So yeah, remember that whole Zelda timeline thing which Nintendo claimed they would never ever publicly reveal? Well, that official Hyrule Historia artbook apparently revealed it. Here's a helpful image transcribing it:

Interesting. Especially the new path.

I think I cared about this once, but then I heard the wonderful explanation in the vein of Joesph Campbell: it's the same story being retold over and over with the same archetypes and themes.

The only path worth a damn is the one that branches from Ocarina to the far left.

The only path worth a damn is the one that branches from Ocarina to the far left.

@mutha3 said:

@thornie said:

The only path worth a damn is the one that branches from Ocarina to the far left.

But, Majora's Mask is objectively the best Zelda game, soooooooooooo......

Poopy, poop game. Stinky

@TentPole said:

@mutha3 said:

@thornie said:

The only path worth a damn is the one that branches from Ocarina to the far left.

But, Majora's Mask is objectively the best Zelda game, soooooooooooo......

Poopy, poop game. Stinky

It's on now.

@mutha3 said:

@thornie said:

The only path worth a damn is the one that branches from Ocarina to the far left.

But, Majora's Mask is objectively the best Zelda game, soooooooooooo......

Poopy, poop game. Stinky

Majoras mask is definitely NOT the "objectively" best zelda game, the hell did you pull that from? I may have been a bit younger and dumber at the time, but the most memorable thing in that game is the bullshit time limit. I don't want to be forced into doing the main quest on a time limit in a zelda game, I want to explore the world and find all the side stuff without worrying about using some song that lets me keep playing the game.

Now, Majoras Mask could be your favorite zelda game, that I would have no issue with. However, trying to call it the objectively "best" game just shows your bias.

@thornie said:

The only paths worth a damn are the ones that branch from Ocarina to the left and right.

Fixed that for you.

Majoras mask is definitely NOT the "objectively" best zelda game,

@Gerhabio

@thornie said:

The only paths worth a damn are the ones that branch from Ocarina to the far left and far right.

Fixed that for you.

@mutha3: Gah, my internet senses are dulled, long day at work. Didn't mean to snap but when people try to say one game is objectively better it gets on my nerves, should have known it was a joke (X.X)

Anyways, back on topic, this is kinda interesting, and seems like it fits. Too bad nintendo would never confirm it.

@Gerhabio said:

@thornie said:

The only paths worth a damn are the ones that branch from Ocarina to the left and center.

Fixed that for you.

Re-fixed. I just thought the WW timeline was completely "WTF". The only Zelda games that I could not actually bother to complete.

I don't even understand how they pulled the 3-timeline thing. I always thought it was two, due to the OoT time warp, merging the center and right timelines.

PS: I loved Majora's Mask. Don't know if that means anything, just putting it out there.

Wait, somebody was mapping this out the whole time? And THIS isn't canon:

What the fuck?

The three timeline thing makes no sense. All of those games could easily branch off based on a simple game over screen, I have no idea 1) why Ocarina is the only one that it matters for 2) why LttP can't continue on from FSA (or TP)....

Putting the Zelda games into a timeline simply doesn't really make much sense, I have always felt like the Zelda games were variations on the same story about a young adventurer, as told by random people you meet in an inn or pub.

Good thing I saw this I was about to post. The timeline seems to work. Never thought about a three way split.. hmmm interesting.

The three timeline thing makes no sense. All of those games could easily branch off based on a simple game over screen,

2) why LttP can't continue on from FSA (or TP)....

Putting the Zelda games into a timeline simply doesn't really make much sense,

It is actually one hero we are just hearing different culture's take on the story.

@Village_Guy said:

Putting the Zelda games into a timeline simply doesn't really make much sense, I have always felt like the Zelda games were variations on the same story about a young adventurer, as told by random people you meet in an inn or pub.

While I personally do prefer the variations on one legend theory, Nintendo has been saying for quite a long time now (since LttP I think) that there is a timeline.

@mutha3 said:

2) why LttP can't continue on from FSA (or TP)....

This explains the lack of Ganondorf in earlier games.

Ganondorf was in the very first one on the NES....

Anyway my original point was that since the third split from OoT was such a stretch, and that there was no immediate reason why the LttP timeline couldn't take place after the TP one, why weren't they just merged?

As long as Wind Waker still fits in there somewhere, I'm happy.

Ganondorf was in the very first one on the NES....

Anyway my original point was that since the third split from OoT was such a stretch, and that there was no immediate reason why the LttP timeline couldn't take place after the TP one, why weren't they just merged?

