Ocarina of Time is the quintessential videogame. The influence of OoT over the medium is immeasurable and would grant it a place in history by itself. However, the game is also damn good, and holds up to today's standards.
OoT is a masterclass in both game design and storytelling and lays the foundation to the modern videogame. The item-dungeon loop, the quasi-open world, the hub areas integrated into the worldbuilding aspects and the time-related plot twists and implementation of quests and sidequests integrating the game's main gimmick in such a natural manner were basically the template for most major game created ever since.
The use of soundtrack in ambience and storytelling is also extremely inspired and helps the game in its longstanding legacy. The musical and audio motif introduced in OoT are, in fact, one of the more important factors in the series identity up to the most recent entries.
The Kingdom of Hyrule feels alive, which is a feat and a half considering the technical hurdles of the time. The clever use of hub locations contrasting with the ample Hyrule Fields makes the populated areas feel that more important and full of points of interest.
Locations are, in fact, the most important part of the storytelling in OoT. The dungeons all have some significance that is alluded to but explicitly told - a not pioneering, but definetly daring move at the time. And the identity of the locales merges with the level design, capabilities acquired and soundtrack of the dungeons in a manner seldom replicated from then to now.
The UI and UX factors of the game are harder to evaluate. The field has developed tremendously and OoT utilized dated conventions - which still work, as most average gamers even today can navigate without any issues - but the use of c-buttons to alleviate the clutter of so many tools was a functional and perfectly able solution. The menuing can get quite annoying, especially during areas where the boots are used frequently. The d-pad should-ve been better utilized - and this was one of the first QoL solutions implemented by current-day modders. Hindsight is 20-20, however. During its day, there were few 3D games which utilized solutions as effectively as OoT - the Z-targeting was one of the greatest legacies for gameplay UX, and is now ubiuitous because of the great implementation made by OoT.
The story is an apt retelling of the Chosen One trope. While not groundbreaking as a general motif, the time-travelling twist is extremely effective in its implementation. Link is a blank slate and does not impede the player immersion into the story being told. That is very much a good thing, and contributes to the longevity of the game's enjoyability and it's perpetuity in history.
While being prey to the curse of the early 3D graphics, it is one of the least offensive polygons of the era. The artstyle is fantastical enough to make the graphics not too dated for today's standards - there is a kind of charm in them. Of course, in it's heyday OoT was considered an impressive technical feat. There were few games of it's scope back then and the graphical fidelity was amongst the top of its class, especially considering the N64 library - and not using pre-rendered graphics as much and as overtly as the jRPGs of the era. It's use of pre-rendered graphics was, in fact, subtle and melded well with the real-time polygonal graphics. The camera is generally acceptable, but it's finnicky sometimes - a problem that was much more felt in Majora's Mask -, an issue of the times. The ability to move the camera in the way OoT did, however, was extremely innovative.
All in all, OoT is one of those rare games that can be considered a true masterpiece. It is the template for all current open-world action-adventure games and is the starting point to videogames being taken seriously as a medium. It holds up well as an entertainment piece and is legendary as turning point in videogame history.
OoT is a masterclass in both game design and storytelling and lays the foundation to the modern videogame. The item-dungeon loop, the quasi-open world, the hub areas integrated into the worldbuilding aspects and the time-related plot twists and implementation of quests and sidequests integrating the game's main gimmick in such a natural manner were basically the template for most major game created ever since.
The use of soundtrack in ambience and storytelling is also extremely inspired and helps the game in its longstanding legacy. The musical and audio motif introduced in OoT are, in fact, one of the more important factors in the series identity up to the most recent entries.
The Kingdom of Hyrule feels alive, which is a feat and a half considering the technical hurdles of the time. The clever use of hub locations contrasting with the ample Hyrule Fields makes the populated areas feel that more important and full of points of interest.
Locations are, in fact, the most important part of the storytelling in OoT. The dungeons all have some significance that is alluded to but explicitly told - a not pioneering, but definetly daring move at the time. And the identity of the locales merges with the level design, capabilities acquired and soundtrack of the dungeons in a manner seldom replicated from then to now.
The UI and UX factors of the game are harder to evaluate. The field has developed tremendously and OoT utilized dated conventions - which still work, as most average gamers even today can navigate without any issues - but the use of c-buttons to alleviate the clutter of so many tools was a functional and perfectly able solution. The menuing can get quite annoying, especially during areas where the boots are used frequently. The d-pad should-ve been better utilized - and this was one of the first QoL solutions implemented by current-day modders. Hindsight is 20-20, however. During its day, there were few 3D games which utilized solutions as effectively as OoT - the Z-targeting was one of the greatest legacies for gameplay UX, and is now ubiuitous because of the great implementation made by OoT.
