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The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

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The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
File:ZeldaOoTbox.jpg
Developer(s)Nintendo EAD
Publisher(s)Nintendo
Designer(s)Shigeru Miyamoto
Takashi Tezuka
SeriesThe Legend of Zelda
EngineDerivative of Super Mario 64 engine[1]
Platform(s)Nintendo 64, Nintendo GameCube, iQue, Virtual Console
ReleaseN64



iQue
  • CHN: November 2003

Virtual Console


Genre(s)Action-adventure
Mode(s)Single player

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) is an action-adventure game developed by Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64 video game console as a part of Nintendo's critically acclaimed The Legend of Zelda video game series. It was followed by a direct sequel, Majora's Mask.

The game starts out with the series' trademark silent protagonist, Link in the land of Hyrule. Link sets out on a long and perilous quest to stop Ganondorf, the Zelda franchise's prime antagonist, from obtaining an item called the Triforce, a magical object made of three golden triangles which grants whoever touches it whatever he wishes for. To stop Ganondorf, Link travels back and forth through time using the Ocarina of Time, the game's namesake. Throughout the game, Link acquires several weapons and items, which are used to fight monsters and solve puzzles. Link traverses several large, labyrinthine dungeons, teeming with dangerous creatures and complex puzzles. In addition to the main quest, there are several side-quests to choose from, as well as several collectable items scattered throughout the game, though all are optional and do not need to be completed in order to complete the game.

Within six months of its release, Ocarina of Time sold more than seven million copies,[2] and since its release, 7.6 million copies have been sold.[3] In addition to its commercial success, Ocarina of Time is also considered one of the greatest games ever made by critics and fans,[4] and received extremely high ratings from reviewers.[5][6] It was recently voted as the greatest video game ever by the magazine Edge,[7] and it also came in second on the reader's choice edition of IGN's 100 greatest video games of all time.[8] Ocarina of Time is the first video game to be awarded a perfect score from Famitsu. [9]

Gameplay

File:Zeldaoot tsa.jpg
Link using Z-targeting to battle a Wolfos.

Ocarina of Time is a 3D third-person action-adventure game with role-playing and puzzle elements. Rather than leveling up with experience points, strength and abilities are improved through the collection of items, weapons, and heart containers (to increase health).

Though the basic controls for controlling Link are common today, at the time they were quite revolutionary.[10] Link usually attacks enemies with a sword, as seen in the picture to the left, though some enemies can be defeated by projectile weapons. The added dimension of height in this game makes the use of projectiles more challenging, except for a feature introduced in this game; Ocarina of Time introduced a feature called "Z-targeting", named for the fact that it is activated by pressing the Z button on the controller. This allows the player to keep camera focus on an enemy, person, or item of importance and let Link focus his attacks or attention thereon.

Like all games in the series, Ocarina of Time features several side quests, minor objectives that the player can embark on at his discretion. This game popularized the trading sequence, an extensive side-quest in which Link trades various useless items for other useless items until he receives something useful. The trading sequence in Ocarina of Time features ten separate items, culminating in the acquisition of the Biggoron Sword.

In certain areas of the game, the player is encouraged to use stealth, a situation not normally seen in the series. If Link is seen by the guards in Hyrule Castle or the Gerudo Fortress, he is thrown out the gate or thrown in jail. To avoid being seen, he must hide behind walls and behind the backs of the guards.

Near the beginning of the game, Link gains an ocarina. This is used in certain places to solve the music-based puzzles scattered throughout the game. The ocarina is played with the C buttons (C-stick on the GameCube controller) and the A button. Each button produces a different tone, which can be made a sharp or a flat with the L and R buttons.

Approximately halfway through the game, Link gains an upgrade to the ocarina called the Ocarina of Time, which the game is named after. In addition to helping with the aforementioned musical puzzles, this new ocarina gives Link the ability to travel trough time to a certain extent. This is used to solve the time-based puzzles in the game. This ability is limited in a few ways; he can only travel back and forth between the present and seven years in the future, and he can only travel while in the Temple of Time. There are several subtle differences between the present and the future, which often are clues as to how to solve the puzzles.

