The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (ゼルダの伝説：　時のオカリナ, Zeruda no Densetsu: Toki no Okarina), the first Zelda game released for the Nintendo 64, was undoubtedly one of the most highly anticipated games of its age. It is also widely considered to be one of the greatest video games ever created. Released in the United States on November 23, 1998, it was the first of the Legend of Zelda series to be in 3D (previous games of the series had utilized a front or top-down view).

It is generally considered to be a classic, most famously scoring a perfect 40/40 in Famitsu Magazine - a feat which only ten games have ever achieved, the nine others being The Wind Waker, Nintendogs, Vagrant Story, Soulcalibur, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Final Fantasy XII, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, 428: Fūsasareta Shibuya de and Dragon Quest IX. It is considered by many to be the best game ever released on any console. G4 television claimed it "the #1 game of all time" as well as Nintendo Power. Ocarina of Time is listed in Guinness World Records - Gamer's Edition 2008, as the highest ranked game of all time.

Events leading up to Ocarina of Time
A war occurred approximately ten years before Ocarina of Time's story begins, known as the Hyrulean Civil War. This war explains the origins of several characters and provides extra backstory to their motives.

The Boy Without a Fairy
In the Kokiri Forest, all the forest children had their own guardian fairies, bestowed upon them by the Great Deku Tree... except for one boy, plagued by nightmares of a girl fleeing an evil man clad in black.

His name was Link. For as long as he could remember, the lonely boy had been ostracized by the other children, never quite fitting in.

That is, until one day when the Great Deku Tree, as he neared death, sent Navi the fairy to deliver the lad a summons. In order to test young Link’s courage, the Great Deku Tree bade Link to venture inside his hollow and break the death curse cast upon him by a wicked man in black.

Link did so without hesitation, but his efforts were for naught; the Great Deku Tree’s death was sealed in the pages of fate before his attempt had even begun. With his last breath, the Great Deku Tree bestowed upon Link the Spiritual Stone of the Forest, the Kokiri's Emerald, and entreated him with a mission: travel to Hyrule Castle and seek an audience with Princess Zelda.

After traveling across Hyrule Field and passing through the Castle Town, Link quickly realized that speaking to the princess of Hyrule would not be a simple matter of knocking on the front door, since many guards stood watch, alert and ready to catch any trespassers. However, he managed to infiltrate the castle, bypassing the front gate and evading all the guards in his path. When he reached the castle itself, the raised drawbridge seemed an insurmountable obstacle. However, Link was soon able to discover an unguarded water drain in the castle moat. Barely fitting through the small opening, he managed to squeeze through the hole, emerging within the castle garden. Many more guards were on patrol here, but in a daring display of courage, Link was able to evade them all, penetrating the castle courtyard.

It was in this courtyard where his fate was to converge with that of the young princess of Hyrule.

Princess Zelda told Link of her prophetic dreams, saying that she had seen him come from the forest and break through the veil of darkness, accompanied by a fairy guide and bearing hence a green and shining stone. She also warned him of Ganondorf, the desert man clad in black whom Zelda believed was symbolized by the dark clouds of her dreams, and his evil intention to steal the Triforce of Legend from the Sacred Realm. With the power of the goddesses, his desire to subjugate the world would be realized. In order to do this, Ganondorf required not only the three Spiritual Stones of Hyrule, but also the mystical Ocarina of Time.

Zelda insisted that Link track down the other two Spiritual Stones, so that they might beat Ganondorf to the Triforce and put an end to his plot.

Link set out for Death Mountain and Zora’s Domain, where he succeeded in assisting both the Gorons and the Zoras in quelling the calamities that Ganondorf had wrought in his pursuit of the Triforce and was awarded with the other two Spiritual Stones, the Goron's Ruby and Zora's Sapphire, for his efforts.

