Earlier this week, Nintendo released a book in Japan that supposedly contains a timeline of events of the Legend of Zelda series. This book proposes a three pronged approach to alternate realities that stem from the events of Ocarina of Time. According to this timeline, one reality was created in Link’s absence from the past, the future, and presents the present as the young Link that ends Ocarina of Time. By Leaving for the future by pulling out the Master Sword in the Temple of Time, Link created a reality in which Ganon overtakes Hyrule in his absence. The other two realities are in which Link defeats Ganon, but one stems from the world of adult Link, the other as young Link.
While this is intriguing to examine, especially in comparison to fan-made timelines and theories, ultimately I think I take this timeline with a grain of salt. Yes, this is supposed to be THE OFFICIAL timeline, but the problem is that many of the Zelda games were not created with a consistent continuity in mind. A series such as Gundam is a good example of what I’m talking about. Gundam has been remade and redone time and time again, but much of the series bares little or no relation to other parts of the series. Every time there’s a new Gundam show I think of it as a variation on a theme, idea, story. Every Legend of Zelda game feels very much like a variation in some fashion.
I think some of the more recent Legend of Zelda entries are definitely hinting towards some sort or continuity, but ultimately it’s really not that important. Majora’s Mask is a direct sequel to Ocarina of Time, and there are also a number of games that take place in the Wind Waker universe, but does knowing that Twilight Princess comes after Majora’s Mask make it a better game? No, not really. It could make it a more interesting experience to play through if you’re searching for clues to tie the two games together, but I believe it’s a search for naught.
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I had an in-depth discussion with a 10 year old kid the other day about this and the Castlevania timeline (he was very knowledgeable, actually). They’re both so messed up, the mind boggles. Still, he kept trying to put them in order and really wanted a central story to exist. I think its just in our nature to want things to progress in some sort of order, and our time spent playing the games seems to be validated by the idea that the story is ‘real’ and progressive, as opposed to a series of unrelated, repeated events.
Sometimes, I know I enjoy continuity, like with comic books. As with games, I just take them all as unrelated adventures, unless one is a direct sequel to another. Like Bond movies, I just can’t let them be one story, as the number of tales that one hero has lived through is just impossible.
I guess Link is just the new pulp hero, forever battling the same enemy in new iterations, over and over again.
OOT came first look at the story it says something about his mother the only other game that says anything about his family is hourglass so this means that OOT starts it all off