Completely understandable why this is considered the greatest game of all time. Is it? Maybe not, but it's the only game I've played from start to finish 7 times
yeah its good
valorant? its not
valorant? its not
still goated.
Bueno, al fin jugué y terminé el famoso Ocarina of Time. Lo habré empezado y abandonado tres o cuatro veces. Terminé jugando la versión de Nintendo 3Ds. Como siempre, me gusta escribir mucho algo que nadie va a leer, pero la versión corta es que me parece un juego precioso en muchísimos aspectos, con un enorme impacto cultural en el mundo de los videojuegos y en la saga de Zelda puntualmente; pero como videojuego en sí, a mí me lo condicionó -y arruinó por momentos- lo tosco y problemático que es el gameplay -más puntualmente, la cámra-. Antes que nada, entiendo que es un juego de 1998 y por más adelantado que haya sido a su época, uno no le puede exigir cuestiones que claramente se fueron desarrollando más adelante en la industria. Pero en definitiva, vamos primero con lo malo del juego y después con todo lo bueno.
Lo malo
Lo que decía, el manejo de la cámara para mí lo convierte en verdaderamente injugable por momentos. Es cierto que la N64 solo tenía un stick analógico y que el manejo libre de la cámara se fue incorporando más adelante en los videojuegos. Pero yendo a la práctica, tal vez la ambición de hacer uso del espacio 3D “libremente” en ese momento, fue más de lo que podían. La mecánica de resetear la cámara con un botón me pareció muy poco práctica y podría “ceder” en eso si funcionara bien; pero la realidad es que encima es muy defectuosa. En áreas abiertas, dentro de todo safa. Pero en los dungeons y áreas cerradas en general -que son la mayor parte del juego-, se convierte en un verdadero problema. Ni hablar en las secciones de puzzles o de tiempo limitado en las que tenés que hacer maniobras específicas. Por ahí esto es problema específico mío, pero había momentos que me terminaba doliendo la vista y mareando un poco la cámara tan errática. Más allá de la habilidad de cada jugador, creo que la cámara es un lastre enorme en este juego y, por lejos, lo que más condicionó mi experiencia jugándolo. Y la verdad me da lástima, porque tenía muchas ganas de disfrutar este juego del que tanto había escuchado y que tantos tienen como de los mejores de la historia, pero terminé completándolo por amor a la saga de Zelda más que por diversión en sí con el juego. Aunque dicho esto, eso también habla bien del juego: a lo que voy es a que a pesar de lo frustrado que estaba con la cámara, renegando a cada rato, no quise abandonarlo porque el ambiente general y sensaciones que transmite este juego son geniales. Después habrá otras cosas que no me gustaron, pero son las menos. Capaz algunas mecánicas lentas o poco prácticas de aplicar (y eso que tengo entendido que la versión de 3Ds mejoró bocha de cosas respecto la de N64). A veces se me hacía un plomo la completa falta de guía en cuanto a por dónde seguir, aunque eso es moneda corriente en la saga; y parte de su atractivo también.
Lo bueno
Dicho todo lo demás, el juego es hermoso. No se cómo explicarlo puntualmente, pero te transmite en todo momento una sensación de nostalgia (y no por haberlo jugado antes) por ese mundo de Hyrule, sus personajes, sus vínculos. A nivel gráfico, la versión de 3Ds hace un trabajo genial como remasterizado de la versión original: las texturas mejoran muchísimo respecto a la de N64 (que estaba bien para su época). La historia es muy clásica de la saga: el ida y vuelta entre presente y pasado está bueno, Link y Zelda separados y unidos a su vez a través del tiempo, los vínculo que Link va a haciendo a lo largo del viaje con los Sabios, todo eso me encantó y fue lo que realmente hizo que no abandonara el juego. La música es una maravilla. Sin palabras lo genial que es. Aparte el uso que hacen de la música incorporándola al gameplay usando la Ocarina, le da un toque extra. El tema de “Gerudo Valley” es de los mejores que he escuchado en videojuegos, icónico. El gameplay no lo puedo juzgar como bueno o malo ya que como decía antes a mí me resultó horrible pero por la cámara, no por el gameplay en sí. Tal vez si hubiese tenido cámara libre bien hecha o directamente cámara fija, era otra la experiencia. Está bueno la cantidad de accesorios que vas consiguiendo durante el viaje y cómo cada uno te permite sus cosas específicas. Aunque incluso teniendo los atajos en esta versión, a veces es un garrón estar a cada rato cambiando desde el menú.
