The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (ゼルダの
The story of the game focuses on the young hero Link, who undertakes an adventure in the kingdom of Hyrule to stop Ganondorf, king of the Gerudo tribe, before he finds the Triforce, a sacred relic capable of granting him any wish. to its possessor. To do this, he must travel through time and explore various temples in order to awaken some wise men who have the power to permanently imprison Ganondorf. It has to be mentioned that music plays a very important role in the plot of the game, as the player has to learn how to play various songs on an ocarina. Even the popularity of Ocarina of Time significantly increased the sales of real ocarinas.
The gameplay of Ocarina of Time incorporated some new features that did not exist in its predecessors, such as the ability to fix the camera on a certain target and the use of controller buttons on specific situations (for example, talking to other characters, using the sword, among other activities), which became typical features of three-dimensional adventure games. After its release in Japan in 1998, it sold more than 820,000 games. copies, making it one of the top ten best-selling titles in the video game industry that year. Since then, up to 1.14 million copies have been sold in Japan, making it the 119th most sold game. sold of all time, while worldwide the figure exceeds 7.6 million copies offered for sale. Likewise, the game obtained a positive critical reception, winning the Grand Prize in the Interactive Arts division from the Japan Media Arts Festival, in addition to winning six awards at the second annual Interactive Achievement Awards ceremony. From critics in general, Ocarina of Time received praise and marks in its great most positive, and even according to various sources it is considered by critics and the public as the "best video game ever made". In 2008, the Guinness Record publication declared that Ocarina of Time is the "most critically acclaimed video game of all time", a record that it revalidated on August 1, 2010 and that until the end of 2012 it still held.
Ocarina of Time had at least four releases on the Nintendo GameCube, Nintendo iQue, and Wii systems; for the GameCube, an edition was released that was part of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time: Master Quest (ゼルダの
Plot
While the chronology of The Legend of Zelda games has been an aspect that has generated much discussion since the origin of the franchise, it is generally considered Ocarina of Time as one of the first in the series' timeline, as the game establishes the origins of several important elements in Zelda such as Ganon and the Triforce. Since its release, no other game has been referred to as a prequel to it, except The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, which takes place before the events of Ocarina of Time.
Nintendo has confirmed that the time travel that occurs towards the end of the game created three different parallel timelines in The Legend of Zelda. One of them continues after Link defeated Ganon and imprisoned him in the Sacred Realm (this is known as the "adult Link timeline") while the other follows the events that occurred after Link was sent back in time and history changed., so Ganon never got hold of the Triforce in its entirety ("child Link timeline"). The first of these timelines leads directly to The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, the other continues from the games The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. However, a third chronology appeared at a time in history, in which it is argued that Link never managed to save Hyrule and perished in his attempt. for defeating Ganondorf; this timeline in which Link died, according to the book titled Hyrule Historia and published by Nintendo at the end of 2011, includes The Legend of Zelda: Link's games Awakening and the original Zelda.
Synopsis
Approximately ten years prior to the events of Ocarina of Time, a war known as the "Hyrule Prison War" occurred. Because of her, a mother desperate to protect her baby, decided to leave him in a thick and remote forest so that he could grow up safe. In this forest, there are several children who have their own guardian fairies, which are they were granted in turn by the Venerable Deku Tree, the guardian of the forest, except for one child: the little son of that woman. This child is called Link and, because he does not have a fairy, the other Kokiri make fun of him. of him and look down on him. One day, a dying Deku Tree sends Link a message with the fairy Navi. The game begins when Navi awakens Link from a nightmare: in it, Link watches during a stormy night how a man on a horse -who turns out to be Ganondorf-, chases Princess Zelda along with her nanny Impa, who also rides. in a horse. Navi advises Link that he must go to the guardian of his village, the Venerable Deku Tree, as he is dying.; Later, Link himself undoes the curse, but is unable to prevent the tree from dying.. Before passing away, the Deku Tree informs him that an "evil desert man" was the one who cursed him, and that he also plans to conquer the entire land of Hyrule, so the boy must stop his plans. Likewise, he gives him the Kokiri Emerald — considered the "Forest Stone" — and sends him to Hyrule Castle so that he can speak with the "Princess of Fate": Zelda.
Once at the castle, Link meets Zelda, who has had multiple dreams in which she glimpsed the future of the land of Hyrule, as well as Link's arrival. She believes that Ganondorf, the King of the Gerudo thieves, is looking for the Triforce, a relic found in the Sacred Realm that is capable of granting great powers to whoever possesses it. The description Zelda gives Link of Ganondorf fits the appearance of the man who killed the Venerable Deku Tree. Zelda asks the boy to retrieve the three Stones—one of which the young man already possesses—in order to enter the Sacred Realm and thus claim the Triforce before Ganondorf can find it. Link goes to the city of the Gorons, where he meets Darunia, the leader of the Goron race. After defeating King Dodongo, the chief of the Dodongo cave, Darunia gives him the Goron Ruby, the "Fire Stone", which symbolizes brotherhood. Soon after, Link obtains the Zora Sapphire, the "Water Stone", from Ruto, the princess of the Zora, after the brave young man rescues her from the belly of Lord Jabu Jabu, a creature similar to a dragon. whale that is a venerable being for the Zoras; It should be added that the fact of receiving the Sapphire from the Zora symbolizes a marriage between Link and Ruto.
Link returns to the castle and watches as Ganondorf chases Zelda on a horse, just as he saw him in his nightmares at the beginning of the game. When he sees Link, Zelda throws the Ocarina of Time at him, but it falls into a pit. Because of this, the princess telepathically teaches the boy the "Song of Time". Link tries to stop Ganondorf, but lightning strikes him to the ground. Ganondorf admires the young man's bravery, but warns him not to interfere with his plans. Once the evil man leaves, Link uses the Ocarina of Time along with the Stones to open a gate and enter the Sacred Realm. Behind said door, Link finds the Master Sword, a weapon that was forged to defeat evil. At the moment of removing the sword from his pedestal, Ganondorf appears on the scene, since he followed Link to the Sacred Realm in order to claim the Triforce as his own.
Seven years later, a more mature Link awakens in a room known as the "Chamber of the Sages" where he meets Rauru, the ancient Sage of Light and one of the seven sages who guard the location of the Triforce. Rauru informs Link that he was sealed away for seven years until he grew old enough to wield the Master Sword and defeat Ganondorf, it is also revealed that the seven sages are the only ones capable of imprisoning Ganondorf in the Sacred Realm.; however, five of the seven sages are unaware of their identity since Ganondorf turned Hyrule into a land of darkness. Link returns to Hyrule and meets a mysterious man named Sheik, who guides Link to five temples full of Ganondorf's minions, which the young man has to defeat in order to unleash the power of the temples that will awaken the wise men..
Link sets out on a journey around Hyrule, freeing the sages from each temple. In the Forest Temple he frees Saria, his childhood friend, who is the first sage. In the Temple of Fire, Darunia, Sage of Fire, while in the Temple of Water, Princess Ruto, his ex-fiancee, is the third sage. After fighting the fearsome Bongo-Bongo in the Temple of Shadows, he manages to awaken Impa, who is the fifth sage, and, in the Temple of the Spirit, the head of the Gerudos, Nabooru.
After awakening five sages, Sheik reveals himself to be Princess Zelda, as well as the seventh sage. He then tells Link that Ganondorf's heart is unbalanced, causing the Triforce to split into three pieces, as predicted in an ancient prophecy. Ganondorf retained the Triforce of Power, while the other two chosen individuals by destiny they carry with them the other two pieces: Zelda obtained the Triforce of Wisdom and Link the Triforce of Courage. Later, Zelda gives Link the Arrows of Light and Ganondorf kidnaps the princess in a crystal and takes her to her tower. The other six sages help Link into the tower, where he eventually battles Ganondorf in which he emerges victorious, thus freeing Zelda from her confinement. After escaping the collapsing castle, Link is trapped in the castle by a ring of fire and forced to fight Ganondorf once more; this time, using the Power granted to him by the Triforce of Power, Ganondorf transforms from his humanoid Gerudo form into a monster named Ganon. Given the circumstances, Link fights Ganon without the Master Sword (although he later retrieves it) and, with the help of Zelda's stun light, defeats Ganon. The seven wise men then capture Ganondorf and send him to the Dark Kingdom that his evil created; Still with the Triforce of Power, Ganondorf swears to take revenge on his descendants. Zelda uses the Ocarina of Time to send Link back to his original time so that he lives his childhood, to the exact point where Navi leaves.. The game's story ends with a view of Link and Zelda looking at each other in the castle garden.
