Ocarina of Time was my first game in the Zelda franchise. Not this version tho, Ocarina of Time 3D. I won't get into the details with that version, but I very much enjoyed it and wanted to play other games in the series. The same year, or the year after, my one uncle gave me his N64. I'm pretty sure there was only two games that came with it. Star Wars: Episode 1 - Racer and this game. Barely touched Star Wars at but OOT, well I already really enjoyed the 3D remake so I was excited to actually give the original a try. I loved it. At least I'm assuming I did, for some reason I replayed this version so many times back in the day..it became my most replayed game ever for a while. I memorized the entire game, every major bombable hole location, every gold skulltula. I don't know why I played this game so much but I think I ended up overplaying it to the point I started not loving it as much. With this Zelda marathon, I was able to replay this once again after not replaying it in like 10 years. Even now, I still felt some of those overplayed woes I had back then, but mostly in the early game. Even now, 90% of the collectables came right back to me. Even now, it was still fun playing this game and I still love it for getting me into Zelda and into other Nintendo games in general. This game is not perfect, and I do have some criticisms for sure, but this is an important game in regard to the history of gaming and an important game to me.

One of the best aspects of this game is its story and world-building in comparison to past games. The main plot is actually pretty similar to ALTTP. You are tasked with collecting 3 Spiritual Stones (pendants), have to obtain the Master Sword in the Temple of Time (the Lost Woods) and then you must awaken the seven sages (seven maidens) so you can destroy the barrier in Ganondorf's castle and defeat him. Very similar to ALTTP, except instead of traveling between the Light and Dark world, you must travel between the present and future. See, you actually start as young link but when you obtain the Master Sword, Link is sealed in it for seven years and becomes an adult. In terms of the story, this is much more interesting than the light and dark world was. The world changes around you as you travel to the future, and so do the characters. Speaking of them, this game is chalk full of em and they're way more interesting this time around. Link himself has way more personality than he ever did in past games. I still definitely prefer future iterations of him but he's solid here. Zelda is MUCH better here and actually plays a big part in the story. She has way more scenes and due to that and her Shiek persona, she's absolutely one of the best if not the best character in the game. Ganondorf is actually seen with his non-pig design here and there's a reason this game made his human form iconic. The sages, unlike the unnamed maidens, are actual characters here. Not just throughout their temples, you meet pretty much all of them as young Link throughout Hyrule and you help them out along the way. This helps in making them memorable and let me tell you they very much are. Whether it's your childhood friend Saria to the rough and tough Goron Darunia, they're all pretty different characters and again are actually characters this time around. The little side characters you meet in each location are memorable to as the dialogue they are given is translated much better. ALTTP I found to a decently plain and straight-forward English translation. Here tho, they like to be quirky and make a lot of the side characters say weird and interesting things which helps the world feel alive. Something else that makes the game feel alive is the many races that are found in this world. ALTTP had Hylians and Zora. Not only does OOT have those (and they're more fleshed out) it added Kokiri, Shiekah, Gerudo, Deku, and Goron's. All of these helps add to the world-building immensely. Something that would make the dialogue better in this version of the game is if you could skip to the end of single textboxes. You either have to read each one slowly or if you try to make it go faster, it skips to the very end of a set of textboxes. Majora's Mask fixed this and so did the 3DS remake, but I thought it was worth pointing out here because it can be a tad bit irksome.

The combat in this game is very different from ALTTP, simply because it's 3D now instead of 2D. This game introduces Z-Targeting. When you hold the Z button in front of an enemy, you will automatically target and face their direction the entire time. This is incredibly helpful and is almost needed with a game like this. Because this game is in 3D, this changes Link's moveset dramatically. You still swing your sword but now depending on your button inputs, you'll do different swings. You can do a vertical, horizontal swing and a jab. If you z target, have your sword out and press the a button, you do a jump attack. You can backflips, you can do side jumps. Link now auto-jumps whenever you go off a platform or a ledge. Just your basic move set is fun and imo more fun than 2D Zelda. This isn't even getting into other items like the hook-shot which had an amazing transition into 3D. That and the bow puts you into first person and it just works marvelously. The slingshot and boomerang puts you into like a over the shoulder third person view. Funnily enough, each set of items I mentioned are exclusive to each form of Link. Young Link can only use certain items and vice versa for Adult Link. Along with the enemies being more fun and interesting in a 3D environment, the combat in this game was improved from past games and it's honestly amazing for a game from 1998 and amazing for Zelda's first foray into 3D.

