Everything you need to know about The Legend of Zelda before Tears of the Kingdom 4d4m1q

The Legend of Zelda is one of the most popular video game series. With games being released since 1986, the franchise features over 20 mainline titles, as well as spin-offs and reissues. Since his first game, Link's adventures have been told across generations of consoles. Nintendo in an anthology that, at first, did not seem to have a connected narrative. 2y3n38

With the releases and the building of an ardent fan community, theories began to be raised about what could be a connection between the games' stories. Later, the theories would become official in the games and, mainly, in the book Legend of Zelda: Hyrule History, written by Eiji Aonuma and Shigeru Miyamoto, the creators of the franchise.

With so many games and stories already told in these almost 40 years, the series becomes intimidating for some players who want to start their adventures alongside Link and don't know where to start playing. Some of the games have a direct connection and continuation, others are part of a parallel timeline.

What are the main games in the franchise and what consoles are they available on? Is there a correct order? Showmetech has prepared a guide with everything you need to know about The Legend of Zelda to prepare for the launch of Tears of the Kingdom.

What is the history of The Legend of Zelda series? 2g5v6j

The history of games The Legend of Zelda follows a very simple premise. The player controls Link, a hero hylian chosen to protect the kingdom of hyrule from an imminent threat and save the Princess zelda, the reincarnation of the goddess hylia, of a villain who is usually represented by the antagonist Ganondorf. There are variations depending on the game, such as SpiritTracks, which gives a greater role to Zelda, or Skyward Sword, which introduces us demise as the main threat. However, the basic structure of the games remains for the most part, telling the different legends of Link and Zelda throughout the franchise's history.

In 2011, with the launch of the book Legend of Zelda: Hyrule History, we had more details released about the lore of the franchise. All game stories tell a version of the legend from a reincarnation of Link, Zelda and Ganondorf through thousands of years, with the exception of some games that are direct continuations of their predecessors and work with the same characters, as in Majora's Mask after the events of Ocarina of Time.

In addition to aiming to save hyrule, most games revolve around our protagonist protecting the Triforce, a relic left behind by the creator goddesses of the realm: Your, lighthouse e nayru, representing the virtues of living beings which are Courage, Wisdom and Power, respectively. Such creation of the world and the protection of this artifact are central points for understanding the history of the franchise and will define the main eras in its timeline.

creation of the world 521k2l

At the origin of everything, the three Golden Goddesses – from English, Golden Goddesses – emerged from the chaos that was Hyrule and Din (Goddess of Power) created the land, Nayru (Goddess of Wisdom) created order in the world and Farore (Goddess of Courage) created life. Soon the goddesses would depart for the heavens and leave an artifact known as the Triforce at a resting place called Sacred Realm or Holy Kingdom.

was from Hylia 6p3fs

Years ed before the Triforce was placed under the protection of the goddess Hylia during what became known as the was from Hylia.

During that period, a Demon King known as demise swore to take the Triforce and dominate the world, which is the trigger of the first major battle that precedes the events of Skyward Sword. The villain united an army of creatures, and Hylia united the surviving humans to send them skyward above a barrier of clouds created for protection. The lands in the sky where these humans live would later be called Sky ceiling.

Ultimately, Hylia united the remaining combatants who fought against the forces of evil to seal away Demise and protect the realm. Knowing that such a seal would not last forever, the goddess abdicated her divinity and transferred her soul into the body of a mortal who would be born at the moment when the Demon King was about to return. she created the Goddess Sword or Sword of the Goddess and the spirit Fi, to help a chosen hero fulfill the prophecy when the time came.

age of heaven 3o394n

A age of heaven is the period counted from The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, the first game in the franchise chronologically. The years revolve around the aftermath of Hylia's actions as Demise attempts to be freed by Ghirahim, coinciding with the birth of Zelda, the first reincarnation of the Goddess, and the first chosen hero of legend, Link.

