Official Zelda timeline artbook in the works

You thought Nintendo was finished with the Zelda 25th anniversary stuff? Not quite...

http://www.nintendo.co.jp/zelda25th/guidebook/index.html

The book is called Hyrule Historia.
It's 274 pages long.

Based on the table of contents, it contains:

Detailed Skyward Sword stuff broken into various sections: 67 pages
The World of Hyrule detailed in several sections including a timeline: 70 pages
Artwork for the individual games:
Legend of Zelda – 4 pages
Link’s Adventure & Link to the Past – 2 pages
Link’s Awakening – 1 page
Ocarina of Time – 6 pages
Majora’s Mask – 3 pages
Wind Waker – 10 pages
Oracle series – 6 pages
Twilight Princess – 32 pages
Phantom Hourglass – 4 pages
Spirit Tracks – 22 pages
The rest of the book contains an evolution of Link’s character designs over the years, a catalog of Zelda games, and some other extra stuff.

Four Swords Adventures screenshot log 3/3

The last part of the game where you have to escort Zelda around is really fun.

Iwata Asks: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

November 20th can't arrive quickly enough. In the meantime, here's an interview with the development team behind Skyward Sword that reveals some interesting info about how the game was made, without getting too spoiler-ish.

Four Swords Adventures screenshot log 2/3

Four Swords Adventures screenshot log 1/3

This game was a lot better than I expected. It's a very high quality, full-sized 2D console Zelda game with a cool story and very nice aesthetic design.

Termina - The Realm of Time

Continuing off of my theory on the Sacred Realm being part of Hyrule, what does that mean for the parallel dimension of Termina that Link slips into in Majora's Mask?

First, some background info:

- Before Ocarina of Time, Hyrule was at war. The different religions factions and races of Hyrule were all fighting over control of the Sacred Realm. In the end, the fighting stopped and Hyrule became united as one country.

- The royal family of Hyrule, the waters of the Zora people, the shadows of the Sheikah village, the fires of the Death Mountain tribe, the protectors of the Forest, and the spirits of the Gerudo Desert then collaborated together to guard the Sacred Realm. The door of time was guarded by the 3 spiritual stones of different tribes and the Ocarina of Time. The Sacred Realm itself was guarded by 7 sages, who were eventually replaced by 1 member from each tribe.

- Rauru, the sage of Light, was the only sage who wasn't replaced. The origins of the original seven sages seem to be from the Sacred Realm itself, the "World of Light". They originally built the Temple of Light to guard the triforce. When Link awakes in the chamber of sages, only Rauru remains alive, the other original sages have been killed.

- The "World of Light" became sealed off from the rest of Hyrule when the Temple of Time was built to guard it, hence it became known as the "Sacred Realm".

- So Rauru, the sage of Light, is a member of the now-sealed world of light. The other 6 sages are each from different tribes with different elemental powers. The only one who's element is unknown, is the 7th sage, Zelda.

- The Ocarina of Time was the sacred item possessed by the royal family. For this reason, the royal family might be connected to the element of time like the Zoras are to water, Gorons to fire, etc... Therefore, the 7th sage is the sage of time.

What I think this means...

Hyrule's Sacred Realm

The Sacred Realm in the Zelda series has always been very mysterious. It seems to be like an alternate dimension, but it is also described as being located somewhere in Hyrule. What is the Sacred Realm really? Is it just the arbitrary name given to the resting place of the triforce, with no other meaning attached? Or does it serve another purpose?

Here's a brief review of each game's description of the Sacred Realm. Starting with the most recent description of it...

Twilight Princess:

When all was chaos, the goddesses descended and gave order and life to the world. They granted power equally to all who dwelt in the light, and then returned to the heavens. The lands where the goddesses descended came to be known as the Sacred Realm. For ages, the people lived at ease, content in mind and body… But soon, word of the Sacred Realm spread through Hyrule, and a great battle ensued…

-Lanayru

That doesn't tell us much, it actually kind of confuses things a bit. But let's look at the translation of that text from the Japanese version of Twilight Princess:

The goddesses descended to the world of chaos where there was nothing at all, and created life and order. And after granting power equally to all people, they returned to the heavens. For a long time, the world was at peace, with people's hearts being deeply faithful… But at length, a rivalry ensued over Hyrule, the holy land.

