Where Does Majora’s Mask Fit Within Zelda’s Chronology?

For years, The Legend of Zelda has included games that echo names, locations, and enemies drawn from previous installments. However, until recently, Nintendo had never revealed any sort of official timeline to communicate about how each game fits together within the larger framework. That changed in 2013 with the release of Hyrule Historia, a comprehensive examination of the storyline and development of the franchise. One of the most exciting features the new book offers us is a clear understanding of how all the franchise entries fit together into a single chronology. With the 3D reincarnation of Majora’s Mask on the horizon, I dove back into the book to get a clear understanding of where Link’s adventure in Termina fits into the larger story.

While it might be nice if Majora’s Mask was part of a simple, linear timeline, that’s simply not the case. Instead, understanding Majora’s Mask demands that you take a closer look at Ocarina of Time, and how that game resulted in a split into multiple alternate histories. 

Ocarina of Time players will remember that it includes sections in which Link is a young boy, and other sections where he is an adult. At the end of the adventure, his confrontation with Ganon has profound implications for the flow of history from that point forward. In one alternate history, Link is defeated by Ganon at the end of Ocarina of Time, leading to the decline of Hyrule. A number of games grow out of this timeline, including A Link to the Past, Oracle of Ages, Oracle of Seasons, Link’s Awakening, the original Legend of Zelda, and The Adventure of Link. 

In a second timeline, Link defeats Ganon during the climax of Ocarina of Time, but then continues his life in the future, as an adult. He returns the master sword to its pedestal, and his adventures become the stuff of legend. Out of this timeline we get the games The Wind Waker, Phantom Hourglass, and Spirit Tracks – all of which are set generations later. 

That brings us back to Majora’s Mask, and where it fits within this complex equation. In a third timeline, Link once again defeats Ganon at the tail end of Ocarina of Time, but instead of staying in the future, Link returns to his own childhood. 

This third timeline finds Link returning to Zelda, and warning her of the impending danger presented by Ganon. In the name of avoiding such a calamitous series of events, Zelda gives the Ocarina of Time to Link and he departs, aiming to ensure Ganondorf is never able to enter the Sacred Realm. While on his journey, Link becomes lost in a mysterious forest, which just so happens to lead to an entirely different realm called Termina. Link's adventures in Termina eventually end, and he returns to Hyrule, and is lost

If you’re still with me, you have more patience than many do for the vagaries of time-travel storylines and the complications they engender. Players of the original Majora’s Mask know that the time-travel shenanigans don't end there, but I won’t spoil things for players who  will be encountering Majora’s Mask game for the first time next week. Suffice to say, it’s fortunate for the land of Termina that Link arrives with the Ocarina of Time, allowing him to rewind time repeatedly and confront the horrible threat looming in the sky. 

Are you curious about whether Majora’s Mask is for you? Check out our review of the game in advance of its release on 3DS on February 13.