Game Review: Ocarina Of Time

Game: The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time
Console: Nintendo 64
Developer: Nintendo
Release Date: 23rd November 1998

As one of the most highly rated videogames of all time, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time was high on my list of games to review, and after almost 2 years of procrastinating I'm finally ready to do so. I'll start with a disclaimer; I played the game on the 3DS and have previously completed it on the Gamecube. Personally I don't think that the changes between any of these versions affect the gameplay significantly and so all versions will receive the same score, though I will discuss the differences between the original game and 3DS version briefly.

For those that haven't played Ocarina of Time, the game follows Link, the Hero of Time as he attempts to save Hyrule from the clutches of Ganondorf. As a child, Link journeys through The Great Deku Tree, Dodongo's Cavern, and the Inside of Jabu-Jabu's Belly to obtain three spiritual stones which will open the Sacred Realm, allowing him access to the Master Sword. After being sealed for 7 years in the Sacred Realm, Link emerges as an adult to find the world overtaken by Ganondorf. To put things right, he must obtain 5 medallions from various temple sages before facing Ganondorf, and finally Ganon himself, in order to seal the evil in the Sacred Realm and save Hyrule.

The story of the game as a whole seems to be its weakest point as despite some strong supporting characters and locations, Link has no lines of dialogue and very little characterisation leaving him as somewhat of a blank slate. Personally I found that my main motivation for progressing was in order to beat the game, rather than wanting to save Princess Zelda or put Hyrule back to rights, as I simply wasn't invested enough from Link's point of view.

This being said, the gameplay is fantastic in most if not all elements with incredibly inventive and varied puzzles and challenges through the 9 dungeons and 3 mini-dungeons. Weapons and items are acquired in such a way that players can familiarise themselves with their use, and most equippable items are needed specifically at one point or another in game. A few of the puzzles featured can be a little obtuse, but there were fairly few occasions where I had to consult a walkthrough in order to progress. Enemies featured throughout the game are varied in appearance and the strategies required to beat them, but there's not so many that players won't become familiar with most, if not all types.

Each of the dungeons featured in the game has its own ambiance and atmosphere, with music, visuals and puzzles combining to support the overall mood. While some dungeons seem to be a little longer than others, none felt too long or too short overall, and the level of difficulty rises slowly but surely throughout the game. Despite the variation in puzzles, items and concepts throughout dungeons, there's a nice predictability to finding the map, compass and boss key for each.

Talking of the bosses, this is another area with excellent variation as each is usually defeated using a weapon or item found inside of their temple, and requires a different strategy to defeat. Thanks to the overall mix of dungeons and bosses, no single dungeon or boss fight was a favourite of mine; rather they all came together to form a part of Link's experience and journey towards saving Hyrule.

Graphically the game can seem a little dated every now and then on the N64, but on the whole it holds up pretty well with interesting and engaging character models, locations, and items. In the case of the 3DS version, it's nice to have the improved graphics and option of 3D, and this definitely helps the game to feel less dated however it's not crucial to the experience and doesn't improve the game by a whole lot, unless you're super graphics concious.

Musically the game excels, sporting many memorable themes and songs thanks in part to having to learn many of them on the ocarina and their various uses in game. I can't think of a single theme I didn't enjoy in the entire game, and many of the locations and experienced were vastly enhanced by the musical score.

As mentioned before there's not a huge amount of differences between the original game and the 3DS re-release save for visuals, and they are essentially the same game and experience. A few things stood out to me however; Annoyingly Navi has been programmed to remind players to take a break every now and then, Sheikah Stones lend a little less difficulty to the game by providing hints and fairies to players, and Link seems to be a little more animated than in the original, looking around and observing enemies/locations.

Overall Ocarina of Time is a brilliant game, and certainly a benchmark for fantasy adventure games as a whole. Featuring brilliantly varied dungeons with well programmed enemies and bosses, a challenging but fair difficulty curve, and a concise but well paced progression, there's not much which could be improved without changing key features of the game. While the story could be slightly more engaging, additional cutscenes and history may well take away from the pacing and tone of the adventure.

Many gamers regard Ocarina of Time as the greatest game ever made; if it isn't, then it's gotta be pretty close.

Rating: 98/100
Grade: A