Summary
Known for having one of the most convoluted plots in video game history, theKingdom Heartsseries has expanded on its surreal blend of Final Fantasy and Disney for over 20 years. While it began as a simple experiment in the firstKingdom Hearts, subsequent entries would explore what has grown to become an entire lexicon of original concepts and generation-crossing stories. Despite its prevalence,Kingdom Heartsis far from alone in its brand of elaborate chains of events.
TheKingdom Heartstimelinecan take a lot of effort to piece together for players who weren’t around to see the games be revealed one at a time. Playing through them in the order of release can paint the clearest picture of Tetsuya Nomura’s vision for many. However, the winding tales of Heartless, Nobodies, and keyblades can still become confusing. Several other franchises exist in a similar space that can make them tough to approach, but their deep and engaging webs of narrative can make them more than worth the effort.
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NieR/Drakengard
While many gamers are likely familiar with 2017’s successfulNieR: Automata, the greaterNieRfranchise went on a strange path before it reached the far future of machines. In truth, series creator Yoko Taro’s vision stretches all the way back to 2003’sDrakengard, a fantasy action RPG that featured an alternate ending involving traveling through time into present-day Tokyo via the power of the game’s otherworldly final boss.Drakengard 3would later delve into the origins of that scenario, whileDrakengard 2is a confusingly unrelated detour. The originalNieRwould serve as a continuation ofDrakengard’s E ending, thus makingAutomata’s events technically a branch of that first game’s timeline.
Mortal Kombat
Even casual fans ofMortal Kombathave likely come to know of its convoluted timeline by now, asMortal Kombat 1has marked yet another major shift in the series chronology. The original games of the arcade and PS2 eras were all part of one coherent overarching story, but that all came to an end after the fittingly namedArmageddon. Ignoring its foray into the DC Universe that followed, NetherRealm would go on to make the 2011 reboot simultaneously function as a time-traveling sequel. The next entry,Mortal Kombat X, progressed the narrative with a time skip that introduced a new generation of fighters beforeMK11ultimately reset everything again.MK1now focuses on a brand-new timeline led by Liu Kang, but how long it will even exist remains to be seen.
Metal Gear Solid
Beginning with the relatively straightforward but still confusing first entry focused on Solid Snake in the “future” of 2005,Hideo Kojima’sMetal Gear Solidserieswould grow into one of the most complex stories in gaming.Metal Gear Solid 2was a subversive but logical continuation of a sequel, butMGS3’s status as a prequel and origin story set back in 1964 would forever shake up the franchise. As the fourth and fifth mainline entries have taken place in the future and past respectively, the spin-offs and side ventures released along the way have all had to place themselves somewhere withinMetal Gear’s tapestry of fictional geopolitical conflicts, characters with similar names, and extended metaphors.
Castlevania
The more recentLords of Shadowreboot timeline may be quite simple to comprehend, butCastlevaniaas a whole features one of the most complex overarching narratives in the history of the medium. Beginning with the original game set in 1691 and released back in 1986,Castlevaniahas explored no shortage of detours and experiments ever since. The original sequelSimon’s Questwas a straight continuation, butDracula’s Cursewent back centuries as a prequel.
Rondo of Bloodand the prolificSymphony of the Nightlater defined the series, but they are ultimately later entries in the timeline after the release of even more prequels likeLament of Innocence.Bloodlinesbrought the series into the 20th century beforeAria of Sorrowwould eventually make the full leap into a new saga in the future of 2035, leaving the franchise rather open-ended in terms of a starting point for new players.
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Death Stranding
Another creation of Hideo Kojima,Death Strandingbears the unique distinction of having formed a complex timeline within the story of just one game. Implied to be set in the post-apocalyptic future of 2050, the game’s distorted world sees Sam Porter Bridges uncovering the truth of his past and the Death Stranding event. With a deadly form of age-inducing precipitation known as Timefall that has brought destruction to the world alongside antimatter entities known as Beached Things, the depth ofDeath Stranding’s timeline comes in the form of the secretive past that has led up to this scenario.
Dark Souls
Beginning as the standalone spiritual successor toDemon’s Souls, the firstDark Soulscame with an expansive lore that formed a storied timeline all on its own. With so much having taken place in the tale of Gwyn before the player ever steps foot into Lordran, piecing together the events of the past has remained a fascination of many players for years since. WithDark Souls 2’s departure into Drangleic and the third game’s commitment to building on the past with Lothric, however, theDark Soulsfranchise has come to feature an expanded timeline largely held together by speculation and theories. Potentially spanning millennia and kingdoms alike, FromSoftware crafted the intricate lore ofSoulsyears before makingElden Ring.
Legacy of Kain
Largely underrated in the modern era,Legacy of Kain’s world of Nosgoth set itself apart through its epic story of branching timelines and revenge.Blood Omenintroduced the world and Kain, a vampire who would grow to rule over a dark future after being turned and seeking revenge.Soul Reaverwould then switch to the perspective of Raziel, a lieutenant betrayed by Kain who would come to seek revenge of his own.
InSoul Reaver 2, however, Raziel would chase Kain into the past and create branching timelines while uncovering the truth about the vampire race. One of these timelines would be the setting forBlood Omen 2, a prequel that expanded on the struggles of Kain’s rise to power.Defiancewould serve as the final entry, uniting the two vampires as shared protagonists in a game once again involving time travel and multiple versions of characters in the same story.