-Lanayru

This quote doesn't even mention the Sacred Realm at all, and simply states that Hyrule is what was faught over during the early wars. When you take these two quotes literally, it almost seems like Hyrule IS the Sacred Realm.

Funniest quotes from Portal 2

Announcer: Good morning. You have been in suspension for -FIFTY- days. In
compliance with state and federal regulations, all testing candidates in the
Aperture Science Extended Relaxation Center must be revived periodically for a
mandatory physical and mental wellness exercise.
Announcer: You will hear a buzzer. When you hear the buzzer, look up at the
ceiling. [BUZZER]
Announcer: Good. You will hear a buzzer. When you hear the buzzer, look down at
the floor. [BUZZER]
Announcer: Good. This completes the gymnastic portion of your mandatory
physical and mental wellness exercise.
Announcer: There is a framed painting on the wall. Please go stand in front of
it.
Announcer: This is art. You will hear a buzzer. When you hear the buzzer, stare
at the art. [BUZZER]
Announcer: You should now feel mentally reinvigorated. If you suspect staring
at art has not provided the required intellectual sustenance, reflect briefly
on this classical music.

Announcer: If you are a non-employee who has discovered this facility amid the
ruins of civilization, welcome! And remember: Testing is the future, and the
future starts with you.
Announcer: Good work getting this far, future-starter! That said, if you are
simple-minded, old, or irradiated in such a way that the future should not
start with you, please return to your primitive tribe and send back someone
better- qualified for testing.

Ganon plays Phantom Hourglass - Part 2

Well I guess I'd better go along with Linebeck on his ship before he becomes the main character or something...

Seems that he's going to be Link's travel companion this time around. A worthy successor to the great talking dragon boat!

Linebeck: Well, look who's gracing our presence! It's old man Oshus!

Oshus: The bridge has been fixed, so I thought I'd check up on the youngsters here... You're an amazing lad to emerge alive from the temple, Link! Very courageous for one so early in his years...

Linebeck: You sent me into that treacherous temple too, you old barnacle!

Oshus: Any who enter the temple unprepared will find it a terrifying ordeal... And most would lose heart and flee for their lives upon hearing me say it. But evidently, there are true heroes among us...

Linebeck: Preen my feathers a little more, old man! Yep, I'm famous, all right!

Oshus: Not you, fool! You're a wreck! You'd be sunk by now if our young friend here hadn't shown up!

Linebeck: I was injured! On a typical day, I blaze through one or two such temples...before breakfast!

Oshus: Calm yourself, Linebeck, and tell me what you've made of the temple's map.

Linebeck: I've inspected it fully. My trained eye finds that it holds no secrets at all! But wait, old man! What do you know of this map?

Oshus: Hohoho... Has the map's puzzle eluded you, Linebeck? If I may see the map...
......
A standard map would simply show you where to go, would it not?

It's a scratch and win map! Touch the right spot and win the ability to move on to the next level!

Skyward Sword story predictions

While most of us Zelda fans are looking forward to the exciting gameplay of Skyward Sword and the unique Wii Motion Plus control scheme, there's also quite a lot to look forward to in the story and overall timeline references. Looking at what we know about Skyward Sword so far, it seems to be consistent with a lot of the story elements from the last console Zelda title, Twilight Princess. Here's an article that details the parallel themes between the two games.

Skyward Sword as an Expansion of Twilight Princess’ Themes

First of all, the director of the Zelda games, Eiji Aunuma, has expressed great interest in fixing up the Zelda timeline with future games. He wrote the bulk of the story for Twilight Princess as an attempt to tie in to older games and provide some foresight into the stories of future games. Although it was given major changes by Mitsuhiro Takano and Aya Kyogoku which removed some of the connections, Twilight Princess still did its job of establishing the basis for a new story arc.

Since 1998, Ocarina of Time has been considered the major focal point of the story, from which all future Zelda games are based on. Skyward Sword will be the next major focal point in the Zelda timeline. When Aunuma wrote the story for Twilight Princess, he already had his ideas for Skyward Sword in mind, and TP began to shift the focus away from OoT and instead used the ideas for Skyward Sword as its main backstory.

