Where Do the Portable Zelda Games Lie in the Timeline

[VGnerd]

Here is my theory:

................./TWW-PH-ST
MC-SS-OoT-
.................\MM-ALttP-LoZ-AoL

I can understand Minish Cap being first because it sets so many standards for the Zelda series as it has the precursor to the Master Sword.
Now my question is; where does Link's Awakening, Oracle of Ages, Oracle of Seasons, The Four Swords, and The Four Swords Adventures lie on the timeline.
I think that all of them are either non-canon or are just dreams like Inception or something, but that doesn't answer my question.
Some clarity would be appreciated.

 

[Unlucky Monkey]

Links Awakening is somehow connected to The Adventure of Link. So you can actually out this Handheld game after The Legend of Zelda.

The Oracle Games (never played these, hope on a release on the Virtual Console of the 3DS) are kind of a re telling. A new interpretation. It's easier to build an own Timeline for the Oracle Games.. Anway. I have to edit my post later. My battery of my Laptop is low.

 

[Capitaine]

OoX would go after either ALttP or AoL because of Ganon being dead and the Triforce being united.

LA goes after ALttP (it was released right after ALttP and follows nicely from its story anyway) or OoX (at the end, Link is seen sailing away from Hyrule, leading perfectly into LA).

 

[Fierce]

Links Awakening is somewhat connected to The Adventure of Link. So you can actually out this Handheld game after The Legend of Zelda.

The Oracle Games (never played these, hope on a release on the Virtual Console of the 3DS) are kind of a re telling. A new interpretation. It's easier to build an own Timeline for the Oracle Games.. Anway. I have to edit my post later. My battery of my Laptop is low.

A retelling of what? This is a bit inaccurate since they take place on new lands. Do you mean to say they aren't canon?

Personally (Now this is just me), I feel like the Capcom games are the only ones very iffy on the Timeline because they don't ever feel in line with Nintendo's... and there aren't many references to them in the other games (Other than Vaati)

Think about it. The Subrosians and the Picori aren't really represented in any other series...

My Timeline is as follows:

------------------Child: MM- TP-LTTP-LA- FS- FSA- LoZ- AoL- OoX
SS- MC- OOT<
------------------Adult: WW- PH- ST

Reason for my placement:
OoX Link knows Zelda, so it has to come after one where Link is on a Hyrule saving basis.
Technically it could go after ANY timeline game where Ganon is dead though, including Wind Waker. MC could honestly go anywhere before FS and FSA too.

The lack of true ties to other games, and references to them from other games make them borderline unimportant... so to speak. (Though Minish cap is pretty important with the whole VAATI and four sword thing...)

The oracles appear only in Minish Cap and the Oracle games... so they might even just be non-canon... connected loosely to each other. The true timeline I have is the one of EAD established games...

------------Child: MM- TP- LTTP-LA- LoZ- AoL
SS- OOT<
------------Adult: WW- PH- ST

MC- FS-FSA- OoX

Capcom really sorta screws with the time line. FS, FSA are party games that might not really be canon either... Just sort of a 4 player remake of LTTP.
But yeah, Nintendo will never confirm anything so it is all just a series of educated theories (and guesswork at points).

 

[Cuju]

--------ALTTP- Oox- Aol- WW- PH- ST
......../
SS-MC
........\
--------MM- TP- LOZ- AOL

I didn't put in Four Swords because I don't consider it canon...

 

[Unlucky Monkey]

@Fierce

You got a nice point of view. But I'm not fully D'accord with your timeline.

For me, the Oracle Games are neither canon nor non canon. A few nights ago, I've read many timeline theories at Zelda Informer. And it looks like it's not possible (currently) to put the Oracle games in the timeline.
But I have to play the games by myself. Hope Nintendo will release all the classic Handheld Zelda on the 3DS Virtual Console.

So, my timeline is a bit different. Judging from the stuff I've read. Here is the A Legend and a Timeline Theorie including the Oracle Games:

Ancient: SS -> OoT
Classic: Oot -> LttP - OoX - LA -> LOZ - AoL
Child: OoT - MM -> TP
Adult: OoT -> TWW - PH -> ST
Four Swords: TMC -> FS - FSA

The guy who wrote this interesting article tried to split the timeline in a lot of different categories. He even put the Four Swords Games in a seperate categorie.
And it looks like I have to apologize. My Links Awakening guess (after the original Legend of Zelda, before The Adenture of Link) seems to be wrong.

 

[goomboo]

Well, all I know is that PH is after WW and ST is after PH.

