The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time #2 Hyrule in three dimensions

Story

A LONG TIME AGO...

Before life began, before the world had formed, three golden goddesses descended upon the chaotic land of Hyrule; they were Din, the goddess of power, Nayru, the goddess of wisdom, and Farore, the goddess of courage.

Din, with her strong flaming arms, cultivated the land to create the earth. Nayru poured her wisdom onto the earth to give the spirit of law to the world. Farore's rich soul created all life forms who would uphold the law.

These three great goddesses returned to the Heavens, leaving behind the Golden Sacred Triforce. Since then, the Triforce has become the basis for Hyrule's providence; where the Triforce stood became sacred land.

Approximately ten years before Ocarina of Time's story begins, there was a war known as the Hyrulean Civil War. This war explains the origins of several characters and provides extra backstory to their motives.

In the vast, deep forest of Hyrule, the Great Deku Tree served as the guardian spirit. The children of the forest, the Kokiri, lived with the Great Deku Tree. Each Kokiri had his or her own guardian fairy, except one. His name was Link.

Early one morning, Link was having a nightmare. It was the same nightmare he had every night. During a storm, Link would find himself standing in front of a mysterious castle. A rider on horseback, carrying a girl, would race by. The girl would look at Link as if to say something. Then, another rider would appear. This big man clad in black would look down menacingly at Link. Link would then awaken.

"Link! Hey, get up, Link! The Great Deku Tree wants to talk to you!"

As Link opened his eyes, he saw a fairy floating in front of him. This fairy's name was Navi. Navi was sent to summon Link to the Great Deku Tree.

"Oh Navi, thou hast returned!" said the Deku Tree. "Thank you, Link, for coming. Thy slumber these past moons must have been restless, and full of nightmares. A vile climate pervades this world. Verily, ye have felt it. The time has come to test thine courage. I have been cursed. I need you to dispel the curse with your wisdom and courage. Art thou prepared?"

Link entered the Great Deku Tree and broke the curse.

"Well done, Link! I knew that ye were worthy of carrying out my wishes. A wicked man of the desert cast this dreadful curse on me. Employing his vile, sorcerous energies, the evil one is searching for the Sacred Realm connected to Hyrule. For it is there that one will find the divine relic. The Triforce, that contains the essence of the gods. Whoever holds the Triforce can make their wishes come true. Thou must never allow the desert man to lay his hands on the Sacred Triforce. Thou must never suffer that man to enter the Sacred Realm of Legend. Link, go now to Hyrule Castle. There, ye will surely meet the Princess of Destiny. Present this stone to the Princess. I have foreseen that she will understand everything."

The Great Deku Tree gave Link the Spiritual Stone of the Forest. Before dying, the Deku Tree's last words were, "The future depends on thee, Link. Thou art courageous."

Gameplay

Third Dimension

The gameplay of Ocarina of Time was revolutionary for its time. It has arguably made more of an impact on later games in the series than any of its predecessors, even though they had the same cores of exploration, dungeons, puzzles and item usage. The Z-targeting mechanic introduced by Ocarina of Time has retained its core values in later 3D console games, as well as having been introduced in other video game series. 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, enhanced sound, and greater graphical capacity of the Nintendo 64 allowed Nintendo to create a truly immersive environment beyond what 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 Castle and the Shadow Temple.

Time Travel

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, and his mission is to retrieve sacred stones that are the key to open the Door of Time, where the Blade of Evil's Bane, the Master Sword, lies. As a child, he explores a peaceful Hyrule, the dangers he faces are not too concerning, and the dungeons are not 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 various ways.

Other differences between these two periods are the tools, items and treasures available. Because of this, some parts cannot be accessed by child Link or adult Link, the sidequests vary, child Link cannot use adult weapons, and adult Link cannot enter 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 take the actions corresponding to each version of Link. This is similar to the Dark/Light dichotomy from A Link to the Past, and thanks to its notability in the game, adult Link became a trademark image of the young hero for most players, despite most Zelda games featuring Link as a child.

