Four Swords Tale Placement?

[Rytex]

We all know (or at least I THINK we all know) that Eiji Aonuma has referred to the Four Swords tale as "the oldest tale" on the Zelda timeline. I always thought it was the first to really be totally completed, as opposed to what I call the Ganon Saga, where Ganon is the villain for the majority of the game, which is currently ongoing. Vaati was the main villain of the games and was killed off partway through FSA.

Anyway, I'm curious. What do you guys take that quote as?

 

[Capitaine]

I take it as exactly what it is: The Four Swords games are just stories that are really old (hence "oldest tale") and don't mess with the placements of the other games.

 

[JuicieJ]

I don't know what to make of it. But what I do know that they can't be accurately placed anywhere on the "timeline" without at least one or two major contradictions.

 

[Jarsh]

I think they were experimenting with having those games (TMC and FS) being earlier, but since then I think they've moved to the adult timeline, after ST. Personally, I think that's where FSA was intended to be, and they just moved the games to where FSA was supposed to be and dropped the whole "origins" thing either during TMC's development, or soon after. PH and ST seem to try and make at least a few connections to the FS series, and FSA just didn't make sense to be anywhere else but on the adult timeline back in 2004.

 

[JuicieJ]

I think they were experimenting with having those games (TMC and FS) being earlier, but since then I think they've moved to the adult timeline, after ST. Personally, I think that's where FSA was intended to be, and they just moved the games to where FSA was supposed to be and dropped the whole "origins" thing either during TMC's development, or soon after. PH and ST seem to try and make at least a few connections to the FS series, and FSA just didn't make sense to be anywhere else but on the adult timeline back in 2004.

Keep in mind that FS was originally just a spin-off. Then Nintendo tried to make it canon by making FSA, which was going to be the Seal War, but that wound up not happening. They may have just decided to keep it a spin-off series. I'm not saying they did, but it's a possiblity.

 

[425]

I think they were experimenting with having those games (TMC and FS) being earlier, but since then I think they've moved to the adult timeline, after ST. Personally, I think that's where FSA was intended to be, and they just moved the games to where FSA was supposed to be and dropped the whole "origins" thing either during TMC's development, or soon after. PH and ST seem to try and make at least a few connections to the FS series, and FSA just didn't make sense to be anywhere else but on the adult timeline back in 2004.

This. Anyway, Aonuma has overridden the "Four Swords is first" placement by saying, more recently, that Ocarina of Time was first, but then Skyward Sword is taking its place.

 

[Jarsh]

Keep in mind that FS was originally just a spin-off. Then Nintendo tried to make it canon by making FSA, which was going to be the Seal War, but that wound up not happening. They may have just decided to keep it a spin-off series. I'm not saying they did, but it's a possiblity.

Actually, FS was indeed developed as a part of the timeline. A small one, but it was there.

NP: This title is the third game in the Four Sword series. Did you plan it as a trilogy from the beginning?​

HF (Capcom): We did not think to develop a trilogy from the beginning. When we developed the first Four Swords game for GBA, we created a new Hyrule legend that said that a long time ago, evil Vaati brought crisis to Hyrule and people sealed that evil. We had some thought that we wanted to carry over that story into future titles some way.

Moreover, spin-offs can be canon. Inconsequential, perhaps, but canon (for instance, the Wario Land series of games is a spin-off of the Super Mario Land games, but they do indeed happen).

As for the FS series being on its own... it's possible, but I really doubt it due to the amount of story references FSA made to ALttP. Then again, FSA was developed by Nintendo EAD, not Flagship.

 

[JuicieJ]

Actually, FS was indeed developed as a part of the timeline. A small one, but it was there.



Moreover, spin-offs can be canon. Inconsequential, perhaps, but canon (for instance, the Wario Land series of games is a spin-off of the Super Mario Land games, but they do indeed happen).

As for the FS series being on its own... it's possible, but I really doubt it due to the amount of story references FSA made to ALttP. Then again, FSA was developed by Nintendo EAD, not Flagship.

I understand what you're saying, and I'm definitely not saying they aren't canon, but I'm saying it's a possibility. I do think they should be officially made that way, though. As I said before, there's nowhere they can go on the "timeline" without major contradictions somewhere. It would save Nintendo a lot of trouble forcing an explanation. If not that, just don't continue on them.