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Spoiler How Do You Feel About the Adult Timeline?

Justac00lguy

BooBoo
Joined
Jul 1, 2012
Gender
Shewhale
So if anyone who is unsure about the the Adult Timeline it is the events that follow the Adult Ending in Ocarina of Time and the proceeding games ---> The Wind Waker-->Phantom Hourglass-->Spirit Tracks

So there was a discussion recently about the most "Satisfying Ending" and to be honest I was tempted to choose TWW as my choice however the ending of TP stole the show for me. However I really think that the ending of TWW was really something special. You had this tragic tale of of Hyrule Kingdom being flooded but civilization was still able to survive and this epic tale of a boy coming of age. The ending was bitter sweet but I think it was really nice subtle ending having Link, Tetra and the rest of the crew searching for a new Hyrule.

To me it was an ending that should have been left alone, an epic tale left with a "what if", did they find New Hyrule? Did they survive the harsh oceans? and so on. To be honest I felt the following games didn't do this ending justice, my opinion isn't just based on the quality on those games but the story. Phantom Hourglass was a near direct sequel, now don't get me wrong it's good that Nintendo are working on continuity but I feel they went about it the wrong way. Then we had Spirit Tracks which showcased very little story but it should have in my opinion, the idea of this being the first game to take place in a new Hyrule.

To be honest in hindsight, I would have hoped that the Adult Timeline would have been left alone but this is only because I thought the follow up games didn't compliment the original tale effectively. This has left me with a sour taste of the Adult Timeline and I feel that it could be abused just to make a fresh Zelda game. In my opinion the potential on this Timeline is there but at the moment I can't help but think negatively on this split. So what do you guys think about the "Adult Timeline"?
 

Terminus

If I was a wizard this wouldn't be happening to me
Joined
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Sub-Orbital Trajectory
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Anarcho-Communist
I feel that it's well implemented, but only TWW had the true opportunity to carry on from OoT. The events of OoT would lead so well into an almost religious fascination with the Hero of Time, but alas, we only have legends of that time. By the time TWW rolls around, the legend has been all but forgotten, save on one lonely island. By the time ST comes up, the legend has been all but forgotten, save a few trace memories in the Guard outfits. Missed opportunities galore.
 

Sydney

The Good Samaritan
Joined
Mar 20, 2012
Location
Canberra, Australia
The Adult Timeline confuses me. I remember sending Axle a question a long time ago regarding the Adult Timeline. I can't find the video right this moment, but my question was along the lines of "why is it called the Adult Timeline if Link is only ~12 in each game?" I don't remember his answer, either, but the whole concept threw me off. :S

JC said:
In my opinion the potential on this Timeline is there but at the moment I can't help but think negatively on this split.

I agree. Unless a phenomenal installment comes along to support this timeline, all I see is failure.
 

Ventus

Mad haters lmao
Joined
May 26, 2010
Location
Akkala
Gender
Hylian Champion
I detest the Adult Timeline because everything feels so happy-go-lucky while the Child Timeline is the more serious one. IN GENERAL I don't think Zelda should have been as happy-go-lucky and poppy bright as it is now, but the AT is the worst offender graphically and storywise. They're like SS - feel like fanfics to me rather than genuine Zelda titles. :/

And at that, I don't feel the timeline can be fixed. The worst offenders—PH and ST—are there to stay and I'm not looking for a rewrite of their stories or even the discarding of said titles. Damage es done.
 

SpiritGerudo

Flamey-o, Hotman!
Joined
Aug 29, 2011
Location
Halfway There
I agree with you, justac00lguy. The Adult ending to Ocarina of Time was something that did have the potential to survive in legend. It was the opportunity to make connections to the game, and the opportunity to have a world that showed the effects of the epic legend of Ocarina of Time is nonexistent in the Child and "Fallen Hero" timelines. This could have been really awesome, and in my opinion, The Wind Waker handled it beautifully. But frankly (and I'm sorry to those that really like the DS games), that story deserved better than PH and ST.
 

snakeoiltanker

Wake Up!
Joined
Nov 13, 2012
Location
Ohio
Im with Ven on this one. and give me one second while i let a bit of coffee kick in so i can make sense, cuz im gonna quote all of you without really quoting. cuz its bad enough that all i can think about right is how link lost his knees and we got a population of Cotton Hills LOL!

