The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Box art for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time North American box art
Developer(s)	Nintendo EAD
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Director(s)	Shigeru Miyamoto Yoichi Yamada Eiji Aonuma Yoshiaki Koizumi
Producer(s)	Shigeru Miyamoto
Programmer(s)	Toshio Iwawaki Kenzo Hayakawa
Artist(s)	Yusuke Nakano
Writer(s)	Toru Osawa Kensuke Tanabe Shigeru Miyamoto Yoshiaki Koizumi
Composer(s)	Koji Kondo
Series	The Legend of Zelda
Platform(s)	Nintendo 64, Nintendo GameCube, iQue Player, Virtual Console, Nintendo 3DS
Release	November 21, 1998 Nintendo 64 GameCube (Master Quest) iQue Player CHN: November 2003 Virtual Console
Genre(s)	Action-adventure
Mode(s)	Single-player

Template:Nihongo title is an action-adventure video game developed by Nintendo's Entertainment Analysis and Development division for the Nintendo 64 video game console. It was released in Japan on November 21, 1998; in North America on November 23, 1998; and in Europe on December 11, 1998. Originally developed for the Nintendo 64DD peripheral, the game was instead released on a 256-megabit cartridge, which was the largest-capacity cartridge Nintendo produced at that time. Ocarina of Time is the fifth game in The Legend of Zelda series, and the first with 3D graphics. It was followed two years after its release by the sequel The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask.

The player controls the series' trademark hero, Link, in the land of Hyrule. Link sets out on a quest to stop Ganondorf, King of the Gerudo tribe, from obtaining the Triforce, a sacred relic that grants the wishes of its holder. Link travels through time and navigates various dungeons to awaken sages who have the power to seal Ganondorf away forever. Music plays an important role—to progress, the player must learn to play and perform several songs on an ocarina. The game was responsible for generating an increased interest in and rise in sales of the ocarina.

Ocarina of Time's gameplay system introduced features such as a target lock system and context-sensitive buttons that have since become common elements in 3D adventure games. In Japan, it sold over 820,000 copies in 1998, becoming the tenth-best-selling game of that year. During its lifetime, Ocarina of Time sold 1.14 million copies in Japan, becoming the 134th-best-selling game of all time, and has sold over 7.6 million copies worldwide. The game won the Grand Prize in the Interactive Art division at the Japan Media Arts Festival, won six honors at the 2nd Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, and received overwhelmingly positive acclaim. The title is considered by many critics to be the greatest video game ever made.

Ocarina of Time had four major re-releases on the Nintendo GameCube and Wii consoles. It was ported to the GameCube as part of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time: Master Quest (ゼルダの伝説 時のオカリナ 裏, Zeruda no Densetsu Toki no Okarina Ura, 裏 (Ura meaning reverse side)), featuring reworked dungeons with new puzzles, and The Legend of Zelda: Collector's Edition as a direct port. It was also ported to the iQue Player in 2003 and the Wii's Virtual Console service in 2007. These re-releases were well received: while some critics considered the relatively-unchanged game to be outdated, most reviewers felt that the game has held up well over the years. Nintendo announced a remake of Ocarina of Time for the Nintendo 3DS at E3 2010.

Gameplay

The on-screen display shows actions mapped to context-sensitive buttons. Here, the B (green) button controls Link's sword attack, the A (blue) button sheaths Link's sword, and the C (yellow) buttons control set-specific items.

Ocarina of Time is an action-adventure game with role-playing and puzzle elements. The player controls Link from a third-person perspective, in a three-dimensional space. Link primarily fights with a sword and shield, but he can also use projectile weapons, bombs, and magic spells. The control scheme introduced techniques such as context-sensitive actions and a targeting system called "Z-targeting" In combat, Z-targeting allows the player to have Link focus and latch onto an enemy or other objects. (In the GameCube port of Ocarina of Time, targeting is done with the L-button instead of the Z-button, due to the position of the Z-button on the GameCube controller.) When using this technique, the camera follows the target and Link constantly faces it. Projectile attacks are automatically directed at the target and do not require manual aiming. Context-sensitive actions allow multiple tasks to be assigned to one button, simplifying the control scheme. The on-screen display shows what will happen when the button is pushed and changes depending on what the character is doing. For example, the same button that causes Link to push a box if he is standing next to it will have him climb on the box if the analog stick is pushed toward it. Much of the game is spent in battle, but some parts require the use of stealth. Exploration is another important aspect of gameplay; the player may notice inaccessible areas and return later to find them explorable after obtaining a new item.