@FreakAche said:

@Village_Guy said:

Putting the Zelda games into a timeline simply doesn't really make much sense, I have always felt like the Zelda games were variations on the same story about a young adventurer, as told by random people you meet in an inn or pub.

While I personally do prefer the variations on one legend theory, Nintendo has been saying for quite a long time now (since LttP I think) that there is a timeline.

Both of you guys need to play Skyward Sword.

They aren't joking when they say that game reveals a bunch of mythology stuff, including the answer to if it's one story being retold or not.

This just blew my mind.

@mutha3 said:

@CountMacula said:

Ganondorf was in the very first one on the NES....

....? No he wasn't.

regular ol' ganon!

snip!

Lets wait until the full explanation gets translated before we dissect this....

Listen, your facts and reasonableness have no place on the internet, clearly the only way you can make headway in this discussion would be to imply (or explicitly state) that you had engaged in coitus with my mother, and yet you insist on bringing logic to the table? How rude! :-P

I swear my head splits open every time I hear about this, I have spent waaaaaaaaaaaay too much time researching the timeline.

Did Miyamoto take the sacred timeline out of the vault to show it to us plebes?

I personally like the Wind Waker timeline the best. I like how you are sailing over the old world. It adds a sense of sadness to that branch. 
 
But I'm not really understanding the left branch. If Link doesn't beat Ganon, isn't he killed? And what do you mean he finds the triforce? At the end of LTTP he finds it but he beats ganon. I get the other two branches but not this explanation.

Cute timeline. Doesn't really add any value though.... Going back and replaying zelda II and thinking to myself: "Self, this is the end of the OOT game-over timeline... EPIC!!!1" isn't going to really change the experience for better or worse.

Fun, but pointless. Like my nipples.

@xyzygy: By finds the triforce, I think he means that Ganondorf finds the triforce since Link fails to stop him, this explains why Ganondorf is never seen in the earlier games.

If that were on a shirt I'd buy it. Although I'm not really sure why there needs to be an actual linear timeline for Zelda. And how do we get from Majora to TP? I can't remember either game well enough to figure that out. And also I'm now on amazon looking up the Oracle games because I have a disease.

Listen, your facts and reasonableness have no place on the internet, clearly the only way you can make headway in this discussion would be to imply (or explicitly state) that you had engaged in coitus with my mother, and yet you insist on bringing logic to the table? How rude! :-P

. If Link doesn't beat Ganon, isn't he killed?

@pyromagnestir

If that were on a shirt, I'd buy it. Although I'm not really sure why there needs to be an actual linear timeline for Zelda. And how do we get from Majora to TP? I can't remember either game well enough to figure that out. And also I'm now on amazon looking up the Oracle games because I have a disease.

@Aus_azn said:

@Gerhabio said:

@thornie said:

The only paths worth a damn are the ones that branch from Ocarina to the left and center.

Fixed that for you.

Re-fixed. I just thought the WW timeline was completely "WTF". The only Zelda games that I could not actually bother to complete.

I don't even understand how they pulled the 3-timeline thing. I always thought it was two, due to the OoT time warp, merging the center and right timelines.

PS: I loved Majora's Mask. Don't know if that means anything, just putting it out there.

It's pretty crazy to me that there's been such as a thing as a time warp and parallel universes sci-fi insanity in my Zelda all along.

I feel a tad underwhelmed but I'm still surprised they actually released this and it's still pretty cool. Also, I think this is obligatory at this point.

Two different timelines can make sense (one following event conclusions going down one path while the other timeline follows the other choice), three just doesn't make sense to me as it opens up so many other choices that can happen so instead of 3 different timelines you can have mutliple numbers of timelines in every direction. Face it, when they are making the Zelda games they either A. have no clue on where it is in any kind of timeline or B. just trying to remake the first one with new mechanics or C. WTF who knows...

only timeline I want to see is the SMT timeline

The Zelda time line is confusing, but at least Skyward Sword is the begin. And found and old AVGN video about it too.

Edit: Couldn't link it damn it. Well here it is anyway http://cinemassacre.com/2008/01/08/chronologically-confused-about-the-legend-of-zelda-timeline/

only timeline I want to see is the SMT timeline

@mutha3 said:

@Animasta said:

only timeline I want to see is the SMT timeline

SPOILER WARNING: Click here to reveal hidden content.

There is no SMT timeline.

there are timelineS, though (most of them diverge from the different endings of devil summoner 2, as most people believe).