Since the firstThe Legend of Zeldagame launched in 1987 (1986 in Japan), the series has become one of the most influential in the video game sphere. Each game follows the adventure ofa hero named Link, and in most titles, he aids Princess Zelda in saving the kingdom of Hyrule from evil.
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As the games typically follow a similar formula and feature new iterations of the main characters, many fans wonder if the games connect to one another, or at least take place in the same world. It can get a little confusing when you’re looking at several decades worth of games, so let’s dive in.
Are The Legend Of Zelda Games Connected?
Some Zelda games are connected to each other as direct sequels, such as Majora’s Mask taking place shortly afterOcarina of Time, while others are connected more loosely as part of an overarching timeline. Even then, most Zelda games can be played as standalone titles.
Nintendo revealedan official Zelda timelinein the Hyrule Historia book, which was published in 2011. It was slightly revised in The Legend of Zelda Encyclopedia. Both setSkyward Swordas the first game in the timeline, and have three branching timelines after Ocarina of Time — the Child Timeline, Adult Timeline, and Downfall Timeline.
The Creation of Land and Sky
Oracle of Ages and Seasons
The Legend of Zelda
The Adventure of Link
While this is the official timeline presented by Nintendo, many fans of the series dispute some of the game’s placements due to details in some of the games' events.
Breath of the Wildisn’t present in the timeline. In the bookCreating a Champion, which details the behind-the-scenes of Breath of the Wild’s development, series producer Eiji Aonuma said they intentionally didn’t place the game into the timeline because he “hope[s] that everyone can find their own answer, in their own way.”
Breath of the Wild’s connection to the rest of the series is left up to your interpretation, though many fans speculate it occurs at the end of the timeline.
Which The Legend Of Zelda Games Are Directly Connected?
The Wind Waker and Twilight Princess take place after the events of Ocarina of Time (and Majora’s Mask in the case of TP), though they aren’t technically ‘sequels’ to those games.
