The Shovel Knight Shared Universe - Timeline

[Megatron]

Changing the subject to Battletoads (sorry), but, the 2020 game says they have been trapped in a simulation for 26 years? Does that mean that the titles released between 1991-1994 happened for real?

nope, BT uses a lot of meta.

The game was released in 2020, 2020-26=1994.

 

[Megatron]

so since we know that between GoWI and GoWII there is a time span of 12.6 years, it's time to find when these 3 medias are set: Greek Comics, Ghost of Sparta and Betrayal.

- the Greek Comics takes place soon after the ending of GoWI, so it's the same year.
- In Ghost of Sparta there is the sinking of Atlantis, but didn't found a date for it.
- Betrayal as to take place after the ending but before the post credit scene of Ghost of Sparta. So I would say not too distant from GoWII

ok let's take this with another route. The wiki also seems to imply that the Atlantis of Ghost of Sparta isn't the real one cos it's set in a different location... So ehm.. let's go with Deimos! In the wiki his age is listed as 50+. Let's say that Deimos is born the same year as Kratos (IK he looks younger in the flashbacks, but follow me).

Kratos took part on the Troyan War, so he must be at least 18 years old when it started so 1194+18=1212 BCE. ok now we have Kratos and Deimos' birth year, so if the wiki is right he must be at least 50. so 1212-50=1162 BCE.

Considering that Ascension happens in the final year of the Troyan War, so 1184 BCE.

GoWI is 10 years after that, so 1174 BCE.

and GoWII is 12.6 years after that so 1161.4 BCE.

it means that Ghost of Sparta must be 12 years after GoWI, and so betrayal and the post-credit scene of Ghost of Sparta could be set in a non specific moment of 1161 BCE. So we can add Betryal as happening within the same year as GoWII and III, the Egypt comics (maybe) and the Shovel Knight Series.

Guys it makes sense to you or not?

 

[Pro Bot]

I'm following, seems fair.

 

[Jozaca]

nope, BT uses a lot of meta.

The game was released in 2020, 2020-26=1994.

I don't understand your answer.

Yes, BT uses a lot of meta. Precisely, the 26 years reference is a meta reference that seems to imply that even in BT doesn't happen in release year, the timeskip is the same that the one in the real world.

2020-26=1994. Yes, so, that's actually what I said. The original BT came out in 1991.

 

[Megatron]

ok let's take this with another route. The wiki also seems to imply that the Atlantis of Ghost of Sparta isn't the real one cos it's set in a different location... So ehm.. let's go with Deimos! In the wiki his age is listed as 50+. Let's say that Deimos is born the same year as Kratos (IK he looks younger in the flashbacks, but follow me).

Kratos took part on the Troyan War, so he must be at least 18 years old when it started so 1194+18=1212 BCE. ok now we have Kratos and Deimos' birth year, so if the wiki is right he must be at least 50. so 1212-50=1162 BCE.

Considering that Ascension happens in the final year of the Troyan War, so 1184 BCE.

GoWI is 10 years after that, so 1174 BCE.

and GoWII is 12.6 years after that so 1161.4 BCE.

it means that Ghost of Sparta must be 12 years after GoWI, and so betrayal and the post-credit scene of Ghost of Sparta could be set in a non specific moment of 1261 BCE. So we can add Betryal as happening within the same year as GoWII and III, the Egypt comics (maybe) and the Shovel Knight Series.

Guys it makes sense to you or not?

also if we really want it betrayal could happen soon before GoWII as he is framed in that game, rising the tension between him and the gods.

 

[Megatron]

I don't understand your answer.

Yes, BT uses a lot of meta. Precisely, the 26 years reference is a meta reference that seems to imply that even in BT doesn't happen in release year, the timeskip is the same that the one in the real world.

2020-26=1994. Yes, so, that's actually what I said. The original BT came out in 1991.

i meant that the last game was released in 1994, and BT 2020 happens 26 years after that game, if the 1994 is in a "simulatioon" how it's called in that world, than the other games are set in there too.

 

[Jozaca]

i meant that the last game was released in 1994, and BT 2020 happens 26 years after that game, if the 1994 is in a "simulatioon" how it's called in that world, than the other games are set in there too.

So, it doesn't imply that any BT game is a simulation? Only their cameos during the timeskip?

 

[Megatron]

and speaking of BT now the original series is set between GoWI and GoS, as their appearence in Shovel of Hope happens 10 years after their last game, and since it's set during GoWIII it's set in 1161 BCE, the 2020 game came out 6 years after Shovel of Hope so 1161-6=1155 BCE. And finally let's count the 26 years, we get 1155+26=1181 BCE!