When the player uses Z-targeting, the view shifts to a letterbox format and arrows indicate the targeted enemy. The player can then circle strafe around the enemy to keep their sight on them.

Link gains new abilities by collecting items and weapons found in dungeons or in the overworld. Ocarina of Time has several optional side-quests, or minor objectives that the player can choose to complete or ignore. Completing the side-quests usually results in rewards, normally in the form of weapons or abilities. In one side-quest, Link trades items he cannot use himself among non-player characters. This trading sequence features ten items and ends with Link receiving an item he can use, the two-handed Biggoron Sword, the largest sword in the game. In another side-quest, Link can acquire a horse named Epona. This allows him to travel faster, but attacking while riding is restricted to arrows. In order to get Epona, Link must learn her song while he is a child. However, he is only able to ride her when he and Epona are both adults.

Link is given the Fairy Ocarina near the beginning of the game, which is later replaced by the Ocarina of Time. Throughout the game, Link learns thirteen melodies that allow him to solve various puzzles and teleport to previously visited locations in the game. The Ocarina of Time is also used to claim the Master Sword in the Temple of Time. When Link takes the sword, he is sealed for seven years, until he becomes an adult, and therefore strong enough to wield the Master Sword. Young Link and adult Link have different abilities. For example, only adult Link can use the Fairy Bow and only young Link can fit through certain small passages. After completing the Forest Temple, Link can travel freely between the two time periods by replacing or taking the sword. The melodies and notes are played with the "C" buttons on the Nintendo 64 controller or the C analogue stick on the Nintendo GameCube controller.

Story

The events of Ocarina of Time take place before those of the first four games and after The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. and are set in the fictional kingdom of Hyrule, the setting of most Zelda games. Hyrule Field serves as a central hub connected to several outlying areas with diverse topography. Most of these areas are populated by the races of Hyrule: Hylians, Kokiri, Gorons, Zoras and Gerudo.

The game opens as the fairy Navi awakens Link from a nightmare, in which Link witnesses a stormy night where a man on horseback, Ganondorf chases Princess Zelda who is being escorted also on horseback by Impa. Navi brings Link to the guardian of Link's village, the Great Deku Tree, who is cursed and near death. Link breaks the curse, but cannot stop the tree from withering. The Deku Tree tells Link a "wicked man of the desert" has cursed him and seeks to conquer the land of Hyrule and that Link must stop him. Before dying, the Great Deku Tree gives Link the spiritual stone of the forest, the Kokiri's Emerald, and sends him to Hyrule Castle to speak with the princess of destiny, Zelda.

At Hyrule Castle, Link meets Princess Zelda, who has been having dreams about the future of Hyrule and foresaw Link's arrival. She believes Ganondorf, the Gerudo King of Thieves, is seeking the Triforce, a holy relic in the Sacred Realm that gives its holder god-like power. Zelda's description of Ganondorf matches that of the man who killed the Great Deku Tree. Zelda asks Link to obtain the three Spiritual Stones, one of which he already possesses, so that he might enter the Sacred Realm and claim the Triforce before Ganondorf reaches it. Link goes to Goron City, where he meets Darunia, the leader of the Goron race. After Link kills King Dodongo, the boss of Dodongo's Cavern, Darunia gives him the Goron's Ruby, symbolizing brotherhood. Link next obtains the Zora's Sapphire from the Zora Princess, Ruto, after rescuing her from the belly of Lord Jabu-Jabu (a whale-like creature sacred to the Zoras). Receiving the Zora's Sapphire symbolizes marriage between Link and Ruto.