 

[Capitaine]

Here is my theory:

................./TWW-PH-ST
MC-SS-OoT-
.................\MM-ALttP-LoZ-AoL

I just noticed that you don't have TP there. Do you mean to put it between MM and ALttP or are you deliberately omitting it?

A retelling of what? This is a bit inaccurate since they take place on new lands. Do you mean to say they aren't canon?

I could see OoX being a retelling of LoZ/AoL because of all the similarities between them and because OoX was originally going to be a remake of LoZ/AoL.

Personally (Now this is just me), I feel like the Capcom games are the only ones very iffy on the Timeline because they don't ever feel in line with Nintendo's... and there aren't many references to them in the other games (Other than Vaati)

Think about it. The Subrosians and the Picori aren't really represented in any other series...

You could still say that the Subrosians and Picori exist in the other games because we never get to go very far underground anyway and the Picori are said to be the reason there are things in the grass and pots.

My Timeline is as follows:

------------------Child: MM- TP-LTTP-LA- FS- FSA- LoZ- AoL- OoX
SS- MC- OOT<
------------------Adult: WW- PH- ST

Reason for my placement:
OoX Link knows Zelda, so it has to come after one where Link is on a Hyrule saving basis.

Wait, I thought the normal argument was that Link didn't know Zelda because Zelda says "You're Link, right?". But if Link and Zelda do know each other, I'd say that OoX should be a sequel to ALttP, connecting ALttP to LA (ALttP/OoX/LA) with Link sailing away from Hyrule at the end of OoX.

Technically it could go after ANY timeline game where Ganon is dead though, including Wind Waker.

Any game in which Ganon is dead and the Triforce is unified (the Triforce is united in the OoX intro), which, as far as we know, is only ALttP and AoL.

MC could honestly go anywhere before FS and FSA too.

The lack of true ties to other games, and references to them from other games make them borderline unimportant... so to speak. (Though Minish cap is pretty important with the whole VAATI and four sword thing...)

The oracles appear only in Minish Cap and the Oracle games... so they might even just be non-canon... connected loosely to each other. The true timeline I have is the one of EAD established games...

------------Child: MM- TP- LTTP-LA- LoZ- AoL
SS- OOT<
------------Adult: WW- PH- ST

MC- FS-FSA- OoX

Capcom really sorta screws with the time line. FS, FSA are party games that might not really be canon either... Just sort of a 4 player remake of LTTP.
But yeah, Nintendo will never confirm anything so it is all just a series of educated theories (and guesswork at points).

Well, TMC, FS, and OoX were made by Capcom, so I can understand the point of view of them not being part of the "Nintendo timeline." But then again, OoX presents no problems with being part of the timeline, so why not include it, right? Also, FSA was made by Nintendo as a sequel to FS, and then TMC was made as a prequel to FS and FSA, so all the Capcom games have to be on the "Nintendo timeline."

A few nights ago, I've read many timeline theories at Zelda Informer. And it looks like it's not possible (currently) to put the Oracle games in the timeline.

That's strange. Were you looking in the Serious Business section? In there, we've all come to the conclusion that OoX goes between ALttP and LA (as Seran Aileron has displayed in that Legends article) based on "new" evidence.

 

[Unlucky Monkey]

That's strange. Were you looking in the Serious Business section? In there, we've all come to the conclusion that OoX goes between ALttP and LA (as Seran Aileron has displayed in that Legends article) based on "new" evidence.

Where can I find this article, Capitaine? Sounds interesting.

Well, let me correct myself. It surely isn't impossible to put OoX into the timeline. Proof is the sailing away at the end of OoX. But this theory is more risky to me than any other Zelda timeline theory. Maybe the Oracle Games are set in a dream like world too. I have to dismiss me at this point. A shame I've never played the Oracle Games.

 

[Locke]

Where can I find this article, Capitaine? Sounds interesting.

Well, let me correct myself. It surely isn't impossible to put OoX into the timeline. Proof is the sailing away at the end of OoX. But this theory is more risky to me than any other Zelda timeline theory. Maybe the Oracle Games are set in a dream like world too. I have to dismiss me at this point. A shame I've never played the Oracle Games.

He's referring to A Legend and a Timeline, which you posted. "new" evidence is a reference to a Japanese magazine which supposedly states that LttP and OoX have the same Link.

 

[Wolf Sage]

It is pretty much written in stone at this point that:

SS→OoT→MM→TP
.............\→ WW→PH→ST

I think that LA could go just about anywhere considering it was a dream.