Music and Transportation

Ocarina of Time also introduces the use of music to solve puzzles. This mechanic would later appear in Majora's Mask, The Wind Waker, Twilight Princess and Spirit Tracks. As new songs are learned, they can be used to solve puzzles, gain access to new areas and warp to different locations.

The game also introduces Epona, a horse Link can travel with after retrieving her from captivity in Lon Lon Ranch; she is very useful for travel in Hyrule Field, and there are certain sidequests that require her assistance. Epona can only be used in the adult parts of the game, as she is too young to carry children in the child timeline.

Equipment

Link can also change his equipment through the pause subscreen. Over the course of his adventure, Link may find different swords, shields, boots, and tunics. Many areas can only be explored when the hero is correctly equipped.

As a child, Link is initially equipped with the Kokiri Tunic and the Kokiri Boots. Early in his quest, he obtains the Deku Shield and the Kokiri Sword. Link may acquire the Hylian Shield later on, but due to it being too big for him, he cannot properly use it. After transforming into an adult, Link keeps his Kokiri Tunic and Boots, but is unable to equip the Kokiri Sword and Deku Shield. During his adult quest, he acquires the Goron Tunic to withstand extreme heat and the Zora Tunic to breathe underwater. Link also receives the heavy Iron Boots used to sink to the bottom of bodies of water, and the Hover Boots to hover in midair briefly. Link also finds the Mirror Shield, which allows him to reflect light. Optionally, Link can also obtain the more powerful Giant's Knife or Biggoron's Sword.

Other items, which remain stacked for a permanent effect on Link, including the Goron Bracelet as a child, the Gauntlets as an adult (each allowing him to lift stronger objects, from Bomb Flowers to giant rocks), and Zora Scales to dive deeper underwater as a child. Link may also obtain a collection of bag upgrades for Bombs, Arrows, Bullet Seeds, Deku Nuts, and Rupees.

Game Information

Development

Ocarina of Time was originally intended and designed for the Nintendo 64DD peripheral for the Nintendo 64 game console. It was supposed to be the flagship title of the 64DD, while Super Mario 64 was to be the counterpart for the main system itself. However, as the release of the 64DD became progressively delayed, Nintendo chose to move Ocarina of Time to a standard N64 cartridge with 32 MB of storage, only half the size of the 64DD disks, however it is still the largest cartridge ever produced for Nintendo systems up to that time, which saved most of the important content. This shift from 64DD disk to N64 cartridge contributed to the game being delayed significantly.

In early stages of development, the game was structured similarly to Super Mario 64, with Ganon's Castle as the only setting, and various different rooms in the castle serving as the dungeons.

Graphics

Being the first 3D Zelda game, a new engine was used for both this game and eventually Majora's Mask. Because the 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 the camera is facing forward, 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 when she is calling Link, Link when he yawns or sneezes, when he is shocked or when he sustains damage. A few characters scream, such as Ganondorf, Sheik and Link when he falls from high altitude, or laugh, such as Ganondorf, Saria and Malon.

Like most older Zelda games, Ocarina of Time has its music composed by Koji Kondo. Surprisingly, the main theme of The Legend of 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 theme can be heard, and won't stop until the enemy is defeated. 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.

Save Mechanics

The game can be saved at any point through the Subscreen. This will save the game's progress and items obtained up to that point. Upon the loading of a save file, Link's location will revert to one of several possible locations, depending on the progress made and where the game was last saved.

• Link's House: If Link is a child when the game is saved, and was not in a dungeon, he will start in his house in Kokiri Forest regardless of his prior location.
• Temple of Time: If Link is an adult when the game is saved, and was not in a dungeon, he will start in the Temple of Time regardless of his prior location.
• Dungeon Entrance: If the game is saved while in a dungeon, loading that save will return Link to the entrance of that dungeon, regardless of his progress within it.