Link returns to the castle, where Ganondorf is pursuing Zelda on horseback, as in his nightmare at the start of the game. Spotting Link, Zelda throws the Ocarina of Time into the castle moat and telepathically teaches Link the "Song of Time". After Ganondorf rides off, Link retrieves the Ocarina and uses the song together with the Spiritual Stones to open the door to the Sacred Realm. Through the door, Link finds the Master Sword, a legendary sword forged to fight evil. As he pulls the Master Sword from its pedestal, Ganondorf appears, having followed Link into the Sacred Realm, and claims the Triforce.

Seven years later, an older Link awakens in a distant room known as the Chamber of Sages and is met by Rauru, the ancient Sage of Light and one of the seven sages who protect the location of the Triforce. Rauru informs Link that his spirit was sealed for seven years until he was old enough to wield the Master Sword and defeat Ganondorf. The seven sages are capable of imprisoning Ganondorf in the Sacred Realm; however, five of the seven sages are unaware of their identities after Ganondorf transformed Hyrule into a land of darkness. Link returns to Hyrule and is met by the mysterious Sheik, who guides Link to rid five temples of Ganondorf's monsters, allowing the power of the temples to awaken the sages.

After awakening five sages, Sheik is revealed to be Princess Zelda and the Seventh Sage. She tells Link that Ganondorf's heart is unbalanced, causing the Triforce to split into three pieces, as predicted in an ancient prophecy. Ganondorf kept the Triforce of Power, while the other two chosen by destiny carry the remaining pieces: Zelda gained the Triforce of Wisdom and Link obtained the Triforce of Courage. After Zelda bestows Link with the magical Light Arrows, Ganondorf traps Zelda in a magical crystal and takes her to his tower. The remaining six sages help Link enter the tower, where he battles and defeats Ganondorf, thereby freeing Zelda. After escaping the collapsing castle, Link is trapped in the castle area by a ring of fire and forced to battle Ganondorf once again; this time, using the power of the Triforce of Power, he transforms from his humanoid Gerudo form into a boar-like monster named Ganon. After fighting Ganon without the Master Sword, Link eventually retrieves it, and, with the aid of Zelda's paralyzing light, delivers the final blow, which defeats Ganon. The seven sages trap Ganondorf in the Dark Realm his evil created; still holding the Triforce of Power, Ganondorf vows to take revenge on their descendants. Zelda uses the Ocarina of Time to send Link to his original time to live out his childhood. The game ends with Link and Zelda looking at each other in the castle garden, with Link having full knowledge of the events that will unfold.

Development

First shown as a technical demo at Nintendo's Space World trade show in December 1995, Ocarina of Time was developed concurrently with Super Mario 64 by Nintendo's EAD division. Both were the first free-roaming 3D game in their respective series. Nintendo planned to release Super Mario 64 as a launch game for the Nintendo 64 and later release Ocarina of Time for the Nintendo 64DD, a disk drive peripheral for the system. Nintendo eventually decided to release Ocarina of Time on a cartridge instead and follow it with a 64DD expansion. At 32 megabytes, it was the largest game Nintendo had created at the time of release.

Shigeru Miyamoto was the principal director of Super Mario 64, but was a producer and supervisor of Ocarina of Time, in charge of several directors. Individual parts of Ocarina of Time were handled by multiple directors—a new strategy for Nintendo EAD. However, when things were progressing slower than expected, Miyamoto returned to the development team with a more hands-on directorial role. The team was new to 3D games, but assistant director Makoto Miyanaga recalls a sense of "passion for creating something new and unprecedented". Miyamoto initially intended Ocarina of Time to be played in a first-person perspective, so as to enable the players to take in the vast terrain of Hyrule Field better, as well as being able to focus more on developing enemies and environments. However, the development team did not go through with it once the idea of having a child Link was introduced, and Miyamoto felt it necessary for Link to be visible on screen. The development crew involved over 120 people, including stuntmen used to capture the effects of sword fighting and Link's movement. Some of Miyamoto's ideas for the new Zelda title were instead used in Super Mario 64, since it was to be released first. Other ideas were not used due to time constraints.

