Summary

• Ocarina of Time's Link was once deemed the hero of every Zelda game due to an early official timeline.
• The early Zelda website timeline contradicted established lore, causing confusion among fans.
• The Legend of Zelda timeline is constantly changing, making it difficult to create a perfect, cohesive narrative.

Although the incarnation of Link seen in many Links seen throughout The Legend of Zelda, allowing for the series to continually reset the status quo whilst keeping all previous games canon.

Ocarina of Time is undoubtedly one of the most influential video games of all time. One of the first games to popularize the use of 3D graphics, it famously became the first title to earn a perfect score from Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu. Unsurprisingly, it maintains a strong influence over the franchise to this day, such as the names of several The Legend of Zelda’s split timeline structure, which has since grown even more complex.

An Early Timeline Made Ocarina Of Time’s Link The Hero Of Every Zelda Game

Although the three-way split timeline revealed in the book Hyrule Historia is accepted as the canonical Zelda timeline structure, it is not the first such timeline to be released in an official capacity. In actuality, as captured on the Internet Archive, an earlier iteration of the timeline appeared for a time on the official Zelda.com website, debuting in 2001. This version states that, rather than several successive Links spread out across various timeline branches, one singular hero is the protagonist of eight games, beginning with Ocarina of Time.

This timeline ordered the entirety of the Zelda franchise at the time into one singular story, which today would for just under half of the main games. The declared order was Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, A Link to the Past, Oracle of Ages, Oracle of Seasons, The Legend of Zelda, and then The Adventure of Link, with Link’s Awakening supposedly taking place during The Adventure of Link’s events. This timeline was later removed from the official website the following year, but the archived version still allows a glimpse into a strange period of Zelda history.

In comparison to the official Zelda timeline as it currently stands, apart from the claim of the Hero of Time having all of these adventures, there are a few major points of difference in of game order. For example, although most of these titles do fall in a similar order on the Downfall, or Fallen Hero, timeline, Majora’s Mask is an outlier. Now, the direct sequel to Ocarina of Time actually marks the beginning of the Child timeline, and is followed by Twilight Princess (which takes place long after the Hero of Time has died).

The exact placement of Link’s Awakening on the timeline has been adjusted over the years, a perfect example of the timeline being subject to change and interpretation, but it is currently officially placed between ALttP and the Oracle games.

The Early Zelda Website Timeline Contradicted The Franchise

Although this early timeline’s introduction asserts it to be “precise and reliable,” in actuality there are multiple dubious points that go against established lore. The reasons for this, whether it was accidental or intentional, are unclear, but in any case the result does not hold up to scrutiny. For example, the entry for The Adventure of Link asserts that the slumbering Princess Zelda is the same that features in every other Zelda game to that point, even though the game in question makes it very clear that this is a different princess to that of its prequel.

Similarly, this timeline claims that Link returns to Hyrule and begins living with his uncle after Majora’s Mask, thereby leading to the beginning of A Link to the Past. Again, this contradicts the story of the games on several points, including the fact that this Link, being an orphan raised in Kokiri Forest, would have no way of finding an uncle, nor of knowing he had one. Moreover, ALttP’s Hyrule has explicitly experienced centuries of peace after Ganondorf was sealed in the Sacred Realm, which obviously makes it impossible for the same Link to appear in both ALttP and OoT.

In an effort to construct a singular narrative for the entirety of the franchise, this early timeline evidently ignored a long list of contradictions and impossibilities. Although it can seem somewhat reasonable on a cursory examination, any detailed knowledge of the franchise will soon reveal a multitude of jarring issues with the presented chronology. This would lend credence to the supposition that it was a creation specifically made by Nintendo of America without the full approval of Nintendo as a whole, although this is ultimately only speculation.

The Legend Of Zelda Timeline Is Constantly Changing

It must be said that even now, The Legend of Zelda’s timeline is difficult to grasp. In fact, Tears of the Kingdom arguably renders it meaningless, given how broadly the game seems to clash with established canon. In that sense, it may be that a truly perfect Zelda timeline is impossible to create. Nevertheless, if one is created for an official outlet, it should at least attempt to maintain the facts as presented throughout the series, rather than disregarding them for its own agenda. More recent official timelines do just this, even if BOTW and TOTK have somewhat confused matters.

The Hero of Time himself is an important figure in The Legend of Zelda and Hyrule’s own mythology. The people of Outset Island dress young boys in green in honor of the legendary hero, for example, and Princess Zelda also seems to refer to him in Breath of the Wild’s Subdued Ceremony Memory when mentioning the hero being “adrift in time.” However, despite his influence both within and outside the Zelda universe, it seems disingenuous to insist that every version of Link is the exact same person, especially when the games do not this.

The Hero of Time’s first outing was a pivotal game in The Legend of Zelda. Its characters, events, and gameplay have had an immense impact on the games that have come after it. With that in mind, although the result was poorly executed, it is not entirely unsurprising that an attempt was made to tie the entire franchise to The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time in the wake of its success. Although the boost to that Link’s importance did not last, he is still undoubtedly one of the most important figures in the franchise, even before considering his reincarnations.

Source: Internet Archive