Also approximately halfway through the game, Link can gain the ability to ride a horse, a new ability that has become a common element in the series. While this feature is optional, it does make traveling from place to place much faster, as the horse can run much faster than Link can. It also makes certain side quests possible, such as the aforementioned trading sequence to get the Biggoron Sword. While on the horse, use of weapons is limited to the arrows, though this would be expanded on in later games.

Plot

Setting and characters

Further information: [[:The Legend of Zelda series races, Ocarina of Time characters, Ocarina of Time enemies.]]
File:Child link zelda.jpg
A drawing of Link and Princess Zelda as children.

The game takes place in Hyrule, the fictional kingdom in which most Zelda games take place. It is a vast, medieval-styled land with a diverse topography. From Hyrule Field (generally known as the overworld), Link can access virtually every important area featured in the game.

Hyrule is inhabited by a variety of intelligent creatures; the Hylians, Gorons, Zoras, and Gerudo being the most influential on the storyline. The Hylians are arguably the most populous and influential race in Hyrule, and hold rule over the majority of the land, with other races such as the Zora having their own royalty or other forms of rule to govern their people. Each are relatively secluded, and do not commonly interfere with matters of others.

Story

The game opens when Navi awakens Link to bring him to the guardian of his village, the Great Deku Tree. He informs Link that he is cursed, and near death. As the tree begins to wither, he tells Link that the wizard that cursed him seeks to conquer the land of Hyrule, and that Link must stop him. He orders Link to Hyrule Castle, and then withers.

After reaching Hyrule Castle, Link meets Princess Zelda, who explains that she has been having dreams about the future of Hyrule, and that she foresaw Link's arrival. She believes that Ganondorf, a king from the desert region, is trying to obtain the Triforce, a holy relic that gives its holder godlike power. Zelda's description of Ganondorf matches that of the wizard that killed the Great Deku Tree. To keep the Triforce from Ganondorf, Zelda explains to Link that he must obtain three Sacred Stones before Ganondorf gets them and uses them to enter the Sacred Realm, where the Triforce lies. Zelda plans for her and Link to use the Triforce to defeat Ganondorf.

File:Hyrule.gif
A map of Hyrule in Ocarina of Time.

When Link retrieves all three stones, he returns to the castle to meet with Zelda again. At the gate, he sees Ganondorf pursuing Zelda on horseback. Spotting Link, Zelda throws the Ocarina of Time, another artifact required to access the Sacred Realm, into the castle moat. After Link retrieves the Ocarina, Zelda telepathically teaches him the "Song of Time", which, combined with the Sacred Stones, will open the door that leads to the Sacred Realm that houses the Triforce. Just beyond the door, Link finds the Master Sword, a magical sword forged to fight evil. But just as he pulls the Master Sword from its pedestal, Ganondorf appears, having followed Link into the Sacred Realm and seizes the Triforce for himself.[11]

Seven years later, an older Link awakens in an ethereal room and is met by an elderly man named Rauru. Rauru informs Link that he was frozen in time for seven years until he was old enough to wield the Master Sword and defeat Ganondorf. Rauru then reveals himself as the ancient Sage of Light, one of the seven sages who protect the location of the Triforce. He tells Link that if he can find the six other sages, they will be able to imprison Ganondorf within the Sacred Realm. However, the sages are unaware of their identities because Ganondorf has conquered Hyrule and transformed it into a land of darkness. Link must rid the five Temples of Ganon's monsters, so that the power in each temple can awaken its respective Sage. Link returns to Hyrule and is met by a mysterious character named Sheik, who appears periodically to guide him in his quest.[12]

