Rumour: Official Legend of Zelda Series Timeline Revealed

I wish I could say yeah or nay but honestly I have no clue..... I hope the oracle series comes out on virtual 3ds though... never played that series

OF COURSE

wind waker adult...?

There's a third branch? Christ...

The way that Skyward Sword ended you could change any of these up & it wouldn't really matter. Heck this timeline could be fake for all I know but I really didn't see a "Link fails in Ocarina of Time" split coming, just the adult & child link split. Glad to see the greatest game of all time having the most influence on the series though

I would have to say NO. How could 4 swords adventures occur so far after the original four swords? and if link succeded and lived on as an adult, then why would Ganon return? Wind waker should be after majoras mask. Looks fake to me.

4th branch:

a) Wand of Gamelon 2
b) Zelda team permanently disbanded

I don't think there should be a 3rd branch at all! I think the games from said branch belong to the 1st branch, IMO.

Wait, Link's Awakening BEFORE Link 1/2? I would have guessed it would come after Link 1 at least, seeing how it starts off with Link traveling after he saves Zelda... I think it's fake, although I could very well be wrong, with my limited Zelda knowledge.

Also, I have all the games in the main storyline now! Score!

Scratches head and produces look of dumbness on face....O_o

four swords in the main timeline huh didnt know the game was that important

So Zelda II is the last game chronologically in the series? That's... weird. And there's a third branch where Link failed in OoT now? Wouldn't that just be the end of the world?

I'd have to say this is false. For starters, I can't see Wind Waker immediately following OoT's success in Adult Link's timeline... Why would the world have been so devastated? It also needs to be after Link to the Past, since the sunken castle in WW is the LttP one. Zelda 2 has to be after OoT, though, and probably after WW, because it's feasible that the newly-made towns when the water lessens over time and more land is revealed, would be named for the (now) ancient Sages.

One more thing... How could there be a timeline split for Link failing? Link failing would mean that Link and Zelda most likely died, so how could they have descendants? Yeaahhh...

Wait, how does the third branch work? If Link defeats Ganon either way then shouldn't the third branch not exist, or is this a "what if" split?

3 branches? Really, Nintendo?(if its real)

"Links fails in OOT"???
I don't think this is really an option. How would Hyrule still be around, if not ruled completely by Ganondorf? That part kind of took the ligitness away from it for me.

Wait, this is a matter of opinion?

Nintendo sets the timeline and there's no subjectivity about it

I have a feeling that might be in the minority, but I found the Zelda timelines completely insignifcant. >_>
Just another day where Link turns up and saves Hyrule (or some other place). ^_^

From what I understood, the "childhood" branch is supposed to be where Link failed to defeat ganon, as majora's mask implied he went wandering aimlessly afterwards and may have forgotten to return to save hyrule. So this 3 splits thing is, hopefully, a mistranslation.

We'll see, I guess.

Literal LOL @8.

I never knew there was a 3rd path, though the timeline makes a lot more sense when you take this into account. I could still use some clarification though.

@20 There is a reason this is a rumor. As of right now, this is just being touted as a "fan translation" ... Nothing official yet. It says Rumor right in the article heading.

The whole timeline thing seems so silly. It's like trying to make a timeline out of the Mario games

FINALLY !!!!!
...
Wait, WHAT ?!?!?!?!?

Ummm... one branch where Link FAILS and Four Swords Adventures not directly connected with Minish Cap and Four Swords? Yeah... I'm going to shake my head at this one.

This timeline makes perfect sense. I wasn't expecting the Oracle series to fall into the same split.
@LadyStarstorm What dont you understand that Wind Waker takes place after the Adult timeline in Ocarina of Time? Link saves Hyrule from Ganondorf. Hyrule is under attack sometime later and the People of Hyrule pray for the "Hero Of Time" to return but he doesnt come. Hyrule is then flooded.

I thought the only "real" branch was the one when Link became a child, you know OoT only has ONE ending right? I understand this games go together, but Eiji said before the release of SS that there was just ONE timeline, so maybe there´s a way to connect them all?

Since when are there THREE branches? I thought there were only two splits?

....Don't they have a picture? lol

I´ll say the rumor is fake, it contradicts everything Nintendo has said.

what JayArr said, but seriously that third branch looks suspicious, I'll wait for something official

Who cares?
The storylines are really simple to follow.
It's about a Hero who is sent on a great quest to defeat evil and save a few damsels along the way.

Try not to think about it too much or this might happen to you.
[youtube:VW27kyh7PVM]

...and blood just shot out of my eyes. Thanks!

I've read ALOT of timeline speculation bit I've never heard of #3. Link didn't fail in OOT (as others already stated).

the hero of time never saves hyrule before wind waker because zelda sent him back in time. so were there 2 child links existing in one time? link A goes to look for navi who was never sent back with him and finds his way to terminia while link B who was just starting out on his adventure in OoT failed leading to this 3rd branch? also i'm pretty sure someone on youtube covered a 3 split possibility timeline before. anyway, finally playing thru minish cap which is quickly becoming my all time fav game in the series.

WTM! For all that is good and Zelda Stop!

Nah. That Link to the Past placement makes no sense.

@Link79: #35 Pretty much.

How in the world is it possible for there to be a split where Link fails? Unless Ocarina, silently happens again in the timeline. Then again, I don't know enough to say yes, or no.

Who'd a thunk that when we were all playing the original Zelda for NES, we were unveiling only a microscopic piece of the Nintendo Universe. This proves correct string theory!!! Give Miyamoto a Nobel prize!

Link to the Past Makes sense. Link is told by a man in the sanctuary that Agahnim is planning to break a seal made hundreds of years ago by the Seven Sages = The events in OoT.
As to why its called "Link Fails" timeline is a mystery. Maybe Link dies (You the Player cant beat OoT cause youre a noob) and Zelda and seven sages are still able seal Ganon away.

I don't see how people are confused about how the third split could happen.

Link to the past, in it's very first moments tells you there was a war to reseal the sacred land where the triforce slept, after it was opened (in ocarina of time). It took seven sages on the order of the king to lock ganon in the realm, which he transformed into the dark world using the power of the triforce. (As opposed to link finding the sages and sealing ganondorf away where he didn't have the entire triforce, and couldn't create the dark realm)

I think the only connection that matters is between the same Link (like in OoT and MM) and the genesis of the series (Skyward Sword). In the other games, Link, Zelda and Ganondorf are reincarnations, so even if there's a logic, it doesn't affect the game context. Fix me if I'm wrong, please. Peace.

But what about the CDi games?
What about Soul Calibur 2?

You all act like Link was always successful. Don't pretend you didn't get that "Game Over" screen

http://www.halolz.com/2011/11/28/the-missing-link/

@iz20XX exactly

"Split 3: Link fails in Ocarina Of Time"

Seriously? I don't believe this for a second. If Link fails, he fails. No time travel, no time paradox, no split.