He then returned to Hyrule Castle to inform Zelda of his success only to witness his nightmare come to pass. Ganondorf attacked Hyrule Castle in an attempt to steal the Ocarina of Time, and Princess Zelda was forced to flee with her loyal attendant Impa in order to keep the sacred relic from Ganondorf’s hands. As she passed Link on the drawbridge of Hyrule Castle Town, she threw the ocarina into the moat to give him the chance to enter the Sacred Realm and retrieve the Triforce. In hot pursuit, Ganondorf charged across the drawbridge, blasting Link with dark magic when he tried to stand in his way. Dismissing Link as no credible threat to his power, he sped off in his pursuit of the princess. When Link retrieved the Ocarina of Time from the moat, he received a telepathic message from Zelda, bidding him to play the Song of Time in front of the Temple of Time's altar. Link made his way to the Temple of Time, and proceeded to use the four keys to open the Door of Time. Beyond it lay the Master Sword, the blade of evil’s bane, resting in the Pedestal of Time. Link drew the blade, unlocking the gateway to the Sacred Realm. But then something no one could have anticipated happened...the Master Sword, though it accepted Link as its wielder, sealed him away in the Sacred Realm. Ganondorf, who had suspected that Link might have already held the keys to the Sacred Realm, mocked him for practically giving him the Triforce. As Link watched helplessly, Ganondorf passed him by and crossed over into the Sacred Realm... the final thing he saw as everything faded into light...

The Hero of Time
The Triforce is a scale that measures the three virtues ruled by the goddesses...Power, Wisdom, and Courage. If the heart of one who holds the sacred triangle carries all three of these forces in balance, that one will acquire the Triforce intact, the divine authority to govern all...however, if one’s heart is not in balance, the Triforce will separate into three parts, and only one part will remain for the one who touched the Triforce...that part which embodies the force that one most believes in.

If an unbalanced heart would seek the Triforce, then that one must strive to acquire the two lost parts, which will rest within two others chosen by destiny who will hold the crest of the goddesses on the backs of their hands.

When Ganondorf laid his hands upon the Triforce, the prophecy came to pass...the Triforce split into its three parts, and only the Triforce of Power remained in Ganondorf's hands.

Ganondorf proceeded to conquer the Sacred Realm, and became the self-proclaimed King of Evil, but his lust for power was not yet satisfied. In order to gain complete mastery of the world, Ganondorf started hunting for those chosen by the goddesses to hold the other two Triforce parts that had escaped his grasp.

However, there also existed a prophecy of deliverance from evil...it spoke of six Sages, who dwelt in six temples. Together with a hero chosen by the goddesses, the awakened ones would bind the evil power and return the light of peace to the world.

Because of the evil power that now flowed from the sacred temples, however, the sages could not hear the awakening call from the Sacred Realm, and so over seven brutal years Ganondorf’s powers of darkness, enhanced by the Triforce of Power, ran unchecked across all of Hyrule.

However, his hunt for the other two pieces was in vain, for their bearers had all but disappeared from the world. His search for Princess Zelda was similarly futile, for she had gone into hiding. Still, Ganondorf’s power went virtually unopposed, and he transformed the once pristine land into a world of monsters and darkness.

When it seemed that all hope had died, a miracle came in the form of a young man clothed in green, the long-lost Link, who appeared as if from nowhere. A mysterious man named Sheik, one of the survivors of the ancient Sheikah tribe, told him of Ganondorf’s conquest over the last seven years, and of the legend of the sages. Wielding the blade of evil’s bane, Link set out to break the curse on all of the sacred temples.

With this was done, he then returned to the Temple of Time and discovered that there was in fact a seventh sage: Sheik, who was in fact Princess Zelda herself in disguise as a Sheikah to avoid Ganondorf’s pursuits and to await Link’s return all along.

Princess Zelda had been the one chosen to receive the Triforce of Wisdom, and Link in turn had received the third piece, the Triforce of Courage. Link had been completely unaware of this. In revealing herself to him, however, Zelda also exposed herself to Ganondorf, who had been waiting for a moment such as this and promptly kidnapped her, bringing her to his tower fortress, constructed where Hyrule Castle had once stood before its destruction.

Link broke the barrier around the fortress with the help of the six awakened sages. Storming the keep, he confronted Ganondorf, and a climactic battle unfolded over the fate of Hyrule and the Triforce.

