This is a game I’ve been wanting to revisit for some time. I played through this a few years after it came out (I was way late on the 64 train, only getting one way after the system debuted, and only then to grab up multi-player titles to battle my friends in; i.e. Goldeneye, Perfect Dark, Mario Kart, Pokemon Stadium).
After completing this game the first time, it instantly shot up my list of not just the best Zelda games but the greatest games of all time. I briefly started another playthrough around the time of the Wii but never got far; but now, with the creation of Switch Online and easy savepoints throughout, that time is now. So, let’s go back and look at one of the most fondly remembered Zelda titles of old.
How do you follow up Link to the Past? Probably still one of the most beloved Zelda games of all time. Well, this game did a lot to bring Zelda to the next generation. You basically get a scaled down open world game. Once you are out of Kokiri Woods, the map is now open, somewhat. There is a lot you can’t access yet but you can maneuver around Hyrule unimpeded. Pretty big change. Being in a 3D environment is also a big switch to the top down view of past games. Playing it now was incredibly hard…at first. It’s natural instinct to reach for the right trigger as your camera but no- it controls your items. That can get you into trouble. But, after the first temple, you adjust and as you gather new items and move through the game, it really isn’t a huge deal. But, the controls weren’t perfect when this game released and even more so now. It really did make me pause and consider buying the classic N64 controller Nintendo is selling.
Despite the complicated controls, this game looks amazing. Ok, we know everyone on the 64 looks blocky- like a Minecraft character, we can get over that. The visuals of the game are absolutely stunning still to this day. The Deku Tree sequence, Ganondorf chasing Zelda, Ganon’s castle falling..all of these are incredibly looking cut scenes the likes to which had not been seen in the Zelda series. It may scare fans now but there has to be a respect for what they attempted to do- take Hyrule market with moving through this static 3D enviornment, back to the Temple of Time. They were pushing boundaries as far as they could go at that time.
What Ocarina of Time does is pulls forth a lot of the usual tropes from the past games forward into a new realm- the story, I feel, is lacking the depth of past Zelda’s but there are some great moments inside of that. The introduction of Sheik and what that character means to the story- how the ocarina is integrated into functioning almost like spells that affect the game. There are some very tough boss battles as well: Dark Link pictured above gave me fits until I burnt all my magic on him with Din’s fire (that’s just one way to try and eliminate this threat.) Volvagia and Dodongo both also proved worthy challenges as boss fights. That’s one element I’ll give them credit for- the controls aren’t easy to grasp but the boss fights are kept very simple for what you have to pull off in order to defeat them. Using the Z trigger to focus your attention is a concept that didn’t really work but it never harms you for long here.
The sounds of the game are very memorable as well; this is a game built on sound after all. Using the Ocarina, I always did this thing where I tried to match the melody of the song I’m playing (It doesn’t work very well except for on Zelda’s Theme). The groan of the zombies, the downright terrifying laugh of the fairies, the groggy awakening of a Goron; they’re all recognizable and add so much color to this game and fill it out as a fully fledged world. That’s not even counting in each world’s theme- Kokiri, The Lost Woods, Gerudo Valley; this game has an absolutely brilliant soundtrack of themes that help differentiate the worlds and temples. And if you play Zelda games for secrets, this one is chock full of them, plenty I am sure I missed or have no idea about. Just remember to bomb everything and play your Ocarina everywhere!!
For years, this was my go to Zelda game (under Link to the Past). Re-playing it has been a long time coming. Having the Switch Online capability now makes it so much easier. I was baffled by the control scheme, marveled at the gorgeous look and challenged by the game play. It was everything I remembered it being. If you have not played this game, I urge you to push yourself to try it. It’s well worth the journey.
Score: 92%
bobombblast 