Characters
Protagonists
- Link (cler., Rinku?): He is a child living in the Kokiri forest, to whom the Deku Tree, protector of the Kokiri, calls him and tells him that some terrible darkness lurks Hyrule and that he must therefore embark on a series of adventures to find the Stones. He becomes a friend of Zelda, with whom he plots a conspiracy against Ganondorf. After awakening from a seven-year dream, he becomes adult and stronger and after returning the power of the wise to the temple with the help of Sheik, he faces Ganondorf in a fight, in which he ends up winning. In the end, he returns to his original era with the help of Zelda.
- Navi (معر, Navi?): is the Link Fairy. According to the Kokiri tradition, each inhabitant of this race has a fairy for its protection and guidance in the world. Link was the only individual without a fairy until the Deku Tree, which knows the danger that Ganondorf would cause, entrusts Navi to guide Link in his new adventure. It is vitally helpful in the course of the game and even helps Link beat Ganon.
- Princess Zelda ( , Zeruda-hime?): is the princess of Hyrule. Trust Link and plot a conspiracy against Ganondorf. During the years of Ganondorf's reign, Zelda disguised himself as Sheik (prevention Shīku) To not be discovered, presenting Link as the last member of the Sheikah tribe, which only appears in crucial moments for the protagonist. After Link saves 6 sages, Sheik reveals to Link his true identity in the Temple of Time. After this, he's kidnapped by Ganondorf. In the final battle, Zelda uses all his power to hold Ganon while Link gives the final blow.
- Ganondorf (cursoフのード, Ganondorf?): he is the leader of the Gerudo tribe and the main villain of history, as he is in other video games of the series. Forge an alliance with the king of Hyrule to come to peace, even though Zelda does not trust him. He is able to enter the castle and the Temple of Time, obsessed with the TriForce and conquer Hyrule. When you try to seize this, the Trifuerza divides and Ganondorf only gets the Trifuerity of Power, while the other two parts receive them Link and Zelda. When Link is locked in the Sacred Kingdom and Zelda disappears, Ganondorf dominates Hyrule for seven years.
Side characters
- Saria (, Saria?): she is the friend of Link, member of the Kokiri race. When Link releases the Deku Tree, it receives the Kokiri Esmeralda (one of the Stones), Saria discovers that Link must leave. On the bridge to Hyrule gives you the Ocarina and later teaches you the Song of Saria. Later, when Link is an adult, it is discovered that Saria is the wise one in the forest.
- Darunia (gestion, Darunia?): he is the leader of the Gorons in the Mountain of Death. His personality is a busy and stressed guy. When Link teaches him the Song of Saria, he dances and gives him the bracelet to carry bomb flowers. When Link solves the problem of the Dodongos, he gives him the Rubí Goron, a Stone. When Link is an adult, it is revealed that the Goron population has fallen significantly and that Darunia is the sage of Fire.
- Ruto (!, Ruto?): is the princess of the Zora race. It has a dominant, stubborn and presumptuous character. When Link rescues from Lord Jabu-Jabu's stomach, he gets the Zora Sapphire, another Stone. When Link returns to the Zora Domains, and sees that everything is frozen, Ruto has become adult and is the wisdom of the Water.
- Rauru (What?, Rauru?): is the wise of the Light and one of the creators of the Temple of Time. He is the first sage who knows Link (although he already knew four of the future sages). He delivers the Medal of Light as proof of his confidence in him.
- Impa (misunderstanding, Inpa?): it's Zelda's nanny and belongs to the Sheikah's rare breed. He has strict orders to never separate from Zelda and to protect her when she is in danger. She also teaches Link the melody "Nana de Zelda". When Link is an adult she discovers that she is the wise of the Shadows.
- Nabooru (م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م م, Nabooru?): is the second in command of the Gerudo, after Ganondorf, who has not much appreciation. When Link is an adult, the Gemelas Rova (also the Gerudo race) rapture Nabooru. After facing an Iron Knuckle, it is discovered then that Nabooru was inside that armor and the twins make him disappear. At once, Nabooru is revealed as the wise of the Spirit.
Main scenario
Within the series' internal chronology, Ocarina of Time takes place a long time ago in relation to the first four games, and is also set a few thousand years after the events of Skyward Sword; also, the game takes place in the fictional kingdom of Hyrule, the place where the main events of the Zelda series take place. The kingdom's prairie serves as a hub that keeps multiple areas located on the periphery of Hyrule interconnected, in addition to each area having a different topography. Much of these lands are inhabited by different races: Hylianos, Zora, Goron, Kokiri and Gerudo, mainly.
Unlike other installments such as The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and Twilight Princess where the plot takes place in different worlds, Ocarina of Time there is only one eligible world to explore: the Kingdom of Hyrule. However, since Link must use the Ocarina of Time to travel from one time to another, the land where the events of the plot take place tend to change, because in certain areas of the game, depending on the time in which the player is, different dungeons will be accessible as well as some important areas.
Ocarina of Time introduced various locations that would later appear in subsequent Zelda titles, although some others are exclusive to this game. It should also be noted that this is the first video game in the entire series to show the settings and environments of the kingdom of Hyrule in three dimensions. On the other hand, although the Hyrule Grassland allows access to most of the main locations in the game, other areas are also of importance in terms of interactivity; For example, at Lon Lon Ranch, you can ride Epona and perform various activities in the form of mini-games, and even learn a song with the ocarina. In the center of the prairie there is a farm, while to the east of the map is the Kokiri forest, the place where Link lives and begins the adventure, since the Kokiri live there, beings with the appearance of children who never grow despite of the passage of time. To the north is the citadel, where most of the Hylians live and it is there that young Link first meets the Princess. Nearby is the Temple of Time: home of the Master Sword.
To the east of Hyrule Castle is Kakariko Village, a small village home to the Sheikah—a race of fierce ninja-like warriors who protect the Royal Family of Hyrule. This village is the entrance to the Mountain of Death, which is an active volcano that houses a city for the Goron, as well as for the Dodongo, stone creatures that inhabit hot places. To the northwest of the main prairie, there is a river that leads to the domain of the Zora, whose entrance is a huge waterfall at the end of said river. Lake Hylia is located in the south of the map, although in particular, said region is not inhabited by any race; even so, in its depths is located a temple that was built by the Zora. Finally, the Gerudo desert is located to the west, and it consists of three main sections: a valley, a fortress, and a temple; Throughout the desert, inhabit the Gerudo race - a tribe whose population consists solely of women who are dedicated to stealing.