File:Ganon OoT.jpg
Ganon

After awakening all of the sages, Sheik reveals himself as Princess Zelda in disguise. Zelda is the seventh and final sage. She tells Link that when Ganondorf took the Triforce, because his heart was unbalanced, that the Triforce split into three pieces according to an ancient prophecy. When this happened Ganondorf kept the Triforce of Power, Zelda gained the Triforce of Wisdom, and Link obtained the Triforce of Courage. Zelda bestows Link with the magical Light Arrows needed to defeat Ganondorf. Their reunion is cut short when Ganondorf traps Zelda in a crystal and transports her to his tower. After the remaining six Sages help Link enter the tower, Link engages in an epic battle with Ganondorf. At the end of the battle, Zelda and the other Sages use their combined power to banish Ganon into the Sacred Realm, taking the Triforce of Power with him.[13]

Development

A new Zelda was revealed with a technical demo shown at the 1995 SpaceWorld,[14] and originally planned for the add-on Nintendo 64DD, but later turned into a proper cartridge.[15] The development crew involved over 120 people, including stuntmen to capture the swordfighting and Link's movement.[16]

Release

File:GoldOoTn64Cart.jpg
Ocarina of Time Collector's Edition gold cartridge.

Ocarina of Time itself gained a large amount of hype before release; consequently, only those who had pre-ordered the game had any guarantee of receiving a copy.

The first two Zelda games released for the NES had golden cartridges, rather than the standard gray-colored cartridges used for almost every other licensed game for the console. Keeping with the tradition, pre-ordered copies of Ocarina of Time were also golden. Also, the box cover had a thick, plastic card glued over the original cover. However, this was not the case in Europe where the game had a standard gray-cartridge owing to Nintendo of Europe (although there were actually some gold cartridges, they were only available very briefly). A possible incentive was an economic one, as standard gray cartridges are inexpensive compared to custom-made golden models. It should be noted that Australia (which is, like Europe, part of the PAL region) had golden cartridges. Also, the sequel to Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, had a golden cartridge in Australia, Europe, and North America.

PAL cartridges are very noticeably different from NTSC cartridges. PAL, having a golden Ocarina of Time picture with a black background on a gray cartridge, and NTSC having a normally colored Ocarina of Time picture with a goldish background on the noted gray, or golden cartridges. The Australian PAL versions also come in either gold or gray cartridges. The Wind Waker and Twilight Princess also have golden discs, following that of older Zelda games.

Ocarina of Time contains development code and text that is not used in the finished product. Leftover Japanese text in the item banks reveals that there were two extra medallions called the Wind and Ice Medallions at one point in development.[citation needed] There is data that allows the medallions to be equipped as an item, though they do not perform any actions. An Arwing enemy can be found in the game code, with the attack and movement AI fully programmed. The model, sound effects and animations are taken from Star Fox 64.[17]

Audio

File:ZeldaOOT Link Playing Ocarina.jpg
Link playing the Ocarina of Time
See also: Songs from The Legend of Zelda series

Ocarina of Time's music was composed by Koji Kondo, Nintendo's main composer. The music is inspired by a wide array of influences, as exemplified in its diversity from cartoonish music in the Kokiri Forest to Spanish flamenco in the Gerudo Valley. In some locations, the music is a variation of an important ocarina tune related to that area.

The ocarina itself plays a very important role in the game. It is necessary for Link to play it in order to solve certain puzzles, access certain areas, and discover new treasures and items.

The theme for the Fire Temple, the second temple Link must traverse as an adult, is most likely inspired by an Islamic prayer call, with a male chorus chanting in the second half of the song. Due to some protest, Nintendo changed this in later cartridges to a vague Gregorian chant.


Versions

Several changes were made to the game after the initial release of Ocarina of Time in 1998. All of the gold cartridges that came out that year are Version 1.0. Version 1.1 gold cartridges began to be released in late 1998, in which Nintendo fixed a number of bugs and glitches from the first version. This was followed by a Version 1.2, which occupies most of the grey cartridges and has the Player's Choice Million Seller seal on the box. A very small number of the grey cartridges are Version 1.0, but 1.1 and Version 1.2 grey cartridges are more common.