Without a strong and righteous mind, Ganondorf could not control the power of the gods, and so he was felled by Link’s hand. The sages, their power now restored, cast the evil incarnation of darkness into the void of the evil realm that had once been the Sacred Realm before Ganondorf's taint. Princess Zelda herself then sealed the gateway, and thus, Ganondorf the dark lord vanished from Hyrule.

Zelda then instructed Link to lay the Master Sword to rest and close the Door of Time, and he returned to his original time, becoming a child once more. Link, who traveled through time to save the land, would be forever known in legend as the Hero of Time.

Gameplay
The gameplay of Ocarina of Time was revolutionary for its time. It has arguably more of an impact on later games than any of its predecessors, even though they had the same core of exploration, dungeons, puzzles and item usage, since its influence continues to be felt today. The Z-targeting mechanic introduced by Ocarina of Time has remained almost unchanged in later console Zelda games. Another key feature is the introduction of the "Action button," which has different uses depending on Link's environment; for instance, standing next to a door prompts the Action button to change to "Open," allowing Link to open the door.

The three-dimensional environment, the enhanced sound, and the greater graphical capacity of the Nintendo 64 allowed Nintendo to create a truly immersive environment beyond that which had ever been done before, allowing for greater separation between cheerful environments, such as Hyrule Castle Town and Kokiri Forest, and comparatively dark areas such as Ganon's Tower and the Shadow Temple.

Furthermore, Ocarina of Time was the first in the series to have a gameplay mechanism that revolved around learning music. This mechanic would later appear in  Majora's Mask, Wind Waker, Twilight Princess and Spirit Tracks.

Among the game's particular gameplay mechanics, one of the most noteworthy is the time-traveling system. The game is divided into two periods: In the first, the protagonist Link is a child; his mission is to retrieve sacred stones that are the key to open the Door of Time, where the blade of the evil's bane, the Master Sword, lies; as a child, he explores a peaceful Hyrule, the dangers he faces aren't too concerning, and the dungeons aren't too complex. In the second period, Link is an adult and has to visit temples to free the ancient Sages whose goal is to seal Ganon from the world of light; this is because the Gerudo King turned Hyrule into a much fiercer land, thus most regions of it suffer from curses that affect the inhabitants in one or another way. Other differences between these two periods are based on the tools, items and treasures available; some parts cannot be accessed by child Link or adult Link because of this, the sidequests vary, child Link cannot use adult-appealed weapons, and adult Link cannot enter on small holes. Both periods, from a point of the game onwards, can be alternated anytime; in fact the only way to clear the game is to properly make the actions correspondent to each version of Link. This is not unlike the Dark/Light dichotomy from A Link to the Past, and thanks to its notability in the game, adult Link became for most players a trademark image for the young hero, despite most Zelda games featuring Link as a child.

The game also introduces Epona, a horse Link can travel with after retrieving her from captivity in Lon Lon Ranch; she is a very useful mean of travel in Hyrule Field, and there are certain sidequests that need of her assistance. Shigeru Miyamoto once stated that he wanted Link (and even Mario, which inspired the creation of Yoshi) to ride a horse in earlie titles, but it wasn't possible due to technology constraints. Epona can only be used by adult link, because in the early period she is too young to carry people, even a kid like child Link.

In this game, Link can also change his equipment. In fact, there is a pause subscreen dedicated to that; over the course of his adventure, he finds different swords, shields, boots and tunics or suits; it's learned that each equipment item gives Link a special property, and most dungeons and zones can only be properly explored when the hero is correctly equipped. The standard goes for the Kokiri Tunic, the Kokiri Boots, the Deku Shield and the Kokiri Sword. As a matter of fact, along with the Hylian Shield, these are the only items child Link can be eqipped with in the entire game (and even then, the Hylian Shield cannot be properly used because of its size). Adult Link, while unable to use the standard sword and shield, not only can still use his original tunic and boots: He can swim unlimitedly underwater with the Zora Tunic, and stand on extremely hot places with the Goron Tunic; he can walk on the bottom of a body of water with the Iron Boots, and walk briefly on air with the Hover Boots; he can make full use of the Hylian Shield, and reflect light with the Mirror Shield; and both the Master and Biggoron Swords are stronger than the Kokiri Sword.