Although the places that Link can access differ from one era to another due to Ganondorf conquering the outlying territories of Hyrule, the player can travel through time using the ocarina to visit the different settings, and with it, get multiple objects such as Heart Pieces and other artifacts that are useful throughout the adventure. Initially, the player can reach the domain of the Zora and talk to the inhabitants of that region, but once the Master Sword is obtained, the scenario changes, because when Link visits that place for the second time, he will see that it is uninhabited and the water that existed in the surroundings is now frozen, which prevents access to the different sections that the Zora kingdom has. Below are the dungeons that appear throughout the game with their respective description:
| Mazmorra | Description and items to get | Chief |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the Deku Tree | It is the first dungeon of the game, and is located inside the Kokiri forest, specifically inside the Venerable Deku Tree. Link must go to the call made by the Tree, for it has been spelled by Ganondorf, so the hero must fight against several enemies and release the leader of the Kokiri from a near death. Along the level there are Skulltulas and Skullwalltulas—major crooked gilds—then, in order to face them, the Tirachinas de las Hadas is needed. Once the main threat is defeated, the Venerable Tree gives the boy the Kokiri Esmeralda. | Queen Gohma |
| Dodongo's Cavern | It is a cave inhabited mainly by beings with the appearance of réptil and other creatures, of which the Dodongo dragons are the most abundant. It is located in the middle of the trail of the Mountain of Death, a road that communicates that mountain with the City Goron, which in turn borders with the village Kakariko; the first time Link arrives at this place, the entrance will be blocked by a rock. Along the terrain grows some plants that are called Flores Bomba, which are essential to enter that cave. Therefore, here is the Pump Bag, which allows you to carry many bombs at the same time and use them when it is convenient. Once the level is finished, you get the Ruby of the Gorons. | King Dodongo |
| Inside Lord Jabu-Jabu's Belly | The third dungeon of the game is located inside the Lord Jabu-Jabu. Because this whale-shaped being ate Princess Ruto, Link must access the stomach of the huge fish and find the Boomerang, with which he must defeat a parasite that has furious Lord Jabu Jabu. To access it, you must have the Silver Scheme, which allows the passage to the bottom of Lake Hylia. The most abundant enemies are the Octorok and the parasitic tentacles. Because it is in an aquatic environment, Link should swim in certain areas of the dungeon. Once Ruto is saved by Link, she gives him the Zora Sapphire. | Barinade |
| Forest Temple | Once Link becomes an adult and gets the Medal of Light, he is able to enter the first temple; before entering it, several activities must be carried out: a race must be carried out against Dampé, the guardian of the cemetery, to obtain the Hookshotsearch for Saria in the Lost Forest and locate Sheik to teach Link the melody of the "Minué del Bosque". This temple contains various puzzles, of which, one consists of turning on four torches along the dungeon, and for that, the Arc de las Hadas is required; with that, the entrance to confront the boss can be unlocked. In the end, Saria gives Link the Forest Medal. | Phantom Ganon |
| Fire Temple | It is located right in the crater of the volcano of the Mountain of Death, resulting in a place full of lava and fire, so there are extreme temperatures and this reduces the health of Link little by little during your stay inside the dungeon. However, Darunia's son gives the young hero a robe specially designed to resist such climatic adversities, so the exploration of the temple is facilitated. Already in the dungeon, we meet Darunia, who informs us that there are several Goron captured by Ganondorf along it, so Link must rescue them. Once the Megaton Hammer is located, the player can access and face the head of the level. After defeating the dragon that controlled the volcano, Darunia gave the young man of the Medal of Fire. | Volvagia |
| Ice Cavern‡ | This dungeon is located in the Fountain of the Zora, and it is a prerequisite to finish it to access the Temple of the Water. This level consists of a single floor, which is made up of a material called Red Ice, which can be melted through the Blue Fire. Because it is frozen almost entirely, the Zora who inhabited the region are in a cryogenic state, locked in huge solid ice blocks. In this place, there are the Iron Boots, which are necessary to correctly solve the next dungeon of the game. | White Wolfos |
| Water Temple | The dungeon is plunged into Lake Hylia, right in its center, under a small islet. Because it is an underwater dungeon, the greatest challenge is presented over five floors filled with water that must be constantly leveled to access certain areas that contain important objects, as is the case with the Longshot; it is also necessary to frequently use the Iron Boots, because without them, it could not be navigated in the depth of the temple. It should be added, that on this level is Dark Link, a dark version of the hero of green clothes. Once the dungeon is resolved, Ruto gives the Time Hero the Water Medal. | Morpha |
| Bottom of the Well‡ | This level is below the "Well of Three Features", in the Kakariko villa. To access it, Link needs to be a child again, and to have finished the Forest Temple, in addition to knowing the melody of the "Storm Song". It is possible to obtain the lenses of Truth at this level. | Dead Hand |
| Shadow Temple | Access to this temple is located in the Kakariko Cemetery, at the foot of the Mount of Death. However, Link must play through his ocarine the song of the "Night of Shadows" in order to enter it. As its name indicates, the dungeon is full of optical traps and illusions; these consist of false walls and floors, and invisible enemies that must be defeated once the Lentes of Truth have been acquired. The most important object you can get is the Fleet Boots, as they allow you to make a small flight in the middle of the air, allowing Link to cross the Death Valley. Once Impa is awake, it gives the young hyliano the Medal of Shadows. | Bongo Bongo |
| Gerudo's Training Ground‡ | This dungeon is a place where the Gerudo tend to train to increase their courage, strength and wisdom. To have Link access to this training center, you must own the Gerudo Membership Credential, with which you get a direct pass to this level, although you must pay a small amount of rupees. To advance along the sand, keys must be found to open the lock of the next door, and thus reach the last room where the Ice Arrows are located, an item that consumes power every time they are used, but they can freeze the enemies. | - |
| Spirit Temple | This temple is located in the middle of the Gerudo Desert, specifically in the area called the Colosal Desert, just west of the Embroidered Yermo. When Link first accesses this dungeon, he realizes that he can't continue, because he can't go through a small slot on the floor. Sheik therefore tells the young man that he must return to the past and find the sage of the dungeon; before leaving he teaches him the song "Réquiem of the Spirit". Once Link returns to the temple as a child, he knows Nabooru, who tells him to get the Silver Gloves. The hero must return once again, but now as an adult, and get the Mirror Shield to finish the dungeon: an object that reflects the attacks of the enemies. In the end, Nabooru gives the boy the Spirit Medal. | Gemelas Rova |
| Inside Ganon's Castle | The last dungeon and level of the game. As its name indicates, it is located at the Castle of Ganondorf; however, the evil sorcerer is located at the top of the main tower, but to get into it you need to unlock the Six Barriers found in different sections of the labyrinth. The Six Medallones of the Sages are required to open them. At the end of each section, Link must shoot a Light Arrow to break the barrier that blocks each of the entrances to the tower. Throughout the tower, the young man must defeat various enemies until he arrives at the last floor where Princess Zelda is located. Once Link releases Zelda, the tower collapses, leaving the Gerudo King apparently dead. However, it revives and shows its true form: a gigantic being similar to a wild boar, which must be defeated to completely eliminate evil and return once again the peace that abounds in the kingdom of Hyrule. | Ganon/Ganondorf |
- Note: The "‡" symbol indicates that the level is a mini-cod, and that the player can dispense with solving it and get the item that holds within. However, the only exception can be the Gerudo's Training Ground, as the Ice Arrows are not necessary to complete the game itself; in turn, the other two must be completed in order to continue with the adventure. The sign also points out that this level is not considered a normal level, as its length as well as its difficulty is lower compared to the other temples and dungeons of the game.
Items, equipment and weapons
Link is able to change his loadout using a dedicated pause subscreen for just that. Many of the items included in the game first made their debut in the series with Ocarina of Time, as well as others that had appeared in previous video games. Likewise, there are elements that are obtained only in the time when Link is a child, others in which the protagonist is an adult, and there are others that are essential for the story that are not omitted in any time in which he is. Among these basic elements are the Deku nuts -they are thrown and explode at the slightest impact with the opponent-, the bombs -which are obtained for the first time in the second dungeon-, the "bombchus" -a variation of the original bombs-, the bottles –there are four in total and can be filled with liquids that restore Link's health and even with fairies, who also perform the same function as the liquids–, as well as the spells of the Great Fairies –Din's Fire, Wind of Farore, and the Love of Nayru– and the two ocarinas –the one of the Fairies and the one of Time–. Similarly, recovery hearts serve the same role from the first game in the series, by restoring a part of Link's life. Other collectibles called "Golden Skulltulas" can be found in dungeons, and these can be exchanged for Heart Pieces or other artifacts, as well as Rupees.