Ok this was unexpected anyways, so since the 1994 games is set in 1181 BCE, considering the meta aspect of it, the 1st game was released in 1991, so 3 years erlier, 1181+3=1184 BCE.

Ok so Ascension and the 1st Game happens at the same time

Chain of Olympus is 5 years after ascension so 1184-5= 1179 BCE, so it means that all of the Battletoads original series starts during ascension and then they end 2 years before Chains of Olympus.

 

[Megatron]

So, it doesn't imply that any BT game is a simulation? Only their cameos during the timeskip?

i'm just taking the simulation thing as like Whinnie the Pooh in Kingdom Hearts, cos i can't stand God of War being a simulation. Looking at this angle, the term "simulation" is what the BT' world uses to refers to the "realms" in the GoW/SK universe.

 

[Jozaca]

-How do we know it happens 10 years after their last game?
-Can the cameos be after Battletoads (2020)?
-One of the Battletoads appeared in the 2013 remake of Killer Instict
-Can we be sure there is no time travel involved? I mean, doesn't look weird that Battletoads happens in a futuristic world (thought I guess if they are in another planned it can be explained), Shovel Knight in the middle ages and GoW (at least the part that happens in Shovel Knight) in Ancient Greece?

 

[Megatron]

-How do we know it happens 10 years after their last game?
-Can the cameos be after Battletoads (2020)?
-One of the Battletoads appeared in the 2013 remake of Killer Instict
-Can we be sure there is no time travel involved? I mean, doesn't look weird that Battletoads happens in a futuristic world (thought I guess if they are in another planned it can be explained), Shovel Knight in the middle ages and GoW (at least the part that happens in Shovel Knight) in Ancient Greece?

- "Shovel Knight's encounter with the Battletoads takes place at least after the fifth installment in the series because of Zitz's belt, which only has a metallic buckle in this game". - from the Shovel Knight Wiki.
- nope.
- as long as the developers of Killer Instict doesn't say that BT is canon to their universe, it can be left behind.
- al mithologies are in the same world, one sailor from grece went into Scandinavia. As for BT maybe in their universe they are in a different time settings, kinda like Kingdom Hearts as the time on each world aren't in sinc.

 

[Megatron]

-How do we know it happens 10 years after their last game?

oh i didn't saw this. But answering you, I just went it again with the series being meta, so keeping the release date time difference, Shovel of Hope came out in 2014... (i just realized idk how to do math) i have to correct a post now.

 

[Megatron]

oh actually i have it right somehow, as i have last game happen in 1181 and SoH in 1161. Yayyy, but anyways the answer is still the same 20 years cos of meta, 2014-1994=20

 

[Jozaca]

Funny how 5 out of 7 Battletoads games are called the same.

 

[BB10]

There is a live action trailer for GOW Ascension.

 

[BB10]

@Megatron do you think the above video can be added to the timeline? First half seems to be a flashback (unless the whole trailer takes place inside Kratos' mind or something, but only the transition part seems dream-like/non-literal, not the rest of it), while the second half seems to take place after Kratos killed his family and was still serving Ares

 

[user 16960]

If this Reddit thread is anything to go by, the crossover seems to have been retconned from the Battletoads continuity unless we assume that GOW and Showel Knight are both simulations.

Actually, no. All of the Battletoads games actually happened. They were put in the simulation sometime after the events of Battletoads Arcade. In the "Lost Adventure" prequel comic set before Battletoads 2020 the comic is set after the events of Battletoads Arcade (it says so in the comic) and the comic ends with them being put in the simulation. Arcade was the last game before 2020 came out so literally none of the games occur in the simulation. So God of War doesn't take place in the simulation either, simple as that.

 

[user 16960]

Actually, no. All of the Battletoads games actually happened. They were put in the simulation sometime after the events of Battletoads Arcade. In the "Lost Adventure" prequel comic set before Battletoads 2020 the comic is set after the events of Battletoads Arcade (it says so in the comic) and the comic ends with them being put in the simulation. Arcade was the last game before 2020 came out so literally none of the games occur in the simulation. So God of War doesn't take place in the simulation either, simple as that.