During the events of the game, Zelda regains Hylia's memories with the help of Impa, a member of a mysterious tribe known as the Sheikah, responsible for protecting the royal family of Hyrule for generations. Meanwhile, Link, in possession of the Goddess Sword, quest for the sacred flames of the three goddesses of Hyrule to create the first Master sword, legendary and recurring blade in the games of the franchise.

The game's ending represents Demise's ultimate defeat, sealing him in the Master Sword after Link and Zelda's efforts. However, the villain, in his last moments, promises that an incarnation of his hatred will forever haunt those who share the blood of the Goddess Hylia and the spirit of the hero in an endless cycle and, as a result, all this hatred gave rise to Ganon. .

After these events, Zelda, Link and the others from Skyloft populate the surface world and their descendants are forever known as the Hylians; such a region receives the name of Hyrule for the first time.

age of chaos 6z5k6c

After years of peace in Hyrule, a rumor emerged involving a great power behind the Triforce, which could be used to dominate the world; As a result, a war broke out, initiating the age of chaos.

A group of powerful sorcerers known as the Interpolers were born after attempts by Hylians to dominate the Sacred Realm in search of the Triforce, until the goddesses of Hyrule sent the Spirits of Light, Ordona, Faron, Eldin and Lanayru, to banish them to the Twilight Realm or Twilight Realm. To protect the Triforce, the sage Rauru sealed the entrance to the Sacred Realm, the Master Sword being the only possible key to gain access to the location.

Age of Prosperity 6d4s4t

After the isolation of the Triforce and the end of the wars, a era of prosperity took over Hyrule. With the establishment of a royal family with Zelda's descendants in power, Hyrule Castle was built and years ed without conflict with of the royal family being born with special powers due to their blood relationship with the Goddess Hylia. All princesses born to such a family were called by the name Zelda due to the reincarnation of the Goddess's soul.

age of force 1s5m27

The event that gave rise to age of force it was the attack on Hyrule by evil forces and the salvation of the realm by the creatures known as Minish (or Picori), descending from the skies. These beings brought Picori Blade (Picori Sword) and the light force (Light Force) to the Hero. This hero of legend sealed the evil beings in a chest, locking it with the Picori Blade. After these events, a festival known as the Picori Festival was held annually to commemorate the victory.

In the centenary edition of the festival, an evil Minish known as Vaati opened the chest in hopes of obtaining the Light Force and unleashed all evil across Hyrule. As a consequence of such actions, the story of The Minash Cap e Four Swords, games whose story revolves around the battle between Link and Zelda against Vaati to restore peace in the kingdom.

Age of the Hero of Time 1w2b54

From this point on, the franchise's history begins to take unexpected turns and a high degree of complexity due to a separation between different timelines arising from the end of Ocarina of Time.

In the game's story, Ganondorf, leader of gerudo, swears allegiance to the king, but secretly plans to gain the power of Triforce sealed in the Hyrule Castle region. To thwart Ganondorf's evil plans, an ancient tree of kokiri forest call Great Deku Tree sends a boy named Link with his fairy Na'vi on an adventure to stop the villain.

Link manages to meet with Princess Zelda and both plan to steal the Triforce before anything bad happens though, when Link opens the Door of Time (Door of Time) and holds the Master Sword that keeps the Triforce, he enters a deep sleep for 7 years and awakens as the hero of time. During this period, Ganondorf managed to enter the Sacred Realm, took part in Triforce for himself and turned Hyrule into a world of chaos. It is discovered after this time that the relic has split into 3 and Link, Zelda and Ganondorf have received a portion of the power.

The game's narrative follows Link in search of a way to defeat the villain and every time the Master sword is placed back on the pedestal, the hero returns to 7 years in the past. Using the power of the sword and the 7 Sages that help them on their journey, Link and Zelda manage to imprison Ganondorf in the Evil Realm (Kingdom of Evil) and at this point the timeline of the franchise is divided into 3 different directions that the story takes from the events at the end of the game.

