Despair Takes Hold
If the Hero of Time loses his battle with Ganondorf at the end of Ocarina of Time, the chronology follows a singular path that leads to a darker and more tragic timeline.
The Imprisoning War and What Follows
The first half of this timeline follows the events of the Imprisoning War, which sees Ganon sealed away in the Sacred Realm by the Seven Sages. It includes five games:
- A Link to the Past (1991): Link must rescue Princess Zelda and defeat Ganon, who has escaped from the Sacred Realm and plunged Hyrule into darkness.
- Link's Awakening (1993): Link is shipwrecked on Koholint Island, where he must awaken the Wind Fish to escape, while also uncovering the island's mysteries.
- A Link Between Worlds (2013): Link travels between Hyrule and its dark counterpart, Lorule, to stop Yuga, a sorcerer who seeks to merge the two worlds.
- The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages/Seasons (2001): Link must collect the seven Oracles to restore the balance of the world and defeat Ganon.
- Tri Force Heroes (2015): Three Links team up to save Princess Styla from a curse that has befallen her kingdom.
The Era of Decline
The latter half of this timeline culminates with the Era of Decline, which sees a depleted and weakened Hyrule once again falling under the shadow of Ganon. Though it canonically comes at the end of the Zelda universe timeline, the Era of Decline contains the very first Zelda games ever created:
- The Legend of Zelda (1987): Link embarks on a quest to rescue Princess Zelda and defeat Ganon, who has stolen the Triforce of Power and plunged Hyrule into darkness.
- Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (1987): Link must awaken Princess Zelda from a sleeping spell and defeat the evil sorcerer Dark Link, who is a shadowy doppelganger of Link himself.