Another reason God of War can't take place in the simulation is in the simulation the Battletoads kill a Pig guy and as he's dying he finds out there's no afterlife (at least in this simulation world) which contradicts the underworld existing in God of War, so boom there's more evidence for the Shovel Knight Battletoads crossover happening before they're put in the simulation world

 

[user 16960]

Okay, so "The Shovel Knight Shared Universe" or SKSU is made of 2 series:

• Battletoads (BT)
• God of War (GoW)
• Shovel Knight (SK)

having established the series we have the next problem, when all of this is set? So for starters i decided to follow GoW more as it is the more serious one, considering the other 2 series have a knight with a shovel and 4 toads...

while the Greek Saga and Norse Saga are set in the same universe, the kratos of both is the same etc... The time of the norse saga doesn't influence that much the Greek Saga, so discussing it now so we can move away from this. Cory Balrog stated that the game happens before the Viking Age which happens in the 8th century; In real life there is a recorded event wich was called fimbulwinter which happened in 536-539 CE. Since Mimir in the game stated that the winter arrived 1 century earlier then GoW4 happens in 436 CE.

Now for the Greek Saga, we can follow 3 sets on dates based on 3 games:

• GoWCoO: has an undefined Persian King attacking Attica, matching with the Persian War of 480 BCE.
• GoWII: Has the Colossus of Rhodes, which was destroyed in 226 BCE.
• GoWIII: Hercules stated that the 1st game happened during one of his 5th Labor which is dated in 1255 BCE.

Since the persian king was intentionally kept unknown, and the colossus of Rhodes doesn't have a big inpact on the storyline (it could have been any other statue that could have fought Kratos) I'm taking Hercules statement as our date, andnow the game is simple, but we have one last problem: How much time is between GoW and GoWII?

During GoWIII, there are the Labyrinth Projects that can be interacted it that reference the fact that it was commioned by Zeus the same day that Kratos was made the God of War and was completed after 4603 Days (or 12.6 years), Which is crucial since also in GoWIII is stated that it was completed recently, so GowII and GoWIII are set in 1242 BCE, however Kratos mentions the Troyan War as of being there (while he only heard of the battle of thermopylae), adding this with Hercules dying and becoming a god in 1234 BCE, then GoWII and III have to happen between 1171 BCE to 480 BCE.

Legend:
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Timeline

Simplified Order
Nintendo Power Magazine (1988) #25
Battletoads (1991)**
Battletoads & Double Dragon: The Ultimate Team**
Battletoads (LCD)** [I have to find out if it's canon]
Battletoads (1992)**
Battletoads in Battlemaniacs**
Battletoads (1994)**
God of War (2005)**
God of War** (Adaptation)
God of War (2010) #1-6**
God of War: Rise of the Warrior (2012) #1**
God of War: Ascension**
God of War: Ascension - Multiplayer**
God of War: The Lost World** [I Have to find Dates for this]
God of War: Chain of Olympus**
God of War: Ghost of Sparta**
God of War: Betrayal**
God of War II**
God of War II** (Adaptation)
PlayStation: All-Stars Battle Royal**
God of War III Remastered**
God of War: Fallen God (2021) #1-4** [Have to Find Dates for this]
Shovel Knight - All games** [I have to look at this better]
Battletoads: The Lost Adventure (2020) #1-3** [I Have to look when it take place]
Battletoads (2020)**
God of War: The Lost Pages of Norse Myth 1x01-09** [Have to find dates for this]
God of War (2018) #0-4**
God of War: A Call From the Winds**
God of War: Mimir's Vision** [need to sort out the preceding norse medias in order]
God of War (2018)**
God of War - The Official Novelization** (Adaptation)
God of War: B is for Boy - An Illustrated Storybook** (Adaptation)
God of War: Lore and Legends**
God of War: Ragnarok**
God of War: Raganrok - Valhalla**

Something worth noting about Battletoads, their backstory is canonically up in the air, even the toads don't seem to remember what happened exactly. The lost Adventure comic shows that they don't like to talk about it and it shows 3 different possible origins for them

1 was the cartoon pilot's origin
The 2nd one was the Nintendo power comic you have listed here
The 3rd was a parody of the TMNT origin (a little nod to how the Battletoads are basically TMNT ripoffs)

I think for the simplified order you could put both the comic and the cartoon pilot on there but label them as only possible origins since we don't know which is true.

Also side note but you say Battletoads is about 4 toads at the beginning of the message but there's actually only 3

 

[user 16960]

Btw have you considered including Double Dragon? I think the Battletoads crossover implies the series takes place on the Earth/Universe the Battletoads originally came from before they were teleported to the Battletoads universe.

Double Dragon also shares continuity with Kunio-Kun/River City Ransom/River City Girls. River City Girls even added Billy and Jimmy recently

 

[Megatron]

Btw have you considered including Double Dragon? I think the Battletoads crossover implies the series takes place on the Earth/Universe the Battletoads originally came from before they were teleported to the Battletoads universe.

Double Dragon also shares continuity with Kunio-Kun/River City Ransom/River City Girls. River City Girls even added Billy and Jimmy recently

That's exactly why I'm not including them.

