Louis_Cypher
Arcane
- Joined
- Jan 1, 2016
- Messages
- 1,614
I just re-played The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, which is often ranked low on clickbait internet lists despite being popular with gamers for it's tone, music, controls and dungeons. I think it is probably my favorite of the 3D-era / middle-era Zelda games (i.e. after the 2D-era, starting with Ocarina of Time, ending with Skyward Sword, but before the newest BOTW-era). In general I'm not as much a fan of the middle 3D Zeldas as some. My favorites are from the SNES era; Link's Awakening on the Gameboy and A Link to the Past on SNES. However the HD remaster of Twilight Princess is beautiful, liberating the original art design from the Gamecube/Wii's hardware limitations. Playing it has inspired this thread.
Below is a brief introduction to the lore, for anyone wanting to get into the series:
Protagonist: Link - Many mortal boys are born, but once in every age, in a generation facing darkness, one chooses to take up the needs of his community; to defeat the evil forces of entropy. His name is often 'Link', a popular boy's name name in Hyrule, named after the first ancient hero.
Arch Enemy: Ganon - Once the mortal tribal warlord 'Ganondorf Dragmire'. In eons past, Ganondorf ascended into an embodiment of demonic evil; the Dark Lord 'Ganon'. Resurrected once in an eon, he possesses the power of a sorcerer, a disciplined mind, and an unquenchable spirit of malice.
Object of Desire: The Triforce - When the universe was created out of the primal chaos, three goddesses placed power in an artifact, to be used to bring balance to the world in times of need. Ganon attained the portion signifying power, and wishes to attain the entire Triforce to achieve godhood.
Spiritual Oracle: Zelda - A goddess was placed in the world, to guard the power of the Triforce, and incarnates into the royal line of the Kingdom of Hyrule once in every age. Princess Zelda is the name given to the chosen of the gods, and wields the portion of the Triforce denoting wisdom.
Some of the famous Heroes across the ages of The Legend of Zelda series:
In my opinion, the official Nintendo timeline is messy. I rather just think of the entire series as a loose progression of Buddhist-like cycles, down the ages. Thousands of years may pass between games, reshaping entire lands, races and rendering the events of the past almost forgotten. Ganon remains the same throughout all, cursed by his indomitable will to be reborn, as he is attached (mōnen) to his goal with immortal, infernal, levels of willpower. Here is a low effort attempt at a unified timeline:
----
The Hero of the Skies
Games:
- - The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Skyward Sword:
In the beginning, the world is created out of chaos, and the gods leave for a distant nebula. A demon from the primordial chaos finds it's way into the mortal world. Demise. The first Hero defeats this evil. Before being sealed away, Demise predicts a man will one day arise to take revenge for his defeat, being a rebirth of hatred. While Ganon and Demise represent distinct people, the metaphysical force of hatred will always exist, and find embodiment; lending this curse poetic inevitability.
----
The Hero of Men
Games:
- - The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
The Minish Cap:
Early in the history of the world, one of the tiny Minish race, a sorcerer called Vaati, attempts to take the power of light, which was granted to the Minish by the Hylian race, who inhabit Hyrule. The Hero of Men defeats Vaati and restores peace.
----
The Hero of Time
Games:
- - The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
- - The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
Ocarina of Time:
A mortal warlord of the Gerudo race of tribesmen, Ganondorf Dragmire, an evil sorcerer, attempts to attain the holy Triforce. Ganondorf eventually transforms into the boar-like demon lord Ganon, using the Triforce of Power. He is defeated by the Hero of Time, and eventually executed for his crimes, being sent to the twilight dimension.
Majora's Mask:
The Hero of Time journeys to the parallel dimension containing the land of Termina, where he must prevent the destruction of the world by it's moon, which is descending toward the surface. Who or what is responsible for this calamity?
----
The Hero of Twilight
Games:
- - The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Twilight Princess:
Ganondorf is executed after the events of the Hero of Time's age, by being impaled, and sent to the twilight realm, an alternate dimension. Surviving his wound, he convinces a native denizen named Zant to worship him, and become the avatar of his evil. Zant invades Hyrule. Ganondorf is eventually released and defeated by the Hero of Twilight.
----
The Hero of Winds
Games:
- - The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
- - The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
The Wind Waker:
Ages pass, and the land is flooded, creating a vast ocean with many island archipelagos. When Ganondorf is resurrected, but a new hero is not, the world is plunged into tyranny. Eventually a boy from one of the islands proves himself the Hero of Winds by killing Ganondorf. This hero sails the ocean on a boat, The King of Red Lions.
Phantom Hourglass:
After defeating Ganondorf, Link sets sail on the high seas, arriving in the distant realm of the Ocean King. There he encounters an evil phantom known as Bellum. Once again taking up arms, he ends this threat. Meanwhile Ganondorf's body, which turned to stone, lies under the lowest depths of Hyrule.
----
The Hero of Legend
Games:
- - The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
- - The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
- - The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons
- - The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages
A Link to the Past:
An unknown epoch passes after the events of The Wind Waker, and dry land re-emerges. Ganon is sealed in the Sacred Realm by a past hero, a parallel world, which he has corrupted into the Dark World. He is now trapped in his Dark Beast form, resembling a boar-man. He uses a puppet, Aghanim, to exert his will across the dimensions into the Light World, where Hyrule is located. Another attempt is made to gain the Triforce, imprisoning Princess Zelda. The Hero of Legend confronts and defeats Ganon.
Link's Awakening:
After the events of A Link to the Past, the Hero of Legend, Link, is shipwrecked while voyaging to other lands in search of adventure. Washing ashore on Koholint Island, he must discover the secrets of the Wind Fish. Can he trust all that he sees?
Oracle of Seasons & Oracle of Ages:
After Ganon is defeated, Link searches for new adventure, and is called by the Triforce to undertake a quest. Journeying to the neighboring lands of Holodrum and Labrynna, Link defeats General Orox and Veran, Sorceress of Shadows. A larger threat was concealed behind their machinations; the Hero of Legend foils a plan to resurrect Ganon.
----
The Hero of Hyrule
Games:
- The Legend of Zelda
- Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
The Legend of Zelda:
Ganon, the Prince of Darkness, invades Hyrule to acquire the Triforce. Princess Zelda splits the remaining power into eight fragments and hides them to prevent his success. The Hero of Hyrule unites the pieces to defeat Ganon at Death Mountain.
----
The Hero of the Wild
Games:
- - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
- - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Sequel
Breath of the Wild:
Advanced technology is developed by the Sheikah race, but is lost over ten millennia of decay. After eons and the reshaping of the lands and races of the world, Ganon has become an almost elemental force of disembodied malice; Calamity Ganon. Taking control of the technology of the Sheikah, he destroys civilization, returning Hyrule to medieval levels. The Hero of the Wild arises to confront him.
Last edited: