Jump to content

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 81.172.230.157 (talk) at 17:15, 15 November 2004. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
The Legend of Zelda

Ocarina of Time

Title screen (Gamecube re-release)
Developer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo
Designer: Shigeru Miyamoto
Release date: 1998
Genre: Adventure
Game modes: Single player
ESRB rating: Everyone (E)
Platform: Nintendo 64, GameCube
Media: 1.5 gigabyte optical disc

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is a video game released in 1998 and was the first Zelda game created for the Nintendo 64. It was also the first 3D version of the highly successful Legend of Zelda series of video games, and produced by Zelda creator Shigeru Miyamoto. Within five months of its release, Ocarina of Time broke records by selling over six million copies, and a total of 7.6 million copies have been sold worldwide. With its fun, innovative gameplay, it is widely considered one of the greatest video games of all time.

In 2003 it was rereleased for Nintendo GameCube as a bonus for preordering The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. In 2003 Ocarina of Time came bundled with The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Master Quest. Later that year it was reissued (without the Master Quest add-on) on a four-game GameCube disc, only available as a limited-offer promotion, that also included The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask as well as the original two games in the series (The Legend of Zelda and Zelda II: The Adventure of Link) originally made for the 8-bit NES.

Template:Spoiler

Story

The story takes place in the land of Hyrule where a young boy, Link, was called upon by the Great Deku Tree, who watches over the Kokiri to save the land from the King of Thieves, Ganondorf. Although Ganondorf had sworn allegiance to the king of Hyrule, he planned to take over using the triforce left behind by the goddesses of power, courage, and wisdom many years before.

The very cautiously guarded Temple of Time near Hyrule Castle was the entrance to the Sacred Realm. An inscription inside told of the keys to the realm: those who wished to enter needed to have three spiritual stones. The spiritual stone of fire was given to the Goron leader Darunia, the stone of water was given to the Zora Queen of Zora's Domain, who passed it on to Princess Ruto and the stone of the forest was given to the Great Deku Tree in Kokiri Forest. While attempting to gain possession of these spiritual stones, Ganondorf cut off the Goron's food supply, cursed the Zora guardian deity Lord Jabu-Jabu into swallowing the Zora Princess Ruto, and put a fatal malediction on the Deku Tree.

As the Deku Tree was dying, he appointed the fairy Navi to help Link. The fairy found the boy in bed while he was having nightmares. In one dream, Link saw himself at a castle as a woman with a little girl escaped on horseback. The horse would be followed by a man with an evil look on his face (Ganondorf) riding on a black horse. Once Navi took the boy back to the Tree, Link went inside it to defeat some nasty monsters existing within. When the curse on the Deku Tree was broken, Link was given the spiritual stone of the forest. Navi was to remain by his side until his duties were done. She provided helpful hints about the weaknesses of enemies and also helped him target any villains he was to fight.

As he was leaving his home in Kokiri Forest, Link was given an ocarina by his friend Saria. Gratefully accepting the gift, he then went to Hyrule Castle in search of Zelda, the princess. He found the Castle and saw the princess eavesdropping on the Kings conversation with Ganondorf. She told Link about her fears of Ganondorf trying to find the triforce and using it for evil instead of good. They planned to get the triforce before Ganondorf could, conquer him, and save Hyrule. Before he left, Zelda's caretaker, Impa, taught Link "Zelda's Lullaby" which would enable him to enter many places during his adventures. Link went back for a short while to visit Saria, and learned a new song from her for his ocarina.

So began Link's journey through various parts of the land. He would have to defeat many monsters while visiting numerous dungeons before peace could finally be restored in Hyrule.

For each place conquered, Link received a spiritual stone. Once he had them all, he went back to the castle to find that it had surrendered to Ganondorf. Just as he had seen in his dreams, Impa and Zelda suddenly fled on horseback, and as they did, the princess threw the Ocarina of Time into the moat. They were followed by Ganondorf who hurt Link for refusing to tell him which way Impa had gone. Ganondorf went after the two and Link retrieved the ocarina from the moat. Through a psychic message, Zelda managed to teach link the Song of Time. He now had the keys to the Sacred Realm: spiritual stones as well as the Ocarina of Time. Link went to the Temple to Time and played the song. Suddenly the Door of Time opened and revealed a room with a sword stuck in stone.

