The Legend of Zelda: The Fallen Sage

The Legend of Zelda: The Fallen Sage was the first Legend of Zelda fan game created by UndyingNephalim and released on January 11, 2008. It was the first chronological game of the trilogy, proceeding the events of Time's Menagerie and following the events of the canceled Gerudo Wars.

Plot
For a full synopsis, please go here

The Fallen Sage contains many plot elements and characters that would later be reused in Hyrule: Total War, notably The Return of Sulkaris arc. Many of the original characters later seen in Hyrule: Total War were first introduced in this game, including:
 * Akazoo Vapith
 * Annara
 * Evaleen
 * Kazaak
 * Liyer
 * Sulkaris
 * Zaleen

Gameplay
As opposed to the final game in the trilogy and Hyrule: Total War, The Fallen Sage, was, like Time's Menagerie, an RPG (Role-Playing Game) made using the RPG-Maker Engine. The game combined turn-based party combat with exploration presented with a 2-D topdown view, much like the classic Legend of Zelda games.

Reception
The Fallen Sage was met with mixed reception from members of the Zelda community. It was generally well received for its original content and gameplay, but criticized for instability and a lackluster combat system. Another major point of contention were its storyline and themes, which a significant subset of the community felt was overly mature for a game set in the Legend of Zelda universe. The game has since been disowned by Undyingnephalim, citing many of the past complaints.

The download link for the game no longer functions making it incredibly difficult for new players to play.