Time

The flow of Time is a recurring element in .
==Role in the Series==
===Flow and manipulation===
In most of the 3D games, the time of day flows in a similar way to real life. Depending on the current time, some events may or may not be available, and some places may be open or closed. Resultingly, there are characters who perform actions and provide particular information at specific times or during specific intervals, following schedules.
In games where time plays a key role, there is typically a way to manipulate it. Link may learn songs that allow him to turn day into night and vice versa. In , time travel allows the young hero to explore the land of Labrynna through different ages.
===Countdowns and Timers===
A broader manifestation of time in a game is present in events that Link must complete within a time limit. When it comes to minigames or long-term events, a countdown appears on the screen and continually indicates how much time remains; conversely, there are minigames Link must beat as fast as he can, and in these cases the time counter shows how long has passed since the beginning.
If the event is too short (as in the case of puzzles that must be solved quickly), a timer is not shown; instead, a sound effect is heard faster and faster as less time remains.
===Internal Clock Usage===
Neither nor implemented an in-game day/night system, meaning that the time of day is constant. Instead, the games are sensitive to the current real life time thanks to the internal clock of the Nintendo DS. What Beedle sells depends on the day, and Link cannot buy more than what he currently offers. His masked counterpart, who appears only in , only appears at key hours of the day: From 10:00pm to 12:00am on weekdays, and from 10:00am to 12:00pm on weekends. The treasure merchandise sold in regular shops also changes depending on the day. Finally, for the same reasons, lottery results and some mail letters are delivered to Link according to the literally indicated days for reception ("the next day", "at midnight", etc.).
The background sky seen behind the file selection in depends on the current real life time as well, making use of the internal clock of the Nintendo GameCube or the Wii.
==Games that extensively use the concept of time==
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 introduces the concept of a day/night cycle and the general flow of time. The days and nights last for a certain amount of time and, depending on what time it is, various enemies will appear in some places, certain buildings will close until night, and various characters will change locations or leave entirely until the next day. In select locations, such as towns, dungeons, or Lon Lon Ranch, time does not flow at all, while in open areas, such as Hyrule Field and Lake Hylia, time does flow. Certain parts of the plotline must take place in the daytime, or require that Link wait until sunrise. Link can use the Sun's Song to call upon the sun or moon, therefore immediately changing the time of day.
Striking a Gossip Stone with a sword will cause it to give Link the current time in 24-hour format. A few soldiers will also tell Link the time in the same format, such as the ones found in Kakariko Village as Young Link.
Each in-game day lasts 2 minutes and 30 seconds in real time (making each hour last 12 seconds). Nighttime, however, is shorter than the day, lasting only 1 minute and 20 seconds (making each hour at night just 6 seconds). These makes it a grand total of 3 minutes and 50 seconds per day.
In the Fishing Hole, days still pass, but time flows significantly slower than most other areas of Hyrule.
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 has the most elaborate time cycle in all The Legend of Zelda games. Many characters are scheduled around it. The time flow of revolves around a 72 hour cycle, at the end of which the Moon ultimately crashes down upon Clock Town. Link can play the Song of Time at any point in this three-day cycle to return to the beginning of the cycle. The flow of time itself is not consistent. In the initial three day cycle, which flows 1.66 times faster than normal, it takes 27 real-time seconds for each game hour, which is just over 30 minutes for the entire cycle. For every single cycle after that, where it becomes normal, each game hour takes 45 seconds; about 54 minutes for the whole cycle. This also means that the days and the nights both flow significantly slower than in . The player can play the to slow the flow of time to approximately one-third of its normal speed (half in Majora's Mask 3D), which will slow it down to 150 seconds (two and a half minutes) for each game hour, exactly 3 hours for an entire cycle. The only places in the game where the time limit does not flow are the Lost Woods, the Portal, the inside of the Clock Tower, the boss rooms immediately after the boss has been defeated, and the inside of the Moon itself.