The overworld honestly is not the best, I think. It was their first 3D game, I'll cut them some slack but I don't care for Hyrule Field. The size was most certainly impressive back in the day, however now I just see it as wasted potential. It's pretty empty, not very interesting to look at and it's "secrets" are lame. Basically any secrets it has are holes under boulders or completely invisible holes you bomb to unlock. You can find these with the stone of agony but you need a rumble pak to even use it. Otherwise, you either have to randomly guess where they are like Zelda 1 or memorize where they, are after looking them up, on future playthroughs like I did. Wouldn't be much of an issue if some of them didn't have important stuff like gold skulltulas or a heart piece. Outside of that, you have a tedious big poe quest and a single NPC that's used in quest. Honestly if the secrets were just a little better, it was more visually appealing and there were a couple more NPC's, this main overworld, that's connected to every area, would be so much better to me. Honestly I feel like Majora's Mask fixed this issue with Termina Field, which is way better imo, but as it stands this is my least favorite part of the game imo. The area's connected to Hyrule Field are good however, Visually distinct and they have plenty of actually good secrets and collectables to find. However, actual side quests in this game aren't too great imo. The Biggoron one is memorable, but all the others aren't too great imo and are very much overshadowed by Majora Mask's fantastic side quests. Like there's literally a mask side quest where you have to obtain masks and sell them to NPC's. The reward isn't great, another mask, and it just reminds me of how MM handled its mask items way better. Tho alas, I should not be comparing it to a future game like that so I will stop.

My least favorite part of them game, besides Hyrule field, is young Link's portion. Don't get me wrong, it's not bad but the dungeons you go through don't compare to Adult Link's Temples. The Great Deku tree is a solid starting dungeon but it's also very simple. Same with Dodongo's Cavern and Jabu-Jabu's Belly. None of them are bad, they're just very simple compared to temples. Something that is great tho, and this applies to every dungeon in the game, is how visually distinct and memorable they are. 2D Zelda dungeons are great and all but they just don't compare to 3D ones. The type of stuff you can do in 3D dungeons can't be replicated in 2D ones. Jumping from the top of a tree and feeling the full depth of your fall as you land on a spider-web and bust through it due to gravity. Just can't work in 2D. I can see why people might prefer 2D ones tho. As long as they're well designed, they're usually more complicated and technically better "dungeons" where its easy to get lost. However, they lack the spectacle that I prefer in 3D ones. The first 3 young Link dungeons are very linear for example. They have puzzles ofc but it's hard to get lost in them unlike 2D ones. However, I don't mind that (tho in these first 3 dungeons case I guess I do cuz they're a bit TOO simple) and that's proven by the five temples in this game. Adult Link temples, while still probably more linear than some 2D Zelda dungeons, rock my socks. I'll just get into this now, Water temple is not bad. It was my least favorite temple this playthrough, but it's not bad..just can be a little tedious. It's the most complex and backtracky dungeon in the game, and feels kinda like a 2D dungeon but that's at the cost of being a little more tedious than the others (not only due to the design of the place but the iron boots ofc). It can be tough to figure out but I can apprecauet that. Fire temple is also good but just doesn't stick out as much as the other three. Shadow has a very disturbing atmosphere and relies on tricks and traps. Forest and Spirit temple are easily the best dungeons in the game. Forest is very atmospheric and is a very nicely designed dungeon with a great temple theme. Spirit temple is the only one to make use of both young and adult Link, and it does it well, as well as having the best dungeon boss in the game. Not every dungeon in this game is like amazing, but when it hits..IT HITS. Oh also the dungeon bosses vary in quality. Twinrova is the best boss in the game I think. She makes great use of the mirror shield and the witch sisters have actual dialogue and are actual characters that make the boss that much better. Phantom Ganon is cool as well and Ganondorf/Ganon himself is ofc badass. There are some weaker bosses like King Dodongo being piss easy or Morpha being very easy to cheese, however even these weaker bosses are cool to see now that the games in 3D.

Quick thing on the visuals. They don't look bad but they can be a bit ugly at times. Obviously, this is a game from 1998, so I can let it slide somewhat. I played on an actual N64 so the resolution and framerate are pretty bad. They had to be to even run this game at the time, so with knowledge of that and how the game looks its impressive. Still, I know I'd say I wouldn't compare it to Majora's Mask again...but that game is on the same system and looks way more vibrant to me. I know it's using the expansion pass but still..