Also, during the course of the game, Link finds different swords, shields, boots, and robes or outfits. Each of these artifacts provides Link with a special property, and many of the dungeons and areas that he explores can only be visited when the protagonist is properly equipped, as is the case, for example, with the Goron tunic, which allows him to be in places with intense heat. Items commonly used when Link is a child are the Kokiri Robe, Kokiri Boots, Deku Shield, and Kokiri Sword. Already in his adult form, being unable to wield the standard sword and shield, he can not only continue to use his original robe and boots, but can also dive under the sea without concern for breathing in the Zora robe, and, as mentioned above Stay in hot places with the Goron Robe. Furthermore, he can walk on the bottom of a body of water with the Iron Boots, and walk freely in the air with the Floating Boots. The various shields and swords also have special characteristics: he can make full use of the Hylian Shield, and reflect light with Mirror Shield, while the Master Sword and Biggoron have greater force power than the Kokiri.
Game system
Ocarina of Time is an action-adventure video game that includes both role-playing and logic game elements. The player is able to control Link in a third-person perspective and in three-dimensional space, while Link fights primarily with a sword and shield, although he can also use weapons that he can throw directly at the opponent, as well as bombs, arrows, etc. For this installment, the designers were in charge of introducing some improvements to the control system such as actions sensitive to a specific function and an automatic blocking system called "Z-targeting" (from English: Z-targeting ). In combat, so-called "Z-focus" allows the player to have a focus from Link's perspective and thus lock on (aiming in the process) at a given enemy or object. Through the use of this innovation, the camera follows the target and Link is able to constantly keep it in focus. Immediately afterwards, the projectile attacks are automatically directed at the target so it is not necessary to aim them manually. In turn, specific function sensitive actions allow multiple tasks to be assigned to one button, simplifying the standard control system. The on-screen display shows what will happen if the button is pressed and changes depending on what action the character is performing. For example, the same button that helps Link push a box if he's right next to it will help him climb onto the box if the analog stick is moved towards it. A large part of the game It consists of battles, although in some moments characteristic elements of stealth video games are incorporated. Exploration is another important element of the game system; the player can observe inaccessible areas and return later – this time finding them explorable – after obtaining a new item.
Link gains new abilities by collecting items and weapons found in dungeons or in the overworld. It is important to mention that this title has several optional side quests as well as objectives that the player can choose to complete or otherwise simply ignore. Once these optional quests are completed, the player usually earns rewards, either in the form of weapons or abilities. In one of these, Link sells items he doesn't need and gives them to ineligible characters. This quest includes ten items to trade and ends when Link obtains the Two-Handed Biggoron Sword, which is the longest of its kind in the game. In another of these quests, Link is able to get a mare named Epona. In this way, he can roam the kingdom more easily, although his attack ability while riding the horse is reduced solely to shooting arrows at his enemies.To obtain Epona, Link must learn the song of this horse while he is a child.. However, he is only able to ride her when they are both adults.
When Link obtains the «Master Sword» (Master Sword, in English) in the Temple of Time, he is imprisoned without conscience for seven years right there, until he becomes an adult, and thus he becomes strong enough to wield the Master Sword. Little Link and Adult Link have different abilities; for example, only as an adult he can use the Bow, while the little one can access certain restricted areas through passages in the walls and the floor itself. After completing the Forest Temple, Link can travel freely between the two periods by replacing or taking the sword. Melodies and notes are played using the C and A buttons on the Nintendo 64 Controller; in the case of the Gamecube version, it is played with the analog stick C.
Ocarina Control
In addition to providing a background setting for the story, music also takes an important role in the control system. The game is cited as being the "first title to feature music creation as part of its gameplay, without practicing dancing". The layout buttons on the Nintendo 64 controller resemble the holes on the game's ocarinas., and players must memorize various songs to complete some sections of the game's story. All songs are played with the five notes available on an ocarina, though by tilting the field via control of the analog stick the player can play additional notes. Early in the game's story, Link he is given the Ocarina, which is later replaced by the Ocarina of Time. Through the game, Link learns thirteen songs that allow him to solve various different puzzles and teleport to previously visited locations. The Ocarina of Time is also used to claim the Master Sword in the Temple of Time. It should be noted that, like other fantastic stories with travel through time in their theme, this game presents a paradox regarding the Song of the Storm, where as an adult Link, when you go to the Kakarillo Village mill, the man with the music box teaches you a melody, alluding to the fact that a certain boy had shown it to him many years ago; then, returning to the mill again but as a child Link, the player teaches him the same melody that the man taught him in the future, thus arising the classic paradox "who taught the song to whom?".
Production
| Producer | Shigeru Miyamoto |
|---|---|
| Coordinators | Masashi Goto Yoshitaka Nishikawa Hiroyuki Uesugi |
| Programme Chief | Kenzo Hayakawa |
| Executive Producers | Satoru Iwata Hiroshi Yamauchi |
| Graphical design | Tomoaki Kuroume Ren Uehara Shigeki Yoshida |
| Character design | Yoshiki Haruhana Kenzo Hayakawa Satomi Maekawa |
| Level designers | Takeshi Hosono Shinichi Ikematsu Makoto Miyanaga Kenta Usui |
| Directors | Eiji Aonuma Yoshiaki Koizumi Toru Osawa Yoichi Yamada |
| Music | Koji Kondo |
| Illustrators | Minoru Maeda Yusuke Nakano Wataru Yamaguchi |
| Major programmers | Shigeo Kimura Takamitsu Kuzuhara Kazuaki Morita Atsushi Nishiwaki Nobuo Okajima Masatoshi Ogawa |
| Capture of movement | Tsuyoshi Watanabe |
| Programme Director | Toshio Iwaki |
| Guionists | Toru Osawa Kensuke Tanabe |
| Sound effects | Yoji Inagaki Takuya Maekawa |
| Supervisors | Toshihiko Nakago Takashi Tezuka |
| Technical support | Shin Hasegawa Hirohito Yoshimoto |
| Translator | Hiro Yamada |
| Voice actors | Nobuyuki Hiyama (Link) Takashi Nagasako (Ganondorf) Kaori Mizuhashi (Navi) |
| References |
Ocarina of Time was first referenced as part of a technical demonstration by programmer Giles Goddard, which took place at the Japanese Space World 1996 event, held in December 1995; during said event, the game was known simply as Zelda 64. the Nintendo EAD team. Both titles became the first games made entirely with 3D graphics in their respective franchises. Although Nintendo originally planned to release it for the Nintendo 64DD peripheral, Nintendo decided to release it on cartridge soon after. Designed on a 32-megabyte cartridge, Ocarina of Time went on to be the longest game ever. made by Nintendo until then.
Shigeru Miyamoto, the main director of Super Mario 64, simultaneously served as producer and design supervisor for Ocarina of Time, which he was already in charge of several directors. For the development of this title, Nintendo EAD implemented a new strategy consisting of numerous directors each producing individual segments of the game to later join the pieces created to shape the version final. However, under this concept, production took much longer than expected, so Miyamoto chose to get even more involved in the game, assuming a role more of a director than a supervisor. Although the theme of 3D gaming was new to the production team, assistant Makoto Miyanaga mentioned that there was "a sense of passion to create something new and unprecedented" between them. Originally, Miyamoto wanted the game to have a perspective on first person, in order to allow players to explore the vast terrain of Hyrule in a more interactive way, as well as focus more on the development of enemies and scenarios. However, those responsible for the design had some technical difficulties with this project when they wanted to introduce a child version of Link, so Miyamoto realized that it would be necessary to show Link all the time on stage. The development of the game involved more than 120 people, including an actor who was used to capture Link's movements and sword maneuvers. On the other hand, some of Miyamoto's ideas for Ocarina of Time were instead incorporated into Super Mario 64, which was mainly because the latter was scheduled to be released before the Zelda game; there are even other ideas that weren't even used in none of the games due to time constraints.