When Link tried to draw the sword out of the stone, he was much too young, but being the chosen one he was kept inside the Chamber of the Sages for years until he came of age. While he was trapped within the chamber, the door to the sacred realm was left open. Soon Ganondorf found it and obtained the triforce after battling many others who desired it. Because Ganondorf wished so much for power, the triforce gave him only that. Destiny had chosen Zelda and Link to personify wisdom and courage. Ganondorf wanted to find the two destined to hold the remaining powers of the triforce. He cursed Zora's domain, freezing it, imprisoned the Gorons and returned an evil dragon named Volvagia to Death Mountain.

Fortunately, Link woke up just in time, finding himself all grown up and face to face with the light sage Rauru. He told Link to awaken the rest of the sages, and by doing so, each sage would add his/her power to Link's. He also meets a man called Sheik on his way out, who tells him of a girl waiting for him in the Forest Temple. Link then began his journeys to different temples awakening sages along the way.

Once Link defeated the evils of the temples, he returned to the Temple of Time to discover Sheik, who told him about Ganondorf's attempts to find the other two holders of the triforce pieces. Link soon found out that he was the holder of courage, and Sheik turned out to be Princess Zelda in disguise, the holder of wisdom. The princess then gave him the most powerful weapon of all, the light arrows. Just then she was trapped inside a pink crystal and taken away magically by the evil king. Link would now have to defeat the Great Ganondorf.

As he made his way up to the castle, Link saw that the entrance was surrounded by a moat of lava. The sage Rauru contacted him and told him that all the sages would combine their powers to create a bridge. A beautiful glassy bridge helped Link gain entrance to castle. Inside he found a barrier that drew its power from the Sages. Once he managed to break each of the barriers and free the sages, he was able to enter Ganondorf's Tower to confront him. Ganondorf was found playing his organ while the princess was still trapped in the crystal. When Link entered the room, all three parts of the triforce were finally together and seized by Ganondorf. Navi told Link that she could no longer help him fight, as the king's darkness was too much for her to bear. She quickly zipped away to cower somewhere out of sight.

Ganondorf began hovering over Link, shooting him down with magic, and laughing in his crazy fashion. Golden sparks flew creating a magnificent fight scene. Link used the light arrows and his sword to finally defeat the evil king and Zelda was free again. Ganondorf began to spit blood while slowly dying a painful death. Still, with the last of his strength, Ganondorf began making the tower crumble and the princess began to flee with Link following close behind. The two escaped just in time and watched the remaining castle tumble down, and disappear into a massive cloud of dust.

Just when they thought it was all over, the ground began to shake, and out of the rubble emerged Ganondorf, with the triforce still gleaming on his hand. It had made him more powerful than ever before. He transformed into Ganon, a giant form far more hideous than the original Ganondorf. When Link drew his sword, Ganon swiftly knocked it out of his hands. The boy was left with the light arrows, which he used to blind the monster with. Ganon seemed to have a weak spot on his tail, which Link struck with his hookshot (or hammer, whichever one was handy). Each strike would make the creature weaker, until he finally fell to the ground. Link ran to get his sword while Zelda held the wicked thing with her powers. Finally the sword delivered a few final blows, and Ganon was no more.

The sages came together and sent Ganondorf to the Evil Realm. Hyrule was returned to a happy and peaceful state. Zelda and Link managed to float up to some pretty clouds, where she thanked him during a great cinematic scene. Although heartbroken, she had to return him to his time. After returning the Ocarina of Time to her, he was transported back to Hyrule in a blue crystal. Link opened his eyes to find himself seven years in the past, once again a child. He longed to see Zelda again, and in yet another darling scene, he made his way to the castle, and found her at the same window as when they first met. The story is continued in The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask.

