Zelda 64. Anyone who lived in that era knew that name. I myself had never seen a video game as hyped before release quite like this one. The Nintendo 64 lacked a lot of single player story driven experiences such as this one, and that only added to the mystique surrounding this title. After showing a proof of concept video at their Spaceworld show, Miyamoto and co gave us a slow drip of details which seemed out of this world. The game was actually originally announced for the 64 Disk Drive. Later on it was announced to be a cartridge only experience as the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. This was one of the few video games that completely surpassed all of my expectations. I was feeling nostalgic recently and decided to give it another go to see how it holds up. It sure does.
Like all titles in the Zelda series Ocarina of Time takes place in a different era of Hyrule with a unique Link and an all new rendition of the classic story. Here Link is an elf living in the Kokiri Forest far removed from human society. Our hero just happens to be the only one here who doesn’t have a fairy of his own. This all changes when the Deku Tree, the great guardian of the forest, assigns his trusty fairy Navi to be his new sidekick and summons Link. It turns out that our little guy is actually a human as well as the foretold hero to stop darkness from consuming Hyrule. The plot unfolds as he meets princess Zelda who challenges him to find and protect the legendary golden power, the Triforce, from an evil being known as Ganon.
Of course things don’t go quite as suspected as Ganon acquires the Triforce of power, and Link has to become the hero of time (and transports to the future where he is now an adult). This dynamic was heavily advertised pre-release, and I actually didn’t know what to expect initially. The way Nintendo draws you into this world, and makes you actually care about the characters is powerful. As far as story goes it’s typical Zelda, but even compared to future releases this one is significantly more personal. There’s just something about the story here that hasn’t been matched in any other similar action adventure title. This Hyrule feels more like a living and breathing world than in any other iteration of the franchise.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is the first 3D entry in the series. Many franchises in this era struggled to make the transition to the third dimension. Zelda did so in some very inventive ways such that many of its concepts have been copied time and time again. At first it’s a little weird that you don’t have direct camera control. You view the action from behind Link as you travel across the 3D environments, and the viewpoint is mostly automatic. You can move the view directly behind Link with the Z button, and even go into a first person view and look around with C up. This is the first title in which Link can jump as well. This is performed automatically when you reach a cliff edge. These mechanics sound annoying but they work quite well actually, even today.
As Link you acquire a sword and shield at the beginning of the game, and these are your primary tools during gameplay. With the B button you swing the blade, and the R shoulder button is used to hold out your shield that you can aim with the joystick as long as you’re holding it down. As with any other Zelda title you acquire and regularly use various tools. This includes the projectile firing slingshot and bow, boomerang, and a lot of entirely original items as well. The hookshot returns, but in the third dimension is way more interesting than before. There’s also bombs, the megaton hammer, various types of arrows, deku sticks (which are used as torches) and more.
Tunics no longer just increase your defensive power. Now the blue tunic lets you breath underwater, and the red one allows you to withstand immense heat. They also look cool to boot! Now Link can even equip two types of shoes. One of these lets him sink to the bottom of water, and the other makes him light as a feather. There’s a lot I haven’t touched upon here including returning classics and brand new ones. The lineup of tools here is one of my most favorite in the franchise even to this day. I absolutely love returning to the world map and previous dungeons to find previously inaccessible areas can now be reached. There are a lot of things to collect by doing this like golden skultulas and pieces of heart.
The best part of Ocarina of Time is just how fun the environments are to explore. Hyrule Field is one of the single biggest open areas to freely explore of any title of this generation. It was truly impressive at the time. The fact that you could travel across it on horseback was, and frankly still is, amazing. Areas such as Lake Hylia, the Lost Woods, Hyrule Castle town, Death Mountain, and Kariko Village are real treats to explore. The fact that they change in the two time periods is hugely significant. Nintendo put a lot of effort into making this world feel ever changing and evolving.
Once you complete the Forest Temple as an adult you can freely switch between the two time periods by returning to the Temple of Time. This mechanic is largely unnecessary except for in a few instances. The freedom to do so is fantastic however, and it’s used for a lot of side quests. As young Link you can make changes to the world that change elements of the future. For example, you can plant seeds in specific areas that grow into beanstalks when you make the leap forward in time. This allows access to areas you wouldn’t otherwise be able to reach. Some pieces of heart, and item upgrades can only be found as young Link. This enhances the puzzle elements and will sometimes leave you scratching your head.
That’s all fine and dandy, but in my opinion the dungeons are where Zelda titles either win or fail. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time absolutely excels here. These play like your traditional Zelda dungeons. Despite the wide open nature of the game in other situations these are pretty straightforward, and do not open up unless you’ve completed the previous labyrinth. Sometimes this is due to the story pushing you along, and other times it’s based on using the item you previously acquired to reach it. Either way Nintendo made great use of the third dimension. You’ll often have to go into first person view to find details you might otherwise have missed.
Some dungeons, such as the shadow temple and water temple both require you to pay significant attention to all of the details. The best dungeon however is the spirit temple. This requires you to play portions both as young and adult Link to progress in some genuinely interesting ways. No other dungeon in the franchise is so involving as this one, nor is any nearly as inventive. The item found here is the mirror shield which is used to reflect light in some really cool puzzles which wouldn’t have been possible in a 2D title. Ocarina of Time dungeons will draw you in and require you to think outside of the box.
I must say that the controls, while stuck on the weird Nintendo 64 controller, are absolutely incredible. It seems like this off-putting pad was designed just for this title. The fact that you can map various tools to the C buttons removes a lot of the repetition of older Zelda titles. The absolute highlight however is the Z-targeting system. By holding down the Z trigger you will focus on the nearest enemy (or NPC if not in a dungeon). The camera focuses on them and moves in real time to keep them as the focus. This allows you to walk around and use your shield at the same time. Never before had a video game so perfectly emulated a real sword fight with the options to defend and attack in real-time. This element is a big reason why Ocarina of Time has aged so well.
In terms of graphics this is one of those titles that was clearly almost a generation ahead of anything on the other consoles at the time. In screenshots the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time looks good even today. Textures are a bit muddy, but there’s absolutely no fog or pop in. This holds true even when on Hyrule Field where you can see as far as the horizon in the distance. In motion it’s not quite as impressive. The game itself runs at around 20 frames per second. At the time this wasn’t a big deal, but now it’s pretty disappointing to be honest. It actually hurts my eyes now. The soundtrack is simple midi but the compositions are incredible even to this day. The focus on music, and playing songs on the Ocarina further enhances this.