Ocarina of Time originally ran on the same graphics engine as Super Mario 64, but in the case of Zelda the gear was modified substantially that the designer Miyamoto agreed that the product of both projects should be totally different from each other. One feature that differs between both games is the control over the camera. The player has quite a bit of control over the angles of focus in Super Mario 64, but the camera in Ocarina of Time is controlled to a greater extent by the game's artificial intelligence. Miyamoto has said that the camera controls in Ocarina of Time were meant to reflect a focus on the game world, whereas those in Super Mario 64 tend to focus more on the game world. about the character Mario. Miyamoto wanted the game to be cinematic in style, but still distinguishable from various current movies., said his highest priority was to give the player "a sense of power to control the action". To stimulate this feeling, the cutscenes that appear in Ocarina of Time are generated entirely by real-time computing, and do not use pre-recorded sequences or full-motion video. Toru Osawa, in collaboration with Kensuke Tanabe, wrote the game's script and story based on a short anecdote by Miyamoto and Yoshiaki Koizumi. The dungeons, as well as the levels and environments of Hyrule, were designed by Eiji Aonuma.
Once the game was released, all customers who had pre-ordered a copy of the game in the United States received a limited edition box containing a gold plastic card marked "Collector's Edition", which at the same time it brought inside a golden cartridge of Ocarina of Time , something that had already been done before with the previous games since the launch of the original game for the Nintendo NES system. Demand in the market became so high that at some point Electronics Boutique canceled pre-sales of the game as of November 3, 1998. Some later versions of the game show slight design modifications, such as the removal of an Islamic musical segment of the melody heard in the Temple of Fire, some "unforeseen" bug fixes (from the term "glitch") and the change of the blood color of Ganondorf from crimson to green.
Shigeru Miyamoto, producer.
Satoru Iwata, executive producer.
Eiji Aonuma, director.
Yoshiaki Koizumi, director.
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Cartridges
There are three different Ocarina of Time cartridges for N64: 1.0 (known as NUS-CZGE-USA), 1.1 (NUS-CZLE-USA) and 1, 2 (NUS-CZLE-USA-1). The differences between the cartridges are all minor, and include changing the color of the cartridge surface (while version 1.0 can come in gold or grey, the latter two are exclusively grey, except in Australia) and some bug fixes (glitch) present in version 1.0. The most notable difference between versions 1.1 and 1.2 was the change in blood color from red to green. Likewise, from version 1.2 inclusive, some aspects of the game that were related by the press as referring to Muslim culture began to be altered, such as the music of the Temple of Fire (which included a song similar to a sound sacred Muslim) and the emblem that appears on the Mirror Shield and on some structures related to the Gerudo tribe (whose design was a crescent moon and a star, a symbol associated with Islam). The previous changes were made mainly to prevent these cultures from considering it as an offense to their ideology.
Adaptations and re-releases
The first console to which the original Nintendo 64 version of Ocarina of Time was ported was for the Nintendo GameCube, successor to the aforementioned, as an additional item on the compilation discs Ocarina of Time: Master Quest and The Legend of Zelda: Collector's Edition, both versions consisting of an emulated ROM. Originally, Ocarina of Time: Master Quest was to be an expansion for Ocarina of Time for the Nintendo 64DD peripheral and would bear the title Ura Zelda (“Another Zelda »). Said compilation was also bundled as a premium (additional) title for all those users who pre-ordered the game The Wind Waker in Japan and North America, as well as to those who purchased a limited edition of the GameCube console in the Wal-Mart chain of stores. In Europe, the disc was available for a certain period through a special offer made on the official Nintendo website. A compilation box of the same name was even released, containing a disc with the original game, the Master Quest version, and six video clips of various GameCube games, including The Wind. Waker and a demo of the adaptation The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past for the Game Boy Advance handheld. Regarding its design, Master Quest it uses the same game engine as Ocarina of Time, although it has dungeons with a new design. On the other hand, the Collector's Edition was available in Europe, Australia and North America as part of a special offer, as well as by registering Nintendo hardware and software, or even by subscribing to official Nintendo magazines or clubs. from the original copy of Ocarina of Time, the compilation disc contains the games The Legend of Zelda, The Adventure of Link, Majora& #39;s Mask, a demo of The Wind Waker as well as a video clip about the history of Zelda. Although the original game is reproduced on the Nintendo 64 with a resolution of 320 × 240 pixels, the emulated versions for the GameCube reproduce it with a resolution of 640 × 480 pixels in addition to having a progressive scan system. In November 2003, a specific version for the GameCube was also released. Nintendo iQue console in China.
On February 23, 2007, a new adaptation of Ocarina of Time was released in Europe and Australia for the Wii Virtual Console, for a cost of 1,000 Wii Points. In North America, said edition hit the market on February 26 of that year, and in Japan the next day, on February 27. Although this adaptation consists of an emulated version of the original game for Nintendo 64, it is not exempt from some modifications, such as altering the Gerudo symbol—just as it was shown in the GameCube version—as well as not supporting vibration for the controller. On the contrary, the Wii console can play GameCube compiled versions with this intact feature. In Super Smash Bros Brawl, a 5-minute demo version of Ocarina of Time is included as an in-game unlockable item.
Nintendo 3DS Version
In mid-2010 a demo version was released that included scenes from Ocarina of Time; Although Miyamoto initially maintained that there was a possibility that this small sequence could be developed into a new Zelda, Nintendo of America, through its Twitter page, officially announced Ocarina of Time 3DS on June 15, 2010 for the Nintendo 3DS handheld. Some scenes taken directly from the game were shown on the Nintendo E3 website that same day. Eiji Aonuma commented on it: "Do you remember the Water Temple? Who thought it was tedious or even horrible? I've lived with it for the last ten years. But with the 3DS we have a touch screen. They have to take their iron boots on and off constantly, right? I would like to make the control of the boots easier by adding a new feature [in Ocarina of Time 3DS]", implying that the controls will be changed in this new version. The game was made available to the public through an exhibition at the Nintendo World 2011 event, where it attracted a significant amount of attention, and even increased wait times to play it compared to other titles previously exhibited by Nintendo.
One of the most notable new features is the ability to equip weapons more quickly when using the touch screen, since in turn, the architecture of the console itself could allow for more precise movements using the internal gyroscope of the console. 3DS; Also, this allows the player to make more accurate and direct movements when accessing a first-person perspective, as in the case of the slingshot. On April 12, 2011, it was revealed that the game would be released June 17 of the same year for the United Kingdom, while for America the game would go on sale two days later. A day later, on April 13, it was revealed on an official Japanese page that the game could be available for the June 16, 2011 in Japan. For this version, it has been confirmed that it will contain the Master Quest version, in addition to the original version of the game. In addition to the above, it was confirmed that the inclusion of a boss battle system in the game, titled as "Boss Challenge", which allows the player to choose to fight all the bosses in a certain order, in a similar way to what happened in the game Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes. However, this version of the Master Quest differs from the original in that the Hyrule map is "flipped" or inverted, in a similar way to how the Wii version of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess was made.
Likewise, it was mentioned that the game would contain certain videos in the form of tutorials that would help the player in case he gets lost in some part of the adventure. As additional information, it should be noted that The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D was not designed by Nintendo EAD as was the original version, but by Grezzo, a Japanese subsidiary and independent studio headed by Koichi Ishii. The game was finally released in June 2011 throughout the world.
Soundtrack
The music for Ocarina of Time was composed by Kōji Kondō, a composer famous for his work on various Nintendo titles, who also did the music for The Legend of Zelda since the first game in the series. Additionally, this was Kondō's last solo musical work. In addition to the fact that many of the characters have their own theme music, various locations in Hyrule are within walking distance. associated with musical themes in this game. The above has been considered a leitmotif in reverse, that is, instead of certain music announcing the arrival of a character, here a character is presented. stationary environment while the player approaches one. In certain places, the music constitutes a variation of a melody played by an ocarina that the player must later learn, and it is strictly related to that area.