This Is the X-Files situation basically.

 

[user 16960]

That's exactly why I'm not including them.

This Is the X-Files situation basically.

In what regard?

 

[Megatron]

In what regard?

Becouse Santa Monica and the SK developers BOTH confirmed the series to be Canon.

I have problems with battletoads as SK developers said it's Canon. But Battletoads developer never confirmed.

As for the other crossovers they're too weird to fit in the same universe as GoW and Shovel Knight. And no One confirmed if they are Canon.

P.S. Battletoads Will stay as of you read the previous messages I did a poll about It and It was decided that they stay.

 

[user 16960]

Becouse Santa Monica and the SK developers BOTH confirmed the series to be Canon.

I have problems with battletoads as SK developers said it's Canon. But Battletoads developer never confirmed.

As for the other crossovers they're too weird to fit in the same universe as GoW and Shovel Knight. And no One confirmed if they are Canon.

P.S. Battletoads Will stay as of you read the previous messages I did a poll about It and It was decided that they stay.

I don't think the Rare devs care too much about canon which is why they probably never commented on it for Battletoads.

Double Dragon doesn't happen in the same universe as the other 3, it's a parallel Earth, the earth the Battletoads originally came from when they were still human, the Battletoads universe is a parallel universe to the Earth they're from, meaning Double Dragon is set in that universe rather than the ones the Battletoads currently live in, they can just travel between both universes (as seen in the manual for Battlemaniacs)

 

[Megatron]

I don't think the Rare devs care too much about canon which is why they probably never commented on it for Battletoads.

Double Dragon doesn't happen in the same universe as the other 3, it's a parallel Earth, the earth the Battletoads originally came from when they were still human, the Battletoads universe is a parallel universe to the Earth they're from, meaning Double Dragon is set in that universe rather than the ones the Battletoads currently live in, they can just travel between both universes (as seen in the manual for Battlemaniacs)

Good then I can ignore then since they're set on another earth.

 

[user 16960]

I don't think the Rare devs care too much about canon which is why they probably never commented on it for Battletoads.

Double Dragon doesn't happen in the same universe as the other 3, it's a parallel Earth, the earth the Battletoads originally came from when they were still human, the Battletoads universe is a parallel universe to the Earth they're from, meaning Double Dragon is set in that universe rather than the ones the Battletoads currently live in, they can just travel between both universes (as seen in the manual for Battlemaniacs)

So basically

Universe 1

God of War
Shovel Knight
Battletoads


Universe 2

Battletoads cartoon pilot/comic backstory
Double Dragon
Kunio-Kun
River City Ransom
River City Girls

 

[user 16960]

So basically

Universe 1

God of War
Shovel Knight
Battletoads


Universe 2

Battletoads cartoon pilot/comic backstory
Double Dragon
Kunio-Kun
River City Ransom
River City Girls

It's also worth noting. While Shovel Knight on Nintendo consoles didn't have a direct crossover like Sony and Xbox versions did with Kratos and Battletoads. The Nintendo version added a character called Madam Meeber, who's meant to represent Amiibo, and she kind of implies some sort of Multiversal Nintendo lore, a few other Nintendo franchises imply Amiibo are like a multiversal thing somehow. For example in fire emblem using an Amiibo can summon the Smash versions of FE characters (the main FE characters even comment that Smash Lucina is not the same Lucina they know and she acts differently). And in Zelda BOTW the Amiibo rune on the sheikah slate can summon items from different Zelda timelines like Wind Waker (and the Amiibo rune has to be canon to Zelda because it's how you get the canon horse equipment link has in official BOTW art)

 

[user 16960]

Question for the timeframe of GOW. Is it possible the final game took place in 1BC/1AD? The original planned end for the trilogy was for it to end with the 3 wise men following the North Star when Jesus was born. So I think the intention was for the end of the Greek era games to be set close to that date.

 

[user 16960]

What Is that?

You don't know what Yooka Laylee is? It's a 3d collectathon platformer made by old Rare devs that used to work on Banjo Kazooie games. In the game Shovel Knight is a side character that you interact with a few times throughout the game. Some people like the game but I really didn't enjoy it last time I played it just feels like a lesser Banjo Tooie which was already a lesser Banjo 1.

 

[Megatron]

Question for the timeframe of GOW. Is it possible the final game took place in 1BC/1AD? The original planned end for the trilogy was for it to end with the 3 wise men following the North Star when Jesus was born. So I think the intention was for the end of the Greek era games to be set close to that date.

yeah but in OG GoWIII you destroy every Polytheist religion, that's no longer the case as the norse saga is a thing and the Egyptian pantheon is still alive and well.