Setting

Ocarina of Time is the first title in the series to show Hyrule in three dimensions. The sacred land is a vast region that portrays various different ecosystems, which are populated by Hylians and other races. Hyrule Field is the central territory, and is connected to the other areas. It also surrounds Lon Lon Ranch, where milk is produced and where numerous animals are raised. Located east from the field is Kokiri Forest, where Link lives (and where the game begins) along with the Kokiri race (who inhabit the place and, as long as they do so, do not age); the forest is governed by the Great Deku Tree until his death early in the game. Found north of the field is Hyrule Castle Town, where most of the Hylians live, and where Princess Zelda is raised until her turn comes to lead Hyrule. It's also where the Temple of Time was built to house the legendary Master Sword.

East from Hyrule Castle Town is Kakariko Village, a place formerly inhabited by the Sheikah tribe until Impa made it public for people to live there, and where the Graveyard houses the remains of the deceased Royal Family members. Kakariko Village itself is the starting point to reach Death Mountain, the rocky home of the proud Goron race, as well as the fierce Dodongo population, and where an active volcano can be accessed. Northeast from Hyrule Field is Zora's Domain, a crystalline river and fountain inhabited by the Zoras and governed by King Zora until Princess Ruto takes the throne to accept her royal duty. Lake Hylia, found south from the Field, is not ruled by any race, but the Zoras did build a Water Temple in the Lake itself. Finally, Gerudo Desert is located west from the Field, and consists of a Valley, a Fortress, a Haunted Wasteland, and the surroundings of a Temple. It is inhabited by the Gerudo tribe, and is considered to be a ground isolated from the rest of Hyrule.

Initially, most of these areas are relatively safe from evil, and the few exceptions (Kokiri Forest, for example) have problems too specific to cause any major impact on its inhabitants, mostly having to do with the search of the Spiritual Stones. Seven years later, however, every single part of Hyrule is affected greatly by Ganondorf's evil influence, so Link must visit the sacred Temples so that the Sages can be awakened and the curses can be undone, one by one.

Changes Between Versions

Five different versions of the game were produced for the Nintendo 64. Three versions were made for Japan and North America and two for Europe. The Japanese and North American versions themselves are identical aside from a byte that sets the game's region and determines the language of the game. Several minor changes were made between each version, with a variety of text corrections and glitches fixed. Further corrections were made in version 1.2 and the European versions, as well as the recoloring of Ganondorf's blood from red to green, and the alteration of the music heard in the Fire Temple to remove a sample of an Islamic prayer chant. The sample was taken from a commercially available sound library, but the developers did not realize it contained Islamic references. Contrary to popular belief, the chanting was not removed due to public outcry, but instead after Nintendo discovered it violated their own policy to avoid religious material in games. All five Nintendo 64 versions of Ocarina of Time were completed prior to the game's original release date of November 21.

A further modified version of 1.2 was produced for the Nintendo GameCube release. The Crest of the Gerudo, as depicted on blocks, switches and the Mirror Shield, was changed from an inverted crescent moon and star symbol (associated with Islam) to a unique design introduced in Majora's Mask. Further changes and corrections were made to the game's dialogue, along with minor technical changes. The Virtual Console versions of the game are identical to the version released for the GameCube, but with the Nintendo 64 button colors.

Special Edition

Between December 1998 and 1999 a Special Edition bundle was released exclusively by German mail order company Cyber Games. It included a physical copy of the game, a T-shirt with the Ocarina of Time logo on the front and a unique artwork of Link on the back, a relief pin in the shape of the Master Sword and a Hylian Shield with the word "Zelda" stamped onto it and a gold butterfly clutch, and a flyer promoting merchandise by Cyber Games.

Timeline Placement

When it comes to the Zelda Timeline, Ocarina of Time is one of the most important and decisive installments, which is attested by both its placement and the connections with past and future games. According to the book Hyrule Historia, it is indicated to be the final Zelda game in the pre-split timeline era, which starts with Skyward Sword (which, shortly after its official announcement, was confirmed to take place before Ocarina of Time). The other games preceding Ocarina of Time are The Minish Cap and Four Swords. Regardless, Ocarina of Time has always been a pivotal game in the chronology with the events at the end of the game, where Zelda sends Link back to his youth, splitting the timeline. When the official timeline was revealed in Hyrule Historia, the placement of Ocarina of Time in the series was revealed to be of even greater value, as the events of the game actually split the series' timeline into three branches.