Also i have no idea how TP is in the child timeline when he is clearly older than he is in TWW, but then again its a new link, i kinda like to think of it this way. If you ask me the only ones that make sense is OoT leading into ALttP due to everyone making me look like an idiot in my thread yesterday about the game i play the most. Talk about embarrassed! And OoT directly leading into MM, what would have been really cool is if we got to keep that same link we got to play as for two games and TP was still him.... but older cuz you know.... he looks older, but i realize its a new link clearly due to the link i wish we were playing as was teaching us skills. but i digress, this is my first conversation of the day before i head of to work. Ok Coffee is kicking in!

Funny thing, not that i can think clear i have less too say, I think the adult and child timelines should be switched, Cuz i feel the links in the Child timeline are much more mature than those in the Adult time line, the games in the Child time line are a lil more on the serious and mature, whereas the adult time line is (who said it....Ventus) Happy-go-Lucky. Wouldnt it make more sense if you were a parent and you are looking at games in the zelda series you would choose the cartoony looking ones for your child, but TWW has a pretty dark story line with a Disney flavored Icing on the cake! Look thing is guys, i understand that HH is cool and all as like a collection for artwork or explanations of old games in the series to kinda "Recap" you on the franchise, but when you take this Time Line thing to serious, you will start to not even like zelda games cuz your trying to hard to connect the dots, that arent there, then people just make up dots like HH and what do you get.

A divided Fan Base who argues on what the true essence of zelda is! and quite "Frank"-ly (get it frank is my avatar HAHA) i dont give a ****. i really dont. up untill TWW trilogy, SS and that stupid *** time line, i enjoyed the crap outta these game, so im just gonna play them instead of dissect them, cuz its just gonna ruin it for me..... Except for ALttP 2. you know im gonna be all over that story line like white on rice when it comes out, JC knows what im talkin about huh?
 

DarkestLink

Darkest of all Dark Links
Joined
Oct 28, 2012
Honestly, I think the adult timeline is the only one treated with any love or care on Nintendo's part.
 

Beauts

Rock and roll will never die
Joined
Jun 15, 2012
Location
London, United Kingdom
For the exact reasons everyone has said-

OoT had an epic, very memorable ending.
Like, hello, things in real life history are better remembered that are far less interesting than a young man trapped in a different realm for seven years wielding a humongous sword on a giant pig-like creature and restoring the world as it was previously known.
Thus, I don't really think the Adult Timeline makes sense in the way that the Hero of Time is kind of a vague memory of the people of flooded Hyrule.
That being said, despite WW having a disgusting graphic design to it, I liked it, it was amazing. I wasn't sure about New Hyrule- I'd've preferred maybe just the country being unflooded by the goddesses and rebuilt as a harmony, as presumably the sacred realm etc remain just as religiously important in spite of floods, and those legends and beliefs all have their basis in the country of Hyrule itself, which seems in every other timeline to act as a portal to these mysterious realms- whether they be dark, twilight, sacred, or Termina.

I also detest PH. It had so much potential but at the end of the day it was boring.

I think the timeline as a whole could've been done a lot better, implemented a lot better that is, not be changed in plot or anything.

I definitely prefer the child timeline, even though TP as a game has many things wrong with it, it at least seems to follow on in a significantly more sensical fashion.
 

ihateghirahim

The Fierce Deity
Joined
Jan 16, 2013
Location
Inside the Moon
I wish to note that this timeline setup makes no sense.

I feel the Adult Timeline is a mixed bag. The WW destroys Hyrule and throws away all Zelda tradition. It also fails to explain what happened to the Hero of Time in game (which was o so obviously meant to be him leaving in MM upon the WW release). The game and its dissapointing ending seem to cast away all the magic and myth of Zelda. I don't like it. I mean they leave Ganondorf, Hyrule, the Master Sword, and possibly the Triforce behind for some new land. This could work, but we never get some new epic adventure and lore for the new lands. We just get some spin-off games while the main story moves back to Hyrule in some convoluted inter-dimensional crap (I scowl dramtically while closing my fist at the thought). Seriously, what happened?

Then we move on to New Hyrule. Now I've never had the pleasure (or pain) of playing PH. It doesn't that awful or good, but I don't really know.

Then we get to ST. This game has lifted my opinion of Toon Link greatly. They honestly do pretty well in that game as far as lore and adventure, but its a little spin-off that hardly justifies the confusing timeline split and destruction of Hyrule. I just don't think this deserves to be a separate timeline. The spin-offs could have been easily reworked to fit within the existing timeline, and I really wish WW didn't exist.
 