The soundtrack is absolutely iconic. ALTTP is where Zelda's Lullaby originated, howevrr this version is way more iconic to me. Same with Kakariko Village tho I honestly might like ALTTP's version of it hehe. As for original songs, Lost Woods, Song of Storms, Gerudo Valley, Lon Lon Ranch are all bangers and are super duper iconic for good reasons. The Ocarina songs are all really good, and I actually like how the Ocarina plays a much bigger part in this game compared to the last two games it was in. My absolute favorite song in the game funnily enough, is Requiem of Spirit. Always has been, always will be. Something about it is kinda eerie yet mysterious. It's such a short song yet it's my favorite, idk why lol.

I was honestly very conflicted while playing this. Due to my complaints with Hyrule field/sidequests and me overplaying this game back in the day, part of me wanted to keep this at an 8. However, this game really was important in expanding my taste in games and is just an important landmark of a game in general. What really pushed me to bump it to a 9 though, was the ending. I've already seen it before, but I teared up. Not just teared up, I actually started to cry a bit. I don't know if it's just because the ending is very sweet and emotional, or because it reminded me the days I'd used to play this game a ton (insert anology of how I longed for my days of being a child just like Adult Link does at the end of the game or something idk). Either way, yeah I'll bump it to a 9. Game's not perfect but it is awesome, that's all that needs to be said.

I'm going to play Katamari Damacy after this and then move on to my personal favorite Zelda, Majora's Mask. Look forward to those reviews in the near future!

This is my favorite Zelda game.

After loving Ocarina of Time for the 3DS and N64, I wanted to play more Zelda. I can't remember if this was the next one I played, but it was certainly not too far behind me first playing OOT. I still remember getting an expansion pass and DK64 for christmas one year and getting Majora's Mask not too long after (I think? Or maybe I also got it on Christmas I forget). I played it and I remember just loving it. I had trouble with some of its time loop content, but I was absolutely hooked. I remember having a prima guide I would use for all the specific time stuff and all the stray fairies. I even remember busting that out in the middle of my Let's Play I did back on my (now deleted) old Youtube channel. I really loved this game but I also didn't replay it much at all. I played the 3DS version but as for the original, back in 2022, it was only my third time playing this game basically. Still, revisiting it then made me appreciate the game even more than I did before. So much so, I decided to bump it to a 10/10 because you its spectacular. Now though? Not only is it still a 10/10 in my eyes, but it will also be cemented in my top 5 for a long time I reckon.

The story this time around is the weirdest it's even been in a Zelda game to date. Link, after transforming back to his child self at the end of OOT, is wandering through some woods on Epona when suddenly two fairies spook her knocking Link to the ground. Then this masked figure appears out of nowhere, steals Link's ocarina and eventually Epona and escapes. Link runs after them, falls down a very trippy hole and lands in front of both fairies and the masked fella. Right away, this mysterious fella puts a spell on Link and transforms him into a Deku! One of the fairies leaves with the masked fella while the other is accidentally left behind with Link. This fairy is Tatl, the other fairy is Tael and the masked fella is Skull Kid we eventually learn from Tatl. Tatl wants to get back to them and so she apologizes to Link for the earlier instance and pleads him to help her in reuniting with Tael and Skull Kid. Once you go further and try to escape out of wherever you had been, you end up in mesmerizing clock tower of sorts. As you try to leave, a strange fella (that might seem familiar if you played OOT) stops you. "You've met with a terrible fate, haven't you?" is what he says. This is the happy mask salesman, and he tells you he can change Link back to his human form if he gets his ocarina back, but he also has to get the mask skull kid was wearing and stole from him back as well. You then spend 3 days in Clock town, a town in the land of Termina, and learn that people of Clock town are worried that the moon above you will fall and kill everyone. If you look up, yeah there is a very menacing moon that is much closer than usual. You do some things around clock town that eventually lead Link on top of the clock tower. He gets his ocarina back, remembers the song of time, plays it and somehow gets transported back to the beginning of those 3 days. The happy mask salesman transforms Link back to the human form, while also turning the deku form he was in into a mask he can use anytime, and then when learning Link didn't get the mask back..tells him why he wants it back so badly. The mask is Majora's Mask, an evil mask with dangerous powers to control the one who wears it. Thus, it's up to Link to get the mask back in the end. He also must worry about the moon, that will eventually crash down on Termina, killing everyone. He must explore Termina to see how he could possily do that though. I'll spare anymore story details but yeah this story is very weird and also depressing because the entire time you play, you realize in just 3days everyone and everything will be destroyed by the moon. And for that reason, I love the story of this game. It's not as grand or as a classic of a story as something like ALTTP or OOT, it's more experimental and thought-provoking which I love.