En fin, me queda una sensación muy mezclada con este juego. Para mí es más el impacto cultural que tuvo -merecido en muchos aspectos- que un buen juego en sí. Incluso habiéndome gustado muchas cosas, si un juego no te da una buena experiencia en la parte de juego en sí -en criollo, manejar al personaje- a mí me resta muchísimo eso. Pero bueno, entiendo lo que significó en su época en muchos aspectos en los que innovó y a su vez en lo icónico que es dentro de la saga de Zelda. Tengo entendido que el remaster de Majora’s Mask para la 3Ds sí mejoró el tema de la cámara, así que veremos si sigo por ese.
Lo malo
Lo que decía, el manejo de la cámara para mí lo convierte en verdaderamente injugable por momentos. Es cierto que la N64 solo tenía un stick analógico y que el manejo libre de la cámara se fue incorporando más adelante en los videojuegos. Pero yendo a la práctica, tal vez la ambición de hacer uso del espacio 3D “libremente” en ese momento, fue más de lo que podían. La mecánica de resetear la cámara con un botón me pareció muy poco práctica y podría “ceder” en eso si funcionara bien; pero la realidad es que encima es muy defectuosa. En áreas abiertas, dentro de todo safa. Pero en los dungeons y áreas cerradas en general -que son la mayor parte del juego-, se convierte en un verdadero problema. Ni hablar en las secciones de puzzles o de tiempo limitado en las que tenés que hacer maniobras específicas. Por ahí esto es problema específico mío, pero había momentos que me terminaba doliendo la vista y mareando un poco la cámara tan errática. Más allá de la habilidad de cada jugador, creo que la cámara es un lastre enorme en este juego y, por lejos, lo que más condicionó mi experiencia jugándolo. Y la verdad me da lástima, porque tenía muchas ganas de disfrutar este juego del que tanto había escuchado y que tantos tienen como de los mejores de la historia, pero terminé completándolo por amor a la saga de Zelda más que por diversión en sí con el juego. Aunque dicho esto, eso también habla bien del juego: a lo que voy es a que a pesar de lo frustrado que estaba con la cámara, renegando a cada rato, no quise abandonarlo porque el ambiente general y sensaciones que transmite este juego son geniales. Después habrá otras cosas que no me gustaron, pero son las menos. Capaz algunas mecánicas lentas o poco prácticas de aplicar (y eso que tengo entendido que la versión de 3Ds mejoró bocha de cosas respecto la de N64). A veces se me hacía un plomo la completa falta de guía en cuanto a por dónde seguir, aunque eso es moneda corriente en la saga; y parte de su atractivo también.
Lo bueno
Dicho todo lo demás, el juego es hermoso. No se cómo explicarlo puntualmente, pero te transmite en todo momento una sensación de nostalgia (y no por haberlo jugado antes) por ese mundo de Hyrule, sus personajes, sus vínculos. A nivel gráfico, la versión de 3Ds hace un trabajo genial como remasterizado de la versión original: las texturas mejoran muchísimo respecto a la de N64 (que estaba bien para su época). La historia es muy clásica de la saga: el ida y vuelta entre presente y pasado está bueno, Link y Zelda separados y unidos a su vez a través del tiempo, los vínculo que Link va a haciendo a lo largo del viaje con los Sabios, todo eso me encantó y fue lo que realmente hizo que no abandonara el juego. La música es una maravilla. Sin palabras lo genial que es. Aparte el uso que hacen de la música incorporándola al gameplay usando la Ocarina, le da un toque extra. El tema de “Gerudo Valley” es de los mejores que he escuchado en videojuegos, icónico. El gameplay no lo puedo juzgar como bueno o malo ya que como decía antes a mí me resultó horrible pero por la cámara, no por el gameplay en sí. Tal vez si hubiese tenido cámara libre bien hecha o directamente cámara fija, era otra la experiencia. Está bueno la cantidad de accesorios que vas consiguiendo durante el viaje y cómo cada uno te permite sus cosas específicas. Aunque incluso teniendo los atajos en esta versión, a veces es un garrón estar a cada rato cambiando desde el menú.