Super Mario 3D Land info/predictions

Nintendo's newest Mario title coming out for the 3DS seems like it'll be quite interesting... Currently the 3DS is lacking in original titles, but Nintendo's newest Mario title will definitely be one of those things that warrants buying a new system. Mario games have a proven track record of getting better and better with each new evolution of the series. What we know about Super Mario 3D Land so far:

- It combines elements from 3D Mario and 2D Mario games to make a completely new game engine. The game's being built ground-up for the 3DS, and it will make use of the gyroscope to put a unique spin on the gameplay.
- As always the case with Mario games, the level designs are unique and interesting. Director Yoshiaki Koizumi also designed and directed Super Mario Galaxy, his influence on this title will undoubtedly make it great.
- It's likely to make use of the 3D effects in some cool ways that we haven't seen yet...
- Shigeru Miyamoto describes this particular game as "completely original" and a cross between Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario 64.
- The tanooki suit from SMB3 returns, as well as some other old powerups along with new ones.

11 minute gameplay video:


Release date is November 2011. If you have a 3DS, this is not a game you'll want to miss out on. Super Mario 3D Land is the type of game that defines what gaming is all about. It's going to be amazing and will certainly be one of the iconic Mario games to be remembered for generations to come.

Ganon plays Phantom Hourglass - Part 1

"Let the old kingdom of Hyrule drown under the ocean" they said... "We'll find a new, better Hyrule" they said... "We don't need stuff like the Triforce or the Sacred Realm anymore"... Gahahaha! Don't you fools see that the goddesses betrayed you? Hyrule, the land that contains all the history and lore of the Zelda timeline, has been destroyed, and now in its absence, this abomination of a game is the best they could come up with GAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Ah but let's not be so quick to judge, Ganon. You know all too well what it's like to underestimate things... certain young swordsmen dressed in green for example?

How dare you talk to the King of Darkness like that!

More like the king of deadness now! And I am a king too you know! I am Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule! I am also known as the King of Red Lions.

... oh yeah that's right, Master Sword and all that. Still, even being turned to stone I can tell this game is garbage. It takes place directly after Wind Waker, yet it's nowhere near as good! Clearly, Zelda games just aren't the same with me gone... If you hadn't made that damn wish to drown Hyrule, I could've been revived again and made the series more interesting!

You and me Ganon, we are the same. We have lived regretting the past, both clinging to the ruins of old Hyrule. That's why I wished for the destruction of Hyrule. I believe there lies promise in a new future for the Zelda timeline, a new Hyrule in a different place, that doesn't involve the triforce. The goddesses flooded Hyrule, and in doing so they created a hope new original Zelda stories to happen in future games.

Very well, then... Allow me to show you... This future of yours... just what hope you have...

See how much your precious triforce-less world is worth! I'll play through this game myself and destroy any hope you have!

More reasons to be excited about Skyward Sword

Skyward Sword is just 4-5 months away from release, and the game just seems to be getting better and better the more info we get on it. These 3 video interviews with Nintendo of America reveal some interesting info about Skyward Sword, and the Zelda series in general.

The Legend of Zelda:Skyward Sword - Timeline, Series Future, Forging Hyrule - GoNintendo


Let's break down what was talked about...

Majora's Mask was done in Japan before localization in the states started. Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess both used simultaneous localization.

In most cases, the localization of Zelda games happen simultaneously with the game development, but in MM's case, it was such a unique game, with many Japanese culture references, it would've been incredibly hard to localize for English audiences. Instead, they waited until the game was finished to start the localization, so they could focus on properly translating and interpreting all the foreign stuff. For this reason, there was a 6 month wait between the Japanese release and the North American release. The differences between the Japanese and US versions of MM are minimal, because they put a lot of effort into localizing the game while keeping true to the original meanings.

I think with other Zelda games, they actually take longer to release because the localization is happening simultaneously with the development, and so the developers have to take the localization into account when developing the game. Majora's Mask is an example of what can happen with the Zelda series when the Japanese have no regard for localization... a weird, creepy, deep and emotional game that departs from the usual Zelda stories. Link's Awakening was like this too, as the developers of that game treated it as a side project, and basically just did whatever they wanted with it...