To all who haven't played WW watch the intro as it shows Link in OOT fighting Ganon and onwards to how the whole sea was created 100 years later.

The third branch has me puzzled. Everything is in the order I assumed but I really don't see the need for the "fail" branch...

Why should the Triforce be split after ALttP (its split in LoZ).

I also thought FS is at least one generation apart from FS (maybe connected with another Zelda title? Link and Zelda know each other already) but could go together well with FSA in the same generation (although its never clearly stated if FSA is).

@Meta-Rift there are parallel universes for the all the choices we make and DONT make in life. A Christmas Carol anyone?

@Linkstrikesback good point about the triforce. Makes sense now.

I don't know why some people are saying the Link to the Past section doesn't make sense since... you know that was the original order. OOT was the Imprisoning/Seal War.

Also I think the OOT and Link failing. Well in LTTP it says there was no Hero worthy to wield the Master Sword so they had go seal Ganon themselves. Either means when he disappeared into the future, the current timeline become the 3rd or it was just a scenario where Link never appeared in the first place. This sounds about right to me.

What if Link fails in any other game besides Ocarina of Time, then does another branch of games like Crossbow Training, Smash Bros., or the CDi games?

...but link never fails... well, i've gotten a game over in ocarina of time before but still...

@53 The Triforce was united after ALttP and in Loz they split it to hide the pieces from Ganon or else he would get the whole piece again like in LttP.

I don't believe that the games are supposed to have a connection to eachother aside from the direct sequels. Each Link is just the heir to the throne, not a reawakening or next coming.

Timeline 3 just seems like a "what if" type of thing.

"Does this sound right?"

Nope. Looking at the story of A Link to the Past, it doesn't make any sense at all. And even get me started on Wind Waker being under the adult branch...

@Mickeymac Because LttP is when the hero never showed up. Also about Wind Waker why? Did you not read the intro?

@KaiserGX

Oh yeah, that's right. Thought that was Wind Waker's story. Guess that third branch makes more sense than I thought.

The adult branch is bull. Link isn't even an adult in any of those games.

@WeirdFox Cause its a different "Incarnation" of Link a 100 years later?

Clearly @KaiserGX and I seem to be the only ones who remember the storyline of each game and have played them all.

It's called the Adult Timeline because it branches off the Timeline where Link was sealed for 7 years. So he was an adult when he fought and Ganondorf.

I dont think its exactly supposed make sense. There are still tons of Zelda game that need and are going to be made. So for all we know there is never going to actually be a "completed" timeline. Imo

@childofacid: That's not a split timeline. The ending in the past makes the ending in the future impossible, so there has to be a different outcome for both realities.

If Link dies, he dies. If he fails in Ocarina of Time, then split 1 and 2 won't happen. If he succeeds, split 3 won't happen. Either way, split 3 isn't a split.

there are parallel universes for the all the choices we make and DONT make in life. A Christmas Carol anyone?

I don't think the spiritual guilt-trip of A Christmas Carol is evidence of there being parallel universes for all the choices we make in life.

@Chicken_Brutus in A Christmas Carol Scrooge is shown what would happen if he doesn't change his ways. He is shown a bleak glimpse of his future of what will happen if he DOESN'T do anything about it.

@Chicken_Brutus No, but do you really want to get into a discussion on why quantum mechanics and the many-worlds interpretation of it could suggest that parallel universes exist? Because it's far to close to christmas for me to be doing that.

Now there's one thing left. In LttP it says there was no Hero found to be worthy of wielding it. Was this because he didn't show up at all or was it...

Link Fails - Link had received all three spiritual stones and is on his way to the Temple of Time. Zelda and Impa ride off on the horse and Zelda gives Link the Ocarina. Then Link goes to the Temple and pulls the Master Sword. STOP. This is where "Link fails". Once Link pulls the Master Sword, he doesn't come back and Hyrule falls to Ganondorf.

Hero of Time Wins (child) - Link goes back to a kid after defeating Ganon as an adult, and warns the people of Hyrule about Ganondorf. STOP. Now this is where you can prove that the 3-way-split-theory is justifiable. If Link were sent back to the exact time he left, his warning would have been too little, too late, wouldn't it? Ganondorf was already in the middle of his takeover, and Zelda had already fled. Who would he warn? Link is REALLY sent back to his first meeting with Zelda. THIS is why there are 3 timelines. The Link that collected the 3 spiritual stones and got the Ocarina of Time failed to help Zelda stop Ganondorf, and is gone in one timeline already. This is another Link that succeeded.

Hero of Time Wins (present) - Adult Link defeats Ganon, and Adult Zelda sends him back to relive his childhood. Ganon comes back in this time and without any Link to stop him, they have to flood Hyrule. STOP. What Nintendo intended is that because the adult that defeated Ganon was plucked from 7 years ago, there was no Link known to the world. The child who grew up to be an adult while sleeping in the Temple of Time is gone."

What the hell? That doesn't make sense... why are there three split time lines now? Really...?

WW > PH > ST I can get along with, but the rest of it is messing with my brain...

Thank the Video Game Gods that Nintendo didn't jack the Metroid series timeline up like they did with Zelda.

@Meta-Rift I think it´s more like if this happened, then the events in split 1 would, if the other thing happened, then the events in split 2 and so on. It still seems to be a speculated timeline the one showed up, so feel free to make changes according to what you think.

I don't think the "Link fails" path can possible occur with Link not coming back.

LTTP relies on the fact that Ganondorf gets the entire triforce at some point. Yet when he first gets to the sacred realm, he touches the triforce than a piece each goes to Link and Zelda.
Either he needs to have Link killed before he touches the triforce so that someone else gets the triforce of courage (impossible because he needs Link to open the door) or he waits the 7 years for Link to come back, then retrieves the triforce of courage (and assumedly kills link, hence him failing).

The "Link fails" branch isn't a split in the timeline, it's a what-if scenario. The other two branches are actual realities that split because they couldn't coexist.

If Link fails, then the other branches don't happen. They don't split the timeline, and they don't happen at all in any reality, because Link didn't defeat Ganondorf. If Link succeeds, the timeline splits into the child and adult branches, and branch 3 doesn't happen in any alternate timeline because Link didn't fail.

Oh god, this timeline is literally screwed up... I get the Metroid timeline, but Zelda's is just a wtf. There is a timeline in that mess somewhere, but dam, that's confusing...

Also, let's not forget, the Zelda story probably hasn't even finished yet as they'll still be making more Zelda games that'll jack up the timeline even more...

EDIT: So basically, we have 3 different parallel universes... does this now mean the Master Sword and the Ocarina of Time can warp time and reality and create parallel universes?

That just made me more confused.

It depends on how he fails though which is why I want to wait for the rest of the translated pages.

You could be right, you could be wrong,

The Metroid Time line is messed up because of Prime and Meta Ridley.