En fin, me queda una sensación muy mezclada con este juego. Para mí es más el impacto cultural que tuvo -merecido en muchos aspectos- que un buen juego en sí. Incluso habiéndome gustado muchas cosas, si un juego no te da una buena experiencia en la parte de juego en sí -en criollo, manejar al personaje- a mí me resta muchísimo eso. Pero bueno, entiendo lo que significó en su época en muchos aspectos en los que innovó y a su vez en lo icónico que es dentro de la saga de Zelda. Tengo entendido que el remaster de Majora’s Mask para la 3Ds sí mejoró el tema de la cámara, así que veremos si sigo por ese.
A great update that's still Ocarina of Time at its heart.
Great title and a lot of quality of life enhancements. The inventory being on the bottom screen rather than the pause menu is so nice.
goated game but i hate holding the 3ds
GooeyScale: 90/100
GooeyScale: 90/100
Its been literally like 5 years since I played this but its a really good game. I homebrewed my 2ds and finally gave this game a go when phones were banned in my senior year of high school and everyone was bringing their own portable consoles to school. I think I was like at the halfway point of the game, really need to play it again when I get over my burn out.
Solid remake. I genuinely prefer this over the original.
One of the most iconic games ever for a reason. Fantastic design throughout the entire game with a simple but beautiful story. I won't bother explaining more, it's Ocarina of Time.
Thanks Dad for making this my first Zelda all those years ago :)
Thanks Dad for making this my first Zelda all those years ago :)
best game in the series
I can see why a lot of people call it the greatest game of all time
The combat and dungeon design all hold up really well
The 3ds remasters graphics also make some scenes look amazing
AND OH MY GOD THE FUCKING MUSIC IS INCREDIBLE
The combat and dungeon design all hold up really well
The 3ds remasters graphics also make some scenes look amazing
AND OH MY GOD THE FUCKING MUSIC IS INCREDIBLE
confesso que pela fama desse jogo de "ser o melhor jogo de todos os tempos", minha expectativa estava um pouco alta, o que me fez esperar mais do jogo, ele tem o seu mérito, de fato é um jogo muito grandioso para época em que ele foi lançado, mas na minha opinião, há zeldas melhores que esse, além de que certos elementos do jogo envelheceram um pouco mal, merecia um remake. Dou 4,5 estrelas por mérito e importância, não estou dizendo que o jogo é ruim, longe disso, mas a aventura não me marcou tanto quanto outros zeldas.
I spent 10 hours in the game to come to the conclusion that OOT is amazing but that I won't be able to fully appreciate it by playing it 'handheld' on the 3DS. The immersion doesn't quite work for me, especially in the dungeons where I find the game's readability difficult on such a small screen. I imagine that if you've played the original, playing it in handheld mode is a pleasant extension of the experience, a way to rediscover it. In my case, I would just like to experience it in a way close to the original experience (if such a thing exists). Like a good snob, I think I'll play it on the original hardware at 20 fps.
What if you wanted a remake of one of the GOATs and you got that? Very cool.
obra maestra peak peak peak peak
Ainda não terminei o jogo mas estou adorando cada passo
something about this 3ds version feels far less compelling than the original tbh, i stopped playing in the middle of the deku tree
uma versão melhorada da de n64, nao tem como errar
so nao dou 10 porque entra na categoria de jogos de zelda onde você precisa ser um genio da lampada pra fazer certas coisas
so nao dou 10 porque entra na categoria de jogos de zelda onde você precisa ser um genio da lampada pra fazer certas coisas
Turns a bad game into an okay one!
Essa foi minha primeira experiência com o ocarina of time digo que foi muito boa, os graficos são bons e a história movendo pelo tempo é algo maravilhoso
Ganon kicking my ass
Uma obra prima
Don't remember that much
Why is this port so much better than the MM one? There's actually a reason to play this version on its own merits, and the MQ addition is a nice little replay value sprinkled on top.