With Skyward Sword, they've been doing the localization simultaneously with the development. Given the amount of time they've spent SS so far (apparently they've been working on SS since 2009), I'm very interested in seeing how it turned out.

Skyward Sword ties into Ocarina of Time

This was already known, but hearing it again from the horses mouth, specifically saying it "ties in" to Ocarina of Time, doesn't it sound exciting? You know there's going to be a lot of cool connections and references to OoT.

Nintendo fears that if they put out an official timeline, they'll be limited with future Zelda ideas. There is a a master document for the Zelda timeline which contains overall plans for the series, but it's kept under wraps.

Miyamoto often likes to "tip the tea table" on Zelda development, making the developers change or remove story elements to make the game easier to understand for non-Zelda fans. It is a long-running tradition in the Zelda series to make the stories as simple and self-contained as possible, while only loosely connecting to other games through references and hidden meanings. They do this not to remove the notion of a timeline, but to keep the timeline open ended enough so they can add games in between other games in the timeline wherever they want. They have an official timeline, including ideas for future games and their timeline placements, but they keep it secret for the purpose of being able to change and add to it along the way.

Skyward Sword will be 'tremendously expansive'

Imagine soaring through the wide open sky world, discovering dozens of floating islands hiding within them many secrets and treasures, and in certain areas you find connections to the Earth world below. Then you go down to Hyrule, where you are overwhelmed by a vast landscape with dungeons, forests, mountains, and fields. The combination of the Sky World and Hyrule makes an amazing potential for an expansive and atmospheric world...

Spirit Tracks high playthrough comments, part 4

Decided to go do more of the side content before finishing the game... there's actually a lot of cool stuff you could miss easily.

There's some mini dungeons including Disorientation Station, Ends of the Earth Station, Lost at Sea Temple... there's also a fun sidequest where you search for rabbits in the scenery while riding the train... most of the sidequests reward you with materials for train parts, and those can be used to make various different looking trains with different stats... I managed to get the gold train after beating all the sidequests and minidungeons, and doing some grinding to get some rare materials...

I really like how Zelda mostly just complements you on figuring things out, she doesn't point out where you need to go as much as Navi or other Zelda game companions do.

The top floors of the Spirit Tower is the coolest part of the game yet.. the atmosphere is insane, as you have to avoid phantoms and explore in pitch darkness... the Bow of Light can get through the darkness... and the compass of light leads to the demon train. All of the puzzles here require Link and Zelda to use teamwork in unique ways.

That whole final boss sequence was incredibly epic... chasing down the demon train, and then using both Link and Zelda to fight Malladus... and that Duet song... I was like in tears from this ending, the feels were just too powerful...



---
Part 3

Shigeru Miyamoto's Zelda timeline craziness

This interview with Miyamoto explains a lot about why he often disregards the timeline in the Zelda games.

Iwata Asks: Ocarina of Time 3D with Shigeru Miyamoto

In regards to why there are so many inconsistent plot connections between Zelda games that don't always make sense:

The stories in The Legend of Zelda may not match up as the series progresses. We actually expend a lot of time trying to make them match up, though. It would make things a lot easier if the players said, "Oh, that doesn't really matter."

He also goes on to say this:

But the moment I say Yoshi lays eggs so Yoshi must be a girl, they'll say, "Then Yoshi's voice needs to sound more like a girl's!" But I want to make video games without having to worry about such background info. Take the animated series Popeye, for example. In old cartoons like those, the roles of the characters were different every time.

Even though the setting was different each time, the characters you knew and loved would come out and perform. Well, the Mario games are set up like that. It would be much easier if we could use any setting in The Legend of Zelda while preserving the essential relationship between Link, Ganon and Zelda.

Heh, I think I'm beginning to understand Miyamoto's insanity a little now. This kind of reasoning

Spirit Tracks high playthrough comments, part 3

Sand Temple... this is the most "Zelda 1" looking dungeon in the game yet so far. It's much more non-linear right from the beginning... I don't even know if I'm going the right way or not at first.

Pirate Stalfos! Sand Wand! epic...