The soundtrack serves as a pretext to provide a musical context to the setting, but, nevertheless, it also assumes an integral role in the gameplay of Ocarina of Time. The material is referred to as "the first contemporary non-dance genre title to incorporate musical composition as part of its interactivity". The layout of the Nintendo 64 controller's buttons resembles the holes on the ocarinas in the game, and players must learn various songs in order to finish the title. All compositions are played by using the five notes available on a real ocarina, although it is possible to adjust some pitches with the joystick on the controller to play some additional sounds. Such was the popularity of Ocarina of Time that it was found that the sales of ocarinas increased considerably after the release of the video game.
The Ocarina of Time soundtrack was produced by Pony Canyon and released in the United States in November 1998, while it was released in Japan on December 18, 1998. Japanese contains a compact disc with 82 songs in total, when the one released for the United States had 35, and they were published with different cover art. After its release, the soundtrack was frequently praised by specialized critics; however, IGN expressed displeasure at not including the traditional Zelda theme in the game, but still described it as an "irreproachable victory". In 2001, three years after the original release of Zelda i>Ocarina of Time, GameSpot ranked it as one of the ten best video game soundtracks of all time. From Soundtrack Central's specialized site, Jon Turner compared the Japanese and North American versions, criticizing the latter for contain fewer themes and by modifications made to them; in his review he mentioned that “This is definitely not your typical Mario or Yoshi music. By this I don't mean that the whole album is dark and unfunny. Rather, the music here ranges from upbeat and fun to dramatic and beautiful", concluding that "There is only one word that describes the music on this soundtrack album, and that is 'spectacular'".
There are also two albums derived from the soundtrack, called The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - Hyrule Symphony, released on January 27, 1999, and The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time - Re-Arranged Album, released December 22, 1999.
The following is the complete list of songs contained in the soundtrack.
All songs written and composed by Koji Kondo.| List of topics Ocarina of Time | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N.o | Title | Duration | ||||||||
| 1. | «Title Theme» | 1:20 | ||||||||
| 2. | «Enter Ganondorf» | 0:13 | ||||||||
| 3. | "Deku Tree" | 0:36 | ||||||||
| 4. | «Fairy Flying» | 0:23 | ||||||||
| 5. | «House» | 0:36 | ||||||||
| 6. | "Kokiri Forest" | 1:01 | ||||||||
| 7. | «Open Treasure Box» | 0:10 | ||||||||
| 8. | «Item Catch» | 0:04 | ||||||||
| 9. | «Small Item Catch» | 0:05 | ||||||||
| 10. | «Shop» | 1:08 | ||||||||
| 11. | "Battle" | 1:07 | ||||||||
| 12. | «Inside the Deku Tree» | 1:27 | ||||||||
| 13. | "Boss Battle" | 1:19 | ||||||||
| 14. | "Boss Clear" | 0:13 | ||||||||
| 15. | «Heart Container Get» | 0:05 | ||||||||
| 16. | «Legend of Hyrule» | 1:58 | ||||||||
| 17. | «Spiritual Stone Get» | 0:16 | ||||||||
| 18. | «Fairy Ocarina Get» | 0:11 | ||||||||
| 19. | "Hyrule Field Main Theme" | 4:43 | ||||||||
| 20. | «Kepora Gebora's Theme» | 1:00 | ||||||||
| 21. | «Market» | 0:59 | ||||||||
| 22. | «Shooting Gallery» | 0:39 | ||||||||
| 23. | «Hyrule Castle Courtyard» | 0:53 | ||||||||
| 24. | «Enter Zelda» | 0:06 | ||||||||
| 25. | "Ocarina "Zelda's Lullaby" | 0:12 | ||||||||
| 26. | «Zelda's Theme» | 0:49 | ||||||||
| 27. | "Ocarina "Epona's Song" | 0:09 | ||||||||
| 28. | «LonLon Ranch» | 2:08 | ||||||||
| 29. | «Mini Game» | 0:32 | ||||||||
| 30. | «Kakariko Village» | 1:44 | ||||||||
| 31. | "Ocarina "Sun's Song" | 0:07 | ||||||||
| 32. | "Hyrule Field Morning Theme" | 0:37 | ||||||||
| 33. | «Goron City» | 1:38 | ||||||||
| 34. | "Ocarina "Saria's Song" | 0:09 | ||||||||
| 35. | «Lost Woods» | 0:39 | ||||||||
| 36. | «Dodongo's Cavern» | 0:46 | ||||||||
| 37. | "Middle Boss Battle" | 1:07 | ||||||||
| 38. | «Dinosaur Boss Battle» | 1:08 | ||||||||
| 39. | «Zora's Domain» | 1:30 | ||||||||
| 40. | «Great Fairy's Fountain» | 0:35 | ||||||||
| 41. | «Potion Shop» | 0:52 | ||||||||
| 42. | «Inside Jabu-Jabu's Belly» | 0:34 | ||||||||
| 43. | "Ocarina "Song of Time" | 0:12 | ||||||||
| 44. | «Temple of Time» | 1:19 | ||||||||
| 45. | «Open Door of Temple of Time» | 0:15 | ||||||||
| 46. | «Master Sword» | 0:13 | ||||||||
| 47. | «Ganondorf's Theme» | 0:41 | ||||||||
| 48. | «Chamber of the Sages» | 1:43 | ||||||||
| 49. | «Medal Get Fanfare» | 0:14 | ||||||||
| 50. | «Sheik's Theme» | 0:30 | ||||||||
| 51. | «Horse Race» | 0:46 | ||||||||
| 52. | «Horse Race Goal» | 0:05 | ||||||||
| 53. | «Ingo's Theme» | 0:39 | ||||||||
| 54. | «Escape from LonLon Ranch» | 0:09 | ||||||||
| 55. | «Kakariko Village Orchestra Ver. » | 1:44 | ||||||||
| 56. | "Ocarina "Song of Storms" | 0:07 | ||||||||
| 57. | "Windmill Hut" | 0:52 | ||||||||
| 58. | «Minuet of Woods» | 0:17 | ||||||||
| 59. | «Forest Temple» | 1:52 | ||||||||
| 60. | «Bolero of Fire» | 0:20 | ||||||||
| 61. | «Fire Temple» | 0:42 | ||||||||
| 62. | «Ice Cavern» | 0:45 | ||||||||
| 63. | «Serenade of Water» | 0:19 | ||||||||
| 64. | "Water Temple" | 1:44 | ||||||||
| 65. | «Nocturne of Shadow» | 0:23 | ||||||||
| 66. | «Prelude of Light» | 0:18 | ||||||||
| 67. | "Shadow Temple" | 1:45 | ||||||||
| 68. | «Gerudo Valley» | 1:34 | ||||||||
| 69. | "Spirit Temple" | 2:57 | ||||||||
| 70. | «Requiem of Spirit» | 0:24 | ||||||||
| 71. | Koume's Theme | 0:52 | ||||||||
| 72. | «Meet Again Zelda» | 0:51 | ||||||||
| 73. | «Game Over» | 0:09 | ||||||||
| 74. | «Ganon's Castle Bridge» | 0:22 | ||||||||
| 75. | «Ganon's Castle Under Ground» | 0:53 | ||||||||
| 76. | «Inside Ganon's Castle» | 3:26 | ||||||||
| 77. | "Ganondorf's Battle" | 1:12 | ||||||||
| 78. | «Escape from Ganon's Castle» | 0:33 | ||||||||
| 79. | "Last Battle" | 2:10 | ||||||||
| 80. | «Seal of Six Sages» | 0:29 | ||||||||
| 81. | «Ocarina of Time» | 0:32 | ||||||||
| 82. | "End Credits" | 7:10 | ||||||||
Reception
Commercial
Prior to its release, more than 250,000 copies were pre-ordered, making it the video game with the most pre-orders in all of history (previously, the game Diddy Kong Racing held that title with 125 000 pre-sold copies). In its first week of release in Japan alone, 386,234 copies were sold. According to a report by Nintendo of America, the company made profits of up to USD 150 million for the almost 2.5 million copies sold at the end of 1998, with an estimated pre-sale price of USD 60 for each edition. According to the site N-Sider.com, at the time the highest grossing film was Pixar's A Bug's Life, with earnings of approximately $114 million.
