Zelda Ocarina of Time Remake Launches Nov 5

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The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake will launch on Nintendo consoles on November 5. Many fans are preparing to revisit the classic title, while others new to the series are considering the complex history of the franchise before starting.

According to a recent analysis of the game's placement in the series, players do not need to play previous titles to understand the story. The narrative of Ocarina of Time is self-contained. It does not rely on events from games that precede it in the official chronology.

Characters such as Link and Zelda share names across different titles, but they are often distinct individuals. In many cases, these characters are ancestors or exist in different realities. The story of Ocarina of Time remains simple, focusing on Link's journey from childhood to adulthood. The remake promises to expand on certain details, but the core plot remains accessible to new players.

For those who wish to explore the wider lore, Skyward Sword is recommended as the first step. Originally released for the Wii in 2011, this game is chronologically the first in the series. A 2021 remaster is available on the Nintendo Switch. Skyward Sword serves as an origin story for the Master Sword. It also explains the recurring villain Ganondorf, who is regularly reincarnated to threaten the land of Hyrule.

A prequel manga for Skyward Sword is included in the Hyrule Historia encyclopaedia. This 32-page story depicts the earliest incarnation of Link and his meeting with the goddess Hylia. Hylia oversaw Hyrule before discarding her divinity to be reborn as a mortal, a role that became associated with Zelda. The manga explains the eternal reincarnation of Link's spirit, though no game has explicitly confirmed this as canon.

Ocarina of Time occupies a unique position in the timeline because its ending splits history into three branches. The story concludes with Link returning to his original time after defeating Ganondorf. This creates co-existing Child and Adult eras. The Child era leads to The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask. While Majora's Mask features the same Link, it takes place in a parallel world called Termina. The events do not directly continue the plot of Ocarina of Time.

Twilight Princess is set after Majora's Mask and connects more directly to Ocarina of Time. It is presumed that Link used his future knowledge to warn the royal family about Ganondorf. This led to the villain's imprisonment. In Twilight Princess, Ganondorf survives his execution and is banished to another realm. The game features a new incarnation of Link and Zelda, but the same Ganondorf from Ocarina of Time.

The Adult era follows a path where the seal on Ganondorf breaks and the gods flood the world. This sets the stage for The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. In this title, Ganondorf breaks free to conquer the world. This is the same Ganondorf who was defeated in Ocarina of Time. The Wind Waker stars new incarnations of Link and Zelda. A third timeline, known as the Hero is Defeated branch, posits that Link lost. This leads into The Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past, where the Dark World is a result of Ganon's presence.

Nintendo has not always emphasized the timeline in its development process. An official timeline was first published in 2011 to coincide with the launch of Skyward Sword. Since then, the timeline has been updated with most subsequent releases. Tears of the Kingdom director Hidemaro Fujibayashi stated in a 2023 interview that the timeline is not a primary factor when developing new games. Players can choose to follow the chronological order or start with the new remake on November 5 without prior experience.