Sounds appropriate enough, but I doubt the "Link fails stage." The games seem to credit Link's victory for defeating Ganon. Besides, even if you fail, you can always try again and beat Ocarina of Time later.

Technically Link fails the people of the first world.

So what you're saying is, Link failed the people of Hyrule by letting Ganon take over and destroy Hyrule. However, Link wins by defeating Ganon in the future, saving Hyrule. Zelda sends Link back in time and he warns Hyrule of the impending doom. Either way, Link fails, then wins but ultimately wins... or does OoT then go into an infinite loop?

Link saves Hyrule, Zelda sends Link back, Link saves Hyrule, Zelda sends Link back etc...

Yes! This makes perfect sense! The only thing that's a little trippy is FSA not coming after FS but even that makes some sence! Yippee!

@KaiserGX: No matter how he fails, it wouldn't split the timeline. It would just lead into the third branch, and the other two wouldn't happen. The split wouldn't occur until after he defeated Ganon, in which case the third branch wouldn't happen at all since he obviously didn't fail.

BTW, there's nothing confusing about the Metroid timeline, and Ridley's various incarnations are almost always explained.

i havent even played half of the zelda games so i know i will never understand this but honestly 3 different timeline??!!!
i cant imagine that even zelda fans could understand this.

for me every zelda is just the same stuff to be honest. but it is fun to play anyway.
i hope they will make major changes for the next installments. hyrule looks almost the same in every game.

¨Link Fails" does not mean you got a game over XD. When child Link picks up the Master Sword, he leaves that timeline for the adult timeline, thus Ganon can take over Hyrule as Link left for the future. In the new Adult timeline, Ganon is defeated but Link ceases to exist as hes sent back in time before he can enter the temple of time (before meeting Zelda or needing to save the Deku tree) and is able to warn everyone about Ganondorf, creating a third timeline. Thats my understanding at least.

hmm if this is legit, I'm totally bamboozled by the third split. only thing i can think of is that it is an alternative time line split created because of the break in space time continuum. if you don't follow think of back to the future part 2. because of link traveling through time and changing certain events he in turn creates and alternate timeline, hence the 3rd split. aka alternate reality.

@22. No, the child branch is were he is sent back (You see him sent back in OoT's ending) and stops Ganon as a child so he couldn't take over hyrule.

@Jumpman
Mario timeline is what you'll get!

1. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
2. Mario Bros.
3. Super Mario Bros.
4. Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels
5. Super Mario Bros. 2
6. Super Mario Bros. 3
7. Super Mario World
8. Super Mario 64
9. Super Mario Sunshine
10. New Super Mario Bros.
11. New Super Mario Bros. Wii
12. Super Mario 3D Land
13. Super Mario Galaxy
14. Super Mario Galaxy 2

That's the one I always use.

Do you really think they had any planning regarding a time line back in 1986? Where do the CDi games fit? I guess those don't count just because they are crap.

Zelda is a cash cow, and while the series includes some awesome games there is little rhyme or reason to connect some kind of greater meta plot to most releases.

by 'link fails', i think they mean 'link fails (to appear)' in that universe — he picks up the sword in OoT and disappears from that timeline, only going back to the then-present for a couple events (Lens of Truth, etc.), thus leaving it open for aLttP to happen. the timeline he reappears in as an adult, he winds up defeating Ganon there, and then when he's turned back into a child for good and sent 'back', he's sent to a third timeline altogether thanks to adult-Zelda's power — can't have two Links meeting child-Zelda at the same time — defeating Ganon due to his timely warnings and knowledge of what's to come.

it took me a few minutes to muddle through, but overall it makes decent sense to me that there would be three distinct timelines going there.

I found a problem. FSA explains how Ganon got the Trident for ALttP.

I know. Split 3 should go after 1 but I don't think they want to deal with the whole Sealed War. Because FSA was originally going to be the Sealed War (and a prequel to LttP) since it didn't happen in that Timeline since Ganondorf was executed before he got the Triforce. Seeing how Miyamoto scrapped a lot of the story I think they scrapped that all together as well.

So in the end, the Seal War stands as OOT. This way LttP still has the original timeline. And FSA mirrors the Seal War like Twilight Princess mirrors the events of OOT that never happened.

Wind Waker and Link to the Past share the Seal War story in a sense (but different). Twilight Princess no such thing happens until Four Swords Adventures.

this... timeline of yours doesnt make much sense to me. maybe its because i dont have a wii and i havent played TP or SS. but what i DO know is that the minish cap BEGINS the series, because it explains how link first got his hat AND how you can assume how link is able to find the things he finds under pots and rocks(the minish hide them there).

i DEFINATELY agree with the split timeline theory.

Minish Cap can't be the first. Play SS and then you will see why.

ERA ONE: LINK VS GANON
The Legend of Zelda
Adventure of Link

ERA TWO: LINK VS OTHER SORCERERS
Link's Awakening
Oracle of Ages/Seasons
A Link to the Past
Phantom Hourglass
Spirit Tracks

ERA THREE: LINK VS VAATI
Four Swords
Four Swords Adventures
Minish Cap

ERA FOUR: LINK VS REVIVED GANON (GANONDORF)
Ocarina of Time
Majora's Mask
Wind Waker
Twilight Princess
Skyward Sword

#98 Makes sense!!

The more I think of this idea the more I like it. It makes much more sense than the fan timelines.

@Mikau94: it explains it, but that doesn't mean the same events couldn't have occurred in Link's absence during the 'fail' timeline.

@WeirdFox what the HELL is this????

Link vs Ganon
Legend of Zelda
Four Sword's Adventures
A Link to the Past

Link vs Vaati
Four Swords
Minish Cap
Four Swords Adventures

Link vs Ganondorf
Ocarina of Time
Wind Waker
Twilight Princess

Link vs Ganon (revived)
Oracle of Ages/Seasons

Link vs Dark Link
Adventure of Link
Ocarina of Time

my head hurts.

Don't you all see?
It's a metaphor that is so deep that it produces a meaning which makes itself irrelevant and then you realize you are very small and life flows on within you and without you.

I call bull, none of this makes any sense going by developer comments, what's already confirmed in the games, and simple common sense

@theblackdragon: That makes a little more sense, but wouldn't it just be the adult timeline then? He pulls out the sword and seven years later he defeats Ganon. I mean, the characters even remember who he is after all that time.

That sounds correct to me, but I thought Nintendo said they would never give away the timeline?

@Meta-Rift: sorry, i'm lost — what exactly are you referring to, and which game(s)? this is an easy topic to get mixed up in :3

@Link245: apparently they're dirty, dirty liars

I don't know but if this turns out true I am not going to argue about it.

Link didn't travel 7 years into the future after he got the master sword when he was 10 years old. He simply fell asleep in the sacred realm and awoke 7 years later when he was ready to wield the sword. Therefore, a timeline split wouldn't happen until he was 17 and he first traveled back in time to be young Link again to fulfill some quest in the game.