The story is an apt retelling of the Chosen One trope. While not groundbreaking as a general motif, the time-travelling twist is extremely effective in its implementation. Link is a blank slate and does not impede the player immersion into the story being told. That is very much a good thing, and contributes to the longevity of the game's enjoyability and it's perpetuity in history.
While being prey to the curse of the early 3D graphics, it is one of the least offensive polygons of the era. The artstyle is fantastical enough to make the graphics not too dated for today's standards - there is a kind of charm in them. Of course, in it's heyday OoT was considered an impressive technical feat. There were few games of it's scope back then and the graphical fidelity was amongst the top of its class, especially considering the N64 library - and not using pre-rendered graphics as much and as overtly as the jRPGs of the era. It's use of pre-rendered graphics was, in fact, subtle and melded well with the real-time polygonal graphics. The camera is generally acceptable, but it's finnicky sometimes - a problem that was much more felt in Majora's Mask -, an issue of the times. The ability to move the camera in the way OoT did, however, was extremely innovative.
All in all, OoT is one of those rare games that can be considered a true masterpiece. It is the template for all current open-world action-adventure games and is the starting point to videogames being taken seriously as a medium. It holds up well as an entertainment piece and is legendary as turning point in videogame history.
10/10
Immortal Classic
Loved what I played, definitely gonna go back to this one.
Isto é VIDEOGAME.
Just like in the case of something like a Resident Evil 4, it's hard to really have anything interesting to say about a game like Ocarina of Time because everything that could be said about it has already been said. It's a classic, one of the best games ever made, with one of the most unexpected but best soundtracks (and sound effects!) of all time, that uses space in a way that it makes a fairly small world feel big, and despite having such a sparse story manages to be this really interesting, melancholic rumination on aging and how the innocence of youth can never be reclaimed.
There are smarter and more eloquent people than I who you should probably seek out for more in-depth opinions on on all things OoT, but what I can say is that going back to the N64 original (and I actually thought about digging out my actual N64 for this, but it's too convenient to just play it on my Switch) is that it feels... A bit rough after having played the 3DS remake (remaster? Remakester?) It's still a great game and the most important parts of what make Ocarina of Time are still intact here and just as good as in any other version, but actually playing it just doesn't feel super good. The very low frame rate I can mostly live with without any issues, but the supremely poor aiming, the criminally slow text scrolling, and what at least feels like a much less reliable lock-on (which might be related to the frame rate, not that I think about it) did drag down my experience with the original version in a way that I honestly wasn't expecting. Combat against enemies with a shield is also just kind of a drag, but I guess that's an issue no matter which version of the game I'm playing.
But it's still very good! Not as good as I know it can be with future releases (I should probably play the PC port at some point), but no matter the flaws that do become very apparent at certain points, it's still a game that's very hard to put down one one gets into it, and I even enjoyed going through Jabu-Jabu's Belly this time around which was a first. I probably prefer the new, BotW-style Zeldas we get every six years now over the classic 3D Zelda structure, but I can't deny that it's nice sometimes to just take a relaxing stroll through a hostile temple, doing some light puzzling, wondering where to find the next small key while marveling over some of the genius design choices made (that twisted corridor in Forest Temple!!!) and listening to great music. The introduction of every boss having their name and some kind of title was also so smart to build up the fight against them as something major, even when it's just a Giant Aquatic Amoeba I'm fighting and they can easily be stunlocked.
I should probably replay Majora's Mask as well at some point this year.
There are smarter and more eloquent people than I who you should probably seek out for more in-depth opinions on on all things OoT, but what I can say is that going back to the N64 original (and I actually thought about digging out my actual N64 for this, but it's too convenient to just play it on my Switch) is that it feels... A bit rough after having played the 3DS remake (remaster? Remakester?) It's still a great game and the most important parts of what make Ocarina of Time are still intact here and just as good as in any other version, but actually playing it just doesn't feel super good. The very low frame rate I can mostly live with without any issues, but the supremely poor aiming, the criminally slow text scrolling, and what at least feels like a much less reliable lock-on (which might be related to the frame rate, not that I think about it) did drag down my experience with the original version in a way that I honestly wasn't expecting. Combat against enemies with a shield is also just kind of a drag, but I guess that's an issue no matter which version of the game I'm playing.
