Stop obsessing over the Zelda timeline

The Legend of Zelda was a groundbreaking game for many reasons, chief among them its ability to give players the feeling of being on a real adventure. While it may seem quaint, and even barren and basic, by today’s standards, the land of Hyrule packed onto that NES cartridge felt like an entire fantasy world waiting to be explored. The story wasn’t more than a handful of sentences in the instruction manual and mainly served to give a bit of context for you to go out and create your own narratives. This was followed up by a direct sequel, but after that, the series has almost exclusively segmented its chapters. Only a few key elements, such as Link, Zelda, Ganon, Hyrule, and some races, enemies, and bosses can reappear in different forms.

Because there are just enough traces of continuity between games, fans have been arguing and debating about a true Zelda timeline for decades. Eventually, Nintendo itself even gave in and released the Hyrule Historia, complete with the complete timeline of events up to that point. However, that could only satisfy fans for a short while now that more Zelda games have come out, and there are sure to be more on the way, that have reignited debates about what game goes where and what invalidates what. The truth is, Nintendo never wanted there to be an official Zelda timeline and it has long since stopped being a fun thought exercise.

It is called The Legend of Zelda for a reason

Nintendo never intended for it to be connected

Whether or not it was planned that far in advance or not, I believe Nintendo decided to dub this series with “The Legend of” speaks to its intentions with the franchise. Each game, except when specifically stated to be otherwise, is another legend using familiar thematic elements. Link is the stoic and courageous hero, Zelda the wise and selfless ruler, and Ganon the embodiment of greed and lust for power. How these pieces interact and play off one another and the world changes with each entry to give you a fresh experience while remaining familiar and comfortable like an old bedtime story.

If the name wasn’t proof enough that Nintendo never wanted there to be a canon timeline, all we have to do is look at the one it eventually acknowledged. What company, Nintendo or otherwise, would ever craft a series that splits not just once, but twice into three alternate branches of events running parallel to one another? I’m not saying complex timelines can’t be done well or be interesting to follow, but the thin threads that tie some of these entries together indicate a retroactive timeline rather than an intentional one. I can’t say this with absolute certainty, but everything about how Nintendo operates points to it putting all of its energy into creating the best individual Zelda game possible and not caring whether or not it makes sense for the Zora to appear at the same time as the Rito or something.

Had Nintendo changed its mind about the timeline post-Hyrule Historia and did want to put some importance on the timeline, then why didn’t it? Multiple fans have been stumped trying to figure out when and how Tears of the Kingdom can fit into the existing timeline with no help from Nintendo. In fact, the latest “update” to the official Zelda timeline shown off at a Nintendo Live event in 2024 didn’t even attempt to slot Breath of the Wild or Tears of the Kingdom into the timeline, but instead sectioned them off into their own little pocket.

Fitting a square peg into a round hole

We’re focusing on the wrong things

I understand the urge to theorycraft and see what puzzle pieces fit in a series like Zelda, but at this point, we’re far beyond it being a fun discussion. I’d point to the moment it was agreed upon that the timeline split in three that we moved beyond connecting dots and began twisting logic to force some kind of cohesion, however possible. We should just be enjoying each game on its own merits, recognizing those familiar elements or what they are without extrapolating wider implications for a convoluted timeline.

If you do find some joy in trying to make a complete picture using pieces from 10 different puzzles, don’t let me tell you how to feel. However, I would say most of us would enjoy a new Zelda game if we took it for what it was: One possible telling of the legend.