Did the temple shift around after I got the sand wand? or am I just way too high?
These puzzles are really something... need to get sand onto the floor... took me a while to realize I could walk on those rolling spike things... sand boulder catapult thing...
oh cool, got a pirate necklace... the trading items from WW return in this..
wow, I like how this uses 3d height perspectives in a mostly 2d game..

This game has some messages on the wall with cryptic hints, similar to Link's awakening or the old man hints in Zelda 1... it doesn't spell it out for you at all.

and the puzzles involving marking stuff on the map with the touch screen, something that Phantom Hourglass did really well, are expanded upon further in this game too...

The King of Hyrule is a jerk

This comic shows who the true villain of The Wind Waker was all along.

Source: http://hiimdaisy.livejournal.com/

Wind Waker in a nutshell: An angry boat uses Link to do his bidding and restore the triforce so he can use it to flood an ancient kingdom.

Spirit Tracks high playthrough comments, part 2

This game actually makes you literally TALK to the game characters using the DS's microphone... how embarrassing...
That moblin pirate battle was some epic stuff... I wasn't expecting that at all.
Locomo... I wonder if they're related to the old Hyrule somehow...

Wait, so the land of Spirit Tracks is divided into 4 regions.. Forest, Snow, Ocean, and Canyon... that sounds very similar to the 4 regions of Termina.

oh wow... in the Ocean section the train tracks actually go beneath the ocean... there are underwater octoroks shooting at you and stuff... this is amazing...
running backwards away from a demon train to get to the temple...
woah, the Ocean Temple looks like a giant crystal switch... like the ones from LttP... that's really neat.
The inside of this Ocean temple looks a lot like OoT's Water Temple.

Back to the Spirit Tower... the next floor ramps up in difficulty a bit... this actually feels comparable to the early game of LttP or LA.

I love the puzzles in this dungeon... using Phantom Zelda to lure the other phantoms away from Link with her cuteness...

Spirit Tracks high playthrough comments, part 1

This was my first playthrough of Spirit Tracks. I played through it mostly entirely while high and wrote some notes on it. I was surprised at how good this game was after Phantom Hourglass being a bit of a disappointment.

From wind conductor to train conductor... the next incarnation of Link is the hero of... trains!

This New Hyrule looks sweet, kinda gives me classic LttP vibes.
Princess Zelda calling Link up to her room... giggity

I noticed there's no moat at this new Hyrule Castle... I guess this continent is very dry...

The tower of the Spirit Tracks... an entrance to the Spirit Realm... this is interesting... it's like there's a world of darkness looming over Hyrule in the sky... the environment around this Spirit Tower area is incredibly powerful... reminds me of OoT kinda.

Niko is this Link's grandfather... so he's not blood related to WW Link, but instead is related to one of the pirate characters in WW... and Tetra is this Zelda's grandmother...

Zelda entered the Spirit Realm and became a ghost... she's now this game's navi. I'm okay with this...

Wow, I'm having a ton of fun with this game and I haven't even picked up a sword yet... o_O

Why Skyward Sword is doing everything right

Just like the Dark World/Light World system in The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Skyward Sword also takes place in 2 separate worlds.

The Sky

The sky world is just like the sea in Wind Waker, in that it's a huge free roaming area with many islands. Instead of a boat or a horse, you travel by bird. The sky world is a heavenly realm that some speculate to be the Sacred Realm, the resting place of the Triforce. That could be the case...

Other sailing/ocean exploration games worth playing

Wind Waker's vast ocean overworld had such a great atmosphere, it really gets you into the mood of sailing the open seas. The wind carries you across the bobbing waves, as you roam the camera around looking for islands off in the distance, and filling out your sea chart. This game was sailing done right.

In case Wind Waker leaves you thirsty for more epic maritime adventures, here's a list of other epic games involving seafaring exploration.

Wind Waker Part 13: Clash of the Winds

The path to Hyrule opens up when Link collects all the pieces of the Triforce of Courage. The triforce hunt quest is the most complained about part of Wind Waker, but is also perhaps the most rewarding quest in the Zelda series. After traveling across a massive sea, the biggest overworld in any Zelda game, you finally get to see this game's remarkable ending sequence.