Let's get into the general gameplay loop. The three-day cycle mechanic is something you either love or hate I've noticed. There are three days before the moon crashes into Termina. You can only stop it from doing so at this point, by playing the song of time and going back to the beginning of the three-day cycle. Any progress with quests or dungeons is reset and any consumables are gone from your inventory. The catch is, you keep stuff like ocarina songs, weapons, your masks, your dungeon items etc. I can kind of see why people wouldn't like this mechanic but with the song of inverted time, you get PLENTY of time per three day cycle. I literally beat every dungeon on the first day, besides stone tower but that was because I was dumb, so like running out of time is kinda hard to do I feel. If you don't know to play this song before the start of each cycle, I can understand the frustration tho. As it stands however, I really love it personally as it feels really good to plan out a cycle, get it done as well as other stuff if you have time and then finally playing the song of time so you can save everything you did. That's the other thing, you can only fully save by resetting a cycle. Owl statues let you temporarily save but if you reset the game again after owl saving and don't owl save again, you go back to your actual save. I personally never had an issue with the save system in this game and again actually find it pretty satisfying.

The three day cycle plays a big part in the different events that happen throughout Termina. For example, the only way to get in Romani Ranch without going out of your way to get a powder keg, is to wait until day 3. This is because day 1 and 2 has a giant boulder blocking the entrance. The only issue is Romani, who is the sister of Cremia that owns the ranch, will be all weird on day 3. She will just spout nonsense and Cremia is worried about her and only wished she listened to her before. If you want to see what she means and what happened, you must wait until you get a powder keg, explode the boulder on day 1, and you'll see Romani in the ranch all good. She says that aliens are going to come very early that morning to steal their cows, so you wait until the time she tells you and yeah you defend the ranch from the aliens until sunrise. Then she's all good on day 3. I know that was a long explanation for one side quest, and that's not even getting into the milk delivery one that Cremia gives you the next day and can only be done if you fend off the aliens, but that's just how a lot of the side quests are. They can be very dependent on the time of day and three-day cycle but as such they're MUCH more fleshed out and way more interesting than the ones in OOT. There's a reason people say they're the best in the entire series, though that's also because a big chunk of the games run time is all this side activity. It just makes the entire world of Termina feel so alive, even compared to OOT the world feels way more realized here. That's not even getting into the Anju and Kafei side quest that is easily the most fleshed out in the game.

This game had a very short development cycle, notoriously so, so they had to reuse a lot of assets including character models. However, with these more fleshed out side quests, and the fact the game feels all weird and a bit dream-like at times, I think the reused models from OOT actually maybe elevates the game a bit because of the atmosphere it provides. That's not to say everything is reused. There are still plenty of new character models too. In fact, there are several new Goron and Zora designs that I think vastly improved those races and made them feel more distinct. The biggest improvement to a race though is the Dekus. Not only do they actually have an actual location here, the Deku palace. Unlike OOT, there actually are distinct designs here like the Deku king and princess and the Deku butler. Just makes me like the Dekus a lot more than I did in OOT.

Something else that's more fleshed out in this game is its overworld. Termina field is way more interesting visually than Hyrule field, and the secrets are way better too. It visually looks better because of the four different regions making each section of Termina feel different. It also helps this game just looks a lot better visually in general, no doubt due to the expansion pass. The secrets aren't just random bombable holes. They're pretty much all holes still, but they're either just under a boulder like before or are open already and you just have to actually find them. Like some of them are hidden in tall grass and the only way you'd know is because butterflies tend to fly above them. That's not just a random invisible hole you'd only know is there because of a rumble add-on, that's a natural visual cue which I much prefer. Also, the main Zelda theme here is just such a banger and I prefer it over Hyrule Field's theme. The areas that branch from Termina field are all great too in terms of their secrets, though they were also good in OOT as well. Outside of this though, you have Clock Town. I think this is hands down the best hub world/starting town (whatever you want to call it) of all time. It has memorable characters, it has plenty of things to do, you go there A LOT and will learn all the ins and outs of it., it has it all. That combined with the impending doom of the moon, and the various dialogue of what they are thinking on each day. It's just so good. The dialogue actually can change in each day as well. By day 3, some characters could be cowering in fear knowing they are about to die while others have accepted it and want you to make sure they have no regrets. The characters in Clock Town honestly make the story.

