Nintendo announced The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom today, and you know what that means: timeline speculation. X/Twitter and Reddit are lighting up with speculation about where, exactly, Echoes of Wisdom falls in Zelda's complicated history.
On r/Zelda, a thread titled "[EOW] Idk if this was obvious, bu the game uses the map from ALTTP/ALBW" popped up almost immediately. The thread pointed out that, based on what we've seen so far, several parts of Hyrule line up nicely with the map from A Link to the Past and A Link Between Worlds. However, the map isn't a 1:1: Death Mountain, as thread creator u/FelipeKits points out, is in the wrong place. We also saw a Gerudo in the trailer, who do not appear in the Fallen Hero/Downfall timeline, which kicks off if Link loses to Ganondorf during their final encounter in Ocarina of Time.
In addition, u/scdsco points out that many of the things we saw simply aren't in A Link to the Past: "There were lots of areas in the trailer and official art that don’t exist in alttp, like a rainforest area, a volcano, a gerudo town and an icy mountain."
In another thread titled "[EoW] Echoes of Wisdom & A Link to the Past Maps," u/Ryon21_ posted a more detailed comparison between the A Link to the Past and Echoes of Wisdom maps, theorizing that Echoes of the Wind's map is an expansion of A Link to the Past's, with new areas to the west and northwest of the original.
One of the most interesting tidbits, however, is that Echoes of Wisdom includes both of the series' Zora designs, which marks the first time both have appeared in a single game. The decision to include both types of Zoras (ahem) echoes the merging of several elements that had previously been exclusive to a single branch of the timeline, something we also saw in Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, which take place long, long after any other game currently on the timeline.
At this moment, signs seem to point to Echoes of Wisdom taking place somewhere in the Fallen Hero/Downfall timeline. Some fans, like u/ZeldaExpert74, theorize that it's actually the start of the Fallen Hero/Downfall timeline, taking place between Ocarina of Time and A Link to the Past. Other theories place Echoes of Wisdom between A Link to the Past and Link's Awakening, or after A Link Between Worlds and Tri Force Heroes. These connections make sense: Echoes of Wisdom's art style is essentially the same as the Link's Awakening remake on Switch. If nothing else, everyone seems to agree on one thing: it's not part of the Wind Waker branch of the timeline.
While speculation is fun, it's also worth noting that Nintendo seems rather... disinterested in the Zelda timeline of late. The publisher hasn't officially placed a new game on the timeline in nearly a decade, though series producer Eiji Anouma did confirm that the Link from A Link Between Worlds is the same one that appears in Tri Force Heroes. Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom feature elements from every timeline, so perhaps things merge in the future. Perhaps Echoes of Wisdom takes place closer to them than it does any other previous game? So far, Nintendo isn't saying. Maybe they aren't even thinking about the timeline anymore. Who knows?
While timeline speculation can be fun, it's important to remember that Zelda is a myth, or perhaps, more accurately, a legend retold over and over again, passed down across generations. While there's certainly continuity to be found, the timeline isn't as important as the series' anthology mindset and enduring spirit. You don't need to play a previous Zelda to understand a new one, and you won't need to understand where Echoes of Wisdom falls in the series' history to enjoy playing a Zelda for the first time. So by all means, speculate, but don't be surprised if Nintendo never give us an official answer as to where it falls on the timeline.
Will Borger is an IGN freelancer. You can find him on Twitter @bywillborger.
