Despite growing up with an N64, Ocarina of Time was always one of those "canon" video games that I managed to avoid. For anyone that doesn't know me, I tend to bounce off of games that have heavy historical importance, but whose mechanics have been finely honed in their genre since the time they came out. This was perhaps the one expectation that I had of Ocarina of Time before playing it, especially with the ways in which some folks classify it as a "nostalgia trap" or try to direct you to the 3DS remaster for it's quality of life improvements. Surprisingly, however, I only ran into few rough patches from a mechanical standpoint and the majority of those that I did came more from emulation, as opposed to the base game itself. Perhaps the one mechanic in the game itself that seemed to rub me the wrong way was the touchiness of first person aiming. That being the only strong complaint I have in regards to the mechanics of a nearly 25-year old N64 game, which was one of the earliest examples of a 3D adventure game, speaks to the strength of its design. Briefly tying into that point, I was going to complain about how the Z-Targeting definitely leaves a bit to be desired, however, even the jank of that mechanic is understandable; when it doesn't function to your liking, you can mentally pause and realize it's because the enemy/object isn't properly in Link's field of view.
What's even more surprising than the strength of it's mechanics is how, despite the only other Zelda game I've played to completion being Breath of the Wild, the sense of wonder and adventure is still palpable in OoT. The scale is obviously smaller and yet there are little touches in the world that make it feel wider and dangerous. There were multiple occasions where I've accidentally strayed from a path only to find that it connects to parts of the map I never thought would meet. Once again, for an early 3D adventure game, it is truly impressive in the way it constructs the world of Hyrule. The way Death Mountain looms in the background of the Temple of Time or how you float down the river in Gerudo Valley only to find yourself washing up on the shores of Lake Hylia. Again, it feels silly to be in awe of such primitive tricks of design, but it speaks to the effectiveness of these tricks that a modern series like Dark Souls still utilizes these concepts 15 years later.
Speaking of exceptional design, outside of getting extremely rough ideas of the places I needed to head next or occasionally looking up an obvious solution that I just blinded while streaming it, it's almost astonishing just how well Ocarina of Time guides you through it. Navi may be infamous for just how much they yell at you to listen to them, but that insistence on giving the player direction in what was, at the time, a scary new world of 3D adventure was ingenious. The player could go wherever they wanted, but there was always an occasional reminder of the task at hand. Although it can take a bit to acclimate to the older logic of the game's puzzles, once you do, you find that they live up to the classic Zelda creed of creating puzzles that make the player feel smart. Perhaps what speaks best to just how briskly paced and tightly designed this game is is how I had my initial ROM hardlock on me at the Ice Caverns, roughly 15-20 hours into my playthrough; upon getting another working ROM, I was able to blaze through the first half of the game in an afternoon or two without any kind of guidance. Even the most infamous dungeon, the Water Temple, was only mildly tedious during my playthrough and that was only because I missed a relatively well telegraphed visual cue.
Perhaps the only thing in the game that felt mostly standard and unimpressive was the story. I wasn't expecting much outside of standard Hero's Journey stuff, so it wasn't too much a shocker though. It's thematically interesting if you take it in tandem with the ideas that Breath of the Wild explores, such as passing the buck of responsibility onto future generations, but that's about the most story meat I got off of Oot's bones. On the other hand, the melancholic mood that paints the story about a sudden loss of innocence and trying to take back that lost time you had thankfully makes up for what I found to be lacking in the story itself. Having those various ocarina melodies tied to these different characters that you've lost along the way makes the victory all the more bittersweet in the end. Those melodies still linger, but you can never truly get them back. Speaking of that, the soundtrack is fantastic, but I don't think you need me to tell you that.
Anyways, the power of Ocarina of Time feels undeniable. Much like how Link travels forward in time faced by what should be an insurmountable force , the game itself feels like it still punches above it's weight class several console generations and hundreds of iterations and imitations later. If you like me want to appreciate this game from a historical stance, I genuinely recommend playing through this version of the game, as opposed to the 3DS Remaster. I'm sure that the improved graphics and quality of life improvements make for a smoother experience, but I promise you that this version is both not that hard of a transition from modern games and is worth the experience.
What's even more surprising than the strength of it's mechanics is how, despite the only other Zelda game I've played to completion being Breath of the Wild, the sense of wonder and adventure is still palpable in OoT. The scale is obviously smaller and yet there are little touches in the world that make it feel wider and dangerous. There were multiple occasions where I've accidentally strayed from a path only to find that it connects to parts of the map I never thought would meet. Once again, for an early 3D adventure game, it is truly impressive in the way it constructs the world of Hyrule. The way Death Mountain looms in the background of the Temple of Time or how you float down the river in Gerudo Valley only to find yourself washing up on the shores of Lake Hylia. Again, it feels silly to be in awe of such primitive tricks of design, but it speaks to the effectiveness of these tricks that a modern series like Dark Souls still utilizes these concepts 15 years later.
Speaking of exceptional design, outside of getting extremely rough ideas of the places I needed to head next or occasionally looking up an obvious solution that I just blinded while streaming it, it's almost astonishing just how well Ocarina of Time guides you through it. Navi may be infamous for just how much they yell at you to listen to them, but that insistence on giving the player direction in what was, at the time, a scary new world of 3D adventure was ingenious. The player could go wherever they wanted, but there was always an occasional reminder of the task at hand. Although it can take a bit to acclimate to the older logic of the game's puzzles, once you do, you find that they live up to the classic Zelda creed of creating puzzles that make the player feel smart. Perhaps what speaks best to just how briskly paced and tightly designed this game is is how I had my initial ROM hardlock on me at the Ice Caverns, roughly 15-20 hours into my playthrough; upon getting another working ROM, I was able to blaze through the first half of the game in an afternoon or two without any kind of guidance. Even the most infamous dungeon, the Water Temple, was only mildly tedious during my playthrough and that was only because I missed a relatively well telegraphed visual cue.
Perhaps the only thing in the game that felt mostly standard and unimpressive was the story. I wasn't expecting much outside of standard Hero's Journey stuff, so it wasn't too much a shocker though. It's thematically interesting if you take it in tandem with the ideas that Breath of the Wild explores, such as passing the buck of responsibility onto future generations, but that's about the most story meat I got off of Oot's bones. On the other hand, the melancholic mood that paints the story about a sudden loss of innocence and trying to take back that lost time you had thankfully makes up for what I found to be lacking in the story itself. Having those various ocarina melodies tied to these different characters that you've lost along the way makes the victory all the more bittersweet in the end. Those melodies still linger, but you can never truly get them back. Speaking of that, the soundtrack is fantastic, but I don't think you need me to tell you that.
Anyways, the power of Ocarina of Time feels undeniable. Much like how Link travels forward in time faced by what should be an insurmountable force , the game itself feels like it still punches above it's weight class several console generations and hundreds of iterations and imitations later. If you like me want to appreciate this game from a historical stance, I genuinely recommend playing through this version of the game, as opposed to the 3DS Remaster. I'm sure that the improved graphics and quality of life improvements make for a smoother experience, but I promise you that this version is both not that hard of a transition from modern games and is worth the experience.