Has the Zelda Timeline Restricted Advancement?

To think that the Zelda timeline has held the series back just doesn’t make sense to me. Aonuma himself has said that he feels completely free to make whatever type of game he likes within the Zelda franchise. There are some basic elements that need to be included in every title, but there’s nothing that holds him back from being creative and open with his choice of design. Plus, Nintendo likes to pretend that a timeline doesn’t exist anyway!