My 3Ds blew up playing this game, so you know its peak.
I get why every LOZ after this had to add some sort of gimmick. When you nail so many things with the 3D adventure game formula on the first try, what else do you do? Nintendo settled for "make it a weird time loop game", "put in an ocean and a boat", "do it again but with a Wolf" and "add motion controls". In so many ways, OOT didn't just establish the Zelda formula, it is the Zelda formula. The music, the environments, the dungeon design, the story progression, the characters, the journey. OOT is THE defining game of the series. Yet, it barely scratches the surface of what Zelda is capable of being from a mechanical standpoint.
I finally get it, and I love OOT. It's not my favorite, but it IS video games. Or what video games have become. However, screw the Shadow Temple. It's lame, and barely a dungeon :).
My3DsHasGeniunelyStoppedWorkingProperly/10
I get why every LOZ after this had to add some sort of gimmick. When you nail so many things with the 3D adventure game formula on the first try, what else do you do? Nintendo settled for "make it a weird time loop game", "put in an ocean and a boat", "do it again but with a Wolf" and "add motion controls". In so many ways, OOT didn't just establish the Zelda formula, it is the Zelda formula. The music, the environments, the dungeon design, the story progression, the characters, the journey. OOT is THE defining game of the series. Yet, it barely scratches the surface of what Zelda is capable of being from a mechanical standpoint.
I finally get it, and I love OOT. It's not my favorite, but it IS video games. Or what video games have become. However, screw the Shadow Temple. It's lame, and barely a dungeon :).
My3DsHasGeniunelyStoppedWorkingProperly/10
to start off, i think i wouldn’t be doing my due diligence if i didn’t mention the fact that i do have some nostalgia for this game, specifically for the original N64 version. even though i was born after the original came out, it was still a formative part of my childhood. i have many memories playing OOT on the N64 at my grandparents’ house with my sister, and even though i never got very far at that time (i was bad), it was still very special to me. fast forward some years, and i did finally beat OOT on Wii Virtual Console with my sister. i've loved zelda games in general for basically my whole life. i was link for halloween twice. i have a vivid memory of when i whistled the song of storms at my sister’s baseball game and it actually started raining. i was like 8, and i had to convince myself i didn't have magic powers of some sort. needless to say, this game and this franchise is immensely important to me.
yeah, this game still fucks (original thought is dead!!! long live original thought!!!). to be fair, i have watched so many goddamn randomizers of the original game, so it’s not like i was returning to a world long forgotten by my little decrepit 20-something mind, but still. fucks.
obviously, the biggest points to make about this game come from what’s new and fresh in the remake. i would not classify myself as anywhere near being an fps snob, but 20 fps on the N64 version is a little distractingly low frequently. the 3DS runs this game at a stable 30 fps for basically the entirety of the game; i only noticed some slight performance issues when an extreme number of particles/ pickups were on screen. the visuals are updated, yet still feel pretty faithful to the overall style of the game. there’s some texture changes here and there, and some things look drastically different, such as adult link’s face, but it’s not a complete rewrite of the ‘look’ of OOT. the dual screen of the 3DS does some WORK for this game. you have the on-screen minimap up top still, but you can also see the world and dungeon map on the bottom screen while everything else is happening, which makes navigating dungeons so much more friendly. on N64, you’d normally only have 3 C-buttons to bind items to, but here you have the X and Y buttons, as well as two “I” and “II” buttons that you can also map items to. additionally, there's a dedicated ocarina button, essentially freeing up yet another slot due to how frequently it's used. even though it does still pause the action to interact with your equipment screen, getting in and out is sooo much more fluid than it ever was on N64. items can fit into any slot on the items screen, which is kinda nice so you can organize them how you want, but it also ends up becoming incredibly cluttered extremely fast, as you swap out items and they end up in different spots than you may have originally intended. personally, i would rather have discrete, locked, item slots in your inventory so you can just use muscle memory to tap and select, but this is an extremely minor nitpick. gyro controls are here, and man are they welcomed. usually it feels a little clunky to aim with just the stick on N64, but gyro lets you fine tune your aim that makes sections such as horseback bow+arrow so much more comfortable.
