker because they evolved due to the great flood. It's likely that over the years, their plan worked and they trained the great sea.

There's also an item called "Rock Salt" which references an ancient sea. (And why would it be found in the Great Plateau region if it once wasn't covered by water?):

Oh this is another theory I had. Link has been sleeping for 100 years, I'm not sure of years in the loz timeline, but what if this link is the one who should have stopped ganon when he caused the world to flood, but for some reason was put to sleep, now that the sea is gone, he's been woken up?

Idk, seems like too much to happen in 100 years but maybe?

 

[Sawneeks]

Oh this is another theory I had. Link has been sleeping for 100 years, I'm not sure of years in the loz timeline, but what if this link is the one who should have stopped ganon when he caused the world to flood, but for some reason was put to sleep, now that the sea is gone, he's been woken up?

Idk, seems like too much to happen in 100 years but maybe?

I like the idea but I think the people in Wind Waker don't know about Hyrule if I remember the game correctly. It became a legend and a myth over time and that takes more than 100 years.

 

[Mak]

I mean, to be fair, they did it because of the hardcore fans who want to make sense of it. They have released multiple versions of the time line that keeps changing after every new release. The original timeline had OoT, Zelda 1, Zelda 2, and then Link to the Past. This came to a shock to most Americans due to the name of 'Link to the Past,' but it wasn't called that in the USA. Since then, they have flipped it around so many times, and even created a timeline where the OoT Link fails, which was so weird because that was never hinted at.

The original timeline was OoT->ALttP->LA->Zelda 1->Zelda 2 and Hyrule Historia reflects this. "A Link to the Past"'s english title comes from the fact that it took place in the past with ancestors/predecessors of Link and Zelda. The Hyrule in ALttP is just the Hyrule from Zelda 1 some hundred years or so earlier.

The order of OoT->Zelda 1->Zelda 2->ALttP was from a quote from a Miyamoto from 1998 that was discredited by a quote from Miyamoto in 1999 (and the overwhelming amount of contradictions).

http://www21.atwiki.jp/zelda_tp/pages/45.html
http://zelda.wikia.com/wiki/Miyamoto_Order#cite_ref-miyamoto99timeline_3-0

Dengeki 64, Jan 1999

Miyamoto: "Ocarina of Time, A Link to the Past, then comes the original one and The Adventure of Link in turn.”​

Nintendo designs the gameplay first, then story, then decides where it goes in relation to the other games. It's natural for staff to reference previous works.

I thought I saw a cutscene of Calamity Ganon in the shape of Ganon from Ocarina of Time with the huge horns.
https://youtu.be/HGXg0KTgbY0?t=11m18s

 

[RagnarokX]

Incorrect. The mysterious Old Man at the start says that the Sheikah are Ancient Heroes of Hyrule and uses their power and wisdom to save the land time and time again. This means they were known about, at least enough to have their memory be 'they were heroes'.

I will see if I can find the screenshots.



My man!

The Old Man is not a normal person. He lives on the sacred plateau where no one is allowed an knows things he shouldn't know. He's most likely in charge of watching over Link while he was in stasis and knows of the time before Skyward Sword where the Sheikah and their technology flourished and they were the servants of Hylia who protected the land.

 

[Tritroid]

Oh this is another theory I had. Link has been sleeping for 100 years, I'm not sure of years in the loz timeline, but what if this link is the one who should have stopped ganon when he caused the world to flood, but for some reason was put to sleep, now that the sea is gone, he's been woken up?

I doubt it, the reason Hyrule was flooded in the first place was because once the Hero of Time left that time period, the 'Hero' role became absent, and the gods had to directly intervene to prevent Ganon from causing complete destruction. At the time, there wasn't any other Hero to put into a slumber.

 

[Phu]

Links awakens from some sort of preservation tank, constellations everywhere, and weird magic-like technology?

I'm placing my bet on aliens. I'm doubling down and betting things we know about other Zeldas will get retconned to fit this.

 

[Enduin]

It's not timeline convergence. That's not how timelines work.

