Non-Linear Sequel: Difference between revisions
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{{quote|''So any belief that Nintendo will make a sequel to ''[[Zelda II: The Adventure of Link|Zelda II the Adventure of Link]]'' is deader than $#*&. They can't even make them follow consecutive order! We have a sequel to the original, a prequel to the original, a ''sequel'' to the prequel, a '''prequel''' to the prequel, and a sequel to the young Link of the prequel's prequel! <small>WHAT THE *&%^!?</small>''|'''[[The Angry Video Game Nerd]]''' on ''[[The Legend of Zelda]]''}}
Some video games, especially RPGs, do not have a strict sense of a linear [[Sequel]]. The game may -- ''may''
This is because video games, uniquely among media, have another dimension by which installments in a series can be interrelated, other than characters, [[The Verse|setting]], plot, or tone; that dimension being gameplay mechanics. Of course, this also means you might get an installment that [[Dolled-Up Installment|isn't really one at all]]. Plus, it has the benefit of helping to avoid [[Continuity Lock Out]]
This also avoids the logical conclusion of why the hero isn't [[Bag of Spilling|at Level 255+ when he starts the next game]].
Many series of this sort have [[Recurring Element
Compare and contrast to a [[Thematic Series]], which is a series that follows themes as opposed to specific characters or settings.
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* The ''[[Final Fantasy]]'' series, with a few exceptions centered around ''[[Final Fantasy VII]]'' and ''[[Final Fantasy X]]'', making its use of [[Numbered Sequels|numbers]] somewhat strange.
** Square Enix's Ivalice realm is a consistent world visited by the player at various different point in history, each time centered on completely unrelated protagonists. The titles are non linear; the ''[[Final Fantasy Tactics]]'' games, ''Vagrant Story'' and ''[[Final Fantasy XII]]''.
*** That said, even Ivalice's continuity is a little haphazard. Back when they were new, the only indication of a connection between ''[[Final Fantasy Tactics]]'' and ''[[Vagrant Story]]'' was a few small references; FFT's own sequel later on, ''[[Final Fantasy Tactics Advance]]'', also had ''very'' little to do with its predecessor. Making Ivalice a more explicitly consistent setting was a later development, and it's [[Continuity Drift|still a bit different than it started out]] since it took some [[
** However, some games are now getting sequels, probably inspired by the success of the ''Compilation of [[Final Fantasy VII]]''. For example, ''[[Final Fantasy IV]]'' has a cellphone/WiiWare game sequel, ''[[Final Fantasy IV: The After Years]]''.
** And as of ''[[Dissidia Final Fantasy]]'', the entire series takes place in a larger [[The Multiverse|Multiverse]]. Provided ''Dissidia'' is [[Canon]], anyway.
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*** A Japanese guide for ''[[Final Fantasy II]]'' (''[[All There in the Manual|Final Fantasy IV Settei Shiryou Hen]]'', [http://www.sceneryrecalled.com/trans/ff4comp.htm for those curious]) states that the world of that game is the same of [[Final Fantasy IV|the Blue Planet]], only 100 years beforehand. It also states that the Deathbringer that King Fabul gives to Cecil was left to him by Leon from ''II'', who then renounced his status as a Dark Knight to become a priest (as a parallel to Cecil's own class change from Dark Knight to Paladin). However, this is possibly shot down ''[[Shrug of God|again]]'' in ''[[Final Fantasy IV: The After Years]]'', which reverts the whole "Kain being Ricard's son" thing back to a [[Retroactive Legacy]] [[Mythology Gag]]; there, Kain says that he was roughly the same age as Ceodore (17) when he heard news {{spoiler|of his father's death against an evil empire}}, while the Kain seen in ''II'' is a young boy.
** ''[[Final Fantasy XIII]]'' is the first game to be made with other games (''[[Final Fantasy Versus XIII]]'' for example) in the same setting in mind. However they have nothing to do with each other for the most part, with the exception with the direct sequel ''[[Final Fantasy XIII-2]]''.
* Likewise, there are only two continuities in the ''[[Tales (series)]]'', non-canonical [[
* Due to an unusual twist of plot {{spoiler|involving Lezard time traveling from the end of the first game to the past of the sequel}}, ''Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria'' comes both before and after ''[[Valkyrie Profile]]''.
** And ''Covenant Of The Plume'' is a prequel. I suppose when the first game features the end of the world, there's nowhere to go but backward.
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** ''[[Breath of Fire]] I-III'' are canonically (per [[Word of God|Word Of Capcom]] and storyline) in the same universe but separated by millenia between games.
** ''[[Breath of Fire]] V'', aka ''Dragon Quarter'', is (per [[Word of God|Word Of Capcom]]) in its own [[Alternate Universe]] completely unrelated to other games in the series. The gameplay is also radically different, to the point it actually resulted in a [[Broken Base]] within that fandom.