Defeated Hero's Timeline 5q4c41

The timeline of defeated hero takes into that, at the end of Ocarina of Time, Ganondorf defeated Link and took all the power of the Triforce for himself by reuniting the 3 parts of the artifact. As a last resort, the sages sealed Ganon within the now corrupt Sacred Realm which became known as Dark World (World of darkness).

This timeline takes into the events contained in the stories of A Link to the Past, Link's Awakening, Oracle of Seasons e Oracle of Ages, A Link Between Worlds, Tri Force Heroes, The Legend of Zelda e The Adventure of Link.

Child Hero Timeline 1eu1n

The timeline of child hero ou Child Timeline takes into the end of Ocarina of Time in which Link and Zelda defeat Ganondorf. Link returns to the past and manages to warn the royal family about the true intentions of the leader of the Gerudo and, after the disappearance of Na'vi, the hero leaves Hyrule to seek his fairy. Years later, it is described that Ganondorf was sealed within the Twilight Realm.

In this timeline, the history of the franchise follows directly with the events of Majora's Mask and, after that period, with Twilight princess e Four Swords Adventures.

Adult Hero Timeline 5f182

In this timeline, it is taken into that, at the end of Ocarina of Time, Link is sent to the past, however, his Triforce is left behind shattering into 8 fragments scattered across the kingdom. At the same time, Zelda retains possession of her Triforce and Ganondorf is imprisoned within the Sacred Realm after his defeat.

With the absence of a hero in the kingdom, years ed and the legend of the hero of time was lost, giving rise to the events of The Wind Waker, Phantom Hourglass e SpiritTracks.

The Great Calamity 21o4g

This point in the franchise's narrative takes into the events of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, whose release took place after the publication of the book that makes the order and events of the series official. Therefore, the positions of Breath of the Wild e Tears of the Kingdom remain in the realm of theory by fans, without official confirmation by Nintendo. It is speculated that at the point where the events of the current games occur, the 3 timelines formed in Ocarina of Time were unified again by some event.

Many years have ed since the events of the previous games, to the point where it is impossible to say what is myth and what is fact. An entity known as Calamity ganon arose and in a fierce battle was defeated. However, 10 years ed and the creature was revived 100 years before the beginning of Breath of the Wild.

Hyrule succumbed to evil forces and a royal family hero named Link was on the brink of death, so much so that he was put into a slumber for 1 century in the Shrine of Resurrection (Resurrection Shrine). The princess of the royal family, Zelda, remains to keep Calamity Ganon imprisoned in Hyrule Castle until the hero can wake up recovered and help her save the kingdom.

In a story that takes place so many years in the future, many things are still a mystery. The Sheikah tribe has developed advanced technology, like the Guardians and Divine Beasts in preparation for Ganon's return. A mysterious tribe known as the Zonai are speculated to have ties to the Shrines and Labyrinths we encounter in Breath of the Wild and can also have a big influence on the next game.

With the apparent defeat of Calamity Ganon, Hyrule began to be rebuilt, until Link and Zelda, exploring the underground of the kingdom, came across a creature that had awakened to take the human form of Ganondorf, triggering the events of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.

Major franchise titles 1qc1q

The Legend of Zelda 16476t

Ano: 1986 | console: NES | developer: Nintendo Research & Development 4 | publisher: nintendo

A small kingdom in the land of Hyrule is in chaos after an army led by Ganon, the prince of darkness, invades and steals the Triforce. In an attempt to stop Ganon from acquiring the Triforce of Wisdom, another of the pieces, Princess Zelda splits and hides the eight fragments in secret dungeons across the land. Before the princess is kidnapped by Ganon, he sends her Guardian Impa to find someone brave enough to save the Kingdom.

While wandering the land, Impa is surrounded by Ganon's henchmen. That's when a young man named Link appears and rescues her. After hearing Impa's plea, he resolves to save Zelda and prepares to reassemble the scattered fragments of the Triforce of Wisdom and become powerful enough to defeat Ganon.