Ocarina of Time was released to overwhelmingly positive acclaim, tied to enormous commercial success. During 1998, it managed to sell 2.5 million copies despite the fact that it was published only 39 days before the end of that year; Prior to its release, Nintendo expected the game to sell over two million copies in this period in North America alone. This made it the best-selling game in a short period of time after its release, a record it would hold. until ten years later, when Super Smash Bros Brawl surpassed it by selling 1.4 million during its first week of release. In Japan, the game sold 820,000 copies in 1998, making it became the 10th best-selling game of that year. During the time it was available in the international market, Ocarina of Time sold 1.14 million copies in Japan, becoming regarded as the 113th best-selling game of all time in that country; likewise, it managed to sell 4.06 million copies in the United States, and 7.6 million worldwide, thus becoming the best-selling title in the series The Legend of Zelda and the fourth best seller for the console, surpassed only by Super Mario 64 (11 million),Mario Kart 64 (9 million) and GoldenEye 007 (8 million).
Criticism
| Reception | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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In its original release on the Nintendo 64, Ocarina of Time received perfect scores from various specialist outlets including Famitsu, Edge, Electronic Gaming Monthly, GameSpot, IGN, and Next Generation magazine (which named it the "Video Game of the Century"). For the month of December In 2010, two of the most influential review compilation websites, GameRankings and Metacritic, considered that the score received by the original N64 version was the best rating of all time for a game within those sites, since it obtained a score of 97.54% and 99 out of 100, respectively, of which the Guinness World Records echoed.
The game's graphics were praised for being deep and detailed, although some reviewers commented that they did not fully exploit the graphical capabilities that the home console could offer, according to them "[the game] did not deliver its full potential". Game Revolution commented that the details in the faces of the characters are often "the most difficult challenge of programming in a 3D graphical environment", however added that the expressions and animations that are presented in most of the characters constituted a "surprising addition". IGN also felt that Ocarina of Time improved and updated the graphics that were featured in Super Mario 64, as those of the Super Mario 64 version >Zelda gave a deeper feeling while giving a concept more appropriate to the proportionality of the settings. The graphic display, specifically if one considers the design of the depths as well as the perspectives and the size of the bosses, it was an aspect that was considered by the press to be a "better detailed element [compared to other games of the time]". Despite the excellent use of colours, visual effects and detailed environments within the game, the editors were They were dissatisfied with this, commenting that certain graphic details in Ocarina of Time were not reproduced as well as they were in Banjo-Kazooie, a game that was published little before Ocarina of Time at the beginning of the same year, in addition to being compatible with the same platform. Similarly, IGN added that the frames per second and textures offered by Ocarina of Time were not as good as those shown by Banjo-Kazooie, saying that the citadel of Hyrule Castle was particularly "blurred" in tone.
The game system received generally good reviews from the specialized media, since critics agreed that the side missions that were found throughout the game entertained the players for a long time. IGN noted that players "must have been impressed by the detail" of the stages, as "a lot of thought went into designing them properly." EGM praised Nintendo for being able to incorporate elements from other games in the series, when Zelda was set in a 2D world, as it was able to "perfectly translate elements from the previous games to a 3D environment without any problem". Nintendo Power agreed that both Ocarina of Time and Super Mario 64 were two games capable of "opening the way" to the 3D era within the industry. The use of a sensitive control system within the same context came to be rated as one of the best designed elements within its interactivity. Critics commented that the game allowed for easy execution of different movements and maneuvers, with only a few buttons at their disposal, although this also caused players to make mistakes and make unintended movements. They also compared the control the player had over the camera with the sensation of having to fight with a "second nature", because when accessing a subjective perspective, details could be observed that through the third person were not too noticeable; this new option took a certain amount of time for the player to master and, in turn, learn to use it properly.
The game's audio was widely praised and was generally well received by the press; IGN compared some of the pieces Kondō composed to the musical works of composer Philip Glass. Critics agreed that the atmospheric melodies and surround sound uniquely immerse the player into the fictional world of the game. Some reviewers complained that the music sounded "a bit up-to-date"—meaning it didn't follow the series' trend of medieval-style tunes—however, some found this aspect beneficial, calling it "retro". Game Revolution noted that the soundtrack was "good for the N64, but not that big in proportion to the game" and commented that the cartridge required "MIDI-driven tones, which range from reasonable to terrible".
The virtual magazine on video games GeriStation considered in the same way that Ocarina of Time was also the "best-seller of video games", Well, according to critics, no other game has achieved as much "fame or glory" as this title has. Throughout his review, it is said that the game has an enormous graphic display, since "you will rarely find slowdowns or polygon disappearances" due to the processing that the Nintendo 64 console has. However, he commented that " Zelda hasn't invented anything when it comes to graphics. But he has taken this section to the maximum expression. Now we can think that Zelda is not a game. Zelda is art”; Regarding sound, the magazine mentioned that "this section is so varied that you won't get tired of hearing the sounds over and over again." While for the controls and the gameplay itself, he mentioned that although they are easy to manipulate, they can be somewhat difficult at first in addition to adapting to them; however, it was also argued that they were "simply original" because no other game had used the same game system. In conclusion, it was also said that the game itself is "very long", because if Ocarina of Time offers a great variety of mini-games, they can entertain the player for a long time; "[...] You'll be so immersed [in the game] that it won't get out of your head."
Over time, multiple games have achieved scores similar to those of Ocarina of Time; Such is the case of Super Mario Galaxy and its direct sequel, Super Mario Galaxy 2, which, according to GameRankings.com statistics, both hold the n No. 2 and No. 3 Best Titles Ever; Also the sandbox genre game Grand Theft Auto IV, and the fighting game Soulcalibur, achieved near-perfect scores from critics overall.
Legacy and Impact
Reviewers have praised many aspects of the game, particularly the level design, gameplay mechanics, and soundtrack. One of GameSpot's editors, Jeff Gerstmann, wrote that "Ocarina of Time is a game that cannot be described without considering its perfection", while IGN referred to the game as "the a new starting point for interactive entertainment", as it "lays the foundation for action RPG games for years to come". Meanwhile, the publishers of GameTrailers dubbed the game a "walking patent office", due to the fact that the game allowed "to standardize many of the current features within the industry". the title of one of the "greatest or most influential games [of all time]", including reviews by Electronic Gaming Monthly, IGN, and Nintendo Power. In June 2009, the game was voted the best title of all time by GameFAQs, in a survey of the site's readers. Ocarina of Time has been consistently included in various lists made by Edge, titled as "the 100 best games": in the survey carried out by the editors of the magazine during January 2000, in a list made through a poll by magazine's readers and publishers in July 2007, and in the list titled "100 Games You Must Play Today" in March 2009. GameSpot compiled a list that included multiple games that have been praised over the years; In this relationship, various video games that have achieved acceptance by the public, as well as by the industry, are listed, and the time in which each one was published is mentioned, following an order based on the date of inclusion in the list of each one. game.
Reception for the Master Quest and Virtual Console versions was mostly positive; although some reviewers argued that both the audio and graphics appeared to be tweaked, others commented that the game had "aged" well. Master Quest went on to be ranked by Game Rankings as the 307th highest rated title ever reviewed and the 38th highest rated game in 2003, while Metacritic ranked it as the 225th title. highest rated ever reviewed. IGN noted in its review that "Ocarina of Time has aged very well", noting regarding the game's graphics that "despite the fact that the textures and patterns [graphics] seem to be slightly tweaked, the game's wonderful visual presentation has remained stable over time." Game Revolution mentioned that even though the game has "aged noticeably compared to the huge range of new and improved RPG titles [...] but still, it's a great game", giving it a score of 91. out of 100. At GameSpot, they rated the Virtual Console version 8.9 out of 10, writing that "after nine years, Ocarina of Time has held up remarkably well [at the pace of time], as [Ocarina] always offers one long and incredible adventure". » that «[Ocarina of Time] is an exceptional achievement since from the time it was released in 1998, and after almost a decade (by then), it still continues to be a point of reference both for its contemporaries and for the other upcoming games developed in 3D graphic environments in general... Being part of a series that usually always offers large-scale adventures, Ocarina may not be the prettiest or even the biggest, but it is still the best of all."