the ocarina has got to be one of the coolest items in any game i’ve played. yeah, it’s a neat idea to have a little instrument with magical properties that can do things from making it rain, to changing the time of day, to warping you across the world, but the implementation is absolutely ingenious. it’s actually absurd how Koji Kondo was able to write insanely iconic themes that are all limited to begin with the same selection of 6 notes you can play on the ocarina. i always get chills learning new songs. Zelda’s Lullaby, Saria’s Song, the Song of Time, Song of Storms, i could go on and on. they’re all so distinct and memorable. it would have been trivial to have the functionality of the ocarina be subjugated to selecting a song to play on a menu, but no, they make you play the notes yourself. granted, you’re not playing the full song, as that’s out of the range you’re given, but you are still the one playing the notes that launch into the performance. when i was younger, i even had a little 6-hole sweet potato Ocarina of Time that i would constantly play little tunes from the game on. it’s so fuckn neat, it’s only right that the game gets its name after it.
one thing i absolutely adore about 3D zelda titles is how discrete their worlds and items are. while the following RPG mechanics are certainly not inherently bad qualities to have in a game, there’s no leveling up or XP or an excess of only slightly different weapons stats-wise. instead, there’s hard, discrete lines drawn in the sand of the game design. you don’t have 242 HP or something, you have an integer number of heart containers evenly divided into quarters. 4 heart pieces make a whole. there’s not 20 different pieces of armor, there’s three distinct tunics. same for swords. same for boots. you could say: hey, why would i not want more equipment in my game? to me, the answer is intentionality and milestones. when you get anything new, be it a dungeon item, or a heart container, or a new song, it feels significant. also, you immediately start thinking, oh shit, what else could i do with bombs? didn’t i see some cracked rocks in that one area? im about to blow type-shit, truly.
dungeon-talk speed round!!! (some spoilers for dungeons and bosses, my friend)
- inside the deku tree? yeah, i guess you could say i’m inside the deku tree. great intro dungeon that gets you accustomed to the structure of a 3D zelda dungeon without overwhelming you with ANY small keys or a complex dungeon map. Gohma is a spider that’s also shaped kinda like a hand, and i think i’ll cheers to that.
- dodongo’s cavern? boom. now we start getting more use out of the new dungeon item we’re graced with. king dodongo absolutely ate that shit.
- inside jabu-jabu’s belly? this place looks fucking disgusting, and also you have to carry a wet child-princess with you. i actually think it’s fine?? Barinade is honestly pretty neat and one of the most fun bosses in the game to me.
- forest temple? poe noe! those ghouls took the fucking flames on the elevator! however will we get to the boss now?
> the fairy bow:
phantom ganon is an aesthetically amazing fight, and i love the callback to deflecting orbs at Agahnim that gets intensified against the real ganondorf
- fire temple? rock guys in jail :(. hammmerrrr. gyro aim does some real work here because you can turn Volvagia into a pin cushion with the bow. unfortunately this strat does not work well on an airplane because usually they hate it when you turn in your seat and 3DS (verb) the face of the person next to you.
- ice cavern.
- water temple? THIS ONE IS MY FAVORITE /gen I LOVE WATER TEMPLE HOLY SHIT!!! it fucking chugs in the original N64 version, but here? we got better indications of the water levels post-lullaby. we got iron boots that aren’t on the gear screen, but are X,Y,I,II equippable. it’s actually sooo fun. i am a complete and utter FOOL for multi-state dungeons in zelda-like games. Morpha: water tentacle? poke him in the corner :). poke poke poke.
- bottom of the well.
- shadow temple? pretty fun and inventive uses for the lens of truth. also you can put on slippy shoes. I LOVE HAND-BASED BOSSES LIKE,, gosh and also he’s literally playing the bongo, and he name is the bongo, but two of them two of them.
- spirit temple,,, 🤤. pretty neat. Twinrova is honestly a super neat concept for the boss, but waiting for good rng on the final phase is bleh.
