Zelda Producer Eiji Aonuma Doesn't Really Care About the Series' Chronology - IGN
www.ign.com
external-link
The Legend of Zelda producer Eiji Aonuma has said he doesn't really care about the series' chronology while reflecting on Tears of the Kingdom.
VCTRN
link
fedilink
English
01Y

Who does?

@[email protected]
link
fedilink
English
12
edit-2
1Y

The “timeline” was a big debate in the Zelda fandom/community for a long time until the Hyrule Historia book introduced an “official timeline” that featured a split three-way timeline centered around Ocarina of Time as the source of the split. That was released after Skyward Sword. Breath of the Wild had some discussion about where it fits but wasn’t really seen as too big a deal, then Tears of the Kingdom all but straight up ignored the “timeline” and introduced a new “canon” founding of the Kingdom of Hyrule, which while I’ve long stopped paying attention to the fandom, I could imagine the timeline debate starting all over again. TLDR: some people take video game lore really seriously.

VCTRN
link
fedilink
English
1
edit-2
1Y

As a proud owner of that wonderful book, I get it. But people need to chill; trying to stick to a chronology, an IP almost 40 years old, seriously? That shit would prevent the series to reinvent itself. I think it’s for the best if we all forget about that. It was nice for a while, tho.

@[email protected]
link
fedilink
English
21Y

All you need to do to figure that out is spend literally any amount of time in an Elder Scrolls forum

VCTRN
link
fedilink
English
21Y

I’m late 30s. Never played a TES game before. I just started Skyrim last night (it’s awesome, btw). I don’t plan to come close to that fandom ever lol

@[email protected]
link
fedilink
English
21Y

There’s some good discussion that can come out of it.

But the usual stuff is weird political shitposting, and actual heated political arguments as if any of it really matters.

@[email protected]
link
fedilink
English
41Y

Ive always found it odd that people having fun trying to establish a games lore is “taking it too seriously.”

God forbid someone have fun the way you dont, I guess?

@[email protected]
link
fedilink
English
21Y

Oh, nothing wrong with it. Just pointing out that people put a lot of time and effort into it.

@[email protected]
link
fedilink
English
761Y

Which makes perfect sense - none of the previous producers have. Mostly, they’ve just used their stock characters and locations, and made a game that they thought would be fun out of them. There’s a couple of games that qualify as ‘direct sequels’ (Ocarina -> Majora’s, Wind Waker -> Hourglass) but even then, it doesn’t benefit you much to have played the preceding one. Would be weird to try and twist the games into a chronology that strikes me mostly as ‘fanon’ anyway.

@[email protected]
link
fedilink
English
71Y

Nintendo did try that, though, and mixed it around again whenever they felt like it. “New research uncovered that…” blah blah. Better off if they don’t bother anymore.

@[email protected]
link
fedilink
English
431Y

This seems fine. I don’t understand the desire to have an overarching chronology anyway. It’s pretty clear each game is its own world with little connection to the other series beyond recycling some of the same concepts.

It makes more sense lore-wise to just think of them as entirely separate universes with some direct sequels. Majora’s Mask is a direct sequel that takes place in a canonically different dimension anyway so they already introduced the concept.

@[email protected]
link
fedilink
English
251Y

The majority if the reason it’s significant is that Nintendo MADE it significant, by releasing that “official” timeline tying all the gamrs together. Then, the made BotW with a whole bunch of direct and indirect references to this timeline, and events in previous games. Then TotK threw pretty much all of that in the garbage.

Omega
link
fedilink
English
91Y

It’s interesting in the same way people pieced together a story for all of the Pixar movies. But they are just fan theories that are kinda interesting.

@[email protected]
link
fedilink
English
91Y

What’s next, Final Fantasy doesn’t have a canonical timeline?

@[email protected]
link
fedilink
English
51Y

We do know that after FF5, Gilgamesh usually visits the other game worlds in release order.