Zelda II: The Adventure of Link 5756k

Ano: 1988 | console: NES | developer: Nintendo Research & Development 4 | publisher: nintendo

Years after Ganon's defeat and Princess Zelda's rescue, Link notices the appearance of a mark on the back of his left hand. After seeing the drawing, Impa tells him the story that years ago a king of Hyrule hid a secret third part of the Triforce in a great palace.

After the king's death, his son and heir begins a search for the missing Triforce. However, its location was entrusted only to his daughter Zelda. Her brother uses a spell to try to extract information from the princess and, after refusing, she is put into a deep sleep. Only by uniting the Triforce of Courage with his counterparts can Link awaken Zelda and protect the kingdom from his evil brother.

A Link to the Past 6e101c

Ano: 1991 | console: SNES | developer: Nintendo Entertainment Analysis & Development | publisher: nintendo

An evil sorcerer named Agahnim kills the king of Hyrule, imprisons the descendants of the great sages in the Shadow Realm and seizes the kingdom with the aim of freeing the villainous Ganondorf. The hero Link discovers that he is the last of a line belonging to a family that takes it upon itself to protect the royal family when endangered.

The protagonist needs to wield the legendary Master Sword to defeat the villains and, for that, he needs three magic pendants to prove that he is worthy of such an artifact and that he is ready to save the kingdom of Hyrule and Princess Zelda.

Link's Awakening 1z4yi

Ano: 1993 | console: GameBoy | developer: Nintendo Entertainment Analysis & Development | publisher: nintendo

Link travels by boat to other parts of the world in order to train for new adventures. A storm wrecks his craft and lands him on Koholint Island, where he is taken to Tarin's home by his daughter Marin. The protagonist manages to recover his sword and a mysterious owl tells him that he needs to wake up the Fish of the Wind, the guardian of the island, in order to return home. The Fish of the Wind is asleep inside a giant egg on top of Mount Tamaranch and can only be awakened by the eight musical instruments of the mermaids.

Ocarina of Time 201m11

Ano: 1998 | console: Nintendo 64 | developer: Nintendo Entertainment Analysis & Development | publisher: nintendo

Ocarina of Time was the first of many players with the franchise and tells the story of Link, the chosen hero, who needs to free Princess Zelda, preventing the plans of Ganondorf who wants to obtain the Triforce, the sacred relic that grants wishes and power to whoever possesses it. . For this, Link will need to travel back in time to obtain the Master Sword and free the 7 sages who together hold the power to forever imprison the villain.

Majora's Mask 68ib

Ano: 2000 | console: Nintendo 64 | developer: Nintendo Entertainment Analysis & Development | publisher: nintendo

The history of Majora's Mask found after the events of Ocarina of Time. After Ganondorf's defeat, Link is sent back in time to experience his childhood. After some time, he goes on a journey with his mare, Epona, to find a friend lost after battles with evil, his fairy Na'vi.

Its narrative differs from the rest of the series in that it is not set in Hyrule and is not centered on the Triforce and Princess Zelda. The story unfolds in Termina, a kind of “parallel world”, where the protagonist Link must try to prevent the moon from colliding with the planet, causing the apocalypse, after being taken out of its orbit by the masked Skull Kid.

Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons 4u41l

Ano: 2001 | console: Game Boy Color | developer: Flagship | publisher: nintendo

Oracle of Ages begins when the Triforce calls out to Link in Hyrule Castle. Link approaches and is transported to a forest in the land of Labrynna, where he hears screams. In a clearing, Link finds Impa surrounded by monsters, who flee at the sight of him. Impa then asks Link to help her find a singer in the forest. The two find Nayru, a young girl with blue hair singing from a tree stump and surrounded by woodland creatures. A shadow emerges from Impa and reveals itself to be Veran, the Shadow Sorceress. Veran possesses Nayru, the Oracle of Ages; this disrupts the temporal flow, starting the Oracle of Ages.

Em Oracle of Seasons, the game starts again with the Triforce calling for Link in Hyrule Castle, however, when he is transported to a forest, he finds a traveling group led by a dancer named Din. After Din introduces Link to the land of Holodrum, the sky is covered in black clouds. A voice from the clouds calls Din the Oracle of Seasons and refers to himself as Onox, General of Darkness. A funnel-shaped cloud descends from the sky, carrying Din. When the tornado dissipates, Holodrum's seasons become disorganized and change rapidly.