Ocarina of Time originally ran on the same engine as Super Mario 64, but was so heavily modified that designer Shigeru Miyamoto considers the final products entirely different engines. One major difference between the two is camera control. The player has much control over the camera in Super Mario 64, but the camera in Ocarina of Time is largely controlled by the game's AI. Miyamoto says the camera controls for Ocarina of Time are intended to reflect a focus on the game's world, whereas those of Super Mario 64 are centered on the character of Mario. Miyamoto wanted to make a game that was cinematic, but still distinguished from actual films. Takumi Kawagoe, who creates cut scenes for Nintendo, says that his top priority is to have the player feel in control of the action. To promote this feeling, cut scenes in Ocarina of Time are completely generated with real-time computing and do not use pre-recorded or full-motion video. Toru Osawa, given support by Kensuke Tanabe, wrote the script for the game based on a story idea by Miyamoto and Yoshiaki Koizumi. The dungeons were designed by Eiji Aonuma.

Customers in North America who pre-ordered the game received a limited edition box with a golden plastic card affixed, reading "Collector's Edition". This edition contained a gold-colored cartridge, a tradition for the Zelda series that began with the original game for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Demand was so great that Electronics Boutique stopped pre-selling the title on November 3, 1998. Later versions of Ocarina of Time feature minor changes, such as the removal of the Islamic chant from the Fire Temple's music, glitch repairs, and the alteration of Ganondorf's blood from crimson to green.

Re-releases

Ocarina of Time was re-released for the Nintendo GameCube in the Ocarina of Time: Master Quest and The Legend of Zelda: Collector's Edition compilation discs as an emulated ROM. Ocarina of Time: Master Quest started as an expansion to Ocarina of Time to be used with the Nintendo 64DD under the working title Ura Zelda ("Another Zelda"). The Master Quest compilation was given as a premium for pre-ordering The Wind Waker in Japan and North America, as well as in a special GameCube bundle at Wal-Mart (the disc came in the same case as The Wind Waker in the GameCube bundle). In Europe and Australia, the disc came in the same case as the initial pressings of The Wind Waker. In Europe, it was available for a limited time through a special offer on the Nintendo website. The Ocarina of Time: Master Quest box contains a single disc which includes the original game, the Master Quest version, and six video demos for various games for the GameCube including one for The Wind Waker and a video demo of the GBA re-release of A Link to the Past. Master Quest uses the same engine and plot of Ocarina of Time, but dungeons have been rearranged. Collector's Edition was available in GameCube bundles in Europe, Australia and North America, as well as by registering hardware and software, or by subscribing to official magazines or clubs. In addition to Ocarina of Time, the disc also contains the original The Legend of Zelda, The Adventure of Link, Majora's Mask, a demo of The Wind Waker, and a Zelda retrospective. The original game is displayed on the Nintendo 64 with a resolution of 320×240, but the GameCube emulations run at 640 × 480 and support progressive scan. The game was released in Europe and Australia for the Virtual Console on Nintendo's Wii console on February 23, 2007 for 1000 Wii Points. It was released in North America on February 26, 2007 and Japan on February 27, 2007. This version is an emulation of the Nintendo 64 version, but does not support controller vibration. The Wii can play the GameCube compilation versions with this feature intact. A five minute demo of the game is included as an unlockable in Super Smash Bros Brawl.

Nintendo 3DS version

File:E3-2010-ocarina-of-time-3ds-on-screenshot.jpg

Screenshot of the 3DS remake shown at E3 2010

Though Shigeru Miyamoto originally maintained that it was merely a tech demo with the possibility of being developed into a full game, Nintendo of America, via its Twitter page, officially announced the game. Screenshots were found on the Nintendo E3 website on June 15, 2010. Eiji Aonuma explained about the remake that "You know the Water Temple? Who thought it was tough or even horrible? I've lived with that for the last ten odd years. But with the 3DS we have a touch screen. You had to take off and on the iron boots constantly, right? So I'd like to lay the evil shame to rest, and add a feature to make the iron boots' control much easier," showing that the controls and panels will be redone.