But it's still very good! Not as good as I know it can be with future releases (I should probably play the PC port at some point), but no matter the flaws that do become very apparent at certain points, it's still a game that's very hard to put down one one gets into it, and I even enjoyed going through Jabu-Jabu's Belly this time around which was a first. I probably prefer the new, BotW-style Zeldas we get every six years now over the classic 3D Zelda structure, but I can't deny that it's nice sometimes to just take a relaxing stroll through a hostile temple, doing some light puzzling, wondering where to find the next small key while marveling over some of the genius design choices made (that twisted corridor in Forest Temple!!!) and listening to great music. The introduction of every boss having their name and some kind of title was also so smart to build up the fight against them as something major, even when it's just a Giant Aquatic Amoeba I'm fighting and they can easily be stunlocked.
I should probably replay Majora's Mask as well at some point this year.
Third GOTM finished for April 2024. Does it show its age as an early 3D game from the 90's going back to it now? Absolutely. Is it still one of the most incredible, influential games ever made? Absolutely. The Ship of Harkinian port made this one feel like I remember playing it as a kid, with the improvements really heightening my experience revisiting this one. Hard to say much about arguably one of the most talked about games to ever exist, but I had an absolute blast revisiting my childhood in the world of Hyrule!
I love Ocarina of Time, it was one of the first games that made my young brain realise how good games can be. Yeah its aged a bit but the music, gameplay and dungeon design still hold up incredibly well. For a jump into 3D, you don't get much better than this.
its good...and so important you know for the gaming history...BUT the mechanics are horrible honestly,aged very poorly. and it punishes you for dying so bad,save system is horrible and some puzzles are confusing
Se nota que es una obra maestra, una historia tanto encantadora como melancólica, todos los templos son increibles, todos los quest son asombrosos, se nota mucho los años pero realmente esta bastante bien todo, me alegra alfin haber jugado esta obra maestra
Easily one of the best games of the franchise. I've definitely changed my own thoughts on the game as I've gotten older. I used to think it was the most... basic? standard? 3D Zelda game. But nowadays I see it as the 3D Zelda game with the best pacing, a lot of content, and a solid story for the series.
RP2S
RP2S
Alongside FF7 as one of my favorite games of all time. A masterpiece
Some of my fondest memories of playing on the N64 consist of replaying the Deku Tree with my brother cuz we couldn't wrap our heads around how to actually make progress
This review contains spoilers
I can see why people call this the greatest game of all time. It must have been such an experience to play this back when it came out.
There are so many good things to say about this game that I will get my issues out of the way. First off, and my main problem, some dungeons were a little boring at times. The main examples I think of are the bottom of the well, Jabu-Jabu, and certain parts of the Water Temple. The Water Temple was especially unfortunate as I wanted to love it. It provides a challenging dungeon that would be better if you moved faster underwater. The issue with the temple is that it takes so long to beat due to how slow you move. Some other minor things were that the overworld was a little barren, which is fine, I wasn't expecting a big sprawling open world, but it took a good chunk of time to traverse it. It gets better later on as you gain warping songs, but sometimes you still have to walk (or side-hop) your way through it. Another issue I had, was that some of the bosses were a bit on the easier side, I would have liked a bit more of a challenge but I still loved the designs and fighting the bosses.
Now, to talk positives. There is so much this game does right even with things that I don't think are as good. The bosses are designed wonderfully with my favorites being the final Ganon/Ganondorf fight, the Iron Knuckle mini-bosses, Dark Link, and Morpha from the Water Temple. I also liked Bongo-Bongo and Twinrova. The enemies are a lot of fun too and I enjoy fighting most of them (except for Keese, fuck those bats). I love the music in the game. Rarely will a game have so many tracks with staying power, especially a 25+-year-old game. My favorite song in the game is Lost Woods with the title theme and Goron City as some other fantastic ones. I love the feel of the game. It can be cheerful and happy but easily switches to creepy and atmospheric. I like the characters, even though the story and characters aren't really the main focus, they have personalities and interesting moments like how Darunia starts dancing when you play Saria's Song for him. It's not much but it's fun character moments.