"Downfall Timeline"

At the end of Ocarina of Time, there was one outcome in which Ganondorf actually defeated Link, which resulted in the formation of the "Downfall Timeline." It starts with the Hero of Time, Link, failing to defeat Ganondorf, which allowed him to obtain the remaining Triforce pieces from Link and Zelda. The seven Sages proceeded to quickly seal him within the corrupted Sacred Realm. Years later, greedy people entered the Dark World seeking the Triforce, turning into monsters and becoming part of Ganon's army. In the war that ensued, the Knights of Hyrule protected the Sages of that era from Ganon's minions, while they cast a seal to close off the entrance to the Dark World. This marked the conclusion of the Imprisoning War, which laid the foundation for the events of A Link to the Past. After A Link to the Past, Link's Awakening, Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages, A Link Between Worlds, Tri Force Heroes, The Legend of Zelda and The Adventure of Link take place, in that order.

"Child Timeline"

If Link succeeds in defeating Ganondorf, the timeline branches into one of two more timelines. When Zelda sends Link back in time, the "Child Timeline" is formed. Although Ganondorf is not granted access to the Sacred Realm, it is very possible that unbeknownst to him, he acquired the Triforce of Power as a result of Link returning back with the Triforce of Courage in his possession. Link informs Zelda of the "future" events and leaves Hyrule shortly afterwards, setting the events of Majora's Mask in motion. Ganondorf is executed several years later according to the backstory of Twilight Princess. Many years later the events of Twilight Princess take place. Following Twilight Princess Four Swords Adventures takes place featuring Vaati and another incarnation of Ganondorf.

"Adult Timeline"

In a third branch of the events in Ocarina of Time, the "Adult Timeline" continues after Link defeats Ganondorf and the Sages seal him in the Sacred Realm with the Triforce of Power in his possession. Link is sent back to his childhood, leaving this branch without a Hero, as told in the prologue to The Wind Waker. Ganondorf eventually overcomes the Sages' seal and attempts to take over Hyrule, but with no Hero to face the evil, the Goddesses flood Hyrule, leading to the events of The Wind Waker and consecutively Phantom Hourglass, and later in the timeline, Spirit Tracks.

Controls

Control Stick

To look up, down and all around, also to aim your weapon

C Button Up, C Button Down

Move forward. Move backward

C Button Left, C Button Right

Strafe left. Strafe Right

C Button Up + C Button Left or C Button Right

+ or Strafe diagonal forward

C Button Down + C Button Left or C Button Right

+ or Strafe diagonal backward

Z

Fire weapon/slash

R

To jump. Hold down longer to jump higher/further. Press and hold this button while zooming in/out while in sniper mode.

L

Toggle Map On/Off

D-Pad Up

Toggle Ammo Type (works only with shells or arrows)

D-Pad Down

Crouch/Stand

D-Pad Left

Toggle Weapon Upgrade

D-Pad Right

Sniper Mode On/Off

Start

Brings up subscreen for a bunch of options, mission status, inventory, etc.