Graphics
Being the first 3D Zelda game, a new engine was used for both this game and eventually Majora's Mask; because this engine is based on polygonal graphics, they would require a significant amount of memory in the cartridge, and generating the graphics with simultaneity and consistency would imply the sacrifice of other aspects, such as music or textures. To solve this difficulty, some techniques were used so that the game wouldn't have any problems in this regard: When Link is facing to the right, the game only loads the memory of what is in that direction, be it enemies, characters or simply the space of the territory placed there; this means that there is literally nothing currently loaded on the sides not being witnessed by the camera angle.

Audio
Despite being a 3D game, there is no voice acting from the characters, with some slight exceptions (Navi says some words, mostly when she's calling Link); a few characters scream (Ganondorf, Sheik) or laught (Saria, Malon) as well.

Like most Zelda games, Ocarina of Time has its music composed by Koji Kondo. Surprisingly, the main theme of the Zelda series is absent in this game, as the overworld tune for this game is new. The game also uses interactive music: Normally, a background theme correspondent to where Link is can be heard; when an enemy is close to him, however, a particular combat music can be listened, and won't stop until the enemy combat is finished. In a similar way, the aforementioned overworld theme changes (not only in presence of an enemy, but also when Link is standing on a place). Koji Kondo composed the Ocarina melodies with only five tones of the first three musical notes.

Cartridge Versions
There are three different versions of game cartridges: 1.0, 1.1, and 1.2. The differences are minor, but include cartridge color (1.1 and 1.2 are gray, 1.0 can be gold or gray) and the swordless glitch in 1.0 that was fixed in 1.1. Also from version 1.0 to version 1.1, a glitch where you could steal the fishing pole was removed. From version 1.1 to 1.2 the color of Ganon's blood was changed from red to green. Minor glitches in the Twinrova fight scene were corrected. The background music of the Fire Temple was altered to edit out a choir that Nintendo felt resembled a holy Muslim chant to avoid offending Muslims. Another oddity involving Islamic culture was the emblem on the Mirror Shield. In version 1.0, 1.1, and 1.2 the shield's design was a crescent moon and a star, also a symbol associated with Islamic culture. The shield design was changed in the GameCube version. The symbol is also seen on other more minor objects such as blocks. In each subsequent version until 1.2, some very minor pieces of dialog were retranslated.

All Japanese cartridges for the Nintendo 64 are version 1.0. In North America, all three versions were released (in fact, all gold cartridges were 1.0). In Europe, only 1.1 and 1.2 are available. The Virtual Console release seems to be 1.2, once again with the emblem change from GCN versions.

Timeline Placement
In most timelines, Ocarina of Time is generally considered to take place very early or the first in the Legend of Zelda timeline, as the game establishes the origins of such important elements in the series as Ganon and the Triforce. Recently, however, (since the release of The Minish Cap, which may take place even earlier) it is thought by some to be the second, third, or even fourth game chronologically.

The time travel that occurs at the end of the game is confirmed to have created two parallel timelines. One timeline continues after Link has defeated Ganon and trapped him in the Sacred Realm (the "Adult Timeline") and the other one continues after Link returned to the past and changed history so that Ganon never came to power at all (the "Child Timeline"). The Adult timeline leads into The Wind Waker while the Child Timeline leads into Majora's Mask and Twilight Princess.

Reception
Ocarina of Time was universally praised by critics when it was first released, receiving perfect scores from many reviewers, such as Famitsu, Gamespot, IGN, and Edge. Metacritic gives the N64 version of the game a score of 99/100, and the GameCube re-release 91/100. Features such as the Z-targeting system and context-sensitive Action button were well-received - the game was labelled a "walking patent office" by the editors of GameTrailers. Its graphics, gameplay and music were also critically acclaimed.

The game's graphics were called "beatiful" by IGN reviewer Peer Schneider, who commented that "rarely is there such a perfect mixture of graphics, sound and gameplay", giving the game a 10/10. Gamespot editor Jeff Gerstmann agreed, also giving the game a perfect score, saying that "this is the masterpiece that people will still be talking about ten years down the road". Criticism on the game focused on the occasional slow pace on some parts, such as the Water Temple, as well as the use of MIDI for the music quality.