Ano: 2002 | console: Game Boy Advance | developer: Nintendo EAD and Capcom | publisher: nintendo

A Link to the Past & Four Swords focuses on Link's journey to save the land of Hyrule, stop Ganon's return, and free the seven maidens descended from the ancient sages. The story is a prequel to previous games, involving the ancestors of Link and Princess Zelda. This version is a port of the original for Super Nintendo released for Game Boy Advance with Four Swords mode for up to 4 players, modifying parts of the game and adding elements to the narrative.

The Wind Waker 6y2t4i

Ano: 2003| console: GameCube | developer: Nintendo EAD | publisher: nintendo

On a small island in Great Sea, a young man awakens, on his birthday, without any idea of ​​the adventure that awaits him. This young man is Link. When her sister is kidnapped and taken to the Forsaken Fortress, he sets out on a mission to rescue her, accompanied by the pirate Tetra and her crew. Just as he is about to save his beloved Aryll, Link is thrown into the sea, where he finds the king of red lions, a wise boat that tells about the legendary Pearls of Goddesses; together they leave for Great Sea on a crucial adventure to save the world from darkness.

Four Swords Adventures 1c64

Ano: 2004 | console: GameCube | developer: Nintendo EAD | publisher: nintendo

The beginning of the game takes place in the land of Hyrule, gripped by fear due to recent strange events. On a stormy night, Princess Zelda and the shrine maidens fear that the cause of these events is the weakening of Vaati's seal. Zelda summons Link and takes him to the castle to protect them while they open the portal to the Four Sword Sanctuary.

As he does so, a shadowy figure emerges from the portal – Shadow Link – who kidnaps the maidens and imprisons them in crystals. Link follows Shadow Link to the shrine and retrieves the Four Sword to destroy his doppelganger. The Four Sword is a magical sword that splits its wielder into three clones of himself. Vaati is released once more and starts wreaking havoc on the peaceful kingdom.

The Minash Cap 4c2643

Ano: 2004 | console: Game Boy Advance | developer: Flagship | publisher: nintendo

The game tells the origin of Vaati, the antagonist of Four Swords Adventures, and the Four Sword, the sword that makes Link split into up to four copies. The story begins with Princess Zelda taking her best friend Link to the XNUMXth edition of the festival – where, in theory, the door to the world of Minish opens to the winner of a tournament.

A mysterious man named Vaati, who won the festival's swordsmanship contest, breaks the sword of the Picori, and with his magical powers infests Hyrule with monsters and petrifies Zelda. The King of Hyrule asks Link to the Minish to see if they can help break Zelda's curse.

Twilight princess 3w613e

Ano: 2006 | console: GameCube | developer: Nintendo EAD | publisher: nintendo

When an evil darkness threatens the land of Hyrule, a country boy named Link is forced to awaken the hero - and animal - within him. When Link travels to the Twilight Realm, he transforms into a wolf and has to travel through the region with Midna's help. The story focuses on Link's challenge trying to prevent Hyrule from being taken over by this Twilight Realm.

Phantom Hourglass 6i4m6f

Ano: 2007 | console: Nintendo DS | developer: Nintendo EAD | publisher: nintendo

Phantom Hourglass starts where the wind waker protocols for GameCube it ended. Link, his friend Tetra and their gang of pirates are sailing uncharted seas when they come across a ghost ship. When Tetra wants to explore the ship, she disappears and Link, who goes after her, falls into the sea and is stranded on an unknown island. Staying true to the traditional formula Legend of Zelda, this game's controls are drastically different from other Zelda titles. This time, you just use the touch screen to make Link move and attack.