Audio

Ocarina of Time's music was composed by Koji Kondo, the composer in charge of music for the Zelda series since the first game. In addition to characters having musical themes, areas of Hyrule are also associated with pieces of music. This has been called leitmotif in reverse—instead of music announcing an entering character, it now introduces a stationary environment as the player approaches. In some locations, the music is a variation of an ocarina tune the player learns, related to that area.

There is an interactive element to the design of the orchestral background music in Hyrule Field. When Link is moving through the area, the music is made up of repeated sections of a bombastic orchestral arrangement with percussion. However, when the character stays still for a while the music changes, the percussion drops out, and the themes become more calm, serene and melodic. When enemies attack, the music becomes more dire.

Beyond providing a backdrop for the setting, music plays an integral role in gameplay. The game is cited as the "first contemporary nondance title to feature music-making as part of its gameplay". The button layout of the Nintendo 64 controller resembles the holes of the ocarinas in the game, and players must learn to play several songs to complete the game. All songs are played using the five notes available on an ocarina, although by bending pitches via the analog stick, players can play additional tones. Kondo said that creating distinct themes on the limited scale was a "major challenge", but feels that the end result is very natural. The popularity of Ocarina of Time led to an increase in ocarina sales.

Soundtrack

Main article: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (original soundtrack)

The soundtrack of Ocarina of Time was produced by Pony Canyon and released in Japan on December 18, 1998. It comprises one compact disc with 82 tracks. A US version was produced with the same tracks but different packaging artwork. Many critics praised the music in Ocarina of Time, although IGN was disappointed that the traditional Zelda overworld theme was not included. In 2001, three years after the initial release of OOT, GameSpot labeled it as one of the top ten video game soundtracks. The soundtrack was not released in Europe, China/East Asia (excluding Japan) or Australia.

Reception and legacy

Reception

Aggregate scores

Aggregator	Score
GameRankings	N64: 97.48% (25 reviews) GCN: 89.50% (20 reviews)
Metacritic	99/100 (22 reviews)
GameStats	9.8/10 (29 reviews)
MobyGames	96% (49 reviews)
TopTenReviews	N64: 3.77/4 (50 reviews) GCN: 3.46/4 (20 reviews)

Review scores

Publication	Score
AllGame	N64:
Edge	N64: 10/10
Electronic Gaming Monthly	N64: 10/10
Famitsu	N64: 40/40
GameSpot	N64: 10.0/10
IGN	N64: 10.0/10
Nintendo Power	N64: 9.5/10

Ocarina of Time was released to overwhelmingly positive critical acclaim and commercial success. In 1998, it sold 2.5 million copies despite being released only 39 days before the end of the year. In Japan, it sold 820,000 copies in 1998, becoming the tenth-best-selling game of that year. During its lifetime, Ocarina of Time sold 1.14 million copies in Japan, becoming the 134th-best-selling game of all time, and sold 7.6 million copies worldwide. On its initial N64 release, Ocarina of Time received perfect review scores from gaming publications such as Famitsu, Edge, Electronic Gaming Monthly, GameSpot, and IGN. As of December 2010, the review aggregator websites Game Rankings and Metacritic both rank the original Nintendo 64 version as the highest-reviewed game of all time, with average scores of 97.48% from Game Rankings and 99/100 from Metacritic. Another review totaliser, TopTenReviews, ranks it at number 78 as of August 2010. The reviews praised multiple aspects of the game, particularly its level design, gameplay mechanics and sound. Former GameSpot reviewer Jeff Gerstmann wrote that Ocarina of Time is "a game that can't be called anything other than flawless", and IGN called it "the new benchmark for interactive entertainment" that could "shape the action RPG genre for years to come". GameTrailers' editors called it a "walking patent office" due to the number of features that became "industry standard". After publication, Ocarina of Time was featured on a number of compiled lists of best or most influential games, including those of Electronic Gaming Monthly, IGN, and Nintendo Power. In June 2009, it was voted as the best game ever in GameFAQs' reader poll. Ocarina of Time has consistently been placed at number one in Edge magazine's "top 100 games" lists: a staff-voted list in January 2000, a staff- and reader-voted list in July 2007, and a list of "The 100 Best Games to Play Today" in March 2009.

