Echoes of Wisdom Joins the Official Legend of Zelda Timeline

Over the years, the Zelda timeline has sparked numerous discussions and theories, and now Nintendo has officially slotted in its latest addition, Echoes of Wisdom. This new chapter in Zelda’s saga finds its place in the ‘Hero is defeated’ timeline, neatly positioned after Tri Force Heroes and just before the ‘Decline of the Hyrule Kingdom’. Here’s what Nintendo has to say about Echoes of Wisdom within the timeline:

“The hero Link embarks on a quest to rescue Princess Zelda, who has fallen into the clutches of Ganon. After a hard-fought battle, Link emerges victorious over Ganon, only to be engulfed by an ominous rift. It seemed as if he was whisked away… Across Hyrule, other perplexing rifts began appearing, whisking away Hyrule’s inhabitants. No one was safe—not even the king himself and his counselors, who mysteriously vanished. Princess Zelda now must brave an adventure to rescue her father, the people of the kingdom, and Link.”

Nintendo’s official page clarifies that this storyline branches from the ‘lose’ scenario of Ocarina of Time, where the Hero of Time succumbs in his battle against Ganondorf. The alternate ‘win’ scenario, or ‘The Hero is Triumphant’, diverges into Link’s ‘child’ and ‘adult’ eras.

If you take a look at the image provided, you’ll notice Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom are set apart in the timeline. It’s worth mentioning that Nintendo has previously stated that Zelda timelines are only a partial consideration during game development. More recently, producer Eiji Aonuma shared insights into why gameplay tends to be prioritized over narrative in this beloved series.

What do you think about this revised timeline? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Liam Doolan, a seasoned news writer and reviewer for Nintendo Life and Pure Xbox, has contributed this piece. With over 15 years of experience writing about games, Liam is a longtime fan of Mario and Master Chief.