Our brains are capable of great things, but trying to comprehend the Legend Of Zelda timeline is not one of them… and now there’sThe Legend Of Zelda: Echoes Of Wisdom! While numerous timelines have been drawn and verified showing where all the games fit, it’s like looking at one of those red-string conspiracy walls.
Even so, this latest has many of us wondering where and when in Hyrule everything takes place. There are some clues here and there with strong theories as to where it might fit, so let’s dive into this swimming pool of investigation and see where we come up for air.
Is The Legend Of Zelda: Echoes Of Wisdom A Sequel To Link’s Awakening?
Let’s address the Zelda-equivalent of the elephant in the room:Not really. Although it shares many visual and gameplay similarities to the Link’s Awakening remake, which was released on the Switch in 2019,Echoes Of Wisdom is not dependent on it.
Developers have gone on record stating that the reason the game looks so similar is thatit “had become our new approach in terms of graphics and gameplay feel, as a top-down The Legend of Zelda game for the Nintendo Switch generation.” This game is an entirely new entry in this particular universe, but when does it take place?
The Legend Of Zelda: Echoes Of Wisdom Timeline Location
Before we can attempt to pin this title which is the tail on the donkey that is gaming’s arguably most confusing timeline, let’s look at the clues.
The Introduction
The game opens with a mysterious swordsman fighting through a dungeon to reach an imprisoned Zelda. The swordsman is revealed to be Link, who confronts Zelda’s captor, Ganon. So, at this point, the game has to take place after Ocarina Of Time, since that’s the earliest iteration of Ganon’s iconic pig-monster appearance. This leads to a battle between the two which ends with Ganon’s apparent defeat and a rift being opened.
Link is sucked in, but not before he frees Zelda. At this point, you could consider the “Hero” defeated, placing the game somewhere on the “Hero is defeated” timeline. This makes sense since in that timeline,Zelda is often the one who has to deal with the fallout of Link losing.
The Still World’s Purpose
One of the main things that Zelda has to deal with is the fact thatrifts are opening up all over Hyrule and taking pieces of it to another dimension. This dimension is known as the Still World, a dark realm with unusual properties affected by all the misplaced pieces of Hyrule. The series is no stranger to alternate worlds with the Dark World in Link To The Past and Lorule in A Link Between Worlds.
However, the Still World appears to be an entirely new realm created by this game’s villain known asNull. It’s said that the reason that Null is creating these rifts is becauseit wants to consume everything and obtain the Triforce. This implies that the gametakes place after A Link To The Past, since before the events of that game, the Triforce was still sealed in the Pyramid Of Power in the Dark World, thanks to Zelda and the Seven Sages.
The fact thatNull is searching for it in Hyrule is evidence that the Triforce has been restored to its rightful placeafter Link reclaimed it.
The Villain’s Backstory
After clearing the Eldin Temple, Zelda will get some insight into Null and its history.The story goes that Null was the first being in existence, a creature of pure nothingness that consumed everything. The Three Goddesses sought to contain Null’s endless hunger by creating a world to imprison it. However, Null escaped by opening rifts to consume its prison and to reclaim its power from the Three Goddesses by obtaining the Triforce.
This makes it sound like Null is the oldest destructive force that Hyrule has ever encountered, but it didn’t start to escape until after the appearance of Pig Ganon (hence, the echo). By the start of the game, it appears that Null’s influence has already had time to spread, taking over Hyrule Castle and imprisoning Zelda. This suggests that Link has been away for quite some time when he arrives to fight back.
Conclusion
With all this considered, it’s a high possibility that The Legend Of Zelda: Echoes Of Wisdomtakes place after Link’s Awakening and the Oracles' adventures but before A Link Between Worlds.
The progression makes sense: Pig Ganon has been defeated after being sealed away, the Triforce has been restored to the Royal Family, Link traveled without the Master Sword, Ganon’s revival gets thwarted, Link traveled more, then returned after Null has already done a lot of damage, Link is defeated leaving Zelda to fix everything, and the Still World is tearing up Hyrule looking for the Triforce.
There’s alsoa strong chance that this game is part of a whole new timeline, but we don’t need another headache.
