When it comes to new Zelda games, fans are constantly trying to figure out how each entry connects with the rest of the series. While the overall Zelda timeline is kind of an afterthought to Nintendo, the company does think about each game and how they fit together. Since The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom came out back in September, fans have looked for clues about the game’s timeline placement. Nintendo has officially revealed when the game takes place, and we now know that it’s in the same timeline as the Super Nintendo game The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.
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The way the Zelda timeline works is that three branches all diverge from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. That’s not the first game in the overall continuity, but it is where things start to separate. Ocarina deals quite a bit with time travel, and the game’s conclusion leads down three different pathways. The vast majority of the 2D Zelda games take place in the branch where Ganondorf defeated Link in Ocarina of Time. The first major game on this path is A Link to the Past, and contains games such as Link’s Awakening and A Link Between Worlds. It’s now confirmed that Echoes of Wisdom takes place in this section of the timeline, between Tri-Force Heroes and the original Legend of Zelda NES game.
For anyone that has been closely paying attention, this actually makes a lot of sense. As fans quickly discovered, the map of Hyrule in Echoes of Wisdom bears a close resemblance to the one that appeared in A Link to the Past. We now know that the reason for this is that they take place in the same branch, just separated by a significant amount of time. It’s worth noting that the Link and Zelda that appear in most games of the series are different characters, descendants that can be separated sometimes by hundreds of years or more. That’s why Zelda doesn’t know who Link is when Echoes of Wisdom begins. So Echoes of Wisdom is kind of a sequel to A Link to the Past and Link’s Awakening, but a long, long time after those games take place.
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If all of this information has you scratching your head, you can find the full timeline at Nintendo’s website. At the end of the day, casual Zelda fans should remember that none of this is necessary to enjoy the series. The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom can be played without any prior franchise knowledge, and the same can be said for most entries of the series. That’s the way Nintendo likes it, and this is just for fun and shouldn’t be taken too seriously. However, it is nice to have some official answers!
Are you happy to see Echoes of Wisdom added to the Zelda timeline? Do you care about the overall Zelda continuity? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter atย @Marcdachamp, on Bluesky atย @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram atย @Dachampgaming!
