The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

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Game Review: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Overview:
Chances are, given the time I am writing this and the time of the release of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, if you play any electronic games of any kind, you have at least heard of this game if not played it. The game itself is the masterpiece to the master Shigeru Miyamoto, and it is argued to be one of the best video games ever created, not to mention being the first 3D installment in the series. Some even say it IS the best video game created. Rivaled in popularity only by Final Fantasy VII (which is of a different world; that of the RPG), The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time shines in nearly all ways possible.

Storyline: 9/10
We start the game with Link, the familiar voiceless hero of the Zelda series, waking up in his bed in the quiet forest of the Kokiri, the ageless children of the forest, all of whom bear a guardian-like fairy to guide them. Link, however, has no fairy, which right of the bat lets you know that Link may be a little special. Links slumber is not broken from the strange nightmare that haunts him (and that the player sees in full), but by a fairy named Navi, who you will have throughout your adventure to give you helpful hints to bring you along your way. And the fairy is no regular fairy. It is a fairy that has been sent by the great Deku Tree, the guardian spirit of the Kokiri Forest. And so Links adventure begins. Although this adventure starts in the majestic Kokiri forest, it certainly does not end there. Link leaves is home very early in his quest per order of the Great Deku tree in an attempt to have Link save the land from an evil prince of a distant nation. You are guided only by the words of the Great Deku tree to visit Hyrule Castle and meet the aptly named princess Zelda in order to work together to save the land before it is plunged into chaos.

The game will take you through twists and turns as you trek into dungeons, through fields, and in the paths of beasts and demon-like boss enemies, much like the bases of previous Zelda games. Even through time, to a world seven years in the future, where the evil prince has already taken hold of the land. But minor is a major understatement for this area of the game. It takes up over half of the span of the game itself, and plays much differently from when you adventured as a mere child. Things get darker and grittier, and you will find that things have changed dramatically since you were a child. Changes that you will have to help. Things won't fix themselves. Be you a child or a young adult, you will travel to mountains, lakes, and towns throughout the large span of Hyrule, the land in which the game takes place.

Much like any other Adventure/RPG hybrid, there are countless NPCs that help or hurt Link in his quest to save Hyrule. But unfortunately, there is one major difference in OoT that you see in many adventure games. Lack of character development. Well, I shouldn't label this quality as something that isunfortunate, because it is pretty unarguable to any Zelda fan that the game is better with no character development, of our hero, anyway. As with just about any RPG (a genre of which this game does not soundly fit), there is minor character development by means of NPCs, so there is no problem with an absence of character development by means of the main character, and it retains the charm of past Zelda games from that absence. But hey, the only type of video game that really lives off of character development are RPGs, so it's not like character development in an adventure game would be normal anyway.

So as a whole, the storyline is not what makes the game, but it does flow really really well, and pulls the player through the adventure with a good amount of anxiousness and excitement. It may be trumped easily by many RPGs, but the story is fantastic for an adventure game, and it takes a conventional plot basis and gives it some tasty Nintendo style spice to make it very tellable and classic.

Gameplay: 10/10
Any games worth cannot be determined simply from gameplay, but it is, in essence, the game itself, and how it is presented. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time utilizes the Nintendo 64s power and graphical capability near perfectly. You will see some differences and similarities from past Zelda games even at the beginning of Oot.

But collectively, the games flow is definite. You spend time exploring Hyrule and meeting NPCs. Then, you travel into the depths of a dungeon, receive new equipment to aid you in your quest, solve puzzles, and receive an item vital to your adventure. But the order of the previous statements are highly varied. For that reason, and the creativity implemented in the environments the game provides, you will never get bored. It isn't always a cave you are exploring. The game provides unique dungeons that require a lot of thinking and skill to complete, so gameplay never gets boring.

Another interesting feauture in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is the, well, Ocarina of Time. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening touched on the use of the instrument, but OoT delves into it head on. You play the ocarina throughout the course of the game to do things from calling a horse to opening a temple. But you don't just choose from a selection list of songs to play like in LA. You actually play them with the buttons on the Nintendo 64 controller. Songs are recorded in your menu, and you can play them, or any song that you can take the time to figure out, while playing the Ocarina, both as a child or an adult.

As you travel through the environments that Hyrule has to offer the young Link, things will be more in order. You have set out to fix what the evil prince Ganondorf has done, and you strive to do just that. And you won't have the kind words of the Deku Tree to help you out all the time. You may get help from a giant owl named Kaepora Gaebora, who gives you helpful hints when Navi's wise words aren't enough. But when you are an adult, and you enter the realm of Hyrule seven years older, things aren't as nice, and Ganondorfs reach has lengthened. But as far as you the player, a lot of what you do is action oriented. You can talk to people, explore environments, and fight enemies. The gameplay, although otherworldly compared to the two dimentional Zelda game, is more or less the same concepts. You collect weapons and items throughout the course of the game, and they all help you in completing your quest. Although it's not all fighting oriented. You will find yourself face to face with many friendly races as well, and there will be a significant amount of traveling through places that aren't exactly lethal to the step.