King of Red Lions: Well done, Link! With the shards you have collected, the Triforce of Courage is now complete at last! We must make for Hyrule, quickly!

You must show the Triforce piece you have assembled to the gods.

Oh! What is this? There, on your hand- the Triforce piece now dwells within you! It is the Triforce of Courage - proof that you are indeed the true hero. You have controlled the wind and crossed the seas, and here, near the end of your quest, the power of the gods has been bestowed upon you...

Surely from this moment on, you shall be known as the Hero of Winds...

Link! Hero of Winds! Go forth! To Hyrule! To Zelda's side!

Wind Waker has some of the most epic dialogue I've seen in any game. And it only gets better from here.

The Element of Majora's Mask

A post on Zelda Universe, by Zelda fanartist Artmgjr, brings up a good point about the Zelda series having a 4th main element, beyond the 3 triforce elements of power, wisdom, and courage.

Triforce of Truth

Now, it might be going a bit too far to say the purple element is supposed to be a forth triforce to balance out the other 3. The games have always made it very clear that the triforce was left by the 3 goddesses who created the world, and adding a 4th one to the mix this late in the series would just be horrible writing. I definitely think Nintendo was making a point of these four colors/elements being important throughout the games...

I don't think this purple element represents truth, but something else... The element of balance is represented by the the color gold, as in the gold power of the complete triforce, the golden land... The key to getting the golden power is having the elements represted by red, blue, and green in balance.

So the purple element has nothing at all to do with the triforce, it's not balance, it's not truth... What it DOES have a lot to do with, though, is the world of Termina.

Majora's Mask takes place in another dimension, which again has absolutely nothing to do with the triforce, and the color purple is as prominent in this game as the color gold is in games involving the triforce. Even the logo itself is purple, instead of the usual red/sometimes green or yellow.

Wind Waker Part 12: The Overworld Dungeon

The final quest in Wind Waker before getting to Ganon's Castle, is the Triforce Quest. The Master Sword has its power back, but now Ganon is already in Hyrule, searching for Zelda, and could've already found her. To get back to Hyrule again Link needs to find the 8 pieces of the Triforce of Courage.

The first time Hyrule opened up, Link had just completed the trial of the gods, and the gods allowed him enter Hyrule in order to get the Master Sword. Then, after he saves Aryll from the Forsaken Fortress, he goes into Hyrule again with Tetra, and the King of Hyrule reveals that Tetra is Zelda and that she has Triforce of Wisdom. Why is it just now that you need the Triforce of Courage to go back there again?

It seems that going into Hyrule requires either the approval of the gods, or the ownership of one of the 3 triforce parts. This explains why Ganon can enter Hyrule at will since he has the Triforce of Power. When you entered with Tetra, she had the last missing piece of the Triforce of Wisdom.

Link's triforce quest had already started even in the middle of the 2 sage awakening quests. The 8 triforce pieces are scattered across the entire overworld, and finding them all without a guide requires you to explore nearly every square of this massive Great Sea.

Treasures are hidden all over this huge ocean. Some might contain rupees, sidequest items, heart pieces, or a treasure chart that marks one of those items on the map... But some treasures might contain one of the 8 triforce charts, which are needed to find the 8 shards of the triforce of courage.

Wind Waker Part 11: Awakening of the Wind

Barriers of Ice and Wind

The 2nd Master Sword Temple at Gale Island is blocked by a strong gust of wind.

Just like the Earth Temple, you need to go somewhere else first to find the required item to get into it. A nearby fish tells you the exact location of this item:

Are you thinking you want to get into that cave, small fry? The one that's protected by the crazy winds on that island? Heh heh heh! OK, then. Let me tell you a little secret... If you go five squares south and one square east from here, you'll reach Ice Ring Isle, where you'll find an item that will make you as heavy as stone! If you get that item, you won't have to worry about getting blown over by winds!

Thanks to the only clue in the game, finding this item is really easy. If it weren't for that fish's directions, it would be a matter of exploring every square until you happened to come across the right place.

Yep, that seems like a ring of ice alright...

The fire arrows take down the ice barrier for a limited amount of time. Then there's a kind of slippery platforming segment leading up to a cave...