The graphics were praised for their depth and detail, although reviewers noted they were not always the best the console had to offer. Game Revolution noted the characters' faces, the "toughest graphical challenge on 3D characters", saying that the characters' expressions and animation featured "surprising grace". IGN felt that Ocarina of Time improved on the graphics of Super Mario 64, giving a larger sense of scale. Impressive draw distances and large boss characters were also mentioned as graphical highlights. Although excelling in the use of color and the visibility and detail of the environment, reviewers noted that some graphical elements of Ocarina of Time did not perform as well as Banjo-Kazooie, a game released for the same platform earlier that year. IGN said that the frame rate and textures of Ocarina of Time were not as good as those of Banjo-Kazooie, particularly in the marketplace of Hyrule Castle, which was called "blurry".

Gameplay was generally praised as detailed, with many side quests to occupy players' time. IGN said players would be "amazed at the detail" of the environment and the "amount of thought that went into designing it". EGM enjoyed that Nintendo was able to take the elements of the older, 2D Zelda games and "translate it all into 3D flawlessly". Nintendo Power cited Ocarina of Time, along with Super Mario 64, as two games that "blazed trails" into the 3D era. The context-sensitive control system was seen as one of the strongest elements of the gameplay. Reviewers noted that it allowed for simpler control using fewer buttons, but that it occasionally caused the player to perform unintended actions. The camera control was quoted as making combat "second nature", although the new system took time for the player to get used to.

The game's audio was generally well-received, with IGN comparing some of Koji Kondo's pieces to the work of Philip Glass. Many atmospheric sounds and surround sound were said to effectively immerse the player in the game world. Some reviewers complained that the audio samples used in the game sounded dated; others considered this a benefit, calling them "retro". Game Revolution called the sound "good for the Nintendo, but not great in the larger scheme of things" and noted that the cartridge format necessitated "MIDI tunes that range from fair to terrible".

In 1998, Ocarina of Time won the Grand Prize in the Interactive Art division at the Japan Media Arts Festival. It also won six honors at the 2nd Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, including "Game of the Year", "Outstanding Achievement in Interactive Design", "Outstanding Achievement in Software Engineering", "Console Game of the Year", "Console Adventure Game of the Year" and "Console RPG of the Year". The game placed second in Official Nintendo Magazine's "100 greatest Nintendo games of all time".

Reception for the Master Quest and Virtual Console re-releases were positive; while some considered aspects of the graphics and audio to be outdated, most thought that the game has aged well. Master Quest was ranked by Game Rankings as the 307th-best scoring game ever reviewed and the 38th-best scoring game of 2003, and Metacritic ranked it as the 225th-best scoring game ever reviewed. IGN said in their review, "Ocarina of Time has aged extremely well", and noted in regard to the game's graphics, "While the textures and models look dated, the game's wonderful visual presentation stood the test of time." Game Revolution said that although the game has "noticeably aged compared to brand new RPGs [...] it's still a terrific game", awarding 91 out of 100. Former GameSpot editor Jeff Gerstmann gave the Virtual Console port 8.9 out of 10, writing, "Even after nine years, Ocarina of Time holds up surprisingly well, offering a lengthy and often-amazing adventure". Edge magazine commented in its 2007 "The 100 Best Games" special issue, "[Ocarina of Time] was an astonishing achievement in 1998 and, almost a decade later, still serves as the landmark for its successors and 3D adventure games in general… In a series composed of awfully big adventures, Ocarina may no longer be the prettiest, or even the biggest, but it's still the best of all."

BMB Finishes has adapted the plot and storyline of the game into an independent movie entitled "The Hero of Time"

References

Literature

• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time instruction booklet. USA: Nintendo. 1998. U/NUS-NZLE-USA.
• Nintendo EAD (1998-11-23). The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Nintendo 64). Nintendo.
• Nintendo Power interview with Shigeru Miyamoto on The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, November 19, 1998

External links

• Official Nintendo Japan The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time site
• Official website
• Previous official website (Archive)
• Ocarina of Time at Nintendo's Zelda Universe
• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time on Zeldapedia, an external wiki