Still on the gameplay side of things, let's talk about masks. There are 24 masks in this game and they all do something. Some transform you into races with different move sets, others are just used with side quests but it's up to you to learn when they're needed. Going back to the transformation masks, they're all amazing. You already know Deku Link is a thing but he has the ability to go into flowers that shoot you out into the air so you can fly temporarily and get to certain places. You have a nifty spin that's pretty fast and you can also shoot magic bubbles as a projectile. Goron Link is strong and tough, can actually use those aforementioned powder kegs and is easily the fastest thing on land because of his roll. Seriously it's fun as hell to just roll through termina field. Small tangent quick, I also much prefer getting around in Termina compared to Hyrule. Instead of having just an alright warp method, you not only have a much better one here. You can also use Goron Link to get around super fast AND if you have no magic or just want to play as Link, you can use the bunny hood which like doubles your speed. It's great. Anyways, the third transformation is Zora Link. Zora Link is taller and can grab some taller ledges (I think Goron Link can do that too actually), you have an attack that's basically the boomerang from OOT and the most important thing is you can swim in water. The Zora swimming in this game is phenomenal, it's very response and feels amazing to use and it's just super-fast as well. All three transformations are amazing, and I honestly can't pick a favorite. There's also the giant's mask which is used in one boss fight. Kinda cool but it's just the same as Link's move set. Fierce Diety though is insanely powerful and super cool, but you also don't get that until the very end of the game, right before the final boss.

The set of dungeons in this game are all great I feel. There's only four but they all feel realized and distinct from one another. Woodfall is the most basic and doesn't have a central mechanic like the other three but it's a damn good first dungeon and probably my favorite starting dungeon in the series. Very visually appealing too, and the boss at the end, Odolwa, is great because you can defeat him however you like. Do you want to defeat him by stunning him with arrows? How about with Deku Link? It gives you options which I love. Snowhead is maybe my least favorite of the four dungeons but it's mechanic of the center having a column you can change in size with Goron Link is really cool. That and it has easily my favorite boss in the game and probably my favorite boss in Zelda, Goht. It's simple, just attack him by chasing him as Goron Link. Simple yet a ton of fun due to Goron rolling being naturally a blast. Great bay has you changing the flow of water and it's honestly a lot better than the water temple because Zora Link isn't tedious like the iron boots. That plus the visuals and music, makes me like the dungeon itself better than the first two. Unfortunately, I'm not a big fan of Gyorg. It's somewhat tedious to fight and doesn't make great use of Zora Link, however it doesn't damper the dungeon itself which is fantastic. The final dungeon, Stone Tower, is the best of the four and one of my favorite dungeons in the series. It not only makes use of all three transformations, it not only makes good use of the mirror shield and the light arrows, but it's main mechanic is you can flip the temple upside down. This mechanic or reusing the dungeon but being upside down, is brilliant and changes the feel of the dungeon way more than you think. It can definitely be a bit confusing on a first playthrough, I was even confused on this most recent playthrough because I forgot about something (dumb on my part tbh) but the complexity and use of the main mechanic is just fabulous. It's a shame the boss of the dungeon also isn't that great. It's better than Gyorg and isn't frustrating as it is just easy. You put the giant's mask on, and hack away at Twinmold. You have your normal moveset so it kinda just feels like a normal enemy. Kinda cool power trip but yeah it's not as good as the first two temple bosses. Then Majora's Mask, the final boss, and its other phases are really cool and weird and disturbing but they are always so easy because I always use Fierce Diety Link which breaks the fight. It's an amazing reward for sure, you must have every mask in the game and give them to the kids in the moon. I also have to say I love the moons visuals so much, they're so surreal.