Nintendo's right. They're always right. Do not question me, mortals. They're just right anyway.

NOW BE SILENCED, Y'ALL.

If this is true... Then it's true, and it's useless to continue this mind- numbing debate any further. It's almost the same timeline i've thought, based on the developers comments. The "Link Fails"- part is a surprise though. Also, i'm pretty sure that some of you will continue to defend your own imaginary timelines, even if Nintendo reveals the real one. That's pretty dumb.

@116 That was only for the first time though... you travel back and forth with your items freely after that. That's not going back to sleep or awakening.

Oh. Dear. GOD.

This changes everything.

@TBD: I meant comment #98. The "Link fails to appear" thing.

@Meta-Rift: ah, I get what you're saying now, i think — the problem is that he's taken someplace to sleep for seven years thanks to the power of a Sage and not the Ocarina. The way I'm seeing it, the Sages can switch timelines entirely (they've got mystical Sage-y powers, lol), but the Ocarina can only bounce someone back and forth within the same line... it would explain the 'fail[s to appear]' split easily (thanks to Rauru putting him to sleep), and also the child split when he returns (under Zelda's power), if that makes any sense. _{it does to me, at least D:}

with the aforementioned reasoning in mind, the reason people would still remember him in the future portion of the Adult timeline is because he has to go back and forth so many times within the Adult line completing quests anyway. It's also entirely possible that the Adult timeline's original Link had been doing the same things before he pulled the sword and was whisked away by a Rauru, also explaining why he'd made the same preparations and met the same people who remember him as a child. Where he ended up, I suppose we'll never know, but if he was slated to appear in the original timeline and failed to show... well, there we have it :3

I'm just going to say I'm for a linear time line (Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy, all changes to the time line already happened amd don't change anything). More importantly there now that that is out of the way, the error is at the start. Nintendo already said that Skyward Sword is the only thing (out) earlier then OoT. Which disproves this one. Also it seems likely that any game with out the master sword comes after Wind Walker, were the sword is lost, but that is just my own theories.

I have to say, I dreaded the moment that Nintendo released the official timeline, but (assuming that this rumour turns out to be true) seems like a good timeline.

The third split is easy to explain. Link dies while trying to defeat Ganon, and so the sages have to seal him without him being defeated by Link. That way he can take over the Sacred Realm, leading into aLttP.

Obviously, the idea of a split after every game where Link could possibly fail is a bit of a plot hole, but surely, the canon timeline includes Link failing in OoT, but not in every game. This throws a really interesting fact into the Zelda timeline, considering that officially, Link has failed at one point to defend Hyrule, leading to the third split.

The only thing that doesn't make sense is FSA coming waaaay after FS, but hopefully we'll get an English translation and all will be revealed.

A third timeline where Link fails in his quest? GREAT SCOTT!

@43: Dude, there were six sages, not seven.

No no no. Four Swords Adventures does not take place after Twilight Princess. It's supposed to be linked with the original Four Swords, it's a direct sequel.

@YelloWishua (127)

Zelda is the seventh sage (as mentioned in Ocarina of Time).

Skyward Sword ruined everything by claiming Zelda was the goddess "Hylia" incarnate. How can Zelda be a goddess and sage at the same time?

Again, if this is real, I'd like to know at which point in the game Link canonically fails.

I just can't come to grips with this. I hope this is a mistranslation or something. The third timeline implies that, in one of their meetings, Ganon killed Link. And that's canon!

Besides sucking to think Ganon has won in the past, it doesn't make sense. A Link to the Past is the follow up in that scenario. In the intro for A Link to the Past, it describes Hyrule as "a beautiful kingdom surrounded by forests and mountains". How would this still be so if Link failed, and Hyrule remained the wasteland depicted in the Adult Link timeline?

Next, in the intro... "legends told of an omnipotent and omniscient Golden Power that lay hidden. It was hidden in a sacred realm beyond the reach of men..." If Link failed, it's easy to assume Ganon killed Zelda too, and gained all three Triforce pieces. So, how did Ganon come to lose it, and how did it become hidden in the Dark World pyramid?

Then, there's the gate to the realm opening, and the people killing each other trying to reach the Triforce. How did the Dark World even come to be, unless it's considered to be the future Hyrule from OoT where Ganon has completed the Triforce. But, the Triforce is hidden. So, again, how did Ganon lose it? The sages presumably weren't freed, or not all of them were. So, what could they do?

That's next on the agenda. "... the king commanded seven sages to seal the gate to the land of the Golden Power." These would have to be NEW sages. And how do the towns in Zelda II: The Adventure of Link come to be named after the OoT sages if they never made an impact? I'm sure there are more logic errors I've not even thought of yet.

I'm calling BS on this. And I don't mean Broadcast Satellaview! Holes like cheese of the Swiss, there are! Maybe Shiggy should retire, so he'll have time to think of a timeline explanation that makes sense to everybody!

I'm guessing that Link gets killed by Ganon during the final battle, after he has awakened the sages. Then, after his death, without time for Ganon to take over the whole of Hyrule, the sages find a way to seal him, without him being defeated by Link. That's in keeping with the town names on AoL.

Seems like the Ocarinahero timeline.

Firstly, the only logical time for Link to "fail" is after he revives all the sages, and causes princess zelda to show herself, but then die in the attempt storming Ganons castle, else Ganon would never complete the triforce in link to teh past

@KaiserGX Gameplay and story segregation. Yeah, you take back bottles and item size upgrades with you, but they're the only items you can actually take back and use.
All the proper items that you obtain to use are either found in the past, or only usable in the future.

@YelloWishua No, in link tot he past, the seal is made by seven sages. Not by the ones link gathered, hence why it's under the section "Link Fails".

@tendoboy1984
There is no way four swords adventures is a direct sequal to the original four swords.
For one thing, the entire game hinges on link being tricked into drawing the four sword, whereas the first four-swords Link is the one responsible for sealing Vaati into it, and would have been fully aware he would escape if he drew the sword.

Second: It can't be before Ocarina of time like you're claiming : Ganon exists. Ganondorf wasn't ever (at least not shown...) to be able to take the form of Ganon without the triforce of power, thus it is after Ocarina of time.

Third: I thas to be a significant amount of time between four swords and four sword adventures for the seal on vaati to weaken.

@FluttershyGuy
All of those are easy to answer.
Link to the past is the follow up to that scenario, like you said.

""Hyrule is as "a beautiful kingdom surrounded by forests and mountains". How would this still be so if Link failed, and Hyrule remained the wasteland depicted in the Adult Link timeline?"

