Nintendo
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom: Where does it fit in the timeline?
We’re sorry for fans of theories and videos with overcomplicated connections between the games, but Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom truly only fits in one spot of the timeline.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is finally on sale around the world, so a new Nintendo Switch adventure starts for millions of people. Many wonder in what timeline the game is located, something that is common in debates between the community of fans and users of the Zelda franchise. The doubts are evident since the Nintendo series failed to clearly locate where Breath of the Wild was and there are many who hope to clarify this point thanks to its sequel.
We are sorry to say to fans of theories and videos about connections between the games that there is only one truth, and that it is clearer than ever where the Switch title fits. If you continue reading, you are willing to know if it connects with other games or not, although we will not give details of the plot of the title itself.
The timelines of the Zelda franchise and the place that Tears of the Kingdom occupies
First of all, it is important to point out what the timelines of Zelda are. According to Nintendo, it all starts with Skyward Sword as the first title of all. After it, other games like The Minish Cap and Zelda Four Swords follow. everything leads to Ocarina of Time, the title from which three timelines open. They are as follows (with the main games highlighted):
- The fall of the hero: Where Ganondorf prevails in Ocarina of Time. A dark time in which we will have A Link to the Past, Link’s Awakening, the Oracle games, A Link Between Worlds, Tri-Force Heroes, the original The Legend of Zelda, and Adventure of Link.
- The hero’s triumph: child era: Link defeats Ganondorf at the end of Ocarina of Time and then two paths are created, the one of his childhood and the one of the adult era. In this case, we continue with Majora’s Mask as a direct sequel to Ocarina of Time, Twilight Princess, and Four Swords Adventures on GameCube.
- The hero’s triumph: adult era: Link defeats Ganondorf and leaves that future, leaving Hyrule without a Hero of Time. They are followed by The Wind Waker, The Phantom Hourglass, and Spirit Tracks.
What about Breath of the Wild and its location?
According to Nintendo, Breath of the Wild was located long after the events that occurred in these games but they did not speak of the exact place. The reason is obvious: There is a crossbreeding of races and locations in the Hyrule of the Switch and Wii U game which is impossible to place in one place or another, because it has elements from Wind Waker and also from Twilight Princess, games that are part of parallel timelines. It has long been speculated that the title would unify all the timelines, but that has not been confirmed.
Tears of the Kingdom confirms it: they are only part of their own universe
And The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom finally confirms that there is no connection to the previous installments of the saga. Without going into details of its plot, we will say that all the history and lore that is explained in the game is part of its own universe formed by Breath of the Wild and its sequel. If they talk about past wars, they are part of their world and do not connect with those we knew from other installments.
Both games have total independence regarding how they connect to other games, so no one should expect this title to connect with the events of Ocarina of Time and its timelines, and we can even say that there is no reference to the creation of the world that we met in Skyward Sword either since everything that is shown and talked about is solely and exclusively part of a world and a story that is part of the BOTW and TOTK universe.