Game Theory: Dear Nintendo, I FIXED Your Timeline! (Zelda)

The Zelda timeline is one of the longest-running topics on the channel, with one game still missing from the timeline.

Epic of Stew is a small independent spin-off where a green-clad hero battles through five levels and completes a dating simulation to win over the princess.

Epic of Stew was created by Stephanie and the host as their first group project together, and they have continued collaborating ever since.

Welcome to Game Theory, the show that rethinks the Zelda timeline just like Nintendo does.

Link's Awakening placement was moved from after Oracle of Ages and Seasons to before them in the Legend of Zelda Encyclopedia.

Nintendo added an addendum stating the timeline can be interpreted multiple ways and may change based on new discoveries and player imagination.

Nintendo could shuffle the Zelda franchise timeline and announce a new version at any moment based on whatever discoveries they claim to make.

The creator proposes to make discoveries and use imagination to force Nintendo to re-release the timeline again.

Hyrule Warriors, a game Nintendo has repeatedly said isn't canon, should be considered canon and is the single most important missing piece in the entire timeline.

Nintendo placed Breath of the Wild at the very end of the timeline, disconnected from everything else, with placement determined by player imagination.

Breath of the Wild contains elements from all three timelines created at the end of Ocarina of Time, making it impossible to place in just one timeline.

To explain Breath of the Wild, the three timelines must be united somehow without a time heist-level event, requiring a 'hero of the multiverse'.

At the end of Ocarina of Time, the timeline splits in three directions depending on whether Link wins or loses against Ganon.

If Link dies, Ganon takes over, leading to the darkest early games like the original Legend of Zelda and Link to the Past.

If Link wins and returns to his original timeline, this leads to Majora's Mask and Twilight Princess.

The world Link leaves behind without a hero leads to Wind Waker and Spirit Tracks.

• Presence of rock salt, Koroks, and Rito - all leftover from the Great Ocean in Wind Waker • These elements are unique to the adult timeline pathway

• Existence of Lionels and Spectacle Rock in the world • Absence of Ganon's infant form • Presence of a yellow-brimmed hero hat

• Zelda's reference to glowing embers of Twilight in a memory • Monument fragments that look exactly like the Mirror of Twilight from Twilight Princess • Friendly, human-like Zora species coexisting with Rito

Midna from Twilight Princess believed the hero would appear as a divine beast, which perfectly matches the divine beasts in Breath of the Wild that must be awakened.

Hyrule Warriors is a hack-and-slash Dynasty Warriors style action game where players battle thousands of Zelda enemies using Link's weaponry.

A sorceress named Cia is tasked with maintaining the Triforce balance and can see across all timelines, but isn't supposed to interfere.

• Cia becomes jealous watching the hero across timelines • Ganon possesses her and splits her into two: Lana (good) and Cia (evil) • Ganon's soul was broken into four fragments and scattered throughout the timelines

Cia merges the three timelines together to gather Ganon's soul fragments, accidentally resurrecting him in the process.

Hyrule Warriors provides the game that unites the three timelines, producing the mixed timeline elements seen in Breath of the Wild.

• Hyrule Warriors is confirmed at the end of the child timeline due to Twilight Princess references • Features Twilight Realm locations and Zant boss refight • Includes Faron Woods from Skyward Sword

• Great Sea from adult timeline becomes the final major quest • Iconic downfall timeline bosses like King Dondongo and Phantom Beast Handler appear • The four-headed Wizzrobe, a downfall timeline exclusive enemy, is featured

Maps between Hyrule Warriors and Breath of the Wild share striking similarities, including location of Lost Woods, Death Mountain, and notably the Valley of Seers mapping to the Spring of Power location.

In Hyrule Warriors epilogue, Phantom Ganon steals Cia's powers and brings the Great Sea to Hyrule, explaining how rock salt appears in Breath of the Wild.

The merged timelines explain how Rito exist in a timeline where they shouldn't and how Medli from Wind Waker becomes a Divine Beast in Breath of the Wild.

• Ruto is revered as a legendary Zora ruler and sage in Breath of the Wild • In Hyrule Warriors, adult timeline Ruto literally fights Ganon alongside Zelda and Link as a sage • This explains the Zora tablet reference in Breath of the Wild

The Champions Tunic in Breath of the Wild features blue coloring never seen on heroes before, but present in Hyrule Warriors' hero tunic that Link earns by gaining the royal family's respect.

Features two forms: Ganondorf with a five-chain crown and long fiery beard, and a wild boar form attacking on four legs.

Twilight Princess Ganondorf has the same five-chain crown design with a beard that could evolve into Hyrule Warriors' version over centuries.

• Downfall timeline: Ganon stays as bipedal armored pig (already won) • Adult timeline (Wind Waker): Different crown design, appears to be going bald

Final Ganon form resembles Twilight Princess design with a four-chain crown (room for five), red fiery coloring, and a wild animal form on four legs - direct evolution through Hyrule Warriors.

Hyrule Warriors fills nearly every gap that makes Breath of the Wild ambiguous and explains seemingly new elements like the blue tunic and Ganon's wild form.

• Hyrule Warriors is the last major Zelda title released before Breath of the Wild changed everything • The breadcrumbs connecting the games were there the whole time • Geographic, narrative, and design elements all point to Hyrule Warriors as canon

Despite Nintendo repeatedly claiming Hyrule Warriors is non-canon, the evidence strongly suggests it should be considered the bridge that unites all three timelines.

If Hyrule Warriors became canon, Linkle would be the first female destined hero in the series, making the game inadvertently progressive.

The creator points out the frustration with Nintendo's statement that the timeline can change based on imagination - if the theory came from imagination, it should be valid.

Link from Hyrule Warriors is the hero of the multiverse who connects all three timelines for Breath of the Wild.

• Viewers can click boxes to view past theories about Breath of the Wild timeline placement • Subscribe to the notification bell to become the hero of the notification squad • New episode coming next week

That's just a theory, a Game Theory. Thanks for watching.