Topic: Legend of Zelda: Canon Council

[King of Twitch]

Before Final Fantasy VII came around and ruined gaming forever with cutscenes and gamers were cooing over video games being art while having their diaper changed, everyone even the Pope discussed in a purely scholarly and reasonable manner at all times how LTTP and OOT could take place in the same timeline. The gray areas were left to the imagination and whimsy. No more. Now we're in the "entitled, whiny Millennial snot everything has to be explained and connected to other things we've already seen memberberryville, otherwise the developer doesn't care and should go out of business Eraâ„¢". But what is the canon? What can change and what must stay the same before it veers off into sidequest and makes a right turn at reboot?


I’m on team anti-canon, or at least anti- most of it. Link's Awakening was completely different--characters, plot, and setting (but not the progression)--and it's one of the best games ever made. Link is supposed to be the player's avatar. I was the one that was shipwrecked. I was the one that was revived by Marin and Tarin. I rescued their village and brought food to a lost old man in the mountains. And I'll be darned if you tell me where it happened on a timeline. Because when that power switch goes on, I am the hero of legends.


Vote for which elements of the Zelda canon that you wouldn't miss and make your case in the thread.

[NWR_insanolord]

There's one clear answer here, and it's the "Get 3 things, use them to acquire the master sword, and then get 6 more things so you can fight Ganon" setup. It's not like it's ever the same groups of things, so there's no canonical reason it has to be structured that way.

[ShyGuy]

Dampe lives!

[lolmonade]

Going through this list....only things I find sacred about Zelda games are link as playable character, Triforce maguffin of power, and Master Sword existing and being the ultimate weapon.


I'm really flexible with Zelda games, probably part of why I liked Skyward Sword and am looking forward to Breath of the Wild, they were both departures in some ways from the prior games that make them distinct (BotW might be more traditional than I expect, given we've seen nothing but trailers & gameplay vids).

[Soren]

I'll wait for the true Legend of Zelda with her as the main character. Until then, nothing is sacred. Upend the tea table.

[Evan_B]

Link should acquire new tools to overcome new obstacles. Those obstacles don't necessarily have to be in dungeons, though.

[rygar]

There's one clear answer here, and it's the "Get 3 things, use them to acquire the master sword, and then get 6 more things so you can fight Ganon" setup. It's not like it's ever the same groups of things, so there's no canonical reason it has to be structured that way.

I'm only now making my way through OoT and later. What about LoZ and AoL. It wasn't until I played LttP that I understood Master Sword didn't just mean Link's sword. Did they retcon it in to earlier games?

[NWR_insanolord]

There's one clear answer here, and it's the "Get 3 things, use them to acquire the master sword, and then get 6 more things so you can fight Ganon" setup. It's not like it's ever the same groups of things, so there's no canonical reason it has to be structured that way.

I'm only now making my way through OoT and later. What about LoZ and AoL. It wasn't until I played LttP that I understood Master Sword didn't just mean Link's sword. Did they retcon it in to earlier games?

It wasn't in those first two, but almost every console Zelda after those uses that structure.

[rygar]

I honed in on the Master Sword because I think "It's dangerous to go alone! Take this" is maybe the most iconic line from video games, and I think elevating the Master Sword, without retconning the first game, diminishes it. But so far I view these titles more as fairy tales/myths/legends than a serialized fantasy, so I'm anti-canon anyway.

Another potential factor for canonization is the residents of Hyrule being of some kind of fay race like elf or halfling.

[NWR_insanolord]

Not only is the sword in the NES original not the Master Sword, it's not even necessary to beat the game.

[Khushrenada]

And why doesn't Link dance anymore? Remember the Linktusi? Who-ha-wha-cha-huh-ta-la-ho....

[rygar]

Not only is the sword in the NES original not the Master Sword, it's not even necessary to beat the game.

True. That makes me hope that you can do the same in BotW. It already has been marketed with a heavy LoZ flavor.

[Order.RSS]

I wanna play as Zelda and make political decisions as the land's sole monarch, then sneak out at night as Sheik and solve petty crimes in Tom Clancy's Splinter Cellda: Pandoracle of Timemorrow.

[King of Twitch]

love it^

[ShyGuy]

Calamity Ganon changes everything!