Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Review

Ah! What can I say about this marvel? After almost 3 years of production, and an endless number of delays which caused me a great deal of worry, Nintendo finally decided to release Ocarina of Time onto the world. To tell you the truth, I doubted that the game would live up to its expectations. Sometimes I even doubted that the game was in production, and that Nintendo just wanted to keep its fans loyal. I was also worried that the game would pay for its graphics in terms of gameplay and longevity.

But my doubts were all proved wrong. With the largest cart in history, and the genius that is Miyamoto at work, this was always going to be a winner. Everything in the game will amaze, from the title screen, to the bugs that walk around to the final boss, nothing has been lost for graphics. And one other thing, in this game, you don't save Zelda!

Z-Targeting System

The Legend of Zelda, the first game in this series, changed the RPG games world with its overhead view and battles. Ocarina of Time changes it yet again with its targeting system. Navi, Link's gaurdian fairy, hovers above him all the time, but if there is an enemy nearby, she moves on top of the enemy, and if you press the Z button, you lock on that enemy, and even if you move sideways, forward, or backward, you are still aimed at that enemy. Sounds simple, but wait till you see it in the cool sword fights!

The Enemies

Classic enemies are back, and new ones have been added! One of the best enemies is the Stalfos, which sidejumps, blocks your sword with its sheild and strikes you when you drop your guard! Its like fighting for real, and without all the pain!

Another noteworthy mention is the bosses! They're huge! Some bosses don't even fit on the screen! But they still move gracefully, and try to kill Link with every chance they get!

The Characters

All of the classic Zelda characters are back, and everyone is there for a reason! There's the Gerudo's, where Ganon is from, the Zora's, the Gorons, the Kokiri, and of course, the Hylians! You can talk to all the characters in the game, and they give clues on what to do next, as usual, but others are just their for some laughs, while others are determined to get in your way!

Hyrule

Miyamoto always wanted Zelda to be a 3D game, but when it was released it was impossible to do it due to the obvious limitations of the NES. But now he has created a world so real that you'll have doubts that it is really real! Day gradually turns into night, with characters and monsters only appear during night, and some only during day. For example, in the morning, Hyrule Field is safe to walk around in, but at night, monsters come out of the ground, determined to kill Link, and Hyrule Village's gate closes. When it turns to morning, the monsters disappear and the gate is once again opened.

Also, the game is non-linear, which means that you can go wherever you want whenever you want. Also, everything that you see in the game is vital to finish it properly. For example, if you go to Hyrule Field, or Hyrule Castle you see a tall mountain in the background. In any other game thats what it stays, a background, but in Ocarina of Time you actually have to visit the mountain. Also, sometimes when you lift stones, some bugs start to walk around. At first, I thought they were just an added effect, but then I discovered that you can pick them up in a bottle and use them to find secrets! I could go on forever, but unfortunately I'm just too lazy!

The Passage of Time

In Ocarina of Time, you travel through time, and you play young Link and Adult Link. Things you do when you are young affect you when you are old. Also, when you are old, you can get clues about what you did when you are young!

The Sound

Another worry was that the sound was gonna suffer, but the music is great! It really helps you in the game too, and when enemies approach, the music changes, and the volume of the music increases as the enemy gets closer!

I can go on all day about Ocarina of Time's feature, but let me some it up in two words: BUY IT! And if you don't own an N64, then buy one!! Its really worth the price of the N64 alone! The only problem is with all RPGs. Once you complete it, its difficult to play it again, but with Ocarina of Time, you have to complete it twice before you drop it!

Verdict: 99%.

This review was added on 5th December 1999 by nGaming user Starfox.