Chronology of the Zelda Series

I found an interesting section of the Zelda article inWikipediaabout the Zelda Timeline and the order off when each game takes place:

• The Legend of Zelda was the first released game in the series.
• Zelda II: The Adventure of Link almost certainly takes place several seasons after the original game, as indicated in the manual. It stars the Link of the previous game, nearing his 16th birthday.
• The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past allegedy takes place generations before the original game, as heavily emphasized in the US promotional materials, and advertised on the packaging of the Japanese edition. However, there are also theories of this being the last game in the Zelda timeline, due to the end sequence saying that the Master Sword would rest 'forever'.
• The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, when originally released, seemed to occur very shortly after A Link to the Past, starring the same Link. The game's instruction manual states that Link left Hyrule on a journey of enlightenment after defeating Ganon. The Japanese official website states the game is a direct sequel to Triforce of the Gods (ALttP), but LA's place in the timeline may have been retconned in the Oracle series. (see below).
• BS Zelda is a remake of the original game that features the BS-X's boy and girl mascots instead of Link; however because it is merely a Super Mario All-Stars-esque reimagining, and has no apparent backstory, its place in the timeline is unaltered.
• BS The Legend of Zelda: Stone Tablets of Antiquity has the same gender selection; to account for this the Hero of Light, whom the player embodies, is a single person but of indeterminate gender. While of dubious canonicity, the ingame events take place shortly after A Link to the Past. The previous hero is occasionally alluded to (possibly the only time before Four Swords Adventures in which the name Link appears in the dialogues without being picked by the player) and is said to be absent.
• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time apparently takes place ages before A Link to the Past, possibly expanding upon its backstory. Many consider this to be the first story in the timeline, due to the appearance of legendary figures such as Ganondorf and the Sages.
• The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask takes place very shortly after Ocarina of Time and stars the same Link, who has been returned to his youth.
• The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons and The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages are connected via a password system, and one takes place immediately after the other. They can be played/regarded in either order, depending on the player's preference. The saga takes place at a time when the Triforce is in Hyrule Castle and Ganon is dead. Dialogue suggests that the Link and Princess Zelda featured in these games meet for the first time during the adventure. Upon completing both games via link-up to receive the 'full' ending, the very last scene shows Link on a raft sailing off into the sunset, waving goodbye to his friends. This may suggest that Link's Awakening now takes place after the Oracles series chronologically.
• The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords was stated by Eiji Aonuma in 2004 to be the "oldest tale" in the Zelda series. This has caused controversy as how to interpret the word "oldest". The versions of Link and Princess Zelda featured in this game are childhood friends.
• The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker takes place hundreds of years after Ocarina of Time, though whether it occurs before or after A Link to the Past is debatable. There also exists a possibility, based on a cryptic statement from Mr. Aonuma, that the timeline splits after OoT, one branch carrying on from the devastated world Link reclaimed from Ganon's forces, the other branch from the childhood he returned to after Ganon's evil was sealed. If so, TWW is in the first branch, following the "adult" ending. Circumstantial evidence seems to alternatively support and counter the statements from Eiji Aonuma.
• The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures takes place an unspecified amount of time after Four Swords. It includes some background information about Ganon- he is named as Ganondorf (his human form) earlier in the game before obtaining his trident and becoming Ganon as seen in ALttP.
• The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap takes place long before Four Swords and Four Swords Adventures. If "Palace of the Four Sword" (the bonus dungeon featured in the Game Boy Advance version of ALttP) is canon then The Minish Cap also takes place some time before A Link to the Past. Many fans have suggested that The Minish Cap is the first game in the Zelda chronology, but there is no particular in-game (or other official) evidence to support this. However, this does seem to be the earliest story involving Vaati, and contains his origin and transformation into his most familiar form.
• The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess has yet to be released, but members of the development team have stated that it will take place decades after Ocarina of Time, and prior to The Wind Waker. It will come in two versions, one for the Gamecube and one for the Wii.
• The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass also has yet to be released, but Nintendo has confirmed that it takes place directly after The Wind Waker.
• If all this is true, then the order of the games from earliest to most recent could be:
• - Minish Cap
• - Four Swords
• - Four Swords Advenutres
• - Ocarina of Time
• - Majora's Mask
• - Link to the Past
• - Oracle of Ages / Seasons
• - Link's Awekening
• - Legend of Zelda
• - Adventure of Link
• - Wind Waker
• - Phantom Hourglass

I know Twilight Princess is between Ocarina of Time and Wind Waker but I couldn't find a specific place to put it yet.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Legend_of_Zelda_series

Discuss...

www.zeldalegends.net

That place has a whole lot of stuff about timelines, official, speculated and whatever you can fit inbetween.