The most notable difference between Version 1.0 and the later versions is that Version 1.0 allows one to play the game without the Master Sword, by saving and reloading when it is knocked out of Link's hands for plot reasons. With no sword equipped, one can use any item on Epona, not just the bow. In Version 1.1 and 1.2, this glitch was corrected. However, there is a method that works on all versions. One must perform the "Ocarina items" glitch, which lets you play items like an ocarina, and play the Sun's Song after the Master Sword is knocked out of Link's hands, restart the battle with Ganon, do the "Ocarina items" glitch again, and warp anywhere.

Another difference between the three versions is the coloring of Ganon's blood at the end of the game. In Version 1.0, Ganon's blood is red, in Version 1.1, his blood color depends on what tunic you're wearing, and Version 1.2 only has green blood. Finally, the original theme for the Fire Temple angered the Muslim community because it was the Muslim profession of faith in Arabic that translates to "I bear witness that there is no God but Allah."[18][19] In response, Nintendo reworked the theme for version 1.2 and the two GameCube versions.

Another popular glitch that was corrected in later versions of the game was the ability to take the fishing rod outside of the fishing pond. You could make the fishing rod into a stick on the B icon, but trying to use the fishing rod outside of the fishing pond would freeze the game.

Ocarina of Time was re-released in two different forms for the Nintendo GameCube as part of the Ocarina of Time: Master Quest and Collector's Edition compilation discs. In both the Master Quest and Collector's Edition, the game was an emulated ROM instead of a port.

One significant difference in these versions is that Nintendo altered the original crescent moon and star symbol of the Gerudo to a design later used to represent the pirates in Majora's Mask, again due to Islamic protest.

Ocarina of Time: Master Quest was available for those who pre-ordered The Wind Waker in North America, as well as in a special GameCube bundle at Wal-Mart. In Europe and Australia the disc came in the same case as the initial pressings of The Wind Waker. Also, in Europe only, it was available for a limited time through a special offer on the Nintendo website. The "Master Quest" in the title refers to a remixed version of the game that contained rearranged dungeons, much like the Second Quest of The Legend of Zelda (although in that game the dungeons are also found in different locations; the locations of the Master Quest dungeons are the same). Both the original game and the Master Quest are available on the disc.

The game was also re-released as part of the compilation Collector's Edition, which was available in GameCube bundles in Europe and North America, as well as by registering hardware and software, or by subscribing to official magazines or clubs. The disc also contained The Legend of Zelda, The Adventure of Link, Majora's Mask and a demo of The Wind Waker as well as a Zelda retrospective.

Ocarina of Time was released in Europe and Australia for the Virtual Console on Nintendo's new Wii console on February 23 2007 for 1000 Wii Points. It was released in North America on February 26 2007, and in Japan on February 27 2007.[20] The only absent element is the rumble feature (this includes the use of the Stone of Agony). It should be noted that the Wii is capable of playing the GameCube versions of the game with the rumble feature working properly. The Virtual Console is Version 1.2 of the original game with the exception of the crescent moon and star symbol of the Gerudo, which was changed to the new design.

Trivia

  • The names of every five of the seven sages, Rauru, Saria, Darunia, Ruto, and Nabooru were town names in Zelda II.
  • Mido was also a town name in Zelda II.

