• Welcome to ZD Forums! You must create an account and log in to see and participate in the Shoutbox chat on this main index page.

Zelda Timeline Doesn't Work

Joined
Jun 19, 2011
Location
Utah
This is why I'm hoping that Nintendo will explain the DT in better detail in Zelda Wii U or better yet ALBW since it's going to be a direct sequel to ALttP. Otherwise we will be left with this cop-out and more people scrambling with it etc.
 
Joined
Jun 7, 2013
Location
Hillsborough, NC USA
When you mix time-travel with an object that (the triforce) that 1) grants wishes, 2) has three parts that each correspond to one of three goddesses and one of three key characters, and splits, and 3) has been shown to create/alter parrallel worlds, I think it's perfectly reasonable to say that the three alternate world/timeline split occured and all three are equaly canonical. I just wish that Nintendo would explain it better so this can be finally laid to rest.
 

TMLink76240

Travis Mask
Joined
Jul 13, 2013
Location
Gainesville, Tx
When you mix time-travel with an object that (the triforce) that 1) grants wishes, 2) has three parts that each correspond to one of three goddesses and one of three key characters, and splits, and 3) has been shown to create/alter parrallel worlds, I think it's perfectly reasonable to say that the three alternate world/timeline split occured and all three are equaly canonical. I just wish that Nintendo would explain it better so this can be finally laid to rest.

More people need to be open to this idea. It makes way more sense of the split and how to bring it into one dimension, again. It would be an amazing set of games, bringing the three dimensions back to one.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Sep 11, 2013
Location
Odense, Denmark
When you mix time-travel with an object that (the triforce) that 1) grants wishes, 2) has three parts that each correspond to one of three goddesses and one of three key characters, and splits, and 3) has been shown to create/alter parrallel worlds, I think it's perfectly reasonable to say that the three alternate world/timeline split occured and all three are equaly canonical. I just wish that Nintendo would explain it better so this can be finally laid to rest.

You forgot a Goddess of Time which allows things such as time travel through the use of Swords or Ocarina's as well as localized time pockets (Time Crystals from SS). Then there are also separate dimensions (Majora's Mask)

Along with the above there is plenty of ways for laws of time and space to be a bit...weird at times.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Jun 7, 2013
Location
Hillsborough, NC USA
More people need to be open to this idea. It makes way more sense of the split and how to bring it into one dimension, again. It would be an amazing set of games, bringing the three dimensions back to one.

Thanks! I'm thinking that I need to create a new post that explains how the three timelines can be seen as manifestations of three unspoken wishes made simultaneously by the three Triforce holders at the time that Link confronts Ganondorf in OoT. Unfortunately, I've never gotten to play any of the games released after Wind Waker, and I've never read Hyrule Historia, so I'm afraid someone could easily poke holes in a more detailed theory that I come up with.

And yes, I think that explaining the split as happening not by separate causes, but because of the use and will of the Triforce, that it does open the door for another game that brings them back together. Aonuma has hinted at revisting multiplayer, and I think this would be a good way to do it.
 

Snow Queen

Mannceaux Signature Collection
Joined
Mar 14, 2013
Location
Grand Rapids, MI
Gender
Transwoman (she/her)
I'm just going to say, considering Zelda wasn't supposed to have a timeline in the first place, it makes sense that it wouldn't work. Why does it even matter anyway?
 

Sir Quaffler

May we meet again
It still doesn't work as this would mean a seperate decline timeline coming from every single game.

You do know how alternate realities come into existence, right? That at some point a decision is made that is different than what was made in the original dimension. If they wanted to, they could have a million or more different timelines stemming just from OoT's ending alone. Like, they could make one where, instead of heading into Ganon's Tower and defeating Ganondorf, Link simply went off and became a master fisherman instead.

It's a cop-out, I'll freely admit, but there's nothing inherently wrong with alternate timelines. It does leave the timeline feeling a bit hackneyed in retrospect, but blegh whatever.
 

Random Person

Just Some Random Person
Joined
Feb 6, 2010
Location
Wig-Or-Log
I agree with everyone about everything.

It's a cop-out, but it works.

I'm just going to say, considering Zelda wasn't supposed to have a timeline in the first place, it makes sense that it wouldn't work. Why does it even matter anyway?

It matters because better stories are made with better continuity, flow and laws and the story of Zelda is a part of the series. Thus, as fans, we feel we aren't getting the best we could be getting out of our game when our story is not the best it could be.
 

Salem

SICK
Joined
May 18, 2013
I agree with everyone about everything.

It's a cop-out, but it works.
If only this cop-out timeline happened sometime after OoT, not during it.

It matters because better stories are made with better continuity, flow and laws and the story of Zelda is a part of the series. Thus, as fans, we feel we aren't getting the best we could be getting out of our game when our story is not the best it could be.
Here's my problem, the only returning character is Ganondorf, Link only returns for a few direct sequels, otherwise it's a different character. In other words, there isn't much connections between the games except that "this is the history of Hyrule, not the characters that you know and love".
 
Last edited:

Random Person

Just Some Random Person
Joined
Feb 6, 2010
Location
Wig-Or-Log
Here's mu problem, the only returning character is Ganondorf, Link only returns for a few direct sequels, otherwise it's a different character. In other words, there isn't much connections between the games except that "this is the history of Hyrule, not the characters that you know and love".

That's because you're only establishing connections with characters. If you take in the events, the land, even things like reused items, the connection of the story really comes into play. This is difficult to see in Zelda because it doesn't do a good job with continuity. It constantly changes not only the characters, but the land, and even the very history of the series. This is why fans make a big deal out of these changes because we're losing immersion. Of course, not every game's story needs this kind of continuity to make the player feel immersed, but Zelda has set itself as an action-adventure game which means its story will be better should it hold a bit more traditional literature concepts.

I'm not saying people will hate Zelda games if they don't have proper continuity (as they don't, and people love them). I saying fans make a big deal out of it because we want the best from our games and this is something that could easily be improved upon. We don't need the same characters, we just need the same history.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Top Bottom