Characters

Items

See The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time weapons and items

Races

Places

Enemies

  • Deku Scrub. One of the most common enemies. The Deku Scrub hides itself in the ground until the player approaches. Then, it spits a Deku Nut that can blocked and shot back to him with a shield. The Mad Scrub, a red version of the Deku Scrub, runs after being hit, and then must be killed.
  • Keese. The Keese is a bat. It does small amounts of damage and can be killed with a single hit. There are two variants, the Fire Keese and the Ice Keese, which respectively burns and freezes the character. A normal Keese can also fly into a torch to turn itself into a Fire Keese.
  • Deku Baba. A type of carnivorous plant that snaps at passersby. Easily defeated and can grow to enormous sizes.
  • Stalfos. Reanimated skeletons that were once Hylians lost in the forest. Defeated using swordfighting.
  • Octoroc. An octopus-like creature that lives in water, and attacks Link by spitting rocks at him. Octoroc is defeated in a fashion similar to Deku Scrub; that is, by simply using your shield to reflect the rocks back at it. Unlike Deku Scrubs, that is all it takes to defeat it.
  • Like Like. A big piece of some sort of slime or goo, this repulsive creature will stretch out and take a chew on Link if he gets too close. When this happens, Link will lose some part of his inventory, and it can only be repossessed upon defeating Like Like. This is done by either swordfighting or projectiles. It can take a fair amount of damage, but given its slow speed, it's not a particularly hard foe if you just keep your distance. One a side note, Like Like appears as a trophy in Super Smash Bros. Melee for Gamecube, and the accompanying text says that the name "Like Like" comes from the ancient Hylian proverb: "Shield Eaters and World Leaders have many likes alike".
  • Tectite. A spider-like creature that will jump towards Link. There are two variants: the Red Tectites, which live on Death Mountain, and the Blue Tectites, with the ability to walk on water, which can be found at Zora Lake. They can be defeated with most weapons.
  • Poe. This ghost comes in different colors and sizes. It has the ability to disappear, so that only the lantern it is carrying is visible. It can only be attacked when it is in its visible state. Poe attacks by charging towards Link, trying to burn him with the lantern. When it is defeated, it shrinks down to a small flaming spirit, which can be caught in a bottle and sold to a mysterious man in Hyrule Castle Town. He pays extra for rare species of Poes.
  • Leever. An oddly cone-shaped being, that lives in the desert. It can move rapidly under the sand, and then surface unexpectedly and attack from behind. It attacks in group, and is one of the more annoying enemies in the game, although it is not encountered on many places.

Music

Ocarina of Time's music is fabulous and varied, like all other Zelda games' music. It was composed by Koji Kondo, Nintendo's famed in-house composer. The tunes range from the epic and vibrant overworld theme—a new theme unlike the famous Hyrule theme from previous games—to the many sweet melodies Link plays in his Ocarina and the truly and always hypnosis-inducing, atmospheric and creepy chants and echoes going on in the many mazes, as in all Zelda games.

These are the songs Link learn to play throughout the game:

  • Zelda's Lullaby (C-left, C-up, C-right, C-left, C-up, C-right) - This is learned from Impa after Link first meets Princess Zelda. It is used to identify Link as traveling with the blessing of the Royal Family. It also awakens the Great Fairies.
  • Epona's Song (C-up, C-left, C-right, C-up, C-left, C-right) - This is learned from Malon at Lon Lon Ranch. It is used to tame Epona and later to call her.
  • Saria's Song (C-down, C-right, C-left, C-down, C-right, C-left) - This is learned from Saria after Link finds her in the Sacred Forest Meadow. It is used to communicate with Saria and cheer up Darunia.
  • Sun's Song (C-right, C-down, C-up, C-right, C-down, C-up) - This is learned in the Royal Tomb in Kakariko Graveyard. It is used to turn night into day or day into night. It also freezes the Undead.
  • Song of Time (C-right, A, C-down, C-right, A, C-down) - This is learned from Princess Zelda after Link recovers the Ocarina of Time. It is used to open the Door of Time and make Time Blocks disappear.
  • Song of Storms (A, C-down, C-up, A, C-down, C-up) - This is learned from the man in the Windmill Hut. It triggers the storm that drains the well in Kakariko Village.
  • Minuet of Forest (A, C-up, C-left, C-right, C-left, C-right) - This is learned from Sheik in the Sacred Forest Meadow. It transports Link to outside the Forest Temple.
  • Bolero of Fire (C-down, A, C-down, A, C-right, C-down, C-Right, C-down) - This is learned from Sheik in Death Mountain Crater. It transports Link to outside the Fire Temple.
  • Serenade of Water (A, C-down, C-right, C-right, C-left) - This is learned from Sheik in Lake Hylia. It transports Link to above the Water Temple.
  • Requiem of Spirit (A, C-down, A, C-right, C-down, A) - This is learned from Sheik at the Desert Colossus. It transports Link to outside the Spirit Temple.
  • Nocturne of Shadow (C-left, C-right, C-right, A, C-left, C-right, C-down) - This is learned from Sheik in Kakariko Village. It transports Link to outside the Shadow Temple.
  • Prelude of Light (C-up, C-right, C-up, C-right, C-left, C-up) - This is learned from Sheik in the Temple of Time. It transports Link back to the Temple of Time.
  • Scarecrow's Song - This song is composed by Link and varies from game to game.

