The "Official" Timeline and the Implications for Later Games

[Octo Rocked]

The other night, I watched GameTrailer's "Timeline" episode on Zelda, and it made me think about a few things I hadn't really thought about before, and it got me wondering what possibilities this presents for future games.

1. The "Fallen Hero Timeline"

First, let's look at the nature of the three-way split. Nintendo has confirmed that there are three timelines. To say that there are three timelines is technically correct, though to say that there are three alternate timelines is less so. My babbling is probably going to be hard to follow, but it goes something like this: when Zelda sent Link back to the past, she created two timelines. Think Back to the Future Part II, where Old Biff creates an alternate timeline by giving the sports almanac to Young Biff. However, the third timeline is more accurately a timeline in an alternate universe as opposed to an alternate timeline. If you're familiar with the "Many Worlds" theory, this is what the "Fallen Hero" timeline is: an alternate universe branching from one event happening differently: namely, Link failing to defeat Ganon as opposed to successfully defeating him.

So the laconic version: the Adult Timeline and Child Timeline are results of Zelda changing the past, the Fallen Hero Timeline is an alternate universe.

So what does this mean for future games?

Simply put, anything goes.

Nintendo is now free to play around with alternate universes. They can say "yeah, that happened in a different universe" as opposed to simply "that happened in a different timeline." They are no longer restricted to two timelines. If they want to explore a story but don't know how to work it into a timeline where it makes sense, they can just create an alternate universe based on a "what if?" scenario. What if the King Daphnes Nohasen Hyrule wished to restore Hyrule instead of flooding it? What if he had been too late to stop Ganondorf from obtaining the Triforce? What if Midna hadn't destroyed the Mirror of Twilight? The possibilities are endless, and they no longer have to restrict themselves to creating stories in a linear fashion. Of course, this might also mean that the timeline could end up looking like more of a timetree, with alternate universe timelines branching off anywhere...meaning a huge mess for theorists further down the road.

2. Four Swords and Vaati

One of the most surprising parts of the timeline was the placement of Four Swords Adventure. It was, as we expected, a sequel to Four Swords but it was not, in fact, a direct sequel. Rather, it was a distant one taking place after Majora's Mask and Twilight Princess. It is in Four Swords Adventure that Vaati is (presumably) defeated for good, after merely being sealed away in the Four Sword in The Minish Cap and Four Swords. However, while The Minish Cap and Four Swords occur before any sort of split, Four Swords Adventure only occurs in one of the three currently established timelines.

So what does this mean for Future Games?

Vaati still exists in the Adult Timeline and the Fallen Hero Timeline.

While it's unlikely he'll show up in the Adult Timeline since the sword is presumably in the flooded Old Hyrule, there are still two currently established timelines where Vaati is only sealed, not defeated. Is it possible we'll see him appear again in the future? Personally, I hope so (since I'd love to see him in a 3D game).

3. Demise, Ganon, and Four Swords Adventure

For a long time, Ganon[dorf] has been a frustration to the timeline. While Link and Zelda are frequently pretty obviously different incarnations, Ganon always seems to be the same Ganon. He's just been sealed, unsealed, and killed so many times to the point of frustration. However, between Skyward Sword and the official Timeline's explanation of the Ganon in Four Swords Adventure (namely, that he's a different reincarnation than the one in the preceeding Twilight Princess), something has been confirmed: Ganon is an incarnation of Demise's hatred, so Ganon can (and as of FSA, did) reincarnate.

So what does this mean for Future Games?

Ganon[dorf] is still fair game.

With Ganon's ability to reincarnate confirmed, the writers can feel free to use him without going "Okay, how are we going to bring him back this time? They can just say "It's a different Ganon." They don't have to resurrect him. They don't have to unseal him. They don't have to create multiple timelines where he wins. He can just reincarnate. Different Link. Different Zelda. And now, different Ganon.



Those are the three main things that I've realized. So what do they say about the next game in the series? Well...anything, really. Since Skyward Sword didn't delve much into the three Golden Goddesses, Skyward Sword clearly isn't the very start to the series. So really, a new game could take place in any of the three timelines, anywhere before Ocarina of Time, or in a myriad possible alternate universe timelines. It could feature someone new, but Vaati and Ganon (the series two multi-game major antagonists) are still on the table.

By releasing an official timeline, Nintendo hasn't limited their possibilities. Rather, they've expanded them immensely. So when and where will the next game take us? I have no clue, and that absolutely thrills me.

 

[Ganondorf_KoE]

Before I give my two cents the official Timeline, I have to say that the Zelda Timeline by Gametrailers was absolutely impressive. Easily the best thing they have done on the website

Also I found a image link of the timeline they showed in the episode in 1080 wallpaper! http://img823.imageshack.us/img823/237/timelinezeldawallpaperw.jpg

The first thing that comes to mind about this timeline is that Japan likes to do interesting twists in timelines in different forms of media, but create it in a way that is plausible.
The current example of this I can think of is the Cell saga in DBZ where there are 3 timelines that intertwine at a point. The Future Trunks Timeline, the Future Cell Timeline, and the Main Timeline (Cell Games).
Whereas the Zelda Timeline splits up into three parts from one point (OOT).

Gametrailers also had an interesting point during the episode that made me think a bit. That with the title of the series (The Legend of Zelda) the stories are just that, A Legend. which if you want the definition of 'Legend' is:
A narrative of actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude ("of being true or real").
Even though that it is a fictional series it still makes me ponder that the stories (the games themselves) are that of truth or that some of them are meant to be a tale that we are playing as an interpretation of the one telling the story.
Who knows if Nintendo is thinking like that or not at this time. I don't know really, hence it was a thought that came up.

Anyway, as with the timeline as it is, idk if they would make anymore alternate timelines to the series for a couple reasons:
-Nintendo loves to do the rule of three to the level of insanity of different game series. I could go on that bit for hours (first three temples = MS and/or major event in story, three parts of Triforce, three timelines, etc).
-The main core group that has been working on the series for years is reaching of age and idk if they would let a new group handle the timeline. Unless they did a reboot to LOZ (strong possibility I see).
However, the team that makes the LOZ games always focuses on gameplay before story (I hope they stay that way).

As for the future games of Zelda, I think they would make games that would help bridge the gaps in the timeline that would make it more acceptable as a whole. Some of them would be:
The Imprisoning War (Fallen Hero Timeline), The New Hyrule Kingdom "Vaati's Rise"(Adult Link Timeline), The Unification of Hyrule (Pre OOT), Hunt of the Demon Thief "Pre TP"(Childhood Link Timeline), etc.

I think that is all I have to say I guess. Good to be back on the forums!

 

[ZestanorLink]

When I first read about Nintendo's timeline, I was very surprised by the fact that FSA was not only not a direct sequel to FS, but that it wasn't even in the same era! I honestly think someone didn't care to look at the stories for these games. FSA references FS not as a distant prequel, but as a direct, same-generation Link, prequel. They might as well have split up LoZ and AoL.

The first thing that comes to mind about this timeline is that Japan likes to do interesting twists in timelines in different forms of media, but create it in a way that is plausible.
The current example of this I can think of is the Cell saga in DBZ where there are 3 timelines that intertwine at a point. The Future Trunks Timeline, the Future Cell Timeline, and the Main Timeline (Cell Games).

Haha, but that's because Toriyama was writing by the seat of his pants. It's not a Japan thing. The timelines in that series don't all make complete sense, unless you really twist it.