I thought Windwaker would takes place a hundred years after Ocarina of Time, so why is it counted as a later game in the series?(In this particular timeline)GoPhins123

The article in which that was stated was a mistranslation. It was supposed to be hundreds, but the interviewers thought it was hundred instead.

www.zeldalegends.net

That place has a whole lot of stuff about timelines, official, speculated and whatever you can fit inbetween.

Sig12047

Very nice. I was never able to figure out the timelines to the Zelda games, but that's because I just never tried...and never will :P

Good read nonetheless.

Wait! TP is between OoT and WW? How? If Ganondorf succedded in WW to flood the world would that mean that Link loses in TP? Legend_O_Dragon

The Gods flooded the world in the Wind Waker, and if those other games come before WW why does the game only reference OOT  and MM?

[QUOTE="Legend_O_Dragon"]Wait! TP is between OoT and WW? How? If Ganondorf succedded in WW to flood the world would that mean that Link loses in TP? GoPhins123

The Gods flooded the world in the Wind Waker, and if those other games come before WW why does the game only reference OOT  and MM?

Well, thats the beauty of a un specified timeline, they can easily make games without limiting themselves. At any rate, in the games pre Oot, timeline wasn't a concern. Even after Oot, Nintendo was not really that focused on creating a coherent Zelda timeline. It wasn't until recently, that it was stated that a timeline existed.

Now, the story at the beginning of WW is a legend. As such, it may be in accurate to some extent. There could have been other adventures that may have occurred that would have been forgotten or perhaps the flooding of Hyrule was in reality a victory instead of a defeat? There are many theories regarding the plot and ending of Twilight Princess with consideration towards the other  two games it occurs between, Oot and WW. We won't know for sure until we actually play the game.

According to the Zelda Universe site, the people of Hyrule moved to higher ground, and not the entire land of Hyrule was flooded, just a certain part of it was flooded and actually became a new Ocean, and that Ganon got imprisioned in that Ocean in that particular portion of Hyrule so that Ganon couldn't escape the dark world and wreak unspeakable havoc on the light world/Hyrule!

Here's the address for the Zelda Universe site. www.zeldauniverse.net

First off, the idea of a split timeline after Ocarina of Time is foolish.  After defeating Ganon, Zelda tells Link to give her the Ocarina and to reclaim his lost years.  Link is then sent back to being a child.  Then in Majora's Mask, Link remembers his last conversation with Zelda, where she describes how she feels that she has known Link forever and was disappointed that he was leaving so soon.  All these memories couldn't have happened if Link's brief adulthood never happened.

Next is the distant time span in between Ocarina of Time and the Wind Waker.  So many different Heroes could not have existed in between games.  Replaying the Wind Waker a second time obviously allows the player to play the entire game in the Hero of Wind's PJs.  Another treat was being able to actually read the various Hyrulian language conversations spread throughout the game.  In these conversations we discover the King of Red Lions (Link's boat/King of Hyrule) was searching for the Hero of Time.  The Hero of Time was the last Link in the time line so the King searched for the Hero of Time so that he may once again defeat Ganon.  His time was unfortunately over and a new hero had risen to be the Hero of Wind.  Had multiple Link's existed after the Hero of Time's reign, the King would have searched for the Hero of Elements (Oracles) or the Hero of Hyrule (Original).  The Wind Waker takes place directly after Ocarina of Time and the Wind Waker, with the exception of Majora's Mask.

Of course now, we are told Twilight Princess breaks in between the two titles.  This can throw apart my whole argument, but it is impossible to tell about this new Hero until his title comes out for the world to play.  I figure that something is going to happen to this Hero that will somehow pull himself out of the Hyrulian History.  Perhaps he dies in battle, or retires early, no one knows.  A lot of questions will be answered in Twilight Princess, which makes me that much more excited.

wow thats some good stuff right there.  man whoever thought all of that out must of had a load of time to do it.8)