Years after its release, Ocarina of Time continues to be a popular game, frequently being featured on compiled lists of all-time best games. For some players, the game's high success has overshadowed the potential success of later Zelda games, therefore becoming a tough act to follow, and marking in a certain way the downfall of the series. There is also a debate regarding whether the game is overrated or not, with IGN editor Levi Buchanan analyzing this subject from a historical and technical perspective ; this debate was revisited when current Zelda director Eiji Aonuma said that he wouldn't quit working on the franchise until creating a superior game, as well as when he said that the game hasn't aged very well.

It is currently the highest selling Zelda game, with 7.6 million copies sold worldwide.

Ports and Remakes
Ocarina of Time was ported to the GameCube twice. Once was for a pre-order bonus for The Wind Waker in which you would receive Master Quest (the Wind Waker/Ocarina of Time/OoT: Master Quest bundle was available as a "limited edition" general release in the UK, in addition to preorders). The second time was for a special GameCube bundle that came with The Legend of Zelda: Collector's Edition.

The original Nintendo 64 version is available for download on the Wii's Virtual Console for 1000 Wii Points. The Virtual Console does not support the rumble feature, which renders the Stone of Agony useless.

Design Influence
Ocarina of Time introduced many design elements that would be repeated in later games:
 * Character models: Ocarina of Time was the first game in the series to feature an in-game blond-haired Link (although the official art of previous games had depicted Link with blond hair, none of the character sprites displayed this characteristic). It also produced the first detailed model of Zelda's character, particularly her dress designs which have been the same ever since. It was also the first to portray a human form of Ganondorf. Many of the character models of Ocarina of Time were reused in its sequel, Majora's Mask.
 * Races: Many races also made their debut in Ocarina of Time. The Kokiri, Gorons, Gerudo, Hylians, and Sheikah all originated and/or were identified in Ocarina of Time. The Zoras technically appeared first in A Link to the Past, but their widely accepted character model - the slender, sky-blue, aquatic design - was first made in Ocarina of Time.

Other

 * Ocarina of Time, while not being the first game in the series to feature a musical item, is arguably the first title to employ the mechanic significantly, to the point that different songs can be learned and used for multiple goals, such as activating something or warping to some place. Later Zelda games would revisit this idea, although Twilight Princess used it sporadically.
 * As mentioned before, it introduced the Targeting system, eliminating nearly ever potential flaw present in other 3D games, such as difficulty for camera control. It also helps to focus visually on very distant spots, enemies or characters.
 * The mythology of the Zelda universe is greatly expanded.
 * Outside of the Zelda franchise, the game caused an unprecedented impact on the video game industry, to the point that other games and series were influenced by the gameplay style from the game.

Trivia

 * According to Speed Demos Archive, the fastest completion time for Ocarina of Time is 2 hours, 26 minutes and 56 seconds by Lloyd 'Manocheese' Palmer on July 31st, 2007.
 * With the release of Ocarina of Time, the original Japanese Zelda logo was discarded in favor of the now-classic western logo (first seen in A Link to the Past).
 * The first three dungeons lack small and big keys. They're not introduced at all until Forest Temple, and the only place younger Link can find and use them until then is a minigame found in Market.
 * The names of the ghosts fought in the forest temple, Jo, Beth, Amy, and Meg, are also those of the main characters in Louisa May Alcott's two-volume novel, Little Women.

Related Articles

 * The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Master Quest
 * The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Manga): The manga adaptation of the game by Akira Himekawa.
 * The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (comic): A German comic meant to act as a prequel to the game.
 * Ocarina of Time Beta Restoration Project: A complete overhaul of Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time, meant to restore, and complete the 64DD Zelda which Ocarina of Time was originally intended to be.

Links and Reviews

 * Ocarina of Time page on ZU: Includes maps, strategies, game info and more.
 * Ocarina of Time review on VGRC.net: 9.75 out of 10
 * : Good site with general information. Very extensive as far as glitches within the game. Very fun.
 * Ocarina of Time review on IGN.com: "IGN64 reviews the biggest game of the decade. Does Zelda 64 live up to the hype?"