Zelda Fans & The Timeline

[Yoshrek]

With the recent placement of Echoes Of Wisdom, some Zelda fans have become angry at Nintendo for still using the official timeline. I believe rightfully so, to an extent.

Obviously the official timeline is not going to satisfy everyone. Besides Skyward Sword, Ocarina Of Time, Majora’s Mask, Twilight Princess, The Wind Waker, Phantom Hourglass, and Spirit Tracks being all connected to each other as the split timeline, various other games like Minish Cap, Four Swords, Four Swords Adventures, and the Downfall Timeline all frustrate Zelda fans.

Nintendo had the right idea when they made Breath Of The Wild and even Tears Of The Kingdom, but they ended up making placements for them too even if they’re disconnected to the rest of the timeline and even each other.

If Nintendo isn’t going to grow up and disregard the official timeline we might as well do it ourselves and disconnect from their interpretations and think on our own about our versions of the timeline, just like we did in the 2000s.

I mean it makes so much more sense that Four Swords Adventures is a precursor to A Link To The Past than Ocarina Of Time for example. Nintendo just decided to put Four Swords Adventures after Twilight Princess and create the Downfall Timeline for A Link To The Past to justify their past statements over Ocarina Of Time being a prequel to A Link To The Past.

They even went so far as to switch the Oracle Games with Link’s Awakening to justify their past statements about Link’s Awakening being a direct sequel to A Link To The Past when the in game evidence makes it much more clear the Oracle Games are between A Link To The Past and Link’s Awakening because of the boat sailing at the end of the linked ending for both Oracle games.

Nintendo just doesn’t want to backtrack on their old statements when in reality retcons actually exist. Ocarina Of Time doesn’t have to be this important of a game when it comes to the timeline either.

So this brings me to my previous point and the reason I made this thread to begin with. We need to disconnect ourselves with the timeline and come up with our own again.

Your thoughts?

 

[thePlinko]

Nah, the official timeline is perfectly fine. All of the contradictions can be explained away by a single game. If anything, Nintendo needs to lean further into the timeline.

 

[Malon]

Nah, the official timeline is perfectly fine. All of the contradictions can be explained away by a single game. If anything, Nintendo needs to lean further into the timeline.

I can't tell if you're being sarcastic.

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Aaanyway, I think the timeline is just some people on the Zelda team that watched way too much Game Theory and ultimately created this dumpster fire of an official timeline. Just make the games, and add individual lore (Maybe minor connections.)

 

[thePlinko]

I can't tell if you're being sarcastic.

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Aaanyway, I think the timeline is just some people on the Zelda team that watched way too much Game Theory and ultimately created this dumpster fire of an official timeline. Just make the games, and add individual lore (Maybe minor connections.)

Prior to BotW every single canon game but the Oracles has had a canon timeline placement within a year of its release. Even before Hyrule Historia they have repeatedly stated that there was a timeline and they go out of their way to reference it when making new games.

 

[Ghost of Mikeys Past]

The timeline is fun. People need to grow up and realize it's not hurting anything

 

[Twlink]

Timeline is fine, but in a series where people headcanon and theorize so much to fill in the blanks, I am not sure that making ones own timeline is much of a problem.

 

[Dio]

I think that being a Japanese series it is often difficult to determine from the English translations where exactly each game falls on the timeline as often the English would suggest something completely different to what the true canon is, creating a contradictory lore.

Most games have a pretty obvious placement though. Four Swords Adventures is a bit of a weird one I will say however, Tri Force Heroes is also an even more weird one to actually include in the official canon.

 

[DarthCreeper10]

The timeline is fine, they just need to commit to it better and fill in some plot holes and all of the problems would be solved.

 

[Spiritual Mask Salesman]

I think the issue with the timeline is that the devs can't figure out what to do with it. They don't want to disgard it, yet they don't want to heavily lean into it because focusing on story and lore building is contrary to their gameplay first philosophy.

They want to create a perception they still care, yet they want the freedom to do whatever they want without being barred by the confines of the timeline, resulting in Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. They set that version of Hyrule so far into the future it has no super clear ties to any of the other games, said it "goes at the end" but won't definitevely place it on the end of any of the three timeline splits because "it's up to the fans to decide" where to place it.

This let's them have their cake and eat it too, and any time they want to build a game removed from most of the other games they could simply claim them as distant sequels to BotW/TotK.

Overall, I think this is a conflict with fan interest, which seems heavily split in camps of either "they should abandon the timeline completely moving forward" vs "they should lean more into the timeline and care more about the stories and lore they are building." Currently the middleground the devs have chosen isn't satisfying the people on the opposing spectrums.

I think of the two options, abandoning the timeline is the better one. Although it'd be unfortunate, I can't imagine a scenario where the devs will suddenly care about crafting stories and a consistent lore that is self-referencing akin to the likes of The Elder Scrolls or The Witcher. So the only other option is drop the timeline altogether.

 

[Bowsette Plus-Ultra]

Back in the yonder days of high school when I considered Zelda to be my favorite video game franchise, I was much more invested in the series' chronology. I never did much in the way of debating, but I had some strong thoughts on the placement of Twilight Princess. I wore Zelda t-shirts and even owned a cheap replica of the Master Sword.

At some point it just kind of petered out. I've played so many games with strong chronologies that it just feels bad trying to excuse Zelda's. The official timeline is Nintendo's word on the subject and I don't care for all the prairie dogs poking their heads up to say, "Actually, Nintendo secretly hates the official timeline and conveys that hatred through a series of subliminal messages."

Nintendo wants to pretend the series' chronology isn't important while implying it is. You know it's bad when people involved in the series look at the timeline, shrug, and say the official timeline is just a suggestion.

It's hard to care when it feels like the developers don't.

 

[Angopik]

Nintendo had the right idea when they made Breath Of The Wild and even Tears Of The Kingdom, but they ended up making placements for them too even if they’re disconnected to the rest of the timeline and even each other.

Huh? They aren't connected to each other or the rest of the timeline?

If Nintendo isn’t going to grow up and disregard the official timeline we might as well do it ourselves and disconnect from their interpretations and think on our own about our versions of the timeline, just like we did in the 2000s.

When did they stop encouraging fans to come up with their own interpretations?

 

[Angopik]

I don't care for all the prairie dogs poking their heads up to say, "Actually, Nintendo secretly hates the official timeline and conveys that hatred through a series of subliminal messages."

I agree! That also goes for the ones saying the developers don't care. Both are flat out wrong, so I just ignore them

 

[mαrkαsscoρ]

So this brings me to my previous point and the reason I made this thread to begin with. We need to disconnect ourselves with the timeline and come up with our own again.

this has already been happening w/ or w/o the official timeline, if anything the timeline just acts as a reference point to see how the games are generally outlined, and if you feel strongly about how certain games should be ordered then of course no one's stopping you from making one

 

[Ghost of Mikeys Past]

this has already been happening w/ or w/o the official timeline, if anything the timeline just acts as a reference point to see how the games are generally outlined, and if you feel strongly about how certain games should be ordered then of course no one's stopping you from making one

Me. I am personally stopping them from making a non canon timeline

 

[Angopik]

Me. I am personally stopping them from making a non canon timeline

Who's making a non canon timeline? As far as I know people's timelines only consist of Zelda games