Great Games: The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time
Appreciating Zelda’s first venture into 3D
NOTE: For this review, I only managed to play the 3DS version, though for reference purposes, I did watch many videos from the N64 version.
SPOILER ALERT: Plot details for Ocarina of Time follow.
The launch of the Nintendo 64 was an exciting time for Nintendo’s longtime franchises. Would its flagship games make the successful transition to 3D? Up until that time, Zelda had only been from either a top-down or side-scrolling perspective. Bringing the trademark features of Zelda to this next stage of gaming would demand a lot from Nintendo, but these expectations were met and surpassed.
The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time was produced alongside Super Mario 64 in 1995. In fact, Shigeru Miyamoto, the game’s producer, told Nintendo Power in 1996, that many puzzles that he had ready for Zelda were instead used for Super Mario 64. In 1997, IGN reported that The Ocarina of Time was going to be the biggest game in Nintendo history, at 256 megabits, which was already twice the size of Super Mario 64. Miyamoto also told IGN in 1999 that although this was the start of Nintendo’s leap into 3D, he did not want to follow the trends of other designers who were “trying to make their games more like movies.”
This era of Zelda brought with it new challenges and opportunities for Nintendo. The sword-fighting is based off of the theatrical Japanese chanbara style, and they hired professional stunt men as the models. It had been suggested that the game would mirror Super Mario 64, with Link only entering through different areas of Ganon’s Castle, the same way that Mario travels through paintings in Peach’s Castle. This idea was carried over to the Phantom Ganon boss who rides a horse in and out of paintings. The Ocarina of Time was also going to be in first-person to make it easier to maneuver through the 3D world, but Miyamoto thought it was important for gamers to see Link, and so the idea of a “child Link” was born.
The Ocarina of Time truly is a wonderful experience. Even though this game is over twenty years old, the graphics are still impressive: from the bright colors of each environment, to the stylistic motions of the many unique characters. The player lives through the vast land Hyrule, exploring all the different towns, dungeons, and waterways. Not mention the hours and hours of side quests to be done for heart pieces, empty bottles, or the Biggoron Sword. A dimension of realism is also added by the fact that Hyrule can shift from day to night, though walking on foot all over Hyrule can be daunting. So the game let’s you ride around on the beautiful horse, Epona. While Miyamoto had always had an obsession with the Wild West, Epona was actually suggested by Ocarina of Time director, Yoshioka Koizumi. It also turns out that Hyrule’s giant field was created in the service of horse-riding, not the other way around.
The first half of the game opens with Child Link in Kokiri Forest with his new fairy, Navi. Link is tasked by the Great Deku Tree to find Princess Zelda in Hyrule Castle to help her stop Ganondorf from stealing the Triforce. Link has all the familiar weapons: Sword, Bombs, Boomerang, etc, but instead of being from a top-down or side-scrolling perspective, you battle the enemies from the third-person. Considering how early this was in the development of 3D games, it’s remarkable how fluid the camera and controls still are. As soon as you get used to the buttons, everything feels smooth. It also helps that you can have more than one weapon ready on the main screen. Navi’s Z-targeting is also very useful for locking on to enemies, which helps you keep your way in the heat of battle.
The key to the game, though, is the ocarina. By playing certain songs on the ocarina, you can go from night to day, teleport to different dungeons, or call upon Epona for a ride. Kenji Kondo, the longtime composer for the Zelda series, provided many iconic themes for the ocarina, such as the “Song of Time”, “Saria’s Song”, and the “Song of Storms.” “Zelda’s Lullaby” and the “Fairy Fountain”, which he originally composed for A Link to the Past, come into full fruition here. Other mystical themes include “Zora’s Domain” and “Sheik’s Theme.”