Graphics: 10/10
For the time, they are perfect. For now, they are still amazing, and influential to the video game trade. The Nintendo 64s graphic capabilities were utilized perfectly to create a world in which the environments you explore feel like they would if you were there in real life, which is something that a video game can seldom do. Even Kokiri Forest, the first place you explore, is filled with rich graphical beauty. Fog envelopes faraway locations, colorful seeds fly through the air, and your eyes are overcame with the green trees, grass, and bushes. An overcasted sky represents the exclusiveness of the forest, and the balance in color and style shows that the forest is untouched by man, and gentle in it's own way, while still being uplifting and happy. But when the game calls for a scenario, the graphics follow nearly perfectly. A secluded and hidden shop in the world where Ganondorf rules is dotted with candles, and the darkness and build of the room makes it feel exclusive, not allowed, and almost a little cozy. A waterfall may be built in a vast environment, with good water effects (better than any other seen at time if nothing else), and realistic physics concerning the falling of the water. Compared to todays graphics, OoT is sub par at most, but back when it was created, it was as close as we had to realism, and it still shows today that to make a games graphics look great, they don't have to be realistic. And even playing it now, you will still marvel at the graphics despite their inferiority. OoT takes a dash of realism and throws it into a mixing bowl full of what really makes a games graphics keen to the eye.

Sound: 10/10
As if this game wasn't good enough, Nintendo gets even more brownie points for making a killer musical score to accompany the graphics and gameplay. Music goes with environments stunningly well, and the scores are not just fitting. They are done skillfully. Quick and elaborate strums on a guitar or sitaris might be part of the music that goes with a desert. A beautiful orchestral piece might accompany a field that you travel through. An accordion might play a fun tune while you are in a shop looking for that perfect tool to get you through the storyline.

Sound Effects are stunning too. You will think it's raining outside when you come across a graveyard that is prone to precipitation. Grunts from link show anger when he swings his sword. But little sound effects are skillfully done too. An arrow hitting wood, a chime that plays when you open a treasure chest, it all comes together. Fantasy is the base for the music, while realism is the base for the sound effects. A perfect combination that works unspeakably well.

Controls: 10/10
One very familiar adventure game feature is drastically altered in Ocarina of Time. Jumping. You will only jump when the game deems you necessary too, and as much will be done so when you are running towards a gap or cliff. I NEVER once found myself wanting to jump when I couldn't. But besides jumping, you can use just about any item in the game whenever you want to, be it necessary or not. You have the choice to shot an arrow from your bow at a switch to activate it, or you could just shoot at a wall. You know, just for fun. The A button does most of the work. If you need to talk to someone, read a sign, etc, just tap the A button. If you want to roll on the ground, tap A while running. It goes on. The B button lets you wield and use your sword, the R button lets you don your shield, and then there is the Z button.

The Z button does something very interesting. Something you never really saw in too many (if any) adventure games before this. Targeting. You can lock onto your opponent with the Z button in order to get a fix on them, and your view is concentrated on them, letting you have the ability to strafe, use items while moving, swing your sword while keeping in mind your enemys location, and even do some flashy things like backflips. But your can lock onto may things with the Z button. Signs can be read from afar, people can be talked to, and other such things. This ability is actually granted from your fairys reach, and she will change colors when different things are targeted.

Another control-related aspect of OoT that I still like are the menus that you get when you pause. You navigate them with your control stick, as expected, but the player gets a variety of nifty things in the menus to look at, like a list of all of your songs, your weapons (which can be easily set to the C buttons with a push of the button you want a certain item to be set to), story related items, and even a useful map that has a marker where your next destination is.

In summary, the controls in OoT are very fluid. Really, as fluid as they could have gotten.

Difficulty: 8/10
To be honest, the game could have been a little tougher. It brings up the playing length and keeps the game going. But even then, the difficulty level is still fairly balanced. While dealing with situations, you may scratch your head a little until you come up with a solution, or you may smirk and follow through with no problems. Enemies can be dealt with in many ways, but some only in a few tricky ways that test you a little. It varies. But bosses are far too easy to deal with for my tastes. The boss battles test your ability to identify weak points and deal damage to them accordingly, but physical skill comes to not be tested as much. But in the end, the difficulty is acceptable, considering that during the time it was made, 3D adventure titles were scarce, and no one was quite used to an acceptable difficulty curve for the genre.

Replayability: 10/10
The length of the game can be very short if you rush it, or even as much as 50 hours if you take your time. It's easy to pick up again too, and indulge in simple pleasures like tackling dungeons and exploring environments. I have played the game through several times, and I am still noticing things I didn't before. You may not get the same experience from playing through again, but it will still be very fun. There are some moments which you will just have to relive, so replaying is something you will probably do naturally.

Overall: 10/10
Some people dislike it, but most love it. You can't deny that the game is one of the most innovative in history aside of Pong and Super Mario 3, and it is definitely worth a play through. It has lived on as one of the most beloved games of all time, and it's beautiful graphics, smooth sound, and sharp gameplay make it a lot of fun.

Rent or Buy?
Just buy it. It's highly unlikely that you can rent it anyway. Even now, it shouldn't be too hard to find a cartridge on ebay or even in store that sells used games. But if you don't have a Nintendo 64 to play it on, try finding a used copy of one of two bonus disks that Nintendo has released. Ocarina of Time+Ocarina of Time Master Quest was packaged with a preorder of The Legend of Zelda: The Windwaker, and The Legend of Zelda: Collectors Edition features not only OoT, but the great sequel, Majoras Mask, The Legend of Zelda, and the Legend of Zelda 2: The Adventure of Link. It even features a demo of The Wind Waker, another great Zelda title. No Gamecube or Nintendo 64, and you still want to buy OoT? Hmm... Just buy a gamecube. It's price has recently dropped to about $100, and there are a lot of great titles available.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 04/01/05, Updated 03/06/06