@[email protected]
link
fedilink
English
11Y

deleted by creator

@[email protected]
link
fedilink
English
131Y

I always thought they were parallel universes or the same one on an endless time loop with infinite variations

@[email protected]
link
fedilink
English
41Y

You are correct. The Hyrule Historia outlines the game and the split in Ocarina of Time:

https://www.zeldadungeon.net/wiki/Timeline

RT Redréovič
link
fedilink
English
191Y

I prefer to think it as it is named - A Legend. In that each timeline is a different take to narrate that Legend.

@[email protected]
link
fedilink
English
121Y

That would make a ton of sense as the legend (beat Ganon) is the same but details and setting change

But I couldn’t help chuckle at mental image of some grandpa telling his kid the legend (the tears of the kingdom version) of making a weaponzied hover bike torturing koroks

@[email protected]
link
fedilink
English
21Y

That would make a ton of sense as the legend (beat Ganon) is the same but details and setting change

But I couldn’t help chuckle at mental image of some grandpa telling his kid the legend (the tears of the kingdom version) of making a weaponzied hover bike torturing koroks

Bobby Turkalino
link
fedilink
English
61Y

I always thought it was reincarnation of a group of ideal, godlike people

I don’t think I’ve met a true Zelda fan that cares much about the grand timeline(s), or even argues they make sense

LazaroFilm
link
fedilink
English
71Y

No shit…

@[email protected]
link
fedilink
English
311Y

This is news? We knew this decades ago.

@[email protected]
link
fedilink
English
51Y

A creator could see chronology as a limitation, or an opportunity.

The hero of time clearly did a lot in the time between MM and TP (where he appears as the Hero’s Shade). There’s an opportunity to create a game about the hero of time after MM, where he returns to Hyrule, and learns those special skills that he later passes on to the hero of twilight.

Or just come up with something new. Whatever.

Neither did Miyamoto though?

@[email protected]
link
fedilink
English
161Y

Let it all be an actual legend with many oral retellings of the same event that may or may not have ever happened.

Alternatively, Breath of the Wild/Tears of the Kingdom are the only “true” stories, and all others are legends inside it.

@[email protected]
link
fedilink
English
91Y

BotW and TotK arent even the “true” stories, the in game plot of BotW gets tossed aside and picked over as convenient in TotK.

Honestly I dont know why they made them related sequels if they didnt want them to share the same world and plot.

@[email protected]
link
fedilink
English
361Y

We know lol

@[email protected]
link
fedilink
English
121Y

Yeah I don’t think fans ever thought it was important or even a bad thing.

We’re just having fun trying to make it fit. But it’s for fun, not like we truly believe there really is a timeline that makes any sense.

@[email protected]
link
fedilink
English
91Y

I can assure you, some people care way too much for what it is lol. I’ve definitely seen anger about how TotK’s lore was a slight to the fans or whatever. It’s insane that anyone thinks a coherent series chronology is a thing but some people really want it to be true ig

@[email protected]
link
fedilink
English
61Y

There’ll always be extremes to communities. Just remember they’re not the average.

@[email protected]
link
fedilink
English
21Y

Ackshually I have in my hands a copy of the OFFICIAL hyrule historia, sir.

Create a post

Welcome to the largest gaming community on Lemmy! Discussion for all kinds of games. Video games, tabletop games, card games etc.

Weekly Threads:

What Are You Playing?

The Weekly Discussion Topic

Rules:

  1. Submissions have to be related to games

  2. No bigotry or harassment, be civil

  3. No excessive self-promotion

  4. Stay on-topic; no memes, funny videos, giveaways, reposts, or low-effort posts

  5. Mark Spoilers and NSFW

  6. No linking to piracy

More information about the community rules can be found here.

  • 1 user online
  • 200 users / day
  • 803 users / week
  • 2.3K users / month
  • 6.32K users / 6 months
  • 1 subscriber
  • 4.89K Posts
  • 101K Comments
  • Modlog