This game has my favorite OST in any Zelda game. It's so atmospheric and depressing and melancholic I love it. My absolute favorite song will always be Song of Healing. It's hauntingly beautiful yet full of hope at the same time. Honestly, it's in my top 10 VGM ever, it's simply hypnotic in how good it is. Another song that was always like that for me, is Astral Observatory. I'd literally fall asleep to this back in the day it was so calming to listen to. The Final Hours theme that plays during those last 6 hours are the opposite of Song of Healing, instead they make you feel hopeless and accepting of your fate. Tragic yet fitting for the game, I just love how many emotions this soundtrack can pull out of you. That's not to say there aren't catchy more upbeat songs. Deku Palace definitely fits in that regard and the Stone Tower Temple is probably my favorite dungeon theme in the series, it's so good. I can talk about this game's soundtrack all day, just know it's peak.

This is my longest review at this point and I'm really glad I could do this game justice. Back in 2022, I was trying to think of how to write a review for this game. For days I was putting it off, until randomly I decided to do a shitty two sentence review just so I can be done with it. I never felt good about that because I truly wanted to get my full thoughts out as I just adore this game. Hopefully I've finally done so here, and I hope if you did read this entire thing, that you enjoyed it. I have nothing else to say except play this game, you won't regret it.

I generally don't give much of a quack about milestones, but since 100 reviews kind of snuck up on me I guess I'd like to take this opportunity to wax prosaic over the whole reason I'm writing video game reviews in the first place.

My earliest memories are of living in a little duplex in a low-income neighborhood. Two stories. Living room and kitchen below, bedrooms above. Mom and dad had their room on the left; mine was on the right. We didn't have a lot, but we had enough. Even so, the world felt a little small. Being as young as I was, they were hesitant to let me stray too far from home. I went to school every weekday. Made some friends, too. I even had a few that lived near me, but they would only come around every now and again. In the meantime, I had to keep myself busy. I had some books. I liked cartoons. Eventually, I even had a brother - but infants don't make for the best playmates. I think my parents must have sensed that I was somewhat lacking stimulation. My dad enjoyed the odd NES game from time to time and, being a fan of the original Legend of Zelda, no doubt had his eyes on Nintendo's exciting upcoming 3D entry. That is to say that I'm sure he had some ulterior motives when he bought me that brand new Nintendo 64, but I'd like to imagine he still had my best interests in mind at the time.

At first, I didn't really get it. I had some fun playing around with Star Wars Episode 1 Racer, to be sure, but that was all I had. I didn't really understand what that fancy control deck was supposed to do otherwise. I didn't know much about video games in general - just a few scattered experiences here and there when mom or dad had time to bust out their dusty old systems. But one day dad brought me to Hollywood Video, and for the first time in my life I saw shelves lined with rows of boxes, each one containing brand new experiences. We checked one game out that day - one emblazoned with a curious looking sword and shield pair, and striking red letters across the front that read: ZELDA. We took it home and dad slotted it in for me. We spent a little time arguing over whether the protagonist's name was Zelda or PHILLIP (presumably whoever had last saved a file to that cartridge). Before long, though, he had helped me into creating a new game and then left me to my business. The memories of that game have stuck with me through my entire life.

At the beginning, a young boy sleeps, tormented by nightmares of evil, of war and destruction. He awakens into a world where he is an outcast amongst ghosts, a stranger living in a mysterious and sequestered grove, his neighbors unaging children known as Kokiri who are all partnered with fae companions. This young boy, Link, has never had such a companion - at least not before today. A fairy named Navi approaches him, telling him that he has been summoned by the forest's protector, the Great Deku Tree. He - and you - meet with the mighty tree spirit, and you are informed that a great destiny awaits you. The King of the Gerudo, Ganondorf, intends to claim the realm of Hyrule for himself. The only one who can stop him is you. You are told to take a glittering green stone to the Princess of Hyrule, and from this fated meeting, your path will become clear. Thus you strike forth beyond the crushing confines of the forest you called home, and step out into a world larger than you possibly could have imagined, full of possibilities. You encounter Princess Zelda, who tells you of her plan to undermine Ganondorf's fell ambitions. You must find the remaining two Spiritual Stones, protected by the Gorons and the Zora. Only then will the two of you have the power to stand up against him. The King of Hyrule has dismissed the Princess' visions as mere imaginings. Zelda beseeches you to act in her stead, that her beloved kingdom might continue to enjoy peace. Your quest begins in earnest. You will meet many new faces along the way, and grow stronger with each trial you overcome. Eventually you will succeed, proving strength and savvy far beyond your years.