The most important piece of the game though is the dungeons. I may have put Water Temple in my negatives but I still believe it has fantastic parts like the other dungeons (with the Dark Link fight and Morpha fight being the standouts). My favorites are Gannons Castle for combining all the temples into one showdown, Forest Temple for its creepy atmosphere, and Spirit Temple for its engaging puzzles and combat. Most temples are pretty fantastic because Shadow and Fire Temple are great too. The child section dungeons and the mini-dungeons aren't as good, but they serve their purpose of tutorials/holding key items and I would still call them good (except for Jabu-Jabu).
Overall, this is one of the greatest games ever made and it deserves the adoration it gets.
There are so many good things to say about this game that I will get my issues out of the way. First off, and my main problem, some dungeons were a little boring at times. The main examples I think of are the bottom of the well, Jabu-Jabu, and certain parts of the Water Temple. The Water Temple was especially unfortunate as I wanted to love it. It provides a challenging dungeon that would be better if you moved faster underwater. The issue with the temple is that it takes so long to beat due to how slow you move. Some other minor things were that the overworld was a little barren, which is fine, I wasn't expecting a big sprawling open world, but it took a good chunk of time to traverse it. It gets better later on as you gain warping songs, but sometimes you still have to walk (or side-hop) your way through it. Another issue I had, was that some of the bosses were a bit on the easier side, I would have liked a bit more of a challenge but I still loved the designs and fighting the bosses.
Now, to talk positives. There is so much this game does right even with things that I don't think are as good. The bosses are designed wonderfully with my favorites being the final Ganon/Ganondorf fight, the Iron Knuckle mini-bosses, Dark Link, and Morpha from the Water Temple. I also liked Bongo-Bongo and Twinrova. The enemies are a lot of fun too and I enjoy fighting most of them (except for Keese, fuck those bats). I love the music in the game. Rarely will a game have so many tracks with staying power, especially a 25+-year-old game. My favorite song in the game is Lost Woods with the title theme and Goron City as some other fantastic ones. I love the feel of the game. It can be cheerful and happy but easily switches to creepy and atmospheric. I like the characters, even though the story and characters aren't really the main focus, they have personalities and interesting moments like how Darunia starts dancing when you play Saria's Song for him. It's not much but it's fun character moments.
The most important piece of the game though is the dungeons. I may have put Water Temple in my negatives but I still believe it has fantastic parts like the other dungeons (with the Dark Link fight and Morpha fight being the standouts). My favorites are Gannons Castle for combining all the temples into one showdown, Forest Temple for its creepy atmosphere, and Spirit Temple for its engaging puzzles and combat. Most temples are pretty fantastic because Shadow and Fire Temple are great too. The child section dungeons and the mini-dungeons aren't as good, but they serve their purpose of tutorials/holding key items and I would still call them good (except for Jabu-Jabu).
Overall, this is one of the greatest games ever made and it deserves the adoration it gets.
An outstanding experience and a huge leap forward for gaming. It helped create many current aspects of the Zelda franchise. Holds up relatively well but from a modern perspective some game play elements are a bit clunky.
There's not much to say other than it's simply Ocarina of Time.
O primeiro contato que eu tive com este jogo foi por meio de um emulador de N64 que veio no meu primeiro PC, máquina que ganhei de presente no meu aniversário de 8 anos lá em 2009. Sendo uma criança leprosa e desprovida de qualquer habilidade, não consegui zerá-lo na época então abandonei o jogo por um bom tempo. Até que em 2015 após assistir um vídeo de glitches e bugs do jogo feito pelo YouTuber Jiraiya, despertara em mim a vontade de revisitar esta obra. Já não tinha mais o PC que tinha ido de vascão, mas tinha um notebook vagabundo com 2GB de RAM da Itautec e um controle genérico comprado na feira. Agora menos burro, mas ainda desprovido de qualquer habilidade consegui enfim terminar o jogo pela primeira vez, e sim, tive o auxílio de um guia, mas ainda assim a experiência foi maravilhosa. O mundo, as músicas, as dungeons e os chefes... Foi tudo tão lindo e épico. E desde então, zero OoT todos os anos. Certamente um dos jogos da minha vida
It's kind of strange how this is the highest rated game of all time, yet still manages to often be undercredited. I think a lot of people I come across now don't realize how much of the groundwork this laid for 3D action games as a whole; Devil May Cry is essentially a Z-Targeting game, Souls combat is basically 3D Zelda (except worse, lacking the creative interactions OoT offers through item usage), etc
Every time I replay this and expect that maybe my opinion of it would be weathered by time, I always find that contrarily, the older I get the more I appreciate it. Gameplay, presentation, and story are all great.