I think this is the most likely story:

When the Hero of Time was defeated by Ganon, Ganon obtained the complete triforce and was able to make his wish. Ganon became a power on par with a force of nature. The Sheikah, who had concealed their technology from the Hylians, aided Princess Zelda in containing Ganon with in Hyrule Castle and spirited the Hero of Time away to a rejuvenation chamber. Ganon took control of the Sheikah's guardian machines and lay waste to the land, but ultimately they were able to keep Ganon contained. For some reason they needed to keep him in stasis for 100 years, and during this time Hyrule fell into a state of decay. Now, with Ganon almost free of Zelda's restraints, the Sheikah Towers have emerged and Link has been awakened. He has no memory of before he was put in stasis.

This is essentially an expansion of the time between OoT and the Imprisoning War. That story is that after Link was defeated, Ganon got the full triforce and made his wish. Zelda and the sages were able to seal Ganon in the Sacred Realm. Centuries later Ganon's evil spilled out of the Sacred Realm and the Imprisoning War broke out. The sages sealed the Sacred Realm again. This game would concern that first sealing of Ganon. Just adding Link to the mix. The reason Link hasn't been shown in his normal clothes is because he won't be remembered as a Hero by the people.

This all makes sense, which is kind of why I doubt it. Nintendo never puts that much thought into the game stories. They make a connection but it's always super broad unless it's a direct sequel.

Converging of the timeline might not be how that works, but Nintendo isn't afraid of just doing whatever they want. I mean the fallen timeline was not something anyone really thought of as being possible until Hyrule Historia and Nintendo releasing the official timeline came out and made the official thing.

Could be they pulled some thing where a Link and Zelda 100 years ago were facing a Ganondorf and used the Triforce to wish for the world to be mended or something and little did they know that meant correcting the split that occurred in OoT. So you have 3 different Ganon/dorfs merging together and 3 different timelines and histories coming together creating this Calamity Ganon and weird hodgepodge world.

They do wacky shit as much if not more than logical shit.

 

[Plinko]

This was the first thing my 9-year old son said when he saw it. It's a conglomeration of all storylines.

I still think the Link is the NES Zelda Link.

 

[User1608]

I love theorizing. I personally still think it takes place looooong after Spirit Tracks, lots of clues still fit pretty well from potentially the old man, the rusted Master Sword, to the koroks!

This all makes sense, which is kind of why I doubt it. Nintendo never puts that much thought into the game stories. They make a connection but it's always super broad unless it's a direct sequel.

Converging of the timeline might not be how that works, but Nintendo isn't afraid of just doing whatever they want. I mean the fallen timeline was not something anyone really thought of as being possible until Hyrule Historia and Nintendo releasing the official timeline came out and made the official thing.

Could be they pulled some thing where a Link and Zelda 100 years ago were facing a Ganondorf and used the Triforce to wish for the world to be mended or something and little did they know that meant correcting the split that occurred in OoT. So you have 3 different Ganon/dorfs merging together and 3 different timelines and histories coming together.

They do wacky shit as much if not more than logical shit.

I love your take on it, would be crazy but AWESOME.

 

[RagnarokX]

This all makes sense, which is kind of why I doubt it. Nintendo never puts that much thought into the game stories. They make a connection but it's always super broad unless it's a direct sequel.

Converging of the timeline might not be how that works, but Nintendo isn't afraid of just doing whatever they want. I mean the fallen timeline was not something anyone really thought of as being possible until Hyrule Historia and Nintendo releasing the official timeline.

Could be they pulled some thing where a Link and Zelda 100 years ago were facing a Ganondorf and used the Triforce to wish for the world to be mended or something and little did they know that meant correcting the split that occurred in OoT. So you have 3 different Ganon/dorfs merging together and 3 different timelines and histories coming together.

They do wacky shit as much if not more than logical shit.

Nintendo does what they want, like putting Koroks in this game for cameo purposes, but not something silly like this convergence idea. THAT'S way too complex an idea for a Zelda plot. I mean it doesn't even make any sense. The split timeline idea was a simple, natural idea that flowed easily.