The current time is indicated by the on-screen clock, or by any clock on many of the walls in Clock Town, even the Clock Tower. Unlike in , striking a Gossip Stone with a sword will not cause it to give Link the current time in a 24-hour format, but instead will tell the amount of time left in the cycle in hours and minutes (which temporarily stops time). The Happy Mask Salesman will also tell Link how many hours remain if he is talked to.
Much like the Sun's Song of , in Link can dance with Pierre or play the to skip forward to the next dawn or night.
The three-day cycle can be eliminated entirely by performing the 4th Day Glitch, though time itself still flows like normal.
Because Majora's Mask was originally planned to have seven days in its cycle but was shortened to only three during development, the slowed time flow from the Inverted Song of Time is likely the original amount of time for the Moon to crash into Termina.
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 has time flow more akin to that in , but retaining the extended length as seen in . When sailing, the time is indicated by a hidable icon that seems to flip out from under the on-screen compass. Tingle, through the Tingle Tuner will make comments when the time of day changes to dusk, midnight, dawn, and noon. He will also give Link the time in 24-hour format through an item on the Tuner. Many characters stay inside during the night; Link can only play the Barrel Shoot minigame on Spectacle Island and purchase items from Zunari's Shop during the day, while the Windfall Auction only takes place at night. Certain sidequests, most notably completing the Nintendo Gallery, will require that Link wait until the next day to make further progress. In addition, the Great Sea's sailing music as well as the soundtracks for major islands only play during daytime.
Each night, similar to the real-world, the phase of the moon changes, there being seven in total. This affects which of Lenzo's Legendary Pictographs are available as well as the location of the . In addition, certain will only appear during the full moon, while others can be salvaged during any night.
Once Link has obtained the Wind Waker, time flows at a rate of one minute every 12 frames; both day and night are of equal length. Thus, one full day or night lasts 288 seconds (4.8 minutes) and a full 24-hour cycle lasts 576 seconds (9.6 minutes) in real time, with each game hour lasting 24 seconds. Between 06:00 and 11:00 (6 to 11 AM) as well as between 18:00 and 23:00 (6 to 11 PM), time will flow everywhere in the game, including within all islands, interiors, dungeons and caves. However, at any other time of day, time will not flow in any interior, dungeon, or cave (including the submerged Hyrule, which is always daytime). With the exception of the above hours, time also will not flow around certain major islands: Outset Island, Windfall Island, Dragon Roost Island, the Forest Haven, Greatfish Isle, Headstone Island, Gale Isle and the Forsaken Fortress. While sailing in an area where time does not flow during most hours, a special icon is displayed in place of the time icon and the weather will remain clear, with any storms dissipating upon entering the area.
Entering certain locations sets the time of day to a specific value:
* On Link's first visit to the Forsaken Fortress, the time is set to 20:00 (8 PM) with a full moon. When he is ejected from the fortress and arrives at Windfall Island, the time rewinds 5 hours to 15:00 (3 PM) of the same day, retaining the full moon once night falls. 
* On Link's second visit to the Forsaken Fortress, Ganondorf's magic will cause the time to immediately advance to 21:00 (9 PM).
* Entering the submerged Hyrule Field, whether from Hyrule Castle or Ganon's Castle, will always set the time to 12:00 (noon).
* Finally, when Link visits Greatfish Isle for the first time, the time advances to 0:00 (midnight) and remains frozen due to a powerful curse placed on the Great Sea by Ganondorf. This curse is broken only when Link obtains Nayru's Pearl from the sea spirit Jabun on Outset Island. For the duration of this curse, in addition to the usual effects of nighttime, it is impossible to change the time of day by any means, an endless thunderstorm rages across the entire Great Sea, Tetra's Pirate Crew are present at Windfall Island, several characters there will have changed dialogue, and the sidequests involving Tott, Mrs. Marie and Zunari cannot be advanced. A darker, more ominous version of the Great Sea's normal music will play while sailing during this "endless night".