Swimming

C Buttons

, , , Move around

R

Rise to the surface

Z

Fire weapon

Locations Map

Locations

• Greater Hyrule
  • 1. Fairy's Fountain
  • 2. Great Fairy's Fountain
  • 3. Sacred Realm
  • 4. Secret Grotto
• Hyrule Field
  • 1. Lon Lon Ranch
• Hyrule Castle Town
  • 1. Market
  • 2. Bazaar
  • 3. Ghost Shop
  • 4. Guard House
  • 5. Happy Mask Shop
  • 6. Potion Shop
  • 7. Bombchu Bowling Alley
  • 8. Shooting Gallery
  • 9. Bombchu Shop
  • 10. Treasure Chest Game
  • 11. Back Alley
  • 12. Temple of Time
  • 13. Chamber of Sages
  • 14. Hyrule Castle
  • 15. Rainbow Bridge
  • 16. Ganon's Castle
• Kokiri Forest
  • 1. Forest Training Center
  • 2. Hole of Z
  • 3. Great Deku Tree's Meadow
  • 4. House of the Know-It-All Bros.
  • 5. Inside the Deku Tree
  • 6. Kokiri Shop
  • 7. Link's House
  • 8. Mido's House
  • 9. Saria's House
  • 10. Twins' House
• Lost Woods
  • 1. Forest Stage
  • 2. Sacred Forest Meadow
  • 3. Forest Temple
• Kakariko Village
  • 1. Kakariko Windmill
  • 2. Bottom of the Well
  • 3. Bazaar
  • 4. Potion Shop
  • 5. Granny's Potion Shop
  • 6. Shooting Gallery
  • 7. House of Skulltula
  • 8. Impa's House
  • 9. Graveyard
  • 10. Dampé's Shack
  • 11. Royal Family's Tomb
  • 12. Shadow Temple
  • 13. Dampé's Grave
• Death Mountain
  • 1. Death Mountain Trail
  • 2. Death Mountain Crater
  • 3. Dodongo's Cavern
  • 4. Fire Temple
  • 5. Goron City
  • 6. Goron Shop
  • 7. Medigoron's Blade Store
• Zora's Domain
  • 1. High-Dive Practice Spot
  • 2. Ice Cavern
  • 3. Inside Jabu-Jabu's Belly
  • 4. King Zora's Throne Room
  • 5. Sleepless Waterfall
  • 6. Zora Shop
  • 7. Zora's Fountain
  • 8. Zora's River
• Lake Hylia
  • 1. Fishing Hole
  • 2. Lakeside Laboratory
  • 3. Water Temple
• Gerudo Valley
  • 1. Gerudo's Fortress
  • 2. Gerudo's Training Ground
  • 3. Horseback Archery Range
  • 4. Haunted Wasteland
  • 5. Desert Colossus
  • 6. Spirit Temple
• Songs

Trivia

• Ocarina of Time runs on a heavily modified version of Super Mario 64's engine.
• An early logo used in some promotional materials and ESRB's section for the game used the subtitle "The Ocarina of Time."
• Although there are twelve Dungeons to explore, two of them are not designated as Dungeons in the game's data, which means the official total is only ten. Ganon's Castle and the Gerudo Training Ground both have the Dungeon entrance icon on the maps, but because the Dungeons themselves do not use a Map and Compass or allow the player to use a warp song, they are not true Dungeons.
• In the post-credits cutscene of Link returning to meet Princess Zelda in the Hyrule Castle Courtyard for the second time, the Triforce of Courage can be resonating in his left hand. This same scene is what would happen of the Hero of Time explaining Ganondorf's conspiracy, leading up to the events of the Child Timeline.
• In spite of the game itself being widely known as a masterpiece, some fans of The Legend of Zelda series strongly believed the story is not a happy ending for Link, as the Hero of Time's adventure is filled with sad events and his return to his original time by Princess Zelda and Navi leaving him without saying goodbye marks the beginning of yet more traumatic journeys to come afterwards, as seen in Majora's Mask and Twilight Princess, making him a tragic hero.
• Out of all the boxes that were produced for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Special Edition, 75 units are proven to never have been filled. Estimations suggest that a maximum of 25 units were ever sold, making it the rarest limited-time available edition for any Zelda game to date.
• After the staff credits in the game's ending, when Link returns the Master Sword to the Temple of Time and Navi flies away, bells from a clock tower can be heard. This may be a reference to the Hero of Time's next adventure, Majora's Mask, which may have begun development around the game's release.
• There was a commercial featuring Link as an adult where he is in Kakariko Village and finds a chest full of a soda drink called Mirinda, this commercial supposedly aired in India during the late 1990s.
• Like Super Mario 64, Ocarina of Time had brought enough impact to the series that many 3D game developers from other franchises say that no title's gameplay since then hasn't borrowed a mechanic from either game, as they "blazed trails."