But this is fairly straightforward. They need a game that explains the Fallen Hero timeline since they don't have one yet. This game stars a Link who had to spend 100 years in a rejuvination chamber, so I mean the plot's already that far in that direction without the small details. This is a Hero who failed already. Ganon is already powered up and attacking the kingdom. Using a previous game as the backstory would save them time. They did this with Wind Waker and Twilight Princess.

 

[Sawneeks]

The Old Man is not a normal person. He lives on the sacred plateau where no one is allowed an knows things he shouldn't know. He's most likely in charge of watching over Link while he was in stasis and knows of the time before Skyward Sword where the Sheikah and their technology flourished and they were the servants of Hylia who protected the land.

I'm not doubting that at all. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if the Old Man turns out to be the old King of Hyrule, maybe Ganondorf himself, or even a Sheikah who is to protect Link. Either way he looks to have been around a really long time and until we get a conversation with another NPC it's going to be hard to say what the current 'myths and legends' of the land are or what the people think of all the ruins.

Spoiler

But what I find interesting is that the Shiekah, not the Legendary Hero, is the savior of the land time and time again according to him, someone who might have been around to see or witness these events. So where was Link during this time? I doubt all of this happened in only 100 years.

 

[SkyOdin]

First off, I think people shouldn't put too much stock in any timeline theory just yet. Nintendo has a history of building upon ideas from previous Zelda games without much regard to the timeline before. There are also plenty of examples of significant contradictions within the timeline.

That being said, if we are going to discuss the timeline, we might as well have fun with it.

Now, this Zelda game clearly takes place in a later part of the timeline after Hyrule became large and prosperous and then suffered a significant decline. The first thing that comes to mind is of course the era of the original Zelda and The Adventure of Link. The Adventure of Link is one of the few Zelda games that features a world comparable in size to the one we are seeing in Breath of the Wild. Even if Breath of the Wild takes place in a different part of the timeline, I wouldn't be surprised to see a few locations from The Adventure of Link be present in the new game.

Alternatively, Breath of the Wild could take place in the same timeline as Twilight Princess, in some equivalent spot to Zelda 1 or 2.

Now, Breath of the Wild could be in the Wind Waker timeline, but I find it doubtful. It it was, it would have to take place before the Great Sea is created, serving as a prequel to Wind Waker. After all, Hyrule is abandoned and destroyed at the end of Wind Waker, and the Hylian people instead move to a new land and make a home for themselves there. I find that less likely, since it would probably result in Breath of the Wild creating big contradictions with Wind Waker.

Finally, there is a fourth option: a whole new branch of the timeline. In this theory, a new branch of the timeline was created based on the ending of Skyward Sword, which had similar conditions to the timeline branching seen in Ocarina of Time. In order to lead to Breath of the Wilds, this timeline would have needed to follow a similar trajectory to the timelines we are familiar with, perhaps implausibly so. However, it might help explain why there is so much Sheikah super-tech present in Breath of the Wild that isn't seen in games outside of Skyward Sword.

 

[Masked Man]

OP has got my heart and my imagination racing. So excited to learn more about this game!

 

[Sianos]

My take: Link hasn't been slumbering in that Resurrection Chamber, but rather he was killed first. The technology in the chamber either slowly restored Link's corpse to life or synthesized a new hero somehow. It's named the "Resurrection Chamber", so it implies some sort of involvement of death from my reading of it.

However, the pod also says "care unit" on it in Hylian, so that lends credence towards Link being not entirely killed but critically wounded instead.

 

[squall23]

The idea of a convergence seems odd to me mainly due to Spirit Tracks. Spirit Tracks is unquestionably the best possible outcome in a long line of good vs evil battles. The only thing I'm seeing that can connect Spirit Tracks to this game is use of advanced technology.

Spirit Tracks is pretty much the start of the industrial revolution in Hyrule where technology is advancing and not everything is magic.