Reception and impact

Reviews and awards
Publication Score Comment
Famitsu 40 of 40[9] First perfect score awarded
IGN 10 of 10[21] Editor's Choice

First perfect score awarded;
10/10 given to Virtual Console rerelease[22]

GameSpot 10 of 10[23] Editor's Choice;
First perfect score awarded
Electronic Gaming Monthly 10 of 10[24] Platinum award

Game of the year (1998)

Edge 10 of 10 One of only five games to be awarded

10 out of 10 in the magazine's history

N64 Magazine 98% Star Game Award;
Best score ever awarded
Nintendo Power 10 of 10[25] Game of the Year (1998);
Best game of all time
on a Nintendo console (2006)[26]
Super PLAY 100 of 100 First perfect score awarded
Compilations of multiple reviews
Game Rankings 98 of 100 (based on 40 reviews)[27]
Metacritic
99 of 100 (based on 22 reviews)[9]
Awards
2nd Annual Interactive
Achievement Awards
Game of the Year
Outstanding Achievement in Interactive Design
Outstanding Achievement in Software Engineering
Console Game of the Year
Console Adventure Game of the Year
Console RPG of the Year
1998 Japan Media Arts Festival
Grand Prize, Interactive Art

Despite the fact that it was available for only the last 39 days of the year, Ocarina of Time became the best-selling game of 1998, with 2.5 million units sold.[28] It went on to sell a total of 7.6 million copies worldwide.[3]

It wasn't only commercially successful, but was also a tremendous success critically (see adjacent table).Ocarina of Time was ranked second behind Super Mario Bros. on the 2005 edition of IGN's 100 greatest video games of all time.[8], and came first on the reader's choice list. Nintendo Power called Ocarina of Time the greatest game to ever appear on a Nintendo console.[26] GameFAQs users chose Ocarina of Time as the second best game of all-time in 2005 (behind Final Fantasy VII).[29] As a result of these and other high scores, Ocarina of Time is placed first on both Metacritic[30] and Game Rankings[31] sites which rank games by averaging review scores from many sources. In addition, when the UK's N64 Magazine reviewed Ocarina of Time, they delayed the full review by one month in order to fully appreciate the game and its nuances. Finally, after an exhaustive review covering every reviewer in the magazine's favorite moments and some coverage of The Best Game Ever, the game was awarded 98% by the N64 staff. The music from Ocarina of Time was praised by many critics,[32] and GameSpot considers it one of the top ten video game soundtracks of all time. [33] In addition, Ocarina of Time was one of the first games to be inducted into GameSpot's "Greatest Games of All Time" list. [34] The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is the first video game ever to receive a perfect score from Famitsu [9] and the Legend of Zelda is the only video game franchise to have more than one installment with a perfect score awarded by Famitsu.

Sequels

Ocarina of Time was followed by three direct sequels: Majora's Mask is a story of the same Link from Ocarina of Time as he travels to a parallel land of Hyrule known as Termina. The Wind Waker is set several hundreds of years after Ocarina of Time, on the timeline that follows on from the devastated world of adult Link, long after Hyrule has been flooded due to the return of Ganon. Twilight Princess may take place an indefinite amount of time after Majora's Mask, and parallel to The Wind Waker, on what is called the 'child timeline', back in Hyrule. Since a lot of details about the timeline are not supplied by Nintendo (only some bits in magazine interviews) it is impossible to say exactly what order it comes in, or how many years pass in between each one. It has been said directly by creator Shigeru Miyamoto, however, that Ocarina of Time is the first in the storyline.