In 1998, Ocarina of Time won the Grand Prize in the Interactive Arts division of the Japan Media Arts Festival. The game also won six awards during the 2nd annual Ocarina of Time Awards. Interactive Achievement Awards, in the following categories: "Game of the Year", "Outstanding Achievement for Graphic Design", "Outstanding Achievement for Software Engineering", "Console Game of the Year", "Adventure Game of the Year" and "RPG Game of the Year". Nintendo of all time", being surpassed only by Super Mario Bros.. In the Guinness Book of World Records, Ocarina of Time ranked 5th in the list titled "Top 50 Console Games" in 2009, which considers the 50 most important games in the history of the industry, as well as the importance they had in laying the foundations of a series or of a genre in any case. GameTrailers also made a list, but it mentions the top 10 as well as the worst titles in all of history (according to the criteria of the interviewees), which also commented on the impact of each game in a certain genre.; Ocarina of Time was ranked #1 of the best games of all time, with commentators remarking that its “game system was quite innovative, since you could jump, ride, fight and so on... all in one game."
Despite the Anglo-Saxon critics extolling the great impact that Ocarina of Time had generated in the industry, the Spanish-speaking press did not wait long, and commented on how important the fourth installment of the saga of Zelda for video game history; to express the above, reviews were made based on its re-releases for the Wii Virtual Console as well as its release for the Nintendo 3DS handheld console. The Arrowhead.net site commented that the game was an excellent adventure title upon its original release for the Nintendo 64, although the game's only detectable flaw was that "at some point [the plot] ends"; Given this, he said in turn, that users of the Wii console could once again enjoy the "best video game in all of history". The MeriStation website commented that the game itself has not changed "at all" with over the years, so any interested player could easily learn the "amazing" story of Ocarina of Time. He also added that the question "why should I download Ocarina of Time [for Wii]?" It was absurd, because according to the website, the title is "considered by millions of users, and by hundreds of specialized media as the best game in history", and finally added that "titles like this are what give meaning to the game." word "must have" or to the AAA rating". VidaExtra.com pointed out that the new installment for the Nintendo 3DS is "a good option for those who want to enjoy this title again, but now with a new reason to consider: better graphics."
MundoGamers.com offered a broader opinion, pointing out that with the advancement of technology, the game received better updates as well as designs and scenarios for its relaunch for the aforementioned 3DS; In the review, an analogy of the game was even made with the film The Godfather (1972), as it was commented that "[although the title and the film] are not contemporary, they may be outdated and You know that you may not like them, but they are worth knowing, just for the culture». In the same way, he added that the capabilities offered by the new Nintendo console fit him like a "riddler" since this will allow users to play in a more dynamic and accessible way compared to the version for N64 and ended by mentioning that the game in its updated version could include new game options such as new characters or additional minigames. they were seen as having "a personality of their own." Regarding the audiovisual section of the game, the Spanish site commented that the title was "impressive", because despite the fact that Kondō was limited by the technical capabilities offered by the title cartridge, he managed to compose 82 sufficiently "delightful" musical themes. » as for the game to be coordinated with the use of the ocarina, since this musical instrument is an essential part of the game mechanics, as well as being an important plot element. Regarding this, he said that "each melody [played with the ocarina] is a world, just as it happens with the game's own settings". Also, the site included Ocarina of Time within a list that he titled as the "Best Video Game Endings"; on that list the game appeared as the 4th best title with an "emotional" ending.
Adaptations to other media
Throughout the series, various adaptations of The Legend of Zelda have been made. Regarding Ocarina of Time, the game has had various publications, both printed and audiovisual, which in most cases are the product of fans of the series; therefore, these plot extensions are not officially considered part of the canon of Zelda games, despite the fact that some are licensed by Nintendo.
A literary adaptation of Ocarina of Time, titled Pathways to Adventure was published by Sybex Inc., during the year 1999 and was written by the novelist Jason R. Rich. This book recounts the plot of the game, which was taken directly from it, although it also has images, photographs and screenshots of the title. The text in question is specially intended for a child audience; however, the story provides hints on how to defeat dungeon bosses as well as hints on solving the puzzles offered by Ocarina of Time. This publication has a total of 106 pages.
A manga-style version was written and illustrated by Akira Himekawa, and published in Japan in 1998 by Shogakukan, while in the United States it was published by Vizkids, a division of Viz Media. the manga is loosely based on the video game, although it is divided into two parts, commonly called the "Child Saga" (こども編, "Child Saga"?) and the "Adult Saga» (おとな編, «Adult Saga»?). For this reason, the complete work is found in two different volumes, of which the first consists of 10 chapters, while the second part contains 5 chapters and 2 extra; of the latter, the first is called «Skull Kid and the Mask», which serves as a prelude to Majora's Mask while the second receives the title of «Rouro of the Watarara Tribe » which tells the story of a bird-shaped boy who visits Hyrule once a year. The first volume in its English language version of these visual novels went on sale on October 7, 2008, while on December 2 of the same year the second volume was published, both in the United States.
A comic was also published only for subscribers to the German Club Nintendo magazine as a special edition in 1998. This comic serves as a prequel to the game, as it explains how Link's parents died as well as the reason why his mother left him in charge of the Kokiri race with the Venerable Deku Tree. The comic was published in the German language and was later translated into Dutch. The illustrations that make up the magazine were made by the company Work House, which is based in the Japanese city of Tokyo. The story is divided into two sections, one entitled "Hyrule Under Fire", in which the Civil War is recounted. of Hyrule, and the way in which Link's father tries to stop the detractors causing the internal revolt within the kingdom as well as the death he suffers when carrying out said task; While the second part is titled "Escape to the Kokiri", it narrates how the little hero's mother leaves him under the care of the Kokiri race; in turn, the plot ends when Link wakes up from the nightmare he had about the rider and the princess, that is, at the beginning of the game.
Several fans of the game also undertook the task of making a film version of the video game titled The Hero of Time. The independent feature film lasts approximately 2 hours and was produced by the BMB Finishes house, directed by Joel Musch and starring David Blane as Link. The film was presented at the Plaza Atlanta theater on June 6, 2009; however, the contract that existed between Nintendo and BMB Finishes expired on January 1, 2010, so the permission that allowed the film to be broadcast through various media was canceled, and distribution of the film ceased. follows the same plot as Ocarina of Time, although it presents certain alterations with respect to the original version.
On the occasion of the launch of the new Zelda story and the 25th anniversary of the series, a video directed by Grant Duffrin and produced by 3GI Industries titled "Link to the Future", was broadcast on the internet where attempts to summarize the chronology of the games through a fan-made explanation, as well as mentioning that Ocarina of Time is the benchmark of the Zelda titles as well as one of the most important. The video turns out to be a parody of both the game and the movie Back to the Future (1985) since it contains allusions to both the title and the film in terms of plot and themes.
Official Guides
For Ocarina of Time, various official guides for the original version and later versions were published in the three key markets since late 1998, the date the game was released, so that the player was able to orient himself in the game and in this way solve the puzzles that are presented and go through the dungeons in a more simple way.
In Japan, Nintendo's official strategy guide, titled Toki no Ocarina - Nintendo Official Guidebook, was published by Shōgakukan on November 21, 1998. In North America, Nintendo of America published the official strategy guide in its longstanding Nintendo Power Magazine Official Gamer's Guide series; This consists of 129 pages and was published at the end of the year the game was released. mainly to those Spanish speakers who were not familiar with the English language. It was published and distributed at the end of 1998 by Nintendo Spain, who gave all registered users of the Club Nintendo game this guide, consisting of 129 pages. As for the remaining European countries, the official guide was distributed by Nintendo Europe.