SpiritTracks 4g6x3a

Ano: 2009 | console: Nintendo DS | developer: Nintendo EAD | publisher: nintendo

The game tells the story of SpiritTracks, immense chains that were used in the past to bind a Demon King who posed a threat to the kingdom of Hyrule. They have remained untouched for a millennium, being used as rails by locals to travel on their trains. However, it is evident that there is a conspiracy concocted by the plot's antagonists to free the Demon King once more.

Skyward Sword 5pe1x

Ano: 2011 | console: Nintendo Wii | developer: Nintendo EAD | publisher: nintendo

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword takes place at the beginning of the franchise's chronology The Legend of Zelda. According to legend, three ancient goddesses bestowed great power capable of granting any wish: the Triforce. The Demon King Demise wanted the Triforce and in his pursuit of this power he ended up laying waste to a good part of the land. The goddess Hylia gathered the surviving people onto a giant outcrop of rocks and sent them skyward above the clouds, thus allowing her to launch an all-out offensive against Demise with the remaining benevolent allied species.

Hylia was victorious, but the land was badly damaged. Countless years later, the outcrop has come to be known as Skyloft and its people believe that the “Surface” beneath the clouds is a myth. The game's story starts from the point where Demise awakens and wants to break free again and it is Link and Zelda's mission to prevent a new age of darkness in the world.

A Link Between Worlds 1f5zd

Ano: 2013 | console: Nintendo 3DS | developer: Nintendo EAD | publisher: nintendo

A Link Between Worlds is a continuation of A Link to the Past, taking place many years after the events of the game Super Nintendo. Players control a young boy named Link, who embarks on an adventure to rescue the Seven Sages and defeat Yuga, the game's main antagonist. The game is set in two realms – Hyrule and Lorule – and both have an open world structure and layout similar, with contrast in style and tone.

Breath Of The Wild 2q5a5j

Ano: 2017 | console: Nintendo Wii U and Nintendo Switch | developer: Nintendo EAD | publisher: nintendo

The history of Breath of the Wild takes place in Hyrule, where the hero Link awakens after a 100-year slumber to find the realm overrun by evil forces, led by Calamity Ganon. Link must explore a vast open world, collect weapons, equipment and powers, and complete various quests and challenges to recover his lost memories and discover how to defeat Ganon and save Hyrule.

What is the best order to play? 6d4y6n

Finally, with so many stories and so many games with splitting timelines and games that are direct or indirect continuations, which game should you play if you've never been interested in the series?

The answer is: it depends. They exist 3 lines of reasoning that we can use to define the order. A first of all is to follow the line of releases. Playing following the order in which the games were released can be a good idea, as you will have a similar experience to players who have followed the series since its launch, discovering the mysteries and stories in each game to fit this great puzzle that is the chronology of Zelda.

However, that way you'd start playing 80s titles that may not be as mechanically elaborate, which isn't a good enough draw for anyone who isn't invested in the series' mythology or wants to know the origins of the games one already loves. Play only if you don't care about old mechanics and if you are a person with an extra dose of patience, as you will have to go through not so good games to get to the great classics of the franchise.

The second way to play the series is by chronological order. Following the guide in this post, you start by Skyward Sword and follows in temporal order of events choosing which timelines after Ocarina of Time you want to play. The biggest impediment for anyone wanting to follow this sequence is that Skyward Sword it's a game designed to answer the franchise's biggest mysteries, so it might introduce the origin of concepts that fans love, but first-timers might not care enough about yet.

Finally, the ideal sequel to play the games in the franchise The Legend of Zelda is to start with the game that most appeals to you mechanically and visually. Start playing the games that are available on the console you have and, preferably, the best-rated games in the series, such as Ocarina of Time, Wind Waker, Link Between Worlds ou Breath of the Wild. After getting to know the franchise and falling in love with it, you can delve deeper into the universe of the series, getting to know its games from different decades to find out how the development of the games took place to reach this point. Tears of the Kingdom.

Learn more

Top 10 Zelda dungeons of all time.

Source: Zelda Wiki, YellowSuperNintendo e Game Essays.

Text proofread by: Pedro Bomfim (18 / 04 / 23)