The use of music to play with the gamer’s memory is also clever. As Zach Whalen noted in his article, “Play Along — An Approach to Videogame Music”, the background music often mimics later songs that Link will later need to play on the ocarina, with the ultimate effect being a “melodic foreshadowing to the extent that often goes unrecognized, and as a result, players report feelings of déjàvu as the melodies they must learn have an eerie familiarity.” Kondo’s soundtrack was remixed in 2017 as “Zeldawave” by the vaporwave artist Marble Pawns. Pawns takes samples from Kondo and makes them crackle and echo like an old cassette tape, while providing synth, guitar, and drum beats. The YouTube music video provides psychedelic, VHS-style visuals of the original 64 game for a nostalgic trip.
The second half of the game has you draw the Master Sword from the Temple of Time and go seven years into the future. Child Link is now a young adult. Being older has its benefits, including new weapons like the Hookshot, the Fairy Bow, and the Megaton Hammer, as well as the ability to wear the Goron Tunic in hot places and the Zora Tunic underwater. You can also properly wield the Hyrule Shield. As an adult, you will have to revisit all the places you once explored as a child, and you’ll also need to go back and forth through time to unlock certain goodies or passages.
Kotaku Australia noted that seven years had passed between the last Zelda game, A Link to the Past, and the release of The Ocarina of Time. Many gamers who had made that long wait, had also, like Link, made the leap from child to young adult. Miyamoto remarked to Kotaku Australia that having the two Links in the game was about, “portraying the differences between those two to tell the story of a boy growing up.” Miyamoto further added that he was inspired by David Lynch’s Twin Peaks to have the story revolve more around introducing new characters and their relationship with the protagonist. It’s worth noting that most of these new characters are women, like Saria, Ruto, and Nabooru, who are each powerful in their own right. The most memorable of these is Zelda herself, who takes on the ninja-like guise of Sheik, teaching Link new songs with her harp.
Miyamoto hired Eiji Aonuma to design the dungeons of the game and he did an outstanding job. They all have the right amount of puzzles, back-tracking, and secrets. The Fire Temple, of course, involves leaping over fiery pits, though it’s nice not to die the instant you fall into some magma. The Ice Temple had you carry around a special blue flame that melts red ice and opens secret areas. The most enjoyable part of the Spirit Temple was playing around with the mirrors to reflect the sunlight.
The Water Temple, though, has become rather infamous for its apparent difficulty, to the point where Aonuma himself felt the need to apologize. I personally did not find the Water Temple to be difficult so much as kind of annoying; having to constantly adjust the water levels and backtrack for any keys I might have missed. Granted, I played the 3DS version, which had some adjustments to make the experience easier. Switching on and off the Iron Boots was a bit more of a hassle in the 64 version. When we also consider that gamers were still getting used to 3D and that not everyone had a strategy guide, the grinding frustration that many recall is pretty understandable.
The bosses are simply great. There’s Volvaiga, who you have to hit with the Megaton Hammer whenever his head pops up from below, there’s Dark Link, who mimics your every move, and then there’s Twinrova, whose Fire and Ice elementals need to be reflected by the Mirror Shield. The fight with Ganondorf is pretty easy, just bounce back his electric balls and shoot a Light Arrow at him. His beast form, Ganon, is a lot more intimidating. A few hits from him can do a lot of damage and there aren’t too many places to hide. This is one area where the 64 version is superior to the 3DS version. On the N64, Ganon is covered in shadow, his eyes glowing in the dark, like something out of a horror flick. The tonal brightness of the 3DS remake sadly undoes this effect.
The Ocarina of Time also inspired a manga by the duo Akira Himekawa. I first read the manga in Japan during the long train rides between prefectures. It is an exceptional adaptation with a deep emphasis on character. Mido and Link develop an entertaining rivalry in Kokiri Forest, Volvaiga gets an emotional backstory, and Malon gets a dashing rescue at the Lon Lon Ranch. Link talks, by the way, but it never feels out of character. The art is also very pretty, with plenty of action and humor to go around.
Lastly, it’s hard to talk about the remake for the 3DS without also talking about the very heartfelt commercials promoted by late comedian Robin Williams and his daughter Zelda. Williams named his daughter after the Princess, and though she had her share of teasing in school, she later came to embrace her namesake. It’s always nice to see when a video game can bring people together and give them joy, even a game that’s over twenty years old.
