The Zelda Adult Timeline Explained
The Zelda Adult Timeline Explained
The complexities of the “Zelda” timeline know no end. Although Nintendo has tried its best to piece everything together, starting in 2011 with “Hyrule Historia,” understanding the overall structure of the series can still be a tad messy. This is in particular thanks to “Ocarina of Time,” and how its ending caused the franchise’s history to split into three paths. We’ve already covered both the Fallen Hero and Child Timelines. So now, we’re back to wrap things up. Welcome to MojoPlays, and this is “The Legend of Zelda’s” Adult Timeline explained.
When Link returns to his time at the end of “Ocarina of Time,” the future world of Hyrule keeps on spinning. We see the citizens celebrate the fall of Ganondorf, before eventually banding together to rebuild the kingdom. Sadly for them and their descendants, the villain has a tendency to bounce back after a defeat. Despite being sealed away by the Sages at the end of the game, Ganondorf broke free at some point, to terrorize the people of Hyrule once more. But with Link absent from this version of Hyrule, the people had no choice but to leave their fate in the hands of the gods. Din, Farore, and Nayru, seemingly without any alternative to stopping Ganon, decided to flood the land, sealing both him and the kingdom away for centuries. Citizens escaped by fleeing to mountaintops, which would become islands, and lived peaceful lives until the events of “The Wind Waker.”
A new version of Link was born on Outset Island, where tales of the Hero of Time were passed down and young boys dressed in green when they came of age. The game begins with him celebrating his birthday, blissfully unaware of his destiny as a hero that’s barreling straight towards him. He takes on his first heroic task in rescuing the pirate captain, Tetra, from monsters, after she was kidnapped by a humongous bird, the Helmaroc King. His next one is far greater: leaving his home to find his sister, after she winds up being the one that is taken.
As we’d later learn, the Helmaroc King was the pet of Ganondorf, sent out to kidnap various girls with pointed ears in his search for the reincarnated Princess Zelda. The villain had returned, likely through his permanent connection to the Triforce of Power. Although Link’s initial rescue mission fails, it helps him meet the King of Red Lions, a talking boat who’s useful in both his ability to sail around the Great Sea and his knowledge of the world.
Thankfully, the Goddesses didn’t flood Hyrule without thinking that Ganondorf could still one day return. They gifted Pearls to different deity-like beings, Valoo, the Great Deku Tree, and Jabun, to keep safe for a new Link. After helping them with a few tasks, these Pearls would unlock a test the Goddesses left specifically for him. And upon completing the Tower of the Gods, Link would find the famous sunken kingdom of Hyrule, and claim the Master Sword like the Hero of Time before him. But his journey was far from over.
With the Blade of Evil’s Bane in his hands, Link journeyed to the Forsaken Fortress once again, rescued his sister, defeated the Helmaroc King, and came face-to-face with Ganondorf. But the Master Sword proved ineffective, and Link wound up being the one in need of rescue. Through the confrontation, it was revealed that Tetra was the connection to Hyrule’s royal family that Ganondorf had been looking for; something that likely wasn’t too surprising to players, but came as quite a shock to Link. And the reveals kept coming.
After escaping, Link and Tetra went back to Hyrule and met the spirit of its former king, who had been traveling with Link under the guise of the King of Red Lions. He brought the pieces of the Triforce of Wisdom together again, revealing Tetra as this era’s Princess Zelda. And he explained that if Link was going to stop Ganondorf, he’d have to complete a few more heroic tasks.
The true power of the Master Sword was dormant. Link would need help from two of his friends, Medli and Makar. They were to replace the former Sages, who prayed in temples to keep the Master Sword at its full strength, but had been killed by Ganondorf’s monsters. With their aid, Link braved the Earth and Wind Temples, destroyed the monsters plaguing them, and brought the Master Sword back to its former glory. The second part of his heroic quest, to the disappointment of many players, was collecting the pieces of the Triforce of Courage. With these two accomplishments, he was ready to face Ganondorf.
Of course, the big bad had his own plans. By the time Link returns to Hyrule, he finds that Ganondorf has already invaded and kidnapped Zelda. Go figure. And even after venturing into his tower, Ganondorf stole the Triforce of Courage from Link, bringing all three pieces together to fulfill his grandest desires. Thankfully, the King of Hyrule was there to foil his plans, flooding his kingdom once again. With the help of Tetra, Link then put an end to the villain, for good in this timeline, through the tried and true method of driving the Master Sword directly into Ganondorf’s head.