- gerudo training ground :O
- ganon’s castle? yeah so uhm,, you do a bunch of little ‘trials’ i think they’re called. wait a damn minute… trials? like,, like from MST aka medallions, stones, trials?? holy shit, that’s kinda a deep pull from Nintendo, referencing an extremely niche internet community. guess who got they goron tunic eated by a fucking like like in the shadow trial that then also voided out, causing the room to reload and the voracious garb gobbler to no longer possess their crimson vesture? twas i. and yes, this is the worst thing to ever happen to anyone. ganon’t.
while i don’t think this one has the best characters, nor story, nor dialogue, we have some quite fun inclusions. we got: evil maya fey, :3, sark, and this motherfucker is eating beans (!) ok but seriously Sheik is a banger character with a banger theme. so badass. Link’s sword flourishes also go hard. not as hard as they would later go in Twilight Princess, but OOT was ground zero for those sick moves of his.
it’s extremely nice that the map indicates whether or not you have all of the gold skulltulas in a region or dungeon, but i wish it was a little bit more specific sometimes. for example, the world map will display “Market” as one of the visitable locations, but the tracker for the gold skulltulas actually includes the path to hyrule castle as well. so, if you’re looking in hyrule castle town at night for gold skulltulas, your ass is looking in the wrong place!! also, even though the shard of agony is a very welcome inclusion that’s more accessible than the rumble-pak-requiring stone of agony on N64, it is still only helpful if you actually know where to walk around to look for grottos. also, i can understand wanting to not lock an item with utility behind the full 100 gold skulltulas, but ‘infinite money’ is really just not interesting. rupees are so useless–especially by that point in the game–that i would honestly rather just have a unique do-nothing item on the gear screen a-la Hestu’s gift.
there’s also a new ‘hint’ system of sorts through a Sheikah Stone outside of your house as a child and the temple of time, but i didn’t use it. hopefully it helps figure out some slightly more obscure parts of the game!
also new to the game is a “boss challenge” mode, which lets you refight any of the bosses up through Twinrova. it’s a cool addition, i suppose, but i don’t super care. there’s also a Gauntlet that you unlock after winning all the refights, which acts as a boss rush sorta mode where you can pick between two chests with some random items after each boss and have persistent health and ammo, but i didn’t find it to be too interesting either. still, i think it’s a fairly neat idea to include. some of the items that you can get from the chests are absolutely laughable though. like yeah thanks for giving me the giant’s knife, game. if you’re gonna have a time-attack boss rush mode, it’s a little annoying to also have to pray for good rng with your loot on top of Twinrova.
overall, i’m really glad that i replayed this game and finally got 100% completion. this is the longest review i’ve written for this website, and i’m afraid it’s a little bit messy and not friendly to read, but hey, we just be trying shit out. this is a real special game for a lot of people for a reason, and i’ve really gotta get around to playing majora’s mask all the way through one of these days. it’s unfortunate that the MM 3DS remake seems to make a lot of ‘unnecessary’ changes that i’m not well versed on, but i will trust the fans of the OG.
yeah, this game still fucks (original thought is dead!!! long live original thought!!!). to be fair, i have watched so many goddamn randomizers of the original game, so it’s not like i was returning to a world long forgotten by my little decrepit 20-something mind, but still. fucks.
obviously, the biggest points to make about this game come from what’s new and fresh in the remake. i would not classify myself as anywhere near being an fps snob, but 20 fps on the N64 version is a little distractingly low frequently. the 3DS runs this game at a stable 30 fps for basically the entirety of the game; i only noticed some slight performance issues when an extreme number of particles/ pickups were on screen. the visuals are updated, yet still feel pretty faithful to the overall style of the game. there’s some texture changes here and there, and some things look drastically different, such as adult link’s face, but it’s not a complete rewrite of the ‘look’ of OOT. the dual screen of the 3DS does some WORK for this game. you have the on-screen minimap up top still, but you can also see the world and dungeon map on the bottom screen while everything else is happening, which makes navigating dungeons so much more friendly. on N64, you’d normally only have 3 C-buttons to bind items to, but here you have the X and Y buttons, as well as two “I” and “II” buttons that you can also map items to. additionally, there's a dedicated ocarina button, essentially freeing up yet another slot due to how frequently it's used. even though it does still pause the action to interact with your equipment screen, getting in and out is sooo much more fluid than it ever was on N64. items can fit into any slot on the items screen, which is kinda nice so you can organize them how you want, but it also ends up becoming incredibly cluttered extremely fast, as you swap out items and they end up in different spots than you may have originally intended. personally, i would rather have discrete, locked, item slots in your inventory so you can just use muscle memory to tap and select, but this is an extremely minor nitpick. gyro controls are here, and man are they welcomed. usually it feels a little clunky to aim with just the stick on N64, but gyro lets you fine tune your aim that makes sections such as horseback bow+arrow so much more comfortable.
