Daily Debate: Is an Official Timeline Important to the Zelda Series?

Posted on December 17 2018 by Judy Calder

It is a known fact that the Zelda timeline has been a topic of great debate within the gaming community. Fans of the franchise have been highly motivated to organize the Zelda canon, seeking to understand the general confusion surrounding the timeline.

In 2011, Nintendo of Japan released Hyrule Historia. This book included the first edition of the official timeline, listing each game in chronological order, with the line splitting into three at Ocarina of Time. The publication of this timeline sparked many a heated debate, and lead me to wonder if an official timeline is really so pivotal to the Zelda series.

Arguably, one of the most attractive attributes of any Zelda game is the lore behind it. For me, I want to know everything that lead up to the events and happenings in the game, so that I can understand why it’s happening. I love that I can pool all of the lore together to form a huge tapestry of the history between Power, Wisdom and Courage.

Then again, the gameplay itself is superb in all of its design. If a game is so great in its own story, as well as mechanically, then why does a timeline matter at all?

Therefore, I pose this question: Is an official timeline important to the Zelda series?

Let us know in the comments below!