With his home flooding around him once again, the King stayed behind as Link and Tetra were carried to safety, choosing to let go and giving them hope for the future and a new Hyrule. Where exactly that might be is what the duo set out to discover at the end of the game, with Link bidding farewell to his home and family before leaving for a new adventure.
The next two games in the timeline, admittedly, are a bit smaller than “The Wind Waker,” as they appeared on the DS. But they each take place in new settings, with their own history and lore. The first is “Phantom Hourglass.” It opens on Link, Tetra, and the Pirates searching for an eerie Ghost Ship, said to have been taking people from local islands. They then encounter the ship, which takes Tetra and causes Link to fall overboard. He eventually washes ashore a new island, where he meets the fairy, Ciela, and an old man named Oshus, both who agree to help Link in his hunt for the Ghost Ship. He also meets fan-favorite companion, the comically cowardly Linebeck, who agrees to ferry Link around the sea on the promise of treasure.
In order to find the ship, Link tracks down the Spirits of Wisdom, Power, and Courage. While doing so, we learn the Ghost Ship is a creation of a creature called Bellum, who uses it to drain the life force of those it abducts. It captured the Spirits, except for the Spirit of Courage, Ciela, whose memories were taken away. Bellum also transformed the land’s guardian deity, the Ocean King, into the kindly old man who helps Link, Oshus.
After tracking down the ship, and rescuing a now-statue Tetra, Link forges the Phantom Sword, the one weapon that can defeat Bellum. He meets Bellum in combat, vanquishing the beast after a multi-phase battle. The Ocean King is restored, Linebeck is awarded a new ship, and Link and Tetra are reunited with the pirates, to continue their search for new land.
After the delay of Bellum, Link, Tetra, and the Pirates would go on to discover land, naming it New Hyrule in honor of the former kingdom. And just like Hyrule, it had dealt with its own demon king in the past. The opening to 2009’s “Spirit Tracks” tells of the Spirits of Good, who battled Malladus long ago. They sealed him underneath a tower, acting as his lock, with mystical train tracks acting as its chains. They entrusted the task of keeping him locked away to a small tribe called the Lokomo, before departing from the world.
A century after the events of “Phantom Hourglass,” a new incarnation of Link is born in New Hyrule, where he works to become a Royal Engineer. But it isn’t long after earning his title that Link learns there are bigger things at play. The Tower of Spirits and the tracks keeping Malladus at bay suddenly become weaker. This era’s Princess Zelda is betrayed by one of her advisors, Chancellor Cole. Cole enlists Byrne, a betrayer to the Lokomo people, to help steal Zelda’s body, and use it as a vessel to revive Malladus.
However, just because her body was gone doesn’t mean Zelda couldn’t help. Quite the opposite, in fact. Zelda teamed up with Link in spirit form to get her body back. The two would meet Anjean, guardian of the Tower of Spirits and one of the Lokomo, who gave them a train left behind by the Spirits of Good. They would travel New Hyrule together, seeking out the other Lokomo and restoring the Tower as they did, with Zelda’s ability to possess the guardian Phantoms inside it very much coming in handy. Unfortunately, they’re unable to stop Cole’s ritual in time and Zelda loses her body to Malladus. Still, hope isn’t lost.
Link ventures to an unexplored temple in search of a weapon used against Malladus in the past. And wouldn’t you know it? Turns out this Demon King is weak to light arrows, too! With help from a reformed Byrne, Link finds the entrance to the Dark Realm where Malladus and Cole hide. He and Zelda reclaim the stolen body, and fight together to put an end to Malladus once again. Peace is restored to the kingdom. And as far as we know for now, that’s the way things stay, bringing a close to the Adult Timeline.
Like elements of the other two timelines, elements of the Adult Timeline appear in “Breath of the Wild” and “Tears of the Kingdom;” two games said to be set so far in the future that they could take place at the end of any of them, and acting as if all previous games are more like myths and legends. Although it’s unlikely that Nintendo would choose to revisit this era of the series, there’s something to be said of its charming forms of travel and unique art style, especially “The Wind Waker.”
Are you a fan of the games in the Adult Timeline? Would you like to see Nintendo release a new game somewhere within it, or would you prefer they leave it alone? Share your thoughts in the comments, and we’ll see you next time!