I think MC, OoX, FS, and FSA are not main series titles. I believe they're just side titles.

Have you ever heard of the Tales series? The Tales series is a series of games published and developed by Namco/Namco Bandai. There's a main series of "Mothership Titles" and of "Escort titles". The mothership titles are the series' flagship titles, while the Escort titles are side-stories of the series.>
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tales_(series)

I think the Nintendo and whoever else is in charge might employ the same, if not similar, system in regards to the Zelda games. We don't or may never know for sure...unfortunately.

I think at some point Nintendo was going to make a series of sagas or gaidens of little side adventures for Link following Majora's Mask. I came to this assumption from the Japanese name of the game, Majora's Mask (Zelda Gaiden). I thought that maybe MM was maybe just ONE of many planned series of side-stories, or gaidens (possibly for the N64). They may have abandoned that idea though, or maybe I was just wrong in coming to such a conclusion.

I honestly don't know where the others (ALttP,LoZ, etc.) fit in the timeline, though.

EDIT: Fixed my screwed timeline (in bold).

 

[JuicieJ]

Precursor for the Master Sword? What are you talking about? If you're saying that the Picori Blade is the Master Sword's origin, that's impossible. It turns into the Four Sword. If you're saying it's the Master Sword, we don't actually know that. It's never been stated. I think it's a possibility, but I don't necessarily support it.

Okay, as to where the portable titles go...we don't know. There's not enough evidence to even support the Oracle games' placement anywhere (and seem more likely to me to be spin-offs, but I'm not saying that's true), and there are far too many contradictions with the FS trilogy for them to be placed anywhere. Many people say The Minish Cap goes first, but I don't see why. The only real suggestion I've ever seen is that it's Link's hat's origin. Which is a falsity.

Spoiler

Ezlo making him a hat at the end of the game was just a sentimental thing. Him not having a hat was because they wanted to use Ezlo as his hat in the game.

But, anyway. The point is that we can't state an official placement for the GameBoy Zelda titles. Well, accept Link's Awakening (sort of). Link's Awakening is intended to be a sequel to A Link to the Past. But, people still argue that one. And I'm not going to get into it.

That's what I've got to say on that subject.

Links Awakening is somehow connected to The Adventure of Link. So you can actually out this Handheld game after The Legend of Zelda.

The Oracle Games (never played these, hope on a release on the Virtual Console of the 3DS) are kind of a re telling. A new interpretation. It's easier to build an own Timeline for the Oracle Games.. Anway. I have to edit my post later. My battery of my Laptop is low.

Actually, it's not AoL. It's connected to A Link to the Past.

 

[Unlucky Monkey]

He's referring to A Legend and a Timeline, which you posted. "new" evidence is a reference to a Japanese magazine which supposedly states that LttP and OoX have the same Link.

I'm sorry. It was a very long night for me xD

Actually, it's not AoL. It's connected to A Link to the Past.

Yes that was my bad. This connection is more clear than the Oracle theory.

I honestly don't know where the others (ALttP,LoZ, etc.) fit in the timeline, though.

This is even more clear.

A Link to the Past comes after Ocarina of Time. And games like The first Legend of Zelda and The Adventure of Link are set far more in the future of the timeline. Spirit Tacks should be the newest game in the timeline. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[JuicieJ]

Yes that was my bad. This connection is more clear than the Oracle theory.

I've made the same exact mistake.

A Link to the Past comes after Ocarina of Time. And games like The first Legend of Zelda and The Adventure of Link are set far more in the future of the timeline. Spirit Tacks should be the newest game in the timeline. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

A Link to the Past is after Ocarina of Time, correct. OoT was a prequel to ALttP and was supposed to explain the Seal War and the rest of ALttP's backstory, but wound up not doing it properly (if not at all). As far as the first two games, I'm confused by what you mean. By future do you mean near the end of it? I'm assuming that's what you mean, and that would be correct. Spirit Tracks is the last game on the "adult timeline."

 

[Unlucky Monkey]

By future do you mean near the end of it? I'm assuming that's what you mean, and that would be correct.

Yes, this is what I mean

But there are still many questions. Why looks the first Zelda more ancient than any other Zelda? And I don't mean the graphics. People are living in caves and the whole overworld is full of enemies. If the first Zelda is set many years after the ancient games, what happened to all the villages and it's villagers? Even The Adventure of Link looks more civilized. But this game got the sleeping Princess mystery.

I don't want to go offtopic. But a few questions are terrible bothering me.