Because, if you watch the rest of the intro, the king stepped in with an army and stopped Ganon, while seven sages as appointed by him sealed him in the sacred realm, just like Link&Zelda were going to, the process of which caused lots of his soliders to die.
Theres no reason that the seven sages SHOULDN'T include the same 6 who were originally going to do it, after all, why would they stop fighting ganon just because Link died? There is also the fact that in Zelda 2, there is a town named Mido, where the rest have names of sages. Easy to think the last sage was the leader of the kokiri who was named Mido.
This is supported more by the fact Ganon has the entire triforce in LTTP which he could only have gotten from Link&Zelda

"If Link failed, it's easy to assume Ganon killed Zelda too, and gained all three Triforce pieces. So, how did Ganon come to lose it, and how did it become hidden in the Dark World pyramid?"

Which is exactly what happened. He at the very least took both the triforce of courage and wisdom from Zelda and Link, and had them in LTTP.

The dark world came to be because that was ganons wish. He was unable to leave the sacred realm, but used the entire triforce to create the dark world after he was sealed there. Furthermore, he never lost the triforce or hid it. He kept it int he dark pyramid as you siad; the direct equivilant of Hyrule castle in the dark world, and so clearly Ganons base of operations. You never see the triforce until Ganon is killed, he knew exactly where it was.

Link fails branch?

Oh geez Nintendo. Now you're just making stuff up! lol

Hate to break this to you Hardy83, but it's all made up, dude.

I find the Link fails timeline thing kinda epic. Hero´s can fail too and then the Sages somehow sealed Ganondorf away.

I guess I need to have played more than 5 of these games to even start to understand this.

Well this makes less sense than Metal Gear Solid.

ok honestly.. that explanation of there is totally bogus.

i'm gonna have to ask what about Zelda 1, and Zelda 2 for the Nes. shouldnt those be first in the story time line?

and why does he keep changing age and height so much?

When Zelda 2 was introduced (if I recall correctly) it was supposed to take place in the "far, far future" and Link is taller in that one than in the original. Zelda 1 seems like it would be the first to me because Link looks like a baby boy in it lol Oh, and Link changes height a lot because suddenly one day Nintendo thought it would be a good idea to make Link cartoonish, so he shrunk. I know that doesn't explain anything, but... lol I think basically that Link keeps having to save the princess over and over again because Ganon messed with the essence of time and so we keep finding ourselves battling him and others to free Zelda. Kind of makes sense if you think about it in a 'he messed up the timeline of everything' kind of way.

The whole timeline of Zelda is a time paradox in and of itself. So we can keep playing these games over and over again and new ones will pop up in the future. I think Nintendo needs to give us this sort of explanation so we timeline freaks will be happy. Personally, if Zelda keeps selling and they keep making new games, I don't think they'll care to explain the timeline at all. At this point, unless a time paradox of some sort is involved, you really CANT explain it anyway.

@KaelSTW & @Linkstrikesback
Crap. I do appreciate the explanations. Still, I was actually hoping nobody would be able to present it to me in a way that would convince me that there's a scenario where Link & Zelda could've died, LOL. Things actually make quite a bit of sense now leading into ALttP.

This means the earliest Zelda games, including the original, are part of a timeline where Link & Zelda fail and/or die. Which means my favorite Zelda games are a result of failure! Does the existence of this third tragic ending to OoT timeline make logical sense to everybody else, or is it just a way for Miyamoto to make the pieces fall together?

At any rate, excuse me while I curl into a fetal position and cry myself to sleep... Evil isn't supposed to win, unless it's in like college football or something.

@Linkstrikesback makes a good point of how in the ALTTP storyline Ganon is sealed away by the sages without the help of Link. A lot of people forget that. Maybe the third timeline is the way Nintendo has chosen to reconcile the different accounts of the Imprisoning War found in ALTTP and OOT. Actually, I think it works pretty well.

This timeline, coupled with what tbd has said, makes perfect sense.

Think about it, in Ocarina of Time, Link defeats Ganondorf thanks to his ability of time travel. So, there must be at least one timeline were there is no Link (because he has traveled to another one), whether it is when he first picks the Master Sword or when he goes back in time to get the lens of truth or anything like that. So, in a timeline where there is no Link, Zelda (disguised as Sheik) has to awaken the new 6 sages by herself (the old ones were killed by Ganondorf) in order to seal Ganondorf in the sacred realm. But, this time Ganondorf has the chance to create Agahnim, his alter ego to get him out of the sacred realm in the future, leading to the events of a link to the past.

The only problem left with this timeline would be that the trident Ganon had in a Link to the Past was supposedly the one he got from Four Swords Adventures, but I think that is just because FSA was originally a prequel of Alttp, but then Miyamoto came in and turned it into a sequel, so its connections with Alttp don't matter so much.

Happy birthday, tbd.

HEY, technically link can fail in OoT. If you die at the battle with Ganon, or anywhere else, he dies. The only reason you can keep going is because its a game, in real life he would have failed. It make some sense to me, i would have to analyze it a little further but i can't think of any obvious contradictions within the games present with this timeline

Hmm yeah I could this how this timeline makes sense link to the past makes more sense in this timeline, as in that game he had gained the Triforce.

Does Link ever "fail" or cease to exist in any timeline in Ocarina of Time, though? It seems to me more like he was just locked away for 7 years... not that he failed and left in one timeline while in another he came back and defeated Ganondorf. Maybe in an existential "every possible decision you make creates separate parallel but distinct universes, resulting in an infinite multiverse" scenario, sure, but I don't think it makes sense to have 3 branches in the strict time travelling conundrum sense.

i understand the first two splits but the third?

No need to cry @FluttershyGuy! Evil still doesn't win in the third timeline starting scenario. Ganon is still defeated, it just isn't by Link.

Also, Link doesn't have to die in this scenario. He could have been too injured to continue fighting or something. Or maybe in the process of time traveling something goes wrong and he's not able to return back to Hyrule.

Isnt the Link from both Four swords games the same one??

Also, lol, this topic gathers SO MUCH attention.

in A Christmas Carol Scrooge is shown what would happen if he doesn't change his ways. He is shown a bleak glimpse of his future of what will happen if he DOESN'T do anything about it.

I'm aware of the plot of A Christmas Carol, but it's not even an argument for parallel universes within its own reality (it's just as likely a spiritual guilt-trip, as I said, or a hallucination brought on my guilt, or an undigested bit of beef) let alone our own. Dickens had a lot to say on the human condition, but he never really resorted to sci-fi to get his point across.

do you really want to get into a discussion on why quantum mechanics and the many-worlds interpretation of it could suggest that parallel universes exist?
Yes.

You know what? This is the timeline I'm sticking with until I get actual confirmation.

Skyward Sword
(New Link)
Ocarina of Time
(SPLIT!)
(Child Timeline, w/Epona)
Majora's Mask
Oracle of Seasons
Oracle of Ages
Twilight Princess)
(Adult Timeline, w/o Link)
(New Link)
Wind Waker
Phantom Hourglass
(New Link)
Spirit Tracks
(New Link)
Minish Cap
Four Swords
Four Swords Adventures
A Link to the Past
Link's Awakening
Legend of Zelda
Adventure of Link

That's just me.

