Summary
With the release ofThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom,Zelda’s latest arc has come to a close. Beginning in 2017 withBreath of the Wild, fans ended up sticking with this iteration of Hyrule for the entire Nintendo Switch generation.Tears of the Kingdomwas a triumphant send-off, giving players free rein over its mechanics via a set of extremely versatile powers, and bringing back Ganondorf for another epic showdown between good and evil. It’s been a good run, and this era ofZeldawill likely be remembered for its contributions to the open world genre for a long time.
However, all good things must come to an end, and according to Nintendo developers,Tears of the Kingdomwill be the last game set inBotW’s Hyrule. By the sound of it,Zelda’s next entry may wipe the slate clean again, as evenTears of the Kingdom’s successful harnessing of player chaosmay not return as it was. It will be nice to see a new setting for a majorLegend of Zeldagame after so many years, but there are lingering questions about when this next game will be set which may hold distressing answers.
The Legend of Zelda’s Timeline Explained
The Legend of Zelda’s community has always been interested in the series’ timeline, and Nintendo revealed its own thoughts on the matter with the initial releases ofThe Legend of Zelda: Skyward Swordand theHyrule Historiaart and lore book in 2011. From that point on, it was established that theZeldatimeline started inSkyward Sword, and then split into three branches based on the events ofOcarina of Time. It wasn’t quite airtight, with the “Hero Defeated” timeline feeling like a receptacle for miscellaneous classicZeldagames, but it was a worthy structure for the canon nonetheless.
Zelda’s Timeline Has Become More Important In Recent Games
Breath of the Wildsurprised fans by taking place at the end of every timeline, with all of them fitting together in an ambiguous Era of Myth. This was done in broad strokes, butBreath of the WildandTears of the Kingdomcontain plenty of items, locations, characters, and even events referencing past games. Much discussion occurred whenTears of the Kingdomseemingly replacedSkyward Swordin its own backstory with the Zonai founding Hyrule, although there’s still an interpretation of this taking place long after other versions of Hyrule rose and fell.
Options For The Next Zelda Entry’s Timeline Placement Look Dire
What must be asked now is when the nextZeldagame falls in the timeline, which is much more complicated than it seems.Breath of the Wild, and thenTears of the Kingdom, are currently known as thelast games in every possibleZeldatimeline, but the next game taking place even further ahead would just be recycling the same concept. Going back to a former timeline would be confusing, and followingTears of the Kingdom’s example of building its own ambiguously-connected timeline would make the efforts ofSkyward Sword, theHyrule Historia, andBreath of the Wildfeel wasted.
Starting A Truly Distinct Zelda Timeline May Be All That’s Left
There’s no right answer, although simply allowing the nextZeldatitle to stand by itself, with a healthy number of references to past games likeBotWandTotK, seems like the best course of action. It’s difficult to fit any more games insidethe early eras of theZeldatimeline chart, and Nintendo has stated its intent to move away from the setting and gameplay ofTears of the Kingdom. While this may lead to the once-significantZeldatimeline eventually becoming obsolete,Breath of the WildandTears of the Kingdomhave proven that there’s a lot to be gained from trying something brand-new.