The music from the temples and mazes, though, are mostly nameless, though they've always been the hallmarks of the game series, together with the Hyrule overworld tune from past Zelda games. Of special interest in the game: the aethereal, connected hum inside the Deku Tree; the sitar-laden cadence with an Eastern flair from the Water Temple; the mysterious, desert-inspired melody line from the Desert Colossus; and the eerie, trobbing orchestra from the forest temple. Put the volume down and you just find yourself playing a very good video game; pump it up and you find yourself in another, fantasy-ridden world.

Triforce Rumors

A very early work-in-progress screenshot of Ocarina of Time shows Link recieving the Triforce itself from a treasure chest. Despite the fact that no such scene actually takes place in the final game, that single shot has led to no end of speculation as to whether or not the Triforce exists in the game as an obtainable item (instead of simply being referred to in the storyline).

Further fueling the speculation is the existence of this riddle-like poem, purportedly written by series creator Shigeru Miyamoto himself (but since discredited as having come from him), which claims to contain the secret of the Triforce in Ocarina of Time:

If you seek to open the Gate
The Key you seek is shadowed fate.
In the secrets that lie beneath the ground.
Is where the wisdom required is found.
To find the third force of power,
First you must seek the sacred flower.
When the three gather all in one place.
Then you shall see the sacred one's face.
On to the realm through the gates you pass.
Before you will stand a magnificent mass.
Three stone structures with names familiar to you.
The names of the gods, Din... Farore... and Nayru...

Proponents of the Triforce theory point to several pieces of evidence that suggest, perhaps, there either was at one time or still may be a way to obtain the mystical artifact. Among the "proof" offered:

  • A Triforce symbol appears on the game's subscreen, in a style that suggests it could be "filled in" if obtained. (The Spiritual Stones and Medallions appear in a similar fashion on the subscreen.)
  • Rauru, the Sage of Light, simply gives Link the first Medallion of his adult quest. This indicates that at least one dungeon, the Temple of Light, was deleted from the game; perhaps the Triforce lay in there?
  • There are several subquests and sidequests that seem to go nowhere, or have no clear way to win them, such as the Running Man's race (no matter how fast you go, he'll always beat you by one second).
  • The existence of several red herring clues, such as coin-arrows that seem to point at nothing in particular and Gossip Stones in suspicious-looking places that cannot be reached. (Actually, these "coin-arrows" mark various secrets, which are often activated by playing songs—usually the song of storms, the sun song, or the scarecrow song.)
  • The unreleased Ura Zelda add-on for the game was supposed to allow you to gain the Triforce. (This was disproven in 2003 when this game was finally released as The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Master Quest.)

There have been several methods suggested over the years as to how the Triforce could theoretically be obtained. Nintendo themselves even claimed to have a way to do it, as part of a Nintendo Power April Fool's joke in 1999 (an issue that also offered a similarly bogus method of unlocking Luigi in Super Mario 64).

All of these methods, clues, and hints, however, are completely false, and there is no way to obtain the Triforce in Ocarina of Time. Perhaps at one point in the game's development it was possible to do so, but the current storyline simply doesn't allow for it. It has been correctly pointed out that if Link were able to get the complete Triforce at this point in Hyrulian history, it would invalidate most of the earlier games in the series that actually occur later in the backstory, including and especially The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. Despite all this, doctored screenshots and increasingly crackpot theories continue to appear every so often in the Zelda fan community, often displaying no small amount of creativity, but phony regardless. It is perhaps a testament to the staying power of Ocarina of Time that it can continue to capture the imaginations of gamers so long after its release, to the point where some even refuse to accept that every nook and cranny of the game's world has been thoroughly explored and mapped.

See also



Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Legend_of_Zelda:_Ocarina_of_Time&oldid=7492170"