@FluttershyGuy - Don't worry, there are no games were Link fails, yet. Also the opening suggested that there was a large blood line steaming from a link and the link in A Link to the Past is the last descendent. Meaning that Link had to live in the game that came before it.

However most of Link's descendants did die in that battle because none of them were the hero himself, it's explained by the uncle at the start of the game. I just love how everyone ignores my point that wrecked the whole thing, lol.

I couldn't believe it when I saw I am deffinatly buying this book when it is out in canada because my mind is completly blown.

@154 the CDi games don't count since those are complete failures everyone wants to forget.

Where I'm having an issue is the connection of Skyward Sword to Minish Cap and Twilight Princess to Four Swords Adventures... I'm not getting the connections there. I look at the "Four Swords" series as Minish Cap (How Vaati came about and the beginning of splitting Link in 4), Four Swords (Vaati returns), and Four Swords Adventures (Vaati wants another go... then pitchfork Ganon a la LttP Ganon drops in). Now what does make sense is the Wind Waker through Spirit Tracks, and the LttP through Zelda II timelines, that's spot on. I think I'm starting to understand the idea of Link no existing or whatever in OoT... I think LttP's storyline can be born of Link being "between" past and future in OoT, and that "between" time leads to the Sages of the Sacred War (Imprisonment War) sealing away Ganon without even mention of the Hero of Time. I'll hold my reservations until I hear Nintendo confirm this for sure...

how dare you confuse me a god my unfinish theory is this which might clear the failed link or link dies but thats where i confuse my self with it
(1)
OOT
link grabs mastersword FROZEN OR SLEEP

(2)
The Transition between Child and adult a timeline where there is no link this is where they prayed for the hero of time but never shows up you even get the message from ganondorf thanking link forgot his exact words so this could open up for interpretation of the sages sealing him away however the confusing part is how did the sages awaken???????

(3)
in here we have the link ariving in the future from the past now able to weild the mastersword (1) defeats ganon or dorf not exactly sure on that part then zelda feels bad for taking 7 years of his life away from him so sends him back without the orcaria of time

(4) does he go back to (1) timeline OH HELL NO how could he since he doesnt have the Orcarnia of time with him hence the (4) timeline happpening so theres really 2 child branchs one where link succeds one where link fails and presumably dies

thats my unfinish theory which honestly will probably never be finish lol

AHHHHHHHHHHHHH NOW THERES THREE SPLITS?!?!?!?!
i THOUGHT THE FIST SPLIT TIMELINE WAS WEIRD, AND NOW THIS?

Who cares about a timeline? As AVGN says, they're all meant to be enjoyed as individual unconnected stories.

Watch AVGN Episode 40 - Chronologically Confused About Zelda. You'll get the idea

Add to that, James Rolfe (aka AVGN) says out of the Nerd character, "Don't take it too seriously."

This made sense until I read the Alttp manual again and decided that none of the games correspond well with the description of the imprisoning war. Now my head hurts.

Mario Time Line:
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
Mario's Cement Factory
Donkey Kong/Donkey Kong '94
Mario Vs Donkey Kong Series
Wrecking Crew/Wrecking Crew '94
Mario Bros.
Super Mario Bros.
New Super Mario Bros.
Super Mario Bros. 2 (a.k.a. The Lost Levels)
Super Mario USA
Super Mario Bros. 3
Dr. Mario
Super Mario Land
Super Mario Land 2
Super Mario 3D Land
Super Mario World
New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Mario Is Missing
'Mario's Time Machine
Super Mario 64/Super Mario 64 DS
Super Mario Sunshine
Super Mario Galaxy
Super Mario Galaxy 2

...And this is why I don't care about the Zelda timeline. Pointlessly complicated, confusing continuity,and just flat out pointless.

Link the Hero of Timeline

@Gmls719 Yeah, but its fun to argue about.

@Usagi-san

The Manual has some really ****ed up translations. Get ahold of the Japanese Translation. Such as the Master Sword already existing long before where in the English it says the sages created it for defeating Ganon.

@123: That makes a lot more sense then this "Link dies" nonsense. I still don't understand why it splits, but I get how it fits together. I'm going to stop thinking about this now.

I don't see how a third path is so much harder to understand than a second. Even if Link's failure is a "what if," the writers of the story can make up whatever they want. I'm glad that even though the timeline is unconfirmed, some people are capable of grasping this possibility. I've noticed a lot of talk about Link to the Past in these comments. I haven't played the original, but the GBA version makes little to no mention of the plot elements people keep bringing up. Nintendo probably grew tired of the original story and struck it from the canon.

@JayArr couldn'tve said it better myself.

actually that makes sense because if you think about it zelda sort of rushed link to get all 3 pendants forgot what they were actually called to pull out the mastersword

though in fact she had a dream and was right about ganondorf being evil etc she miss interperted the fact link was only suppose to pull it out when the time is right thus the sword or what else trapped him till hes of age

so because of this there was no hero of time to stop him so the sages somehow awaken without link sealed ganon away

so really zelda made a big misake instead of link by rushing link instead of waiting till hes of age then the timelne wouldnt be screwed up

how this makes any sense look at most of the other zelda games link was adult pulling out the mastersword so the timeline stayed as is

pfffftt zelda screwed us all all because she made a rash decision as a young girl

@163
wow, you put me to shame...

The awfull truth is that there isn't a real timeline. There are so many things you have to consider, that you never can make a timeline that is 100% accurate. Not to mention that the possibility of a split timeline just messes with the mind. Nintendo people have contradicted themselfes in the past by bringing up totally different timelines from time to time.

Nintendo always does gameplay first and Story second. They don't find the story very important. And to look at it at a totally different way: Maybe it's just one legend eternily retold, just in different ways.

However, it is fun to speculate about a possible timeline. That's why Nintendo does include some intriguing things (Like the Gerudo dragonfly in Skyward sword). It keeps us talking, wich is fun AND a good marketing tool. Nintendo says that there is a document in a safe, but I don't believe it! Nintendo doesn't know the timeline themselfes!

So I think the text inside the book is just another Nintendo interpretation of a timeline that does contradict their other timelines. I can't say much about it myself at the moment, since I have still not beaten Skyward sword. Maybe I speculate further when I have finished it!

