‘The Legend of Zelda’ Downfall Timeline, Simplified, From ‘Ocarina of Time’ to ‘The Adventure of Link’
According to several ranking lists, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time has regularly carried the title of the best game of all time. Thanks to its status in the gaming community, Nintendo decided to use Ocarina of Time as a focal point when for The Legend of Zelda timeline. In the final boss of Ocarina of Time, Link and Princess Zelda fight Ganondorf. However, depending on the outcoming, the timeline splits. And if Link fails to defeat Ganon, The Legend of Zelda timeline continues into the Downfall Timeline.
Hyrule struggles to stop Ganon in the Downfall Timeline, leading to ‘The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past’
With Link defeated in the Downfall Timeline, the evil Ganondorf manages to steal the completed Triforce and transforms into a monstrous beast. This begins the Imprisoning War.
Princess Zelda rallies the seven sages, Rauru, Saria, Darunia, Princess Ruto, Impa, and Nabooru. Several of these sages have Divine Beasts named after them in Breath of the Wild, like Vah Rudania. They manage to seal Ganon and the Triforce into a spiritual place called the Sacred Realm.
However, Ganondorf corrupts the Sacred Realm into the Dark World. When he tries to escape in A Link to the Past, Link manages to defeat him. With the Triforce, he wishes for peace in Hyrule.
And the peace lasted for some time as Link set out for adventures in lands beyond Hyrule.
‘Link’s Awakening,’ ‘Oracle of Seasons’ and ‘Oracle of Ages’ take place in lands apart from Hyrule
The Link from A Link to the Past remains one of the few heroes to star in multiple Legend of Zelda games. After defeating Ganon, he had adventures on Koholint Island and the countries of Holodrum and Labrynna in The Legend of Zelda Downfall Timeline.
In Link’s Awakening, Link found himself on the mysterious Koholint Island and knew he had to escape.
In Oracle of Season and Oracle of Ages, Link discovers a plot to revive Ganon in Holodrum and Labrynna. General Onox, Sorceress Veran, and the witch sisters Koume and Kotake tried to revive Ganon again, but Link was guided to prevent the dark ritual.
Despite Link stopping the evil forces from bringing Ganon back to cause destruction, future villains would try again.
Villains in ‘The Legend of Zelda’ Downfall Timeline continuously try reviving Ganon
Several parallel worlds exist in The Legend of Zelda series, such as the Twilight Realm and the Minish World. Lorule exists as an inverse of Hyrule, having opposites to Princess Zelda, Ganondorf, and Link. However, unlike Hyrule, their Triforce was destroyed, sending Lorule into a state of decay.
To save Lorule, Princess Hilda ordered the sorcerer Yuga to secure Hyrule’s Triforce in The Legend of Zelda Downfall Timeline. However, Yuga betrayed Hilda and revived Ganon to steal the Triforce for himself. Link and Zelda set out to save not just one world but two.
This Link also dealt with a curse in the northern country of Hytopia in Tri Force Heroes, and Hyrule enjoyed another era of peace. However, after a fight amongst the royal family leaves a new Princess Zelda cursed with an eternal slumber, the kingdom of Hyrule declined again.Ganon rose again to attack Hyrule in 1986’s The Legend of Zelda. However, so did a new Link. He defeated Ganon and prevented his revival in Zelda II: The Adventure of Link.
While they marked the first games in the series, 1986’s The Legend of Zelda and Zelda II: The Adventure of Link marks the latest points in the timeline. Several theories say Breath of the Wild takes place 10,100 years after these games, but Nintendo has not confirmed this.
Fans hope that Breath of the Wild 2 sheds more light on the timeline placement.