 

[Sawneeks]

First off, I think people shouldn't put too much stock in any timeline theory just yet. Nintendo has a history of building upon ideas from previous Zelda games without much regard to the timeline before. There are also plenty of examples of significant contradictions within the timeline.

That being said, if we are going to discuss the timeline, we might as well have fun with it.

Now, this Zelda game clearly takes place in a later part of the timeline after Hyrule became large and prosperous and then suffered a significant decline. The first thing that comes to mind is of course the era of the original Zelda and The Adventure of Link. The Adventure of Link is one of the few Zelda games that features a world comparable in size to the one we are seeing in Breath of the Wild. Even if Breath of the Wild takes place in a different part of the timeline, I wouldn't be surprised to see a few locations from The Adventure of Link be present in the new game.

Alternatively, Breath of the Wild could take place in the same timeline as Twilight Princess, in some equivalent spot to Zelda 1 or 2.

Now, Breath of the Wild could be in the Wind Waker timeline, but I find it doubtful. It it was, it would have to take place before the Great Sea is created, serving as a prequel to Wind Waker. After all, Hyrule is abandoned and destroyed at the end of Wind Waker, and the Hylian people instead move to a new land and make a home for themselves there. I find that less likely, since it would probably result in Breath of the Wild creating big contradictions with Wind Waker.

Finally, there is a fourth option: a whole new branch of the timeline. In this theory, a new branch of the timeline was created based on the ending of Skyward Sword, which had similar conditions to the timeline branching seen in Ocarina of Time. In order to lead to Breath of the Wilds, this timeline would have needed to follow a similar trajectory to the timelines we are familiar with, perhaps implausibly so. However, it might help explain why there is so much Sheikah super-tech present in Breath of the Wild that isn't seen in games outside of Skyward Sword.

I've thought about that as well. You do technically time travel in Skyward Sword so....

 

[ArchedThunder]

Temple of Time is buried under the sea with the rest of Hyrule.

The whole idea of it being in the Wind Waker time line is that the Great Sea has receded.

 

[foltzie1]

So the Sheikah are the Goa'uld?

 

[Phu]

But what I find interesting is that the Shiekah, not the Legendary Hero, is the savior of the land time and time again according to him, someone who might have been around to see or witness these events. So where was Link during this time? I doubt all of this happened in only 100 years.

I wonder if the 'power' and 'wisdom' he speaks of has any significance. I never really paid attention to the use of those words outside the context of the Triforce in past games to know if it would be special or not.

 

[PadWarrior]

Dang keep forgetting how dark the Zelda series. Love this thread!

 

[BobTheFork]

My vote would honestly be for the child timeline, following MM, TP, and FSA, mostly because that timeline seems like it's lacking compared to the others.

The adult timeline seems like it has it's own 'Zelda version' to be honest, where Nintendo can throw in toon Link adventures as much as they please.

The Fallen Hero timeline is so much of a jumbled mess that I'd partially like to see BoW make some damn sense of it...but I feel like that'd almost be impossible.

I never get the Zelda timeline right but isn't the fallen hero timeline Link to the past, LoZ and adventure of Link? why would that timeline need to be cleaned up? I thought that was the most straight forword timeline there was little story in the first few game.

 

[Randomizer]

The female voice speaking to Link is more than likely Zelda. The old man (the King?) even asks Link 'Do you recognise the voice of the person speaking to you? Not yet hmm. Your memory will return in time' or something along those lines. Does Link wear a necklace/pendant? If so could be the Pirates charm/gossip stone.

Also the Old Man called Ganon 'Calamity Ganon' which is a pretty cool name. Perhaps it's like his Imprisioned form, he has no control over it.

 

[RagnarokX]

I'm not doubting that at all. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if the Old Man turns out to be the old King of Hyrule, maybe Ganondorf himself, or even a Sheikah who is to protect Link. Either way he looks to have been around a really long time and until we get a conversation with another NPC it's going to be hard to say what the current 'myths and legends' of the land are or what the people think of all the ruins.

