Example 2: Built Relying on the Games

Its fun to dream, my friends, but the tough truth is that Nintendo simply doesn’t put enough effort into the storylines of their games to create a complete, series-spanning timeline. If we want to find any sort of organization at all, we must consider only those connections which are clear and obvious. I advocate a theory which isn’t chock full of pointless hair-splitting, stupid debate, wishful thinking or
fanon. It may not be the prettiest timeline, but it’s the only one that’s 100% inarguable.

Standing alone, Ocarina of Time is truly superb, truly one the greatest games of all time… unfortunately, Nintendo’s continuing attempts to remarket past successes have mired the masterpiece with four (count ‘em; four!) entirely different sequels.

At first it all made perfect sense; Legend of Zelda and Adventure of Link were released as a pair, and A Link to the Past an Link’s Awakening followed as a prequel pair. We know this for certain by the direct statements found on A Link to the Past’s packaging… confirmed in both original Japanese and the North American translation.

Ocarina of Time was always intended to begin the newest prequel pair; it was a near perfect match to AlttP’s back-story; detailing Ganon’s origins and sacred-realm sealing. (At least, it all fits when that story is properly translated from Japanese; NoA made something of a mess in AlttP’s games original release.)

Majora’s Mask took things in an entirely different direction, but had very little effect on the overall story. Capcom’s Oracles added next to nothing to the plot, but were easily tacked on to the back end of the chronology and forgotten. The original Four Swords game was undoubtedly strange, but quite obviously a side project… not a true piece of Hylian History at all.

Wind Waker was the first big mistake. It is so very different from AlttP that desperate fans had to invent time paradoxes and alternate futures to fit everything together. It’s really quite simple kids; WW shows Ganon escaping his OOT seal and dying, and AlttP shows Ganon escaping his OOT seal and dying… building one timeline with both these games in it is flat out impossible.

The second great timeline mistake was adding on to the Foursword series. Quite clearly separated from the main timeline (graced with its own new races, new lands, and new Ganon) it overcomplicates everything and yet adds nothing of value to the grand storyline.

Bad things come in threes, so it is said, and Twilight Princess was a timeline atrocity. The fourth Ocarina sequel rewrote the Triforce story to the point where it was nowhere near compatible with AlttP OR WW. The last hopes for a perfect story die away. (Aonuma tells us that the game was intended to showcase an alternate future to WW… thanks dude; you’ve mangled your series beyond all hope of repair.)

Phantom Hourglass was a nice break; an excellent game with a simple storyline, following tWW without contradiction. I’d like to believe that everything will go so smoothly from now one, but somehow… I’m not confident.

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