See also

References

  1. ^ Question 13 of Nintendo Power interview with Shigeru Miyamoto. URL accessed on September 29, 2006
  2. ^ "Mario Passes 10 Million Mark". IGN. 1999-06-03. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ^ a b "Xenogears vs. Tetris". RPGamer. 2004-03-31. Retrieved 2006-11-26.
  4. ^ "The Greatest Games of All Time - The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time". GameSpot. 2003-06-20. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ^ Gerstmann, Jeff (November 23, 1998). "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time review". gamespot.com. Retrieved 2006-01-29.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: year (link)
  6. ^ Schneider, Peer. "Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time review". IGN. Retrieved 2006-01-29.
  7. ^ "Zelda game named 'greatest ever'". Retrieved 2007-07-02.
  8. ^ a b "IGN's Top 100 Games". IGN. 2005. Retrieved 2006-01-29.
  9. ^ a b c d "Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (n64: 1998): Reviews". metacritic.com. 1998-11-25. Retrieved 2007-03-01. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  10. ^ "Ocarina of Time is an epic undertaking shining with tight control, ingenious level design and intuitive play mechanics. It remains one of the all-time most innovative adventure outings to date."IGN.com Top 100 games of all time list.http://top100.ign.com/2005/001-010.html
  11. ^ "Link retrieved the Ocarina of Time from the Moat and went to the Temple of Time. He pulled the Master Sword from the Pedestal of Time and was transported to the Temple of Light in the Sacred Realm. Link is kept there for Seven Years only to be awakened by Rauru, the Sage of Light. He tells Link that Ganondorf has taken over Hyrule and Link must stop him... since Link is the Hero of Time."http://www.zeldaguide.com/lordjabujabu.html
  12. ^ "The youth known as Sheik appeared in Hyrule after Link returned to the Temple of Time as an adult. Sheik always covered her face and muffled her voice to protect her identity, but Link soon learned that this helpful soul was in fact his good friend Princess Zelda. Her unusual dress and demeanor came from being raised as a Sheikah by her protector Impa."http://www.zelda.com/universe/pedia/s.jsp
  13. ^ "His reign came to an end when Link broke through the magical barriers to his castle. A fight took place at the top of it, where Link defeated the Dark Prince. With his remaining power and might, Ganondorf sent his castle crashing down. From the rubble emerged his more powerful, yet more primitive alter-ego, Ganon. Trying to use brute force to destroy Link didn't work, and with the power of the seven sages and a final blow with the Master Sword he was banished to the Sacred Realm."http://www.zeldaelements.net/5characters.shtml
  14. ^ "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time development". n-Sider.
  15. ^ "The Essential 50 Part 40: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time". 1UP.com.
  16. ^ "Miyamoto Interview with Nintendo Power". August 1998.
  17. ^ Bayer, Glen (2005-10-09). "Star Fox Arwing in Zelda: Ocarina of Time". N-Sider. Retrieved 2007-03-19. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  18. ^ "Alternate Versions for Zeruda no Densetsu: Toki no okarina (1998) (VG)", Internet Movie Database. URL accessed on June 3, 2006.
  19. ^ "Hear the original Fire Temple theme here", [1]. URL accessed on December 30, 2006.
  20. ^ Surette, Tim (2007-02-24). "Ocarina of Time to blow on VC". GameSpot. Retrieved 2007-05-27. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  21. ^ Schneider, Peer. "Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time review". IGN. Retrieved 2006-01-29.
  22. ^ Thomas, Lucas M. (2007-02-26). "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Virtual Console) (Wii) review". IGN.
  23. ^ Gerstmann, Jeff (November 23, 1998). "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time review". gamespot.com. Retrieved 2006-01-29.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: year (link)
  24. ^ Huber, Brooks. "Retro Review: Zelda Ocarina of Time". 1UP. Retrieved 2007-03-01.
  25. ^ "Now Playing", Nintendo Power, vol. 114, p. 122, November 1998{{citation}}: CS1 maint: year (link).
  26. ^ a b "NP Top 200", Nintendo Power, vol. 200, pp. 58–66, February 2006{{citation}}: CS1 maint: year (link).
  27. ^ "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Reviews". gamerankings.com. Retrieved 2006-01-29.
  28. ^ "Zelda Breaks All Records". IGN. 1999-01-07. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  29. ^ The 10 Best Games Ever, GameFAQs
  30. ^ Search Results, Metacritic. URL accessed on June 3, 2006.
  31. ^ Rankings, Game Rankings. URL accessed on June 3, 2006.
  32. ^ Whalen, Zach (November 2004). "Play Along - An Approach to Video Game Music". the international journal of computer game research. Retrieved 2006-09-24.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: year (link)
  33. ^ http://www.gamespot.com/features/vgs/universal/tenspot_soundtrack/page11.html
  34. ^ "The Greatest Games of All Time - The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time". GameSpot. 2003-06-20. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
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