The following ramble contains many grammar mistakes that I'm too tired to correct, you have been warned.
Well, if this is real then besides the Link fails branch and the placement of Four Swords Adventures, this follows the timeline that I've been thinking. This is just my own explanation, disagree if you want, I'm sticking with it.
For the "Link Fails" split, I'm thinking it means that Link never became the Hero of Time to begin with. Either he never left Kokiri Forest to begin with (either by refusing his destiny or dying in the Great Deku Tree) or he died in his quest to obtain the spiritual stones (or he gave up his quest to live a life with Malon and Talon, possible but unlikely). Since Link never opened the door to the Sacred Realm for Ganondorf to go in and steal the Triforce of Power, he may have ended up amassing his army and caused the Imprisoning War mentioned in ALttP to get the Triforce himself (I truly believe that Ganondorf knew of all of Link's exploits in getting the stones and that he had planned for Link to open the door FOR him. If Link failed to get the stones, then Ganondorf would have had to change his plans). This eventually leads to ALttP, though since it says Link leaves Hyrule after ALttP I would've thought it would go straight to Awakening. Though, having the Oracle games come first still makes sense, since he did pretty much leave Hyrule for other places. Continuing onward to the original Zelda game and its sequel, I believe there may be several unmade (so far) Zelda games in between Awakening and the original to show that the Link in the original is different from the ALttP, Oracle, and Awakening Link and how Ganon could be alive once again to kidnap Zelda in the original.
For the Adult split, well remember, after Link defeated Ganon and had him sealed away using the power of the Sages, Hyrule was already in shambles. Eventually what remained of the Hyrule's population rebuilt, even though their hero and princess are both gone (Link having gone back to the past and Zelda being a sage). It's possible another game may be made to show Ganon breaking out of his imprisonment to invade Hyrule once again with his armies, and with the Goddess (probably with the help of a new hero) moving Hyrule's peoples to the mountains and having Hyrule Castle sealed away with the rest of Hyrule being flooded. This leads to Wind Waker and the games after it.
As for the Child split, the child split actually starts when Link was sent back in time by Zelda to warn her younger self and the King of the threat that Ganondorf presents to Hyrule. This leads to Ganondorf being arrested and eventually almost being executed by the sages, shown in the beginning of Twilight Princess. And if you remember, Navi leaves Link after he returns to the past. Majora's Mask mentions Link entering The Lost Woods to find a friend, that friend being Navi, who had left him after he fulfilled his duty as the Hero of Time and prevented Ganondorf from coming to power. Twilight Princess takes place afterwards, hundreds of years later. Not entirely sure how Adventures would take place after TP though. Obviously it has to take place after Four Swords, but it will also have to take place after OoT, since Ganon appears in it as the final boss. Nintendo will have to have a game planned showing Ganondorf reborn or revived after TP and before Adventures, then I'll accept it, because he's pretty much dead at the end of TP.
This is just my own explanation, using all my knowledge of the Zelda series. You'll have to remember, the timeline is just sort of a flexible outline for the series. The Legend of Zelda is ongoing, it is not over. Nintendo could make games to further extend the series' story onward, or games to fill in the many gaps in the timeline (or games to make even MORE gaps). If this is real, then certain parts that don't make sense now, could make sense when a new game comes out. So while the people who disagree with me disagree with me, I'll wait for the new Zelda 3DS to come out, and see what its placement in this timeline is (and enjoy it of course).

Also, does anyone else think Nintendo should remake the Oracle games into one 3D Classic, that replaces the password system with an easier transfer system? I personally wouldn't mind spending $12-15 on it if they did.

I KNEW Link's awakening was AFTER the oracle games! I KNEW it!

Zelda 2 being the final game in the series chronologically has always made sense to me, just based on the fact that it's the game in which you rescue the ORIGINAL Zelda (hint: The Zelda you rescue in Zelda 2 is not the same as the one you rescued in Zelda 1, even though Link is the same guy. Go read the manual if you don't believe me.) and thus its story book-ends the series nicely.

Link's Awakening could really go just about anywhere (even after Zelda 2 really) as it is All Just a Dream and takes place after Link saves Zelda, which he does in Zelda 1 & 2, LttP, OOT, WW, TMC, TP.... let's see, did I miss any? (To my shame, I haven't finished SS yet, but I'm assuming he does there too)

Still, this timeline troubles me. How could there really be a third branch from OOT? Potentially you could say "Link fails" for any game and make a new branch — why just OOT? And what do they mean putting LttP in that branch? The backstory clearly states that Ganon was able to get the Triforce and that he was then sealed in the Dark Realm by "7 wise men" (so some of the genders are wrong — big whoop), both of which happen in the course of completing OOT. If Link had actually failed, wouldn't Zelda have been killed? How could the Zelda in LttP be a descendent of the sages who never sealed Ganon in the first place? Unless they're saying that 7 DIFFERENT wise men came out of nowhere and sealed him later, which is an even bigger stretch. If the Hero of Time failed, how could they succeed, and if the royal line of Hyrule is extinguished, why are the princesses still named Zelda?

In short, this timeline doesn't make sense, and I'm not going to believe this rumor until I hear it straight from Nintendo.

I don't like the fact that someone is trying to create and make sense out of the Zelda timeline. There is something intriguing about not knowing the exact chronological order of a series--in fact, must there even be a chronological order?

If there is order and time, then it is unknown to us and is still coming together, in pieces. Regardless, it may remain ambiguous but that's just the mystical and mysterious aspect of the series.

Well, I don't see why the Four Swords games have an uneven split between them. Neither do I see why the Oracle games come between ALttP and LA.

And I still don't quite understand how the child/ adult timelines work. I understand that its based on the end of Ocarina of Time, where Link is sent back to the past, but if he IS sent back to the past, then why is there a separate adult timeline? What's done is done, right? Zelda DID take him back to his childhood, and so he could not have continued as an adult even if he wanted to.

Split 4: Link beats the running man in OOT, which distorts the fabric of space and time. This causes everyone to become horribly disfigured, thus leading to the CD-i Zeldas...

@Qwikman_N_Bass: as I understand it, the Adult timeline is the one Link left after having defeated Ganon/dorf as an adult, and the Child timeline is the one to which he is sent back by Zelda at the end of OoT. The Adult timeline would deal with the aftermath of the battle, with the destroyed castle needing rebuilt and whatnot, and the Child timeline would deal with Link thwarting Ganondorf's plans before they came to fruition.

_{i didn't exactly major in Hylian History, though, so I could be wrong :3}

Let's just pretend that the games aren't supposed to have anything to do with one another aside from the direct sequels. Kay?

@181 - Definitely for the best, I think!

I've always preferred the 'mystery' of the Zelda timeline. Much like Final Fantasy, I've always liked the fact that each Zelda game is its own independent story (aside from direct sequels, obviously).

Some of these responses in this thread are truly LOL-worthy

If you don't understand the timeline that does not mean it doesn't exist. Also I think someone needs to explain what "Link Fails" in the original post means, it does not mean you got a game over in OoT. This timeline makes perfect sense to me

@Koto Yes! Totally! Nintendo needs to release a "Zelda: Oracles" game and just combine the two as a VC game. Hell, they could charge $10 for it and I'd still buy it!

@NTELLIGENTMAN

New Super Mario Bros. DS can't be part of the original Super Mario Bros. series, since it has Bowser Jr. in it. It has to take place after Super Mario Sunshine, cause that's where Mario meets Bowser Jr. for the first time.

