Why does there have to be a timeline?

The series is The LEGEND of Zelda, meaning these are events that took place a long, long time ago. I don't think of all the games as being connected, but rather, each game a story told and retold through the generations. Similar to the King Arthur stories. There are several different stories featuring King Arthur and other recurring characters (like Merlin). Like King Arthur, much of the factual knowledge of the legendary Link and Zelda has been lost, but they still survive in these stories (a.k.a. the actual games).

There really isn't something within the series that implies this. There would have to be a story-teller or a narrator to tell the story. The events of the game are happening as you play and progress further.

Becuase there are connections between the games that can't be ignored. Like the Four Sword, the Master Sword, etc.

And besides, TWW talks about OOT. So if it were being retold, then OOT would have to be it's own story.

Part of the fun of Zelda for me is the timeline debate, and the obvious facts that others miss. That makes Zelda for me, besides awesome gameplay, the best games ever.

And to the above, you can't say they toke place long ago. Theres no Ganon or Vaati in this world, theres no Hyrule, we aren't Hylians, I don't see Dekus Gorons Zoras or Gerudos anywhere, do you? Yes its a game in its own time and different dimension. You can't really compare it to King Arthur, which is life like and all. When you play the game, you are playing in that period and that dimension. Like Dark Link said, theres no proof that theres a narrator or anything in the games.

Plus the games connect to eachother, you can place them somewhere, such as many people do. If you don't like discussing it then don't.

I'm not saying that it is the same story told over and over again. It is possible for some stories to have direct connections. But on the whole, these are old legends passed down over many centuries that are connected loosely, but of course they're not going to be connected rigidly.

In real life though: Do you think the game developers envisioned an exact sequence for the games?

Originally Posted by dbblsanta

In real life though: Do you think the game developers envisioned an exact sequence for the games?

It's obvious that for a majority of the Zelda games, Miyamoto (or more recently, Eiji Aonuma) makes sure that there's some sort of connection with the other Zelda games (especially since Aonumoa has been taking charge). It appears as thought they're trying to fill some of the gaps.

There's obviously an connection between the Zelda games; so there's obviously some sort of timeline in the Zelda series. I'm sure there's a timeline placement in mind when the Zelda staff creates a new game.