The "New" Zelda Timeline For TOTK & BOTW Might Not Be What It Seems

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series is known for having a split, diverging timeline that used to feature all the games in the series. This meant that, despite all the differences between the games, namely artstyle and system used for them, every single game shared a universe, and the split happened depending on the Hero of Time during the events of It was confusing enough as is, and the new version of the timeline doesn't help things either with its changes and strange additions of and.

Initially, the timeline diverged after into three separate sections: Fallen Hero, Child, and Adult era. The Fallen Hero timeline happens if Link fails in his quest at any point in, thus leading to Ganondorf taking over the world. The Child timeline occurs when Link is sent back to his childhood and warns the world about Ganondorf, avoiding his rise to power. The Adult timeline happens when Link vanishes after returning to his childhood, leading to the gods flooding Ganon and Hyrule under a great ocean. However, the inclusion of and complicates matters.

In the newest version of the timeline, the three diverging paths still exist. In fact, the timeline still diverges because of and the games before still all have the same places. The confusion comes when and its sequel,, were added recentlysince neither of these games have a place in this timeline. Neither sit in any of the three diverging sections nor is there a place for them before the events of.

New incarnations of Link and Ganon make Nintendo's Legend of Zelda games seem unrelated to one another, but the series has a complex timeline.

These two Nintendo Switch titles sit in an entirely separate section, disconnected from every other game. This is a little confusing, considering how contrived the rest of the timeline seems to fit all the games in and that and are one of the few duologies in the series. In theory, they should fit right in somewhere together, but instead, theysit on their own as if they are in their own universe separate to the entire