the ocarina has got to be one of the coolest items in any game i’ve played. yeah, it’s a neat idea to have a little instrument with magical properties that can do things from making it rain, to changing the time of day, to warping you across the world, but the implementation is absolutely ingenious. it’s actually absurd how Koji Kondo was able to write insanely iconic themes that are all limited to begin with the same selection of 6 notes you can play on the ocarina. i always get chills learning new songs. Zelda’s Lullaby, Saria’s Song, the Song of Time, Song of Storms, i could go on and on. they’re all so distinct and memorable. it would have been trivial to have the functionality of the ocarina be subjugated to selecting a song to play on a menu, but no, they make you play the notes yourself. granted, you’re not playing the full song, as that’s out of the range you’re given, but you are still the one playing the notes that launch into the performance. when i was younger, i even had a little 6-hole sweet potato Ocarina of Time that i would constantly play little tunes from the game on. it’s so fuckn neat, it’s only right that the game gets its name after it.
one thing i absolutely adore about 3D zelda titles is how discrete their worlds and items are. while the following RPG mechanics are certainly not inherently bad qualities to have in a game, there’s no leveling up or XP or an excess of only slightly different weapons stats-wise. instead, there’s hard, discrete lines drawn in the sand of the game design. you don’t have 242 HP or something, you have an integer number of heart containers evenly divided into quarters. 4 heart pieces make a whole. there’s not 20 different pieces of armor, there’s three distinct tunics. same for swords. same for boots. you could say: hey, why would i not want more equipment in my game? to me, the answer is intentionality and milestones. when you get anything new, be it a dungeon item, or a heart container, or a new song, it feels significant. also, you immediately start thinking, oh shit, what else could i do with bombs? didn’t i see some cracked rocks in that one area? im about to blow type-shit, truly.
dungeon-talk speed round!!! (some spoilers for dungeons and bosses, my friend)
- inside the deku tree? yeah, i guess you could say i’m inside the deku tree. great intro dungeon that gets you accustomed to the structure of a 3D zelda dungeon without overwhelming you with ANY small keys or a complex dungeon map. Gohma is a spider that’s also shaped kinda like a hand, and i think i’ll cheers to that.
- dodongo’s cavern? boom. now we start getting more use out of the new dungeon item we’re graced with. king dodongo absolutely ate that shit.
- inside jabu-jabu’s belly? this place looks fucking disgusting, and also you have to carry a wet child-princess with you. i actually think it’s fine?? Barinade is honestly pretty neat and one of the most fun bosses in the game to me.
- forest temple? poe noe! those ghouls took the fucking flames on the elevator! however will we get to the boss now?
> the fairy bow:
phantom ganon is an aesthetically amazing fight, and i love the callback to deflecting orbs at Agahnim that gets intensified against the real ganondorf
- fire temple? rock guys in jail :(. hammmerrrr. gyro aim does some real work here because you can turn Volvagia into a pin cushion with the bow. unfortunately this strat does not work well on an airplane because usually they hate it when you turn in your seat and 3DS (verb) the face of the person next to you.
- ice cavern.
- water temple? THIS ONE IS MY FAVORITE /gen I LOVE WATER TEMPLE HOLY SHIT!!! it fucking chugs in the original N64 version, but here? we got better indications of the water levels post-lullaby. we got iron boots that aren’t on the gear screen, but are X,Y,I,II equippable. it’s actually sooo fun. i am a complete and utter FOOL for multi-state dungeons in zelda-like games. Morpha: water tentacle? poke him in the corner :). poke poke poke.
- bottom of the well.
- shadow temple? pretty fun and inventive uses for the lens of truth. also you can put on slippy shoes. I LOVE HAND-BASED BOSSES LIKE,, gosh and also he’s literally playing the bongo, and he name is the bongo, but two of them two of them.
