Original Zelda Timeline Made Ocarina Of Time’s Link Even More Important

Although the incarnation of Link seen in is certainly one of the most influential in the franchise, an early version of ’s timeline actually magnified his importance even further. As a result of reincarnation, there have been many Links seen throughout , allowing for the series to continually reset the status quo whilst keeping all previous games canon.

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. Unsurprisingly, it maintains a strong influence over the franchise to this day, such as the names of several Divine Beasts in (Vah Ruta, Vah Rudania, and Vah Naboris) referencing characters. The Hero of Time himself is also at least partially responsible for ’s split timeline structure, which has since grown even more complex.

Although the three-way split timeline revealed in the book is accepted as the canonical 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.comwebsite, 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.

This timeline ordered the entirety of the Zelda franchise at the time into one singular story, which today would account for just under half of the main games. The declared order was,,,,,, and then, with supposedly taking place during ’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 history.

In comparison to the official 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