When the young hero learns the Song of Passing from Tott on Windfall Island, he can change day to night and vice versa, like in previous titles. Playing it between 06:00 and 17:59 will set the time to midnight (0:00), while playing it between 18:00 and 05:59 will set the time to 12:00 (noon) of the following day. It cannot be played within Hyrule or most interiors, with the exceptions of the outside areas of Dragon Roost Cavern and near the bell atop the Tower of the Gods. Ganondorf's evil magic also prevents the song from functioning for the duration of Link's search for Nayru's Pearl or around the Forsaken Fortress prior to its abandonment.
Time is unnaturally frozen for the Moblins and Darknuts in Hyrule Castle when Link first visits it, a result of the goddesses' seal on the submerged kingdom. When Link removes the Master Sword from its pedestal, this seal is broken and the monsters resume moving.
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In , the flow of time is smooth and closer to how it worked in , with a few of the extra features seen in the other 3D titles; however, there is no UI indication of what time it is other than the sky. As in , the moon changes its phase, having eight in total; seven visible phases and a new moon phase. Certain enemies, such as Poes and Stalhounds, only appear at night, and various businesses also close at night, similar to previous Zelda games. There is no direct way to change the time of day in this game; however, whenever Midna warps Link out of any dungeon, it will always be midday, regardless of the time when he went inside.
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None of the handheld games have made use of a day/night flow system. Therefore, in , the main notion of time comes from the titular , which allows the young hero to survive inside the Temple of the Ocean King for as long as the available Sand of Hours within the Hourglass can. The only instance where Link can manipulate time is during two phases of the final battle, when Ciela grants him Phantom Spheres that can freeze time for a short period.
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In , day and night do not alternate on their own, like in , , or . In order to change the time of day, Link must travel to The Sky and find a bed to sleep in. Link cannot fly his Loftwing at night, and cannot find a bed on The Surface. This means that The Surface can never be explored at nighttime.
Whenever a Timeshift Stone is hit in Lanayru Desert, it transforms the surrounding area into how it was in a past era. Namely, the sandy and rocky environments in the present turn back into the green and industrial state it was before the decline and extinction of the Ancient Robot race. Timeshift Orbs have the same properties as Timeshift Stones, but are small enough to be carried by Link, causing the environment around him to change constantly.
==Time-Based Items==
File:TLoZ Clock Artwork.png|Clock
File:OoT Ocarina of Time Render.png|Ocarina of Time
File:Oracle of Ages - Harp of Ages.png|Harp of Ages
File:The Phantom Hourglass.png|Phantom Hourglass
File:PH Phantom Sword Icon.png|Phantom Sword
File:HWDE Gate of Time Render.png|Gate of Time
File:HW Gate of Souls Render.png|Gate of Souls
==Time-related characters==
File:OoT Link Artwork.png|Link the Hero of Time
File:BotW Link Shooting Artwork.png|Link from 
File:OoT Adult Zelda Artwork.png|Princess Zelda from 
File:OoA Nayru Artwork.png|Nayru
File:HW Cia Render.png|Cia
File:HW Lana Render.png|Lana
File:HWAoC Terrako Artwork.png|Terrako 
==Time-Based objects==
File:TP Door of Time Model.png|Door of Time
File:SS Timeshift Stone Inactive Model.png|Timeshift Stone
File:GateofTime8.png|Gate of Time
File:HW Gate of Souls.jpg|Gate of Souls
==Time-themed areas==
File:Temple of Time OoT3D.jpg|Temple of Time
File:MM Clock Town Artwork.png|Clock Town
File:SS Sealed Temple Exterior.png|Sealed Temple
File:LanayruDesert.png| Lanayru Desert 
File:SS Sandship Map Icon.png|Sandship 
==See Also==
* Time Travel
* Termina Clock