- spirit temple,,, 🤤. pretty neat. Twinrova is honestly a super neat concept for the boss, but waiting for good rng on the final phase is bleh.
- gerudo training ground :O
- ganon’s castle? yeah so uhm,, you do a bunch of little ‘trials’ i think they’re called. wait a damn minute… trials? like,, like from MST aka medallions, stones, trials?? holy shit, that’s kinda a deep pull from Nintendo, referencing an extremely niche internet community. guess who got they goron tunic eated by a fucking like like in the shadow trial that then also voided out, causing the room to reload and the voracious garb gobbler to no longer possess their crimson vesture? twas i. and yes, this is the worst thing to ever happen to anyone. ganon’t.
while i don’t think this one has the best characters, nor story, nor dialogue, we have some quite fun inclusions. we got: evil maya fey, :3, sark, and this motherfucker is eating beans (!) ok but seriously Sheik is a banger character with a banger theme. so badass. Link’s sword flourishes also go hard. not as hard as they would later go in Twilight Princess, but OOT was ground zero for those sick moves of his.
it’s extremely nice that the map indicates whether or not you have all of the gold skulltulas in a region or dungeon, but i wish it was a little bit more specific sometimes. for example, the world map will display “Market” as one of the visitable locations, but the tracker for the gold skulltulas actually includes the path to hyrule castle as well. so, if you’re looking in hyrule castle town at night for gold skulltulas, your ass is looking in the wrong place!! also, even though the shard of agony is a very welcome inclusion that’s more accessible than the rumble-pak-requiring stone of agony on N64, it is still only helpful if you actually know where to walk around to look for grottos. also, i can understand wanting to not lock an item with utility behind the full 100 gold skulltulas, but ‘infinite money’ is really just not interesting. rupees are so useless–especially by that point in the game–that i would honestly rather just have a unique do-nothing item on the gear screen a-la Hestu’s gift.
there’s also a new ‘hint’ system of sorts through a Sheikah Stone outside of your house as a child and the temple of time, but i didn’t use it. hopefully it helps figure out some slightly more obscure parts of the game!
also new to the game is a “boss challenge” mode, which lets you refight any of the bosses up through Twinrova. it’s a cool addition, i suppose, but i don’t super care. there’s also a Gauntlet that you unlock after winning all the refights, which acts as a boss rush sorta mode where you can pick between two chests with some random items after each boss and have persistent health and ammo, but i didn’t find it to be too interesting either. still, i think it’s a fairly neat idea to include. some of the items that you can get from the chests are absolutely laughable though. like yeah thanks for giving me the giant’s knife, game. if you’re gonna have a time-attack boss rush mode, it’s a little annoying to also have to pray for good rng with your loot on top of Twinrova.
overall, i’m really glad that i replayed this game and finally got 100% completion. this is the longest review i’ve written for this website, and i’m afraid it’s a little bit messy and not friendly to read, but hey, we just be trying shit out. this is a real special game for a lot of people for a reason, and i’ve really gotta get around to playing majora’s mask all the way through one of these days. it’s unfortunate that the MM 3DS remake seems to make a lot of ‘unnecessary’ changes that i’m not well versed on, but i will trust the fans of the OG.
Топ зельд!
Giving this a nice, thorough replay after a few years of being away from it has made me appreciate it so much more. Isn't it insane that a game from 1998 on a shitbrick of a console managed to create such a deep, engrossing world with tons of little side details and characters that may not do a lot, but provide a lot of charm and humanity to your adventure? Sure, Grezzo went ham with the graphical overhaul, but the core gameplay and world is still the same as it was 25 years ago. I wanted to bring up that part because I feel it's something that gets overlooked when some people (myself included) talk about Ocarina; yes, the adventure is perfectly paced with memorable and (in)famous dungeons, but it's not like the rest of the game is slouching in comparison. Just an entirely holistic experience that's so, so satisfying to play through every time. Some Zelda games may have improved on certain fronts, but this is the one that got everything consistently right. A game that means a lot to me, and holds a very, very special place in my heart.
Check me LoZ OoT review, that but better graphics and portable.