Spoiler

But what I find interesting is that the Shiekah, not the Legendary Hero, is the savior of the land time and time again according to him, someone who might have been around to see or witness these events. So where was Link during this time? I doubt all of this happened in only 100 years.

He's gotta be talking about pre-Skyward Sword. We know the Sheikah had an advanced civilization in the time of Hylia. They were her servants and protected the land in her name. But they couldn't stop Demise and Hylia had to sacrifice herself to stop him. It seems like ever since then the Sheikah have been underground... literally, letting the Hylians live their lives in peace on the surface unaware of the true nature of Hyrule, only sharing their secrets with the royal family and sages. The Old Man screams someone of importance, so it makes sense he knows.

 

[Sianos]

Some form of time travel mechanic involved with the towns makes sense as well. Would explain why this game about a desolate world still has an economy and considerable life to it. You discover ruins of some town, then use spirit orbs to visit it in the past. Would explain why they didn't venture off the plateau and why apparently simple concepts like the inclusion of rupees are treated so strangely.

 

[Neoxon]

If so, who could be powerful enough to do something as huge as converge the timelines? I'm sure it could be done with the full Triforce, but that would mean that someone was aware of the converged timelines in the first place.

 

[Tritroid]

I never get the Zelda timeline right but isn't the fallen hero timeline Link to the past, LoZ and adventure of Link? why would that timeline need to be cleaned up? I thought that was the most straight forword timeline there was little story in the first few game.

The fallen hero timeline has: A link to the past, the oracle series, link's awakening, a link between worlds, triforce heroes, zelda 1, and zelda 2. It's pretty much a collection of older Zelda titles (aside from ALBW, and TH) that were made long before an official timeline, that barely fit together.

Toss in the massively confusing Zelda 2 story (and the origins of Princess Zelda 'the first'), and you've got a big mess.

 

[DecoReturns]

Sheik returns? I actually don't think so.

I honestly don't know what to think. I have a feeling is the last in the timeline for sure tho.

 

[RagnarokX]

The idea of a convergence seems odd to me mainly due to Spirit Tracks. Spirit Tracks is unquestionably the best possible outcome in a long line of good vs evil battles. The only thing I'm seeing that can connect Spirit Tracks to this game is use of advanced technology.

Spirit Tracks is pretty much the start of the industrial revolution in Hyrule where technology is advancing and not everything is magic.

Spirit Tracks is the Industrial Revolution for the Hylians, but the age of the Sheikah was in the past. They're the ones responsible for all of the technology seen in the game and there are lots of references to the pre-Skyward Sword time where that technology flourished. So all of this tech is most likely from that pre-Skyward Sword time, before the Sheikah resigned themselves to staying in the shadows.

 

[bachikarn]

The original timeline was OoT->ALttP->LA->Zelda 1->Zelda 2 and Hyrule Historia reflects this. "A Link to the Past"'s english title comes from the fact that it took place in the past with ancestors/predecessors of Link and Zelda. The Hyrule in ALttP is just the Hyrule from Zelda 1 some hundred years or so earlier.

The order of OoT->Zelda 1->Zelda 2->ALttP was from a quote from a Miyamoto from 1998 that was discredited by a quote from Miyamoto in 1999 (and the overwhelming amount of contradictions).

http://www21.atwiki.jp/zelda_tp/pages/45.html
http://zelda.wikia.com/wiki/Miyamoto_Order#cite_ref-miyamoto99timeline_3-0

Dengeki 64, Jan 1999

Miyamoto: "Ocarina of Time, A Link to the Past, then comes the original one and The Adventure of Link in turn.”​

Nintendo designs the gameplay first, then story, then decides where it goes in relation to the other games. It's natural for staff to reference previous works.

I thought I saw a cutscene of Calamity Ganon in the shape of Ganon from Ocarina of Time with the huge horns.

