Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time Review

For those of you who have never played Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time or don’t remember how awesome the game was I’ve written this retro review to get you into to Zelda swing of things.

A beautiful young princess has been captured and it’s up to you to save her. No, it’s not Peach or Daisy….. it’s Zelda, again! Let’s take a trip in the way back machine to see how this abduction prone princess has been rescued in the past. Before the shadows of Twilight Princess, the vast oceans of the Wind Waker and the multiple personalities of Majoria’s Mask, there was the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time for the Nintendo 64. This was the Zelda’s first splash into the 3D polygon world and a revolutionary game that brought many new fans to the Zelda series.

You begin the game as Link, a 12 year old boy who just wants to hang with his friends, but through an unfortunate series of events he is thrown into an adventure of a life time. Link’s journey takes him from the acidic belly of a whale to the sweltering heat of the desert to stop the evil plots of Ganondorf. To aid him on his quest Link gains new abilities and items such as a boomerang, sling shot, and a variety of other items that keep him one step ahead of his enemies.

To help you through this journey you are given a fairy friend called Navi. Navi’s function is mostly for targeting, but she also gives you helpful hints on where to go or how to beat enemies. Unfortunately, Navi can be a little annoying because the game assumes that you need help at every point of Ocarina of Time. So be ready for Navi forcibly giving you hints on where to go next.

Game Play

Standard to the Zelda franchise, there are several puzzles that you need to solve. The basic move box here and activate switch there are peppered throughout the game, but some puzzles require a little more thought. The best feature of the game is the time traveling element. While traveling to the future, Link ages seven years taking him past those awkward pimple filled times and transforming him into the heroic stud that we all know and love. Time traveling creates an interesting twist to the game play since you will have to travel back and forth between the past and the future to solve puzzles and gain certain items. The game is also filled with a myriad of mini games that will keep you entertained for hours.

Audio

Your ears are in for a treat. Like many other Zelda games music plays an important part in Link’s adventure. Once Link finds his ocarina you’ll start playing songs that allow you to open doors or turn night into day. Eventually, you will find yourself humming one of the many catchy tunes scattered throughout the game.

Graphics

The graphics are stunning (for its time). From mundane events like swimming across a pond to the cinematic entrance of Princess Zelda, the games graphics are top notch. The varied and lush landscape does its part to immerse you into the game. For me this all translated into no sleeping and minimal bathroom breaks.

Special Features

As an added bonus, Ocarina of Time used Nintendo’s rumble pack. The rumble serves for two purposes, to violently shake during any of the in game cut scenes or to vibrate when you around hidden items.

So What Do I Say?

Princess Zelda may get captured in almost every title she appears in, but it definitely makes for an interesting adventure. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time was and is an amazing game that can withstand the weathering of time. It was ground breaking with its beautiful story which was set against picturesque locations and dynamic music. The interesting characters keep this game fresh and the plot leaves you on the seat of your pants. If you missed out on playing this game the first time and you have a Wii I strongly suggest you download the game off the virtual console. Its only 10 dollars and you’ll defiantly be getting your money’s worth and then some.

This game gets 5 thankful princesses out of 5

(5/5)