Upon returning to the castle town, you realize you have arrived a moment too late - Ganondorf has made his play, and Impa has fled the castle with the princess in tow. The wizard-thief stops before you upon his steed, dark and imposing, towering above Link. He asks where the princess went. Link reacts by drawing his sword, ever brave. Ganondorf scoffs and effortlessly defeats him, declaring his intent to rule over all before rushing off into the stormy horizon. But Zelda, in an act of desperation, has tossed you the Ocarina of Time and left the fate of Hyrule in your hands. You take it to the Temple of Time and play the song she taught you. The three Spiritual Stones make their true purpose manifest, shining forth and opening the way into the chamber before you. Inside lies the legendary Master Sword, blade gleaming in the pale window-sent sunlight, awaiting a new wielder. You pull it from its pedestal, and shortly thereafter find yourself in a realm beyond that of mortals.

The camera pans back to reveal our hero, now fully grown and capable. Everything changes. The knight's shield that you initially wore like a turtle shell now fits squarely on your arm. Conversely, the tools of your trade that you relied upon when young are now outmoded, being too toy-like for the greater challenges ahead. And now, with the mighty blade of evil's bane in your grasp, lesser foes fall effortlessly before you and greater foes are brought to your level. But it has all come at a cost: Ganondorf has anticipated all of this, and has taken advantage of your efforts to stop him by entering the Sacred Realm, claiming the Triforce of Power for himself. The world outside has been twisted, bathed in darkness and hopelessness as The King of Evil warped the land of Hyrule over the past seven years. The only person who can right this is you.

As a kid, this was everything to me. A glimpse into the future. Adulthood, romanticized: One day I will be bigger and stronger and I'll be able to make a difference in the world around me. It was a taste of growth, a taste of responsibility - obviously on a rather fantastical scale, but still one that I was given a leading role in.

Eventually, after overcoming each temple and acquiring powerful new tools, you stand at the entrance to Ganondorf's domain. The six Sages create a bridge of prismatic light, permitting you to cross the ravine of death and push on towards the final confrontation. You fight your way to the top of his castle and face the villain in mortal combat, eventually triumphing over him and restoring peace to the land. With the future secured, Zelda sends you back to your own time, returning to you the childhood you were forced to relinquish. And yet, Link will be forever changed by his journey. In the end, Navi leaves and the young hero moves on to his next adventure. And there would certainly be more adventures ahead, not just for him, but for me as well.

Anybody who's picking it up today might not see what I see. And that's perfectly understandable. Experiences such as these don't exist in a vacuum. They have context, not just of the time and circumstances in which they were made but also of the people that make them and play them. They are reflections of their creators and are reflected upon by their patrons. This game came to me at the perfect time. To some, it may just be a bunch of code and chunky polygons and aged gameplay, but for me, it's a defining moment of my childhood.

Ocarina of Time birthed within me a wanderlust, an imagination, a desire to be great and to do great things, and most importantly, to be kind. I would carry about a wooden sword and shield and vanquish invisible monsters in my backyard. I would gallivant through the woods between suburbs with my brother, climbing to and fro on the limbs of trees or practicing my marksmanship with my slingshot. I would take upon grand quests, ones that may have been no more complicated than helping a neighbor find their lost dog or mending schisms between friends, but ones that seemed to have a positive effect on the world around me. Even still, I was no hero. I was a child! I could be selfish, and irrational, and occasionally destructive. I was naive to the ways of the world and would sometimes do more harm than good in that naivety. As I grew older, despite what I had originally anticipated, reality would often challenge optimism. Divorces and broken friendships and deaths of loved ones and failed aspirations, and an ever-growing sensation that life was not as magical as I had wanted to believe - that the world was indeed much smaller than I had hoped. At one point I had even convinced myself that my affections for games, which had brought me so much joy in the past, were nothing more than a way of avoiding the harsh truths I'd become so intimately familiar with. Now, years after the fact, I still can't confidently say that I am satisfied. There are still so many things I want to see, to do, to become. But I can at least say that I am better than I was. I have become more patient, more open, more understanding. I don't have much, but I have found ways to do good with what little I have. I have made many mistakes and I can't take them back, no matter how badly I wish I could, but I can avoid making them again. And even though the past may hurt, I can recognize that everything that came before led me to all the things I love today. I don't entertain any illusion that I alone can save the world, but at the very least I am determined to leave it a slightly better place than it was when I found it, and I hope that I will leave enough of an impression upon those who know me that they might follow suit. The Hero of Time inside of me is still alive.

Video games are more than just video games. I love you, Ocarina of Time.