ILU

i luv u
Joined
Dec 17, 2011
I'm gonna be that guy (er, girl) and disagree with the previous posters.

I love the Adult Timeline. I love how the legend managed to continue along the path Ocarina of Time set up for it, but it also managed to step out of OoT's shadow. The Adult Timeline became a legend of its own while the other timelines feel like they are still just stuck in OoT-land storywise.... which is odd, because so many games were made before OoT...

I don't see many missed opportunities at all. In fact, I think the Adult Timeline has opened up new opportunities for the story/timeline. With New Hyrule having been established, there is opportunity for future games to explore the "ancient civilization" approach (that Skyward Sword SHOULD HAVE), while also being able to explore the legends of the new continent. Malladus' story could be just one in hundreds! This timeline allows Nintendo to look at different options for era placement, maybe even something similar to steam/gearpunk but with a Zelda twist. The opportunities here are vast.

The Adult Timeline only has a few games on it, so there is plenty of room to place games between them and even after them, whereas with the other timelines, the eras are pretty full and you can already imagine what a game would be like depending on where it would be squeezed in. Take ALttP2 for example. It's going to have new gameplay mechanics, but it'll most likely feel the same as ALttP era-wise. Spirit Tracks, regardless of whether you liked the game or not, was able to have its own advanced era with trains and trade because it was placed in a part of the timeline that wasn't already defined.

I'm not a huge fan of Phantom Hourglass or Spirit Tracks, but I think the Adult Timeline that they've been placed in has the most potential for (New) Hyrule to advance, for new legends to be made, and for the series to try new things. I cannnot possibly agree that opportunities have been missed when so few games have been created for it. I don't think Nintendo is finished with it! ^_^
 
Joined
Apr 12, 2013
Location
Minnesota
I definitely agree that Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks were not worthy followups to Wind Waker. They were decent games on their own, but they simply did not live up to wide-open sea of adventure and discovery promised by Wind Waker's ending.

Hopefully Nintendo will expand on the Adult Timeline in the future, possibly with a new console game set in the New Hyrule introduced in Spirit Tracks. Or maybe the adventures of WW Link and Tetra can be continued up until the point were they discover New Hyrule, though perhaps the impact of this would lessened after having seen the place already in Spirit Tracks.
 

HylianHero

Gardener of Elysium
Joined
Jan 21, 2013
Location
Academia de Hyrule
If PH and ST came out first and then TWW, I would look on the AT as having redeemed itself with a great game for two OK ones. But the way it is now makes it look like the timeline just goes downhill from the TWW. Don't get me wrong, ST and PH are great games, but for Zelda...let's just say TWW is the game that makes this timeline good.
 

PhantomTriforce

I am a Person of Interest
Joined
Jul 12, 2010
Location
Ganon's Tower
I personally believe that ALttP/LA/possible OoX could fit in the adult timeline, but as for the official AT, it's been Wind Wakerized. We're told that a game's events are directly as a result of the previous game's ending. And with three games that have already followed that pattern, I believe it would be pretty difficult to break away from that pattern. So Nintendo has two choices at this point: continue with the direct sequel pattern or totally ignore the AT from now on. I wish there would be someway to change the AT, but I don't know what's going to happen to it.
 
I like the adult timeline, it is the most concise timeline in the Zelda mythology, which is nice.
It includes my favourite Zelda game (wind waker). Both Wind Waker and Spirit Tracks have some epic concepts and dare to push the Zelda series forward in terms of storyline and the fate of Hyrule and the world, the games feel much bigger than they are because of the scope of their concepts.

However, while i love WW and dont see ST as a bad game, PH annoyed me and felt like nothing but a filler instalment, the game itself felt like a mockery of what wind Waker had started and the overall storyline of PH meant nothing in the overall mythos of the timeline which was a darned shame, had PH been on the 3DS and played like Wind Waker without it being so disjointed and had had a better ending thn it would have been a much stronger instalment. As it stands PH pulls the adult timeline down and leaves an overlooked ST and a dividing WW to pick up the slack and keep the scope and ambition alive.

in short, the adult timeline, for me, is perhaps the most exciting timeline in Zelda, i hope that in the future there is a decent home console instalment to push the timeline along.
 

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