** The real mess comes in sorting out where ''[[Breath of Fire]] IV'' fits, because there ''is'' no [[Word of God|Word Of Capcom]] where the game fits, the game was rushed to production to outrun [[Author Existence Failure]], and subsequent [[All There in the Manual|supplementary material]] (like the artbook, a [[Novelization]], a second ''[[Breath of Fire]]'' Complete Works artbook, no less than two side-stories that were released for [[No Export for You|Japanese smartphones]], and finally a [[Comic Book Adaptation|manga]] that relied ''heavily'' on info from the artbook and Capcom's production staff) have done ''absolutely nothing'' to clarify this. As a result, a ''lot'' of [[Fanon]] and occasional [[Fan Wank]] occurs as to whether ''IV'' is an [[Alternate Universe]] or a
* The first two ''[[Lufia]]'' games where placed in reverse order, with ''Lufia II'' happening before ''Lufia I''. The first game even ''started'' with [[A Taste of Power]] that eventually became the final conflict in the second game, creating a nice little loop of continuity.
* Konami also has another series that deals with this particular trope: ''[[Suikoden]]''. The games all take place in the same world (except for ''[[Suikoden Tierkreis|Tierkreis]]''), but all take place in different regions and, more importantly, different times. To be specific, the first game to occur chronologically was ''[[Suikoden IV]]''. One hundred and fifty years later, we experience the events of ''[[Suikoden V]]'', then we get the original ''[[Suikoden I]]'' five years later, with ''[[Suikoden II]]'' following it up with the shortest time span between games (a mere three years), then we get ''[[Suikoden III]]'' 15 years after that.
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* ''[[Dragon Quest]]'': Several titles are taken place in the same universe with similar past events. ''[[Dragon Quest III]]'' is the prequel of the first two games, which are collectively known as the "Loto Trilogy" or "Erdrick Trilogy" (depending on your translation).
** The [[Dragon Quest IV|fourth]], [[Dragon Quest V|fifth]], and [[Dragon Quest VI|sixth]] games are also part of their own saga (the loosely-connected Zenithian trilogy), albeit in [[Anachronic Order]].
** To date, only ''[[Dragon Quest VII]]'' and ''[[Dragon Quest IX]]'' seem to be standalone titles, as ''[[Dragon Quest VIII]]'' hints at a multiverse due to {{spoiler|the Godbird Empyrea actually being one and the same as [[Spell My Name with an "S"|Ramia/Lamia]] from ''III''.}} Torneko Taloon from ''IV'' also cameos as an opponent in Morrie's Monster Arena in ''VIII''. Just to complicate matters, ''IX'' features character cameos and cosplay gear from all eight previous games and the ''[[Dragon Quest Swords]]'' spinoff, which may mean something or may just be [[Mythology Gag
* The continuity between the ''[[World of Mana]]'' games is rather loose. At least one game, ''[[Legend of Mana]]'', has been declared non-canon by [[Word of God]], and the mobile phone game ''Friends of Mana'' takes place in a totally different world.
* ''[[Pokémon]]'' does this. Not counting ''Gold and Silver'', which were direct sequels to the first games, ''Red and Blue'', every iteration since has been part of a jumbled up timeline that can only be explained by in-game functions.
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** Until now, when [[Pokémon Black 2 and White 2]] are coming out.
* [[Dark Souls]], despite being a [[Spiritual Sequel]], is this to [[Demon's Souls]]. The game replaces the [[Hub Level]] and level select style of [[Demon's Souls]] with a world design heavily reminiscent of 3D [[Metroidvania]] games like [[Metroid Prime]] and [[Legacy of Kain]]: Soul Reaver.
* Most of the ''[[Shin Megami Tensei]]'' sequels are like this, the major exceptions being ''[[Shin Megami Tensei II]]'', the second ''[[Digital Devil Saga]]'' game, and the [[Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Army|Raidou Kuzu]][[Raidou Kuzunoha VS King Abaddon|noha games]]. Some games are hinted/confirmed to take place in the same continuity as their predecessors (''[[Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne]]'', ''Persona4'') but feature completely different plotlines and characters, with only a handful of [[Call Back
== Shoot Em Ups ==
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== Survival Horror ==
* The ''[[Resident Evil]]'' games release order mostly matches the chronology of the series, except for the prequel ''[[Resident Evil 0]]'' and, weirdly, ''[[Resident Evil 3 Nemesis]]'', which takes place both before and after ''[[Resident Evil 2]]'' (''[[Resident Evil Code Veronica]]'', despite not having a numbered title, is the true continuation to the events of ''Resident Evil 2'').
** The spin-offs are a bit looser with
** The 3DS game, ''[[Resident Evil Revelations]]'', is set before ''[[Resident Evil 5|RE5]]'' and ''[[Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City]]'' takes place just before and during ''[[Resident Evil 2]]''.
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