I’m going to confess something that may invalidate me as a fan of Zelda: I have never cared at all about where in the saga their games are located. Of course, it is impossible not to know the timeline with its three variations (Fallen Hero, Child Hero, Lost Hero) that come from Ocarina of Time. However, it becomes tiring to see fans trying to figure out where to place Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom for years. Especially when the solution is, apparently… nowhere.
Zelda: Lost in Time
According to Nintendo itself, fans’ attempts to include them in the saga have been useless, because they are completely independent in their own version of Hyrule. And, to be honest, it makes sense: Nintendo was practically forced to put order in the Hyrule Historia book, making it clear that what is told over the years is much bigger than it seems.
All this has been known because at Nintendo Live 2024 held in Sydney (Australia), we have been able to see a timeline that connects the 19 games, starting with Skyward Sword and continuing with The Minish Cap and Four Swords before starting the different timelines with Ocarina of Time. And on one side of these, Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom were completely separate.
Gamers, who need order in their lives, have already placed it in a new timeline alongside Age of Calamity, which was not even officially part of the saga until now. It is also worth noting that in this timeline they seem to have forgotten about Echoes of Wisdom, but it is most likely close to Link’s Awakening. Anyway, time (literally) will tell.