In 1998, before that, he said LttP was a sequel to Zelda 2: http://zelda.wikia.com/wiki/Miyamoto_Order

This was a shock to me when I first read it, but it was actually back on Gaf in early 2000 that it was explained to me. Originally in Japan, LttP was called "Gods of the Triforce" and it is my understanding that it was considered to be a sequel. It made references to the imprisoning war that took place in OoT (although I think that is not longer the case due to ALBW?), but itself was a sequel. It was only in the USA where it was considered blatantly a prequel.

Obviously since then, this doesn't make sense. But that's kind of my point. Nintendo doesn't really care and will change up the timeline whenever they feel like. Maybe they are being stricter now that they released the Hyrule Historia.

 

[Enduin]

I love your take on it, would be crazy but AWESOME.

Funny thing is I don't really like the idea. It feels too convoluted and complex. I like my Zelda plots simple. TP was as complex as I'll take it, if not a little too complex. One of the things I disliked about SS the most was how hard it tried with its plot to setup the entire rest of the series. I like the story telling in the series, it's simple but engaging and endearing, which is what good fairy tale/legends do. They take simple premises and ideas and make you care about them a lot. A convergence story would be too meta and complex an undertaking I think. But given the direction Nintendo has gone with the series since TP and SS plot wise I wouldn't put it past them. Hopefully the huge shakeups we've seen in the gameplay extends to the story and returning back to that light touch style that worked so well in the other games.

Make a connection with other games in the series, but don't get hung up on it.

Nintendo does what they want, like putting Koroks in this game for cameo purposes, but not something silly like this convergence idea. THAT'S way too complex an idea for a Zelda plot. I mean it doesn't even make any sense. The split timeline idea was a simple, natural idea that flowed easily.

But this is fairly straightforward. They need a game that explains the Fallen Hero timeline since they don't have one yet. This game stars a Link who had to spend 100 years in a rejuvination chamber, so I mean the plot's already that far in that direction without the small details. This is a Hero who failed already. Ganon is already powered up and attacking the kingdom. Using a previous game as the backstory would save them time. They did this with Wind Waker and Twilight Princess.

I wouldn't say the split timeline was simple or natural, it's just what had to happen and the threeway split was just what they decided to go with to the surprise of most. But I agree a convergence story would be too complex, but after TP and SS I'm not sure Nintendo will see that.

I also don't agree that they need to explain the Fallen Hero timeline. As I said above one of my biggest issues with SS was the fact that it tried too hard to setup the rest of the series and explain everything. It was a wholly unnecessary foundation story. The timeline is a nice little bridge between each game, setting up little easter eggs and connections with other games in the series, but I really don't think it's something they need to purposefully fill out and shape. Explanations don't equal good stories. Mystery and confusion is a good thing.

Especially in a series looking to emulate fairy tales and legends. Keeping things conflicted and a bit jarbled works with that motif. The larger picture is there and allows for fun speculation but when you go out of your way to fill in all the gaps, flesh it out and make sense of every connection you lose something.

 

[disastermouse]

This is slightly OT, but in the thread about TES VI being a long way off, I said Zelda will probably scratch that itch.

But good god - the lore is a Frankenstein's monster of wishful thinking, isn't it? I've had dreams that made more sense than this.

 

[Oddish1]

I'm probably the only person who cares, but making this game take place after WW where everyone comes back to the original Hyrule kind of weakens that games themes and weight.

 

[Nosgotham]

Yeah this is definitely the sequel to SS I think.

 

[Sawneeks]

I wonder if the 'power' and 'wisdom' he speaks of has any significance. I never really paid attention to the use of those words outside the context of the Triforce in past games to know if it would be special or not.

I noticed that as well. It could be nothing but seeing as Wisdom and Power usually tied to pieces of the Triforce it might hint at something more.

Zelda and Ganon working together to stop an even bigger evil would be a neat story idea.

The female voice speaking to Link is more than likely Zelda. The old man (the King?) even asks Link 'Do you recognise the voice of the person speaking to you? Not yet hmm. Your memory will return in time' or something along those lines. Does Link wear a necklace/pendant? If so could be the Pirates charm/gossip stone.

