The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (ゼルダの伝説 時のオカリナ) (Old Hylian: ) is the fifth installment in the Legend of Zelda series, developed by Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. The first 3D installment of the series, the basic engine and gameplay used were later re-used for future installments, including its direct sequel, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask. The game began a tradition in the Legend of Zelda series; a major item or person in a game featured in the game's title.

The game is set in the kingdom of Hyrule. A youth named Link sets out on a quest to prevent the thief Ganondorf, the prime antagonist of the Legend of Zelda series, from obtaining the Triforce, a magical relic of omnipotent power, an event foretold by the prophetic Princess Zelda. Due to unforeseen circumstances, Ganondorf succesfully obtains part of the Triforce. By traveling back and forth through time using the mythical Master Sword, Link must amass the Six Medallions needed to defeat Ganondorf and restore peace to Hyrule.

Ocarina of Time enjoyed wide critical acclaim as well as commercial success. It has sold over 7.6 million copies over its lifetime, and was the best-selling game in 1998 despite its November release. It also received perfect scores from numerous gaming media publications, most notably Famitsu, and went on to place highly or top several "greatest games of all time" lists, including those from Gamespot, IGN and Nintendo Power Magazine.

Ocarina of Time is often considered to be one of the greatest video games of all time, and over ten years after its release date, it still possesses the highest average score of all professional video game reviews.

Gameplay
Ocarina of Time is a 3D action-adventure game with role-playing and puzzle elements. Ocarina of Time is known for its mysteries, deep story, gameplay and some controversy. The player controls Link from a third-person perspective using a control scheme that is common today, but was considered revolutionary at the time. Link primarily battles with a sword and shield, but he can also use projectile weapons such as arrows, bombs, and magic spells. When battling, the player can cause Link to focus on an enemy through a new feature called "Z-targeting" (or "L-targeting" in the GameCube edition). When using this technique, the camera will follow the target and Link will constantly face it until the button is released. Projectile attacks will be automatically directed at the target and do not require manual aiming. Although much of the game is spent in battle, some parts encourage the player to use stealth to sneak past guards&mdash;an uncommon situation for the series, which would later be integrated on a larger scale in future installments. If spotted, Link is thrown out or imprisoned, and thus forced to start over.

Link gains strength and new abilities through the collection of items and weapons found in dungeons or in the overworld, not all of which are required; like all games in the series, Ocarina of Time contains several optional side quests&mdash;minor objectives that the player can choose to complete or ignore. Completing side quests usually results in rewards, normally in the form of weapons or abilities. In one side quest, Link trades items with other non-player characters; this trading sequence features ten items, and the reward for completion of the task is Biggoron's Sword, the most powerful sword in the game. In another side quest, Link can acquire a horse. This allows him to travel faster, but attacking while riding is restricted to archery. This mechanic was expanded for future games and is now a common element in the Legend of Zelda series.

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 twelve melodies that allow him to solve music-based puzzles and to teleport. 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 during a period of seven years so that he may be prepared for his upcoming quests and becomes an adult. Young Link and Adult Link have different abilities. For example, only Adult Link can use the Hookshot, and only Young Link can fit through certain small passages. Link can travel freely between the two time periods by replacing and taking the sword after purifying the Forest Temple.

Setting

 * Further information: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time characters, List of locations in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Ocarina of Time is set in Hyrule. Hyrule Field serves as a central hub connected to several outlying areas with diverse topography. Some of these areas are populated by one of the races of Hyrