Why Zelda Games Feature So Much Time Travel

Hey! Listen! Our new series of Zelda analysis videos, which we've now titled "A Link to the Plot", has returned, for a video analysing the use of time travel in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
In an Iwata Asks interview, several of the creative leads for Zelda games past have made it clear that game mechanics inform the story that they infuse into each Zelda title, which makes sense. Thus, with Ocarina of Time, the option to play as both a child and an adult was decided before the story that was built around it, which sees the player travelling forwards and backwards in time.
According to the developers, this is all thanks to Shigeru Miyamoto (among others), who decided mid-way through development of Ocarina of Time that it would be fun to see a cute Child Link in addition to the grown-up, swashbuckling Adult Link that they'd been developing up until that point.
This turned out to be very fitting, as a story about nostalgia and growing up was a perfect fit for Nintendo at that particular point in time, and this game has since gone on to influence the entire Zelda series, with time travel showing up frequently in the years since.
Be sure to watch out first video in the Link To The Plot series, about how breakable weapons reinforce Breath of the Wild's central message about failure and overcoming defeat: • Why Breath of the Wild...
Lots of love,BretonStripes ( / bretonstriped ) and Kotor ( / kotorcomics )
Sources:
www.gameinform...
iwataasks.nint...

[@SonofMrPeanut]

Too, the concept of time travel in OoT harkens back to the early version of Zelda 1 where Link would travel into the future to collect computer chips.

[@floatingsweetpotato]

3:36 the clock's dialogue made me chuckle a little

[@saraross8396]

Nintendo has a (usually) good habit of reusing scrapped ideas, so in a sense it has always been part of the series. Time travel, or at least the concept of it, dates back all the way to the very first Zelda game. The original idea was for Link/the player to travel through time collecting computer chips (thus linking them and is partly how he got his name). While time travel would not be implemented for another twelve years and four games, the chips would eventually became the Triforce.

[@TBoneTony]

I have a Zelda theory in regards to Ocarina of Time. Each of the Dungeons represents part of growing up from Birth until Death. Deku Tree, parent figure. Theme: Childhood fears. Dondongo's Cavern, bombs. Theme: Brother/Sister sibling fights. Lord Jabu jabu stomach, carrying Ruto. Theme: Puberty and Relationships. Forest Temple. Theme: Long lost friends and fears about never seeing them again. Fire Temple. Theme: Brother/Sister moving on with their own lives being away from you. Water Temple. Theme: Love and Marriage as well as relationship break ups. Kakariko Well and Shadow Temple: Death and Dying Gerudo Desert and Spirit Temple: Spirituality, Faith in Religion and Rebirth. Those are just the things on my mind in regards to my theory.

[@johnnymind4151]

1:11 It's the Moon Pearl that prevents Link's transformation into a bunny, not the Magic Mirror, that one is used to travel from the Dark World back to the Light World. Anyway, loved this episode, it was really interesting!

[@Speederzzz]

I still love the time travel stones in skyward sword, where the dry, dead desert becomes a lush and alive sea and cove.

[@MREEELEEE]

I just wanted to see some ‘Back to the future’ and ‘Doctor Who’ references, not break into tears after childhood reminisce… But still, thank you for this.

[@soridosuneku]

Whoever drew this loves the Kirby crackle effect. It's a fun effect for sure

[@DefinitelyHumanGamer]

3:04. Why is this frame so goddamn hilarious.

[@birdboy16]

0:22 for those wondering, link says “wait I forgot to memorize yesterday’s lottery numbers”

[@Zzz_Gamer]

I never thought ocarina of time had such depths to it. I am truly in awe!

[@stanstanstan2597]

Despite the surface-level adventurousness and triumph in the story of Ocarina of Time, it’s actually quite a tragedy.

[@juststatedtheobvious9633]

See also: Link's Awakening and Majora's Mask. I really miss the days when Zelda was somehow a AAA indie game.

[@catriamflockentanz]

9:52 Did you ever ask yourself how a crossbreed between a Loftwing and Toucan would look like? No? Well, here it is anyway.

[@zName1]

How does the explanation of time travel in Ocarina of Time help explain time travel in other Legend of Zelda games? The title of this video seems to promise this.

[@zName1]

I think the video implied that Ocarina of Time started the trend of time travel, and games after this one were able to use time travel so easily because this game normalized it in the series.

[@gold-star]

The moral of the story at the end really hits hard

[@fal_pal_]

Love the depth of thematic storytelling you have analyzed here. Will never see OOT the same!

[@thomasmeldrum6238]

Nice perspective on the story. Not only did they brilliantly translate the series into a 3d environment, they gave us so much more then we ever expected. This theme of growing up and the juxtaposition of it with one’s youth is sore core to the whole Peter Pan aspect of the series, and at the same time, it really connected with me, who had grown up a fan of the Zelda series in the NES and SNES (and Gameboy) eras in my youth. This video makes me think that it was not just the presence of an adult link, but the entwinement with the young link story, and story being told between the two that was truly special. And at the same time younger generations had someone closer to them to connect to, so it was good and relevant for everybody. Wind Waker was a masterful game in its own right, whose visuals still hold up. However, aside from cell shading being somewhat of a hot trend at the time, and not being the most used to anime (honestly still having associations with it as being cheaper animation, yes biases needed checking), the game initially seemed less appealing without an adult link to connect to. Especially after seeing the direction series like metal gear, castlevania, and final fantasy hand gone, I had felt a little abandoned by Nintendo at the time…until I actually played the game and really got into it. Twilight princess could be seen as the more adult link GC Zelda, but it seemed to make at times almost begrudging appeals to fans wanting a MGS, SOTN, or FFVII version of Zelda that were not in line with creators’ hearts. Still a fine game tho and loved the concepts of midna and transforming into Wolflink. But these were two separate games telling separate child and adult link stories, and their magic was very different than ocarina’s integration and progression between childhood and adulthood.

[@josephsigala6631]

The legend of zelda series has more time travel then back of the future trilogy

[@adammyers7383]

You’re so right

[@shinigamimiroku3723]

It's so nice to see more Iwata quotes... He was such a great guy. Anyway, it's definitely interesting to see how OoT developed and influenced future titles (it definitely makes sense for the game to be the focal point for the Zelda timeline). As an aside, I always figured Talon suffered from narcolepsy... Still definitely felt bad for Malon.

[@Smudgeurfudgemuffin]

As a child going into it blind, the tonal progression was a complete surprise. I don't think it would be the same for an adult playing it now

[@donkeycheese8098]

Wait! I Forgot To Memorize Yesterday's Lottery Numbers!

[@MisteRRYouTuby]

The moral of the story: Telling a tale as old as time requires traveling through time to tell the tale.

[@tiny_tamsz]

The saddest part is, is that… No… …Link can never return to his hut in the Kokiri Forest. With Navi having left him, he would only lose his way in The Lost Woods and become another Skull Kid… hence the beginning of Majora’s Mask 🥲

[@shinigamimiroku3723]

Yup. Even if he returns to the "Child Timeline" he would have to remain among the Hylians. It's one of the purposes behind the storytelling of Majora's Mask.

[@glo_bin]

You don't need to cross the Lost Woods to go from Kokiri Village to Hyrule Field (And vice versa). From the Field, you go around the corner where Kaepora Gaebora appeared, cross the bridge where Link recieved the ocarina, and reach the Village. No way to get lost there.

[@Rognik]

Title is slightly misleading. It should be "why Ocarina of Time has so much time travel", as it doesn't mention Skyward Sword's time travel, or any of the other games that contain it.

[@hystericalpeanut2844]

Ocarina of time somehow teaches you some life lessons...

[@JulianCaesaro]

You know, the part about Nintendo growing as a company really hits for me with old video games. It’s like, somehow even remakes only last about a week before they’re fully beaten again, and then it’s back to the rest of life. Kinda sad, but ce la vi

[@haruhisuzumiya6650]

Such is life

[@Howitchewstofeel5gum]

* C'est la vie

[@JasonBoyce]

Ocarina of Time had a really sad ending, too. After killing Ganon, Zelda sends him back to his childhood, to a time where no one knows he's a hero or is aware of what he's done and went through, yet he's almost cursed with that knowledge, living in a world that can never appreciate what he did

[@tattertot8259]

Ok then let's time travel back to save Marin from being trapped as a seagull forever or just believe the dreams lives matter and just never wake him up.

[@What_Kaity_Did]

Such a great video! I love it!

[@copypaste3526]

My guess is in botw2 you'll be able to slow down time in combat, in order to male crazy combo moves.

[@Linx9214]

Pls do a video at some point about why alot of nintendo characters have blue eyes

[@dcbandit]

I think that by complicating the game, they managed to start the Zelda winning streak of pretty much every 3d Zelda game being a big hit.

[@TheobaldLeonhart]

Wait! I forgot to memorize yesterday's lottery numbers!

[@haruhisuzumiya6650]

Mipha is melancholic

[@L337M4573RK]

Not so much Time Travel explanation compared to the re-telling and overall analysis of LoZ:OoT. Yes, in LoZ:OoT, the Time Travel part of the story was built around the concept of playing as a young Link and an older Link, but most LoZ games since then have incorporated the Time Travel gimmick in order to both challenge the player and to expand on the lore! (Having an artifact/skill hidden in the Past/Future does help to better explain WHY the antagonist (which is usually Ganon/Ganondorf) has been unable to acquire it before Link!) In LoZ:BotW, there is no real Time Travel mechanic because it's all done through cut-scenes and Link's own "lost" memories (the DLC "rematches" with the Blight Ganons don't count).

[@mr.magnificent7374]

This opens my eyes

[@user-sn1hi7my7x]

I think Time Travel makes LOZ a very unique JRPG. Just my opinion

[@sherifgamleldin1277]

Why pokemon doesn't evolve

[@nicroburst874]

But it IS evolving. Legends: Arceus is doing some pretty wild stuff!

[@filleraccount1262]

Now why is morgana in monkey ball

[@fhjunior6183]

Thanks for the vid

[@2CPhoenix]

It is incredibly jarring to hear Sheik referred to as “He.”

[@kriscynical]

That's how he's referred to in all the Smash games, though.

[@2CPhoenix]

@@kriscynical No? All of her trophies refer to her as “she.”

[@kriscynical]

@@2CPhoenix I know Sheik is referred to as "he" _somewhere_ in Smash, I just don't remember where. The fact that Nintendo has referred to Sheik as "he" when he's a separate character from Zelda herself has been the subject of a couple videos I've watched with the instances shown on screen albeit it was a long time ago so I don't remember which ones they were. 🤷‍♀️

[@trainsandmore2319]

Time travel is formulaic and worst of all, will create large plot holes for otherwise great storylines that will makes us ask so many questions in the end.

[@HandheldGamer1991]

Now this i want to know?

[@coreykakarot7414]

I didn't know about that

[@neophyte_tpk]

Doesn't Mallon marry Link in one of the timelines?

[@coltonk.3086]

Poor kid deserves it.

[@sion8]

I've heard that for a long time, which is the reason “Twilight Princess” Link is a rancher.

[@nicroburst874]

It's a theory, but not confirmed as canon.

[@amanofnoreputation2164]

The moral of the story is you can't really be moral all the time because it's a bit childish. Why would people invent the notion morals if there weren't compelling reasons to go outside them or if there were no immorality in the world? Maturity makes it incumbent upon you to think for yourself and not only do what is right, but decide what is right. You cannot give this away to other people and bodies of thought because they have no authority in themselves. If you don't like the idea of deciding what is right and wrong for yourself because it's conceited or you don't deem yourself wise enough, consider that it is equally conceited to give authority to someone else because it entails that you judge their judgement as being better than your own. This is a fallacy because you can only judge an authority as being good if you yourself are an authority. If your judgment isn't good enough to decide what is moral, it isn't good enough to decide which authority is the right one to follow either. So conceited or not, wise or not, you may as well cut out the middleman and just be your own person. Being responsible entails that you have to make a call one way or the other.

[@super026anthonyshorts4]

Video Suggestion: Why Wii U was a big failure.

[@BluShiGuy]

Oh no

[@JulianCaesaro]

Navi made to make the game less annoying? Seems to have backfired, because Ocarina fans never mention Navi as a good thing 🤔🤣

[@sahelebrahimal-wasti4829]

Why a link to the past called that? It's doesn't have time travel.

[@Og_BlueToadFan913]

Potato I’m only 5 seconds into the video but wanted to comment something ok lol

[@gold-star]

Hello internet?

[@Og_BlueToadFan913]

@@gold-star Welcome to Game Theory

[@gold-star]

@@Og_BlueToadFan913 ?

[@Og_BlueToadFan913]

@@gold-star you know like in game theory where MatPat always says “Hello Internet,Welcome to Game Theory”

[@gold-star]

@@Og_BlueToadFan913 you know on the podcast 'hello internet' in one they talked about not saying pass on a quiz show but instead saying a random answer and they came up with potato

[@PeterParker-ff7ub]

There isn't

[@the_legendary_fire]

.

[@BotchanToni]

How odd. The video is really interesting, yet leaves me dissatisfied due to not addressing the question asked in its title. I genuinely don't know whether to like or dislike it.

[@jackwitty255]

"There's an official timeline!" Noooooot really lmao I mean, it really just seems like, because Ocarina of Time was such a meteoric best-seller, of course they'd harp on that as much as possible in later iterations....and yet no other game has a branch based on Link losing? Sounds like product bias moreso than narrative. And the reality is, they just want to keep making the same general game with iterative features in perpetuity, meaning there's no reason to try to put them in arbitrary order, short of the sheer fan intrigue of it all. 🤷

[@bareq99]

What

[@kriscynical]

I mean... ofc profitability and "fandom intrigue" are the reasons for things being the way they are for ANY media franchise. It's a business. That's kind of like saying the floor is indeed made out of floor. lol At least Nintendo provided a story explanation of a perpetual curse for why the cycle keeps repeating with unique circumstances for each game, and they made the obvious _effort_ to connect Breath of the Wild to other past games for the sake of that continuity, whether it be verbal/written mentions of people/events or having the same locations like the ruins of Lon Lon Ranch and the Spring of Power along with things like the presence of goddess statues. Just because they didn't originally intend for the series to be so prolific doesn't make the timeline they've established in the last decade+ any less valid. There are plenty of other game franchises with retreads of the same mechanics over and over again with no explanation of why simply because it's a profitable formula for the company producing it. 🤷‍♀️ As for there not being any games based on the Fallen Hero/Dark/Downfall timeline, that's just... not correct? There's several: A Link to the Past, Oracle of Seasons/Ages, Link's Awakening, A Link Between Worlds, Tri Force Heroes, the original Legend of Zelda, and Zelda II are all on that branch of the timeline. Yes this was long and verbose. I'm Zelda trash and can ramble endlessly about it as a result. 😅

[@Soooooooooooonicable]

I always thought Saria should have been a boy. It would have nicely filled the male best friend character role.

[@M567dk]

It is because the developers are a bit lazy and are stuck in a corner where the storyline goes ?

[@TayoEXE]

Eiji = "Ay-jee"

[@muhamadirfanismaliy7698]

Overwatch mccree sexual name ceo Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby kocktick CEO

[@henryentertainmentsystem9923]

friday night funkin

[@ryanm8529]

Why your mother abandoned you

[@leedlelel2373]

I dont remember there being a mirror stuck to your face...

[@ryanm8529]

@@leedlelel2373 I'm typing a reply on a keyboard in reply to a video the that reply doesn't work

[@ChrisCarrasquillo]

Malons story is another reason capitalism is crap.

[@patrick7799]

Yeah I don’t like breath of the wild 1 and 2 yeah

[@TayoEXE]

What

[@RealNeoChan1000]

me neither

[@Amparito847]

Ok not that i wanna invalidate you but why randomly say it here??

[@birdboy16]

2 hasn’t even come out yet

[@patrick7799]

@@birdboy16 2 is going to be designed the same as 1 so I know what 2 is going to be like