For some gamers, the lore of certain titles is something to just “get through” so you can enjoy the gameplay. For others, it’s the most important part of the games! That goes double for gaming franchises that have layered pieces of lore set across multiple titles. For The Legend of Zelda, it takes things up to another level with its branching timelines. Starting with Ocarina of Time, there are three different paths the stories go based on the fate of Hyrule. So, where does The Legend Of Zelda Echoes Of Wisdom fall into all of that?
The answer came via Nintendo itself. On its website, they have a “History” section that details the branching timelines and the games that fit within each section. As captured by insider Stealth (for ease of viewing), The Legend Of Zelda Echoes Of Wisdom falls into the “Hero Defeated” timeline, where Ganon defeated Link and truly conquered Hyrule and beyond. Yeah, that got dark.
Nintendo confirmed that The Legend of Zelda Echoes of Wisdom takes place in the "Hero is defeated" timeline.
It's slotted after A Link Between Worlds but before the original The Legend of Zelda. pic.twitter.com/NNwX9RP7y8
— Stealth (@Stealth40k) November 26, 2024
Stealth noted in a follow-up tweet that its placement “makes sense” because the team at Grezzo designed it to be a kind of sequel to Link’s Awakening, which was the game they remade for the Nintendo Switch. If you look at what’s within that timeline, it’s basically all the top-down games. Oh, and if you look at the timeline, the newest game is actually canonically BEFORE the original game on the NES. How’s that for placement?
Does it really matter in the end? Not really. But it’s still cool to know. If you want to read my review on the latest game, click the link here!