Here's my timeline:
Yoshi's Island
Donkey Kong / Donkey Kong GB
Mario Bros.
Super Mario Bros.
Super Mario Bros. The Lost Levels
Super Mario Bros. 2
Super Mario Bros. 3
Super Mario World
Super Mario Land (Super Mario Land 2 and the Wario Land games take place in an alternate universe)
Mario vs DK series (they can't take place during the original Donkey Kong games, because Toad and Peach have toy cameos)
Super Mario 64 (Super Mario 64 DS is a "retelling" of this adventure)
Super Mario Sunshine (Mario meets Bowser Jr. for the first time)
Super Mario Galaxy
Super Mario Galaxy 2
New Super Mario Bros. DS
New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Koopalings return after a long leave of absence, with Bowser Jr. as their leader)
Super Mario RPG (the Paper Mario games take place in an alternate universe)

@tendoboy1984 Where does Super Mario 3-D Land fit in?

the biggest fudge of a timeline I have ever seen!

Yeah Zelda games don't need a timeline, they just make certain references to one another for familiarity's sake. Just like Mario they are made with gameplay first, and the story fits around it. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

Well this is what I got so far.

Super Mario Kart
This is where it all begins, people. Donkey Kong is still a Junior and Koopa races the tracks as Wario has not appeared yet. Depending on the outcome of the Mushroom Kingdom Grand Prix, the timeline splits.

IF MARIO WINS
Mario Kart: Super Circuit
There is no need for Mario to use his influence to change the style of kart racing. Wario stomps on Koopa, rendering him unable to race and guaranteeing himself a shot. Donkey Kong grows up. This split ends because Mario wins too much.

IF MARIO LOSES
Mario Kart 64
Mario is furious at losing the GP on the last lap of Rainbow Road to Koopa. Mario stomps Koopa himself, paving the way for his arch-nemsis Wario to enter the fray. Donkey Kong grows up. Mario's bending of the rules cause him to hoist the Kingdom GP gold trophy. Which leads to...

Mario Kart DS
Mario is thrilled to finally hoist the cup and keeps the rules relatively similar to before. Several new characters join the race. The timline then splits here again depending on how well Mario does.

IF MARIO LOSES AGAIN
Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
Fed up of not winning all the time, Mario decides to incorporate a two-person dynamic into the kart racing, hopefully to give him an edge by pairing up with a better driver. Unfortunately his special attack sucks.

IF MARIO WINS AGAIN
Mario Kart 7
Mario opens another GP similar to the one before. A myriad of new racers joins the game. Mario is severely outclassed by one of the newcomers, Rosalina, and has his mustachioed butt handed to him. Furious he ...

Mario Kart Wii
Introduces racing bikes! Mario had these up his sleeves all the time, knowing that he would have a supreme competitive edge with this new style of racing. However, everyone started picking them, causing him to wonder why it's still called Mario Kart.

... Oh you mean this isn't the MK timeline thread? Bummer...

Always thought the last train in Spirit Tracks is the one featured in Back To The Future Part III. Nice to hear i'm not paranoid.

And like lz20XX (47.) said we've only got ourselves to blame for the complicated "Link fails in OoT" branch.

Also: Release of a compilation in 2016 confirmed. For TLoZ's 30th anniversary you'll be a ble to play the whole adventure (so far) in chronogical order on the Wii U. Peter Jackson will be involved.

Why are there 3 splits? Why isn't Split 2 just added onto the end of Split 1, seeing as those games are meant to be set many years after the others anyway?

@156
CDi games sucked and weren't even licensed by Nintendo

I still stick by my timeline.

The Legend of Zelda
The Adventure of Link
A Link to the Past
Link's Awakening
Ocarina of Time
Majora's Mask
Oracle of Seasons and Ages
Four Swords
The Wind Waker
Four Swords Adventures
The Minish Cap
Twilight Princess
Phantom Hourglass
Spirit Tracks
Skyward Sword

@pntjr - best timeline ever

I have a feeling there will be a branch of 4-100 in there somewhere too like what if Link fails to save Termina in Majora's Mask, if Link lost in dream in Link's Awakening, if he never awakened Zelda in Zelda II, if he never found the golden orb in ALLTP which he will remain a rabbit, etc. Really the guy who made these branch sucks.

sounds perfect

If there is a time line split where Link fails in 'Ocarina of Time', wouldn't there have to be a split for every single game, just for the possibility that Link fails? I don't think Link is allowed to lose, or fail the game, unless there is some sort of future game where he loses in the plot, or dies.

The more I look at this, the more I like it.

For those of you asking about the possibility of Link failing in every game, and therefore there being a split for every game, consider this:

If this is the official timeline, then it is canon. Therefore, it is canon that Link succeeds in every single game, no possibility for him to fail. The only exception to this is OoT, where (again, considering that this is official) as well as succeeding in defeating Ganon and therefore splitting the timeline into two, Link also canonically fails at some point (which I believe to be him being killed in the final battle). This is therefore the only canon example of Link failing in his quest, and therefore, because it is canon, it creates another split in the timeline.

I do like this timeline.

I love how some of you keep going back to 'but Link could possibly fail in every game' — of course he could! no one's not saying that! it's just that they haven't explored those possibilities yet. Only the Ocarina possibilities have apparently been explored so far.

the Hero of Time failing is always a very real possibility given the dangers he faces in each and every game. I think there could be some interesting new timeline splits were he to fail in this game or that game and they chose to explore those paths too. :3

@ 199 Zelda II drives home that point a bit

Yeah, the "between time periods" sits well with me, or, the "nethertime" giving rise to the LttP timeline... I CAN live with that. I can't live with the Four Swords trilogy being split apart though... whereEVER that is put, all three games need to stay together. NL, stay on top of this please, I NEEEEEEED this confirmed, I beg of you guys!

I think this is the first time i've seen the comments go over 200. Guess this show's how much people care about a timeline.

wait how come links an adult in SS but a kid in OOT is it possible that link and zelda had a child before OOT and when the civil war broke out princess zelda escaped with her child, and link senior died in battle and that links unknown mother is zelda, then in the future link jr grew up and became known as just link but the zelda he knew was another zelda in the royal family who just happened to look like the zelda in ss.

Makes perfect Sense to me, here, let me explain.

First Link goes through Skyward Sword.
Next link goes through Minish Cap.
After that Four Swords happens.
New Link arrives, Events of Ocarina of Time happen, Split happens.
Split A: After OoT, Link goes to search for Navi, events of MM happen.
Twilight Princess happens way after this (lots of MM references in it though.)
Four Swords Adventures happens? (Never played that one )
Split B: After years after OoT, Wind Waker happens.
Descendamts of Wind Waker Link go through PH and ST.
Split C: Ganon wins (or Gannon ) and the rest of the games happen .

So if I'm not confused Chile Timeline is where Link is sent back and has the sages destroy Ganon before he destroys Hyrule, Adult timeline is where Link defeats Ganon but stays in that time period and Zelda doesn't send him back, and when link fails timeline is... well Link dies in OoT.