Every time I replay this and expect that maybe my opinion of it would be weathered by time, I always find that contrarily, the older I get the more I appreciate it. Gameplay, presentation, and story are all great.
Um clássico intocável
Masterpiece of the highest form
The only thing you need to be a hero and defeat evil is average tennis skills apparently
Yeah, its really damn good. At the same time, it may just be the most overrated game I've ever seen. Every 3d zelda that followed did many aspects better, while OOT is more like a jack of all trades, master of none. I do appreciate what it did, but those times are long past.
El juego de mi vida, si amo la música y las bandas sonoras es gracias a ocarina of time
When I was a kid my aunt bought me the strategy guide for this game after I got Oracle of Seasons for Game Boy. She offered to return the guide and get me something else but I was like nah bro I fucking want this game so bad I’m gonna get it eventually
Without the death of the hero of time I wouldn't have the hero of wind...thanks for that!
To jogando no nintendo switch, mas é bem divertido. Preciso terminar, então deixo a avaliação desse jeito
This review contains spoilers
I was really surprised at how much I enjoyed Ocarina of Time and how well it holds up to this day. This game holds an incredible amount of content to uncover considering it's an N64 game, it's not until about halfway through when the game REALLY starts.
The feeling of picking up the master sword for the first time and jumping 7 years into the future is unmatched. It answered so many questions I had while playing the game, like why can't I wear the Goron Tunic because I'm too young? The fact that it is necessary to switch between young and old Link to solve puzzles in different areas, especially late-game, is genius, and the differences in the world at these differing points in time are so fun to explore.
The boss fights were excellent too. I had some difficulty getting used to the targeting system, I'm not sure if that's just an issue with controls since I played on Switch or if it's always been a bit clunky, but it was manageable once I got used to it. Some boss fights that stand out to me the most are Phantom Ganon, the terrifying first fight against Ganon which makes you feel extremely underpowered but prepares you for what's to come at the end of the game, Volvagia, the giant fire dragon which looks awesome flying around the room, Bongo Bongo, the phantom shadow beast which was super fun to fight using the lens of truth, and Dark Link who replicates your fighting techniques requiring you to think outside the box to defeat him. I love how challenging each boss is in different ways, there were no boss fights that felt unnecessary or out of place, they all test your knowledge gained from the dungeon prior.
The way the soundtrack is intertwined with the gameplay through the use of the ocarina is genius; playing different songs to solve puzzles and act as gameplay mechanics like warping, changing the weather, or summoning your horse is so awesome. The soundtrack overall is masterful, some of the late-game songs that Shiek teaches you are more orchestral such as Bolero of Fire and Requiem of Spirit, giving a sense of significance and dominance.
Overall, I think Ocarina of Time is the perfect game to get into the Legend of Zelda series, like I said before this was my first Zelda game and it's only made me super excited to play more.
The feeling of picking up the master sword for the first time and jumping 7 years into the future is unmatched. It answered so many questions I had while playing the game, like why can't I wear the Goron Tunic because I'm too young? The fact that it is necessary to switch between young and old Link to solve puzzles in different areas, especially late-game, is genius, and the differences in the world at these differing points in time are so fun to explore.
The boss fights were excellent too. I had some difficulty getting used to the targeting system, I'm not sure if that's just an issue with controls since I played on Switch or if it's always been a bit clunky, but it was manageable once I got used to it. Some boss fights that stand out to me the most are Phantom Ganon, the terrifying first fight against Ganon which makes you feel extremely underpowered but prepares you for what's to come at the end of the game, Volvagia, the giant fire dragon which looks awesome flying around the room, Bongo Bongo, the phantom shadow beast which was super fun to fight using the lens of truth, and Dark Link who replicates your fighting techniques requiring you to think outside the box to defeat him. I love how challenging each boss is in different ways, there were no boss fights that felt unnecessary or out of place, they all test your knowledge gained from the dungeon prior.
The way the soundtrack is intertwined with the gameplay through the use of the ocarina is genius; playing different songs to solve puzzles and act as gameplay mechanics like warping, changing the weather, or summoning your horse is so awesome. The soundtrack overall is masterful, some of the late-game songs that Shiek teaches you are more orchestral such as Bolero of Fire and Requiem of Spirit, giving a sense of significance and dominance.
Overall, I think Ocarina of Time is the perfect game to get into the Legend of Zelda series, like I said before this was my first Zelda game and it's only made me super excited to play more.