Also the Old Man called Ganon 'Calamity Ganon' which is a pretty cool name. Perhaps it's like his Imprisioned form, he has no control over it.

God, there is so much footage out it's hard to keep up lol. Do you have a source on that? I'm guessing it's one of the gameplay videos out there.

He's gotta be talking about pre-Skyward Sword. We know the Sheikah had an advanced civilization in the time of Hylia. They were her servants and protected the land in her name. But they couldn't stop Demise and Hylia had to sacrifice herself to stop him. It seems like ever since then the Sheikah have been underground... literally, letting the Hylians live their lives in peace on the surface unaware of the true nature of Hyrule, only sharing their secrets with the royal family and sages. The Old Man screams someone of importance, so it makes sense he knows.

Hmmm, I like this idea a lot. It would easily explain the appearance and mention of Hylia all over the place and why the Shiekah are so prominent everywhere.

Yet there are also those Wind Waker connections to add in and things get fuzzy after that. Although to be fair the Koroks could easily be pre-WW and the Sea Salt item can easily refer to a different vast ocean and not the one in WW.

 

[decoyplatypus]

Nintendo does what they want, like putting Koroks in this game for cameo purposes, but not something silly like this convergence idea. THAT'S way too complex an idea for a Zelda plot. I mean it doesn't even make any sense. The split timeline idea was a simple, natural idea that flowed easily.

But this is fairly straightforward. They need a game that explains the Fallen Hero timeline since they don't have one yet. This game stars a Link who had to spend 100 years in a rejuvination chamber, so I mean the plot's already that far in that direction without the small details. This is a Hero who failed already. Ganon is already powered up and attacking the kingdom. Using a previous game as the backstory would save them time. They did this with Wind Waker and Twilight Princess.

Does Nintendo really develop Zelda stories this way ("we have an apparent hole in the timeline, so we should use this next game to fill it") or do they work backward from the core concept and physical setting and then find an appropriate place to tie the game into the lore ("I'd like to do a game on the ocean." "How could the ocean relate to Hyrule?")? Either way they could easily come to the story outline you describe, but my sense is that timelines are very much a secondary consideration for Nintendo.

In any case, I think your guess at the story is the most persuasive here because it accounts for the Sheikah, who are clearly going to be at the heart of this game's story.

 

[KingBroly]

I wonder if the 'power' and 'wisdom' he speaks of has any significance. I never really paid attention to the use of those words outside the context of the Triforce in past games to know if it would be special or not.

Where's the Courage come from then?

 

[Admiral Woofington]

I'd love to see SS Link back. If that floating mass turns out to be Skyloft that could be really damn emotional. Finding the worn down Master Sword would be too if Fi had actually elicited the response the ending of SS assumed had happened.

He goes up and finds an old man dying on the ground.

He gently lifts him up. He sees it's groose. Tears swell up on links eyes. Groose looks at him weakly and smiles. He gestures him closer.

Link does as instructed and groose shakingly whispers into his ears with his final breath

"the groose... Is.... ".

Link stares at the body. " the groose is what?! Damn you man don't die on me!"

 

[Sawneeks]

This is slightly OT, but in the thread about TES VI being a long way off, I said Zelda will probably scratch that itch.

But good god - the lore is a Frankenstein's monster of wishful thinking, isn't it? I've had dreams that made more sense than this.

If you keep saying things fit together perfectly eventually it will work out.

Hyrule Historia also kind of helps.

 

[Neoxon]

If this does take place after the Wind Waker when the flood waters dissipated it still leaves alot of questions.

Does it mean it takes place far after the water dissipated and people came back to the Kingdom because all that was left was the King and Ganon with a sword in his head.

Also, if this does take place far after wind waker where did all the Sheikah come from and who pulled the sword out of Ganon's head?

Don't forget that there are two sequels to Wind Waker, with Spirit Tracks having a new Hyrule established.

 

[Sawneeks]

Where's the Courage come from then?

That's...actually a good question.

The pieces were first named 'Power, Wisdom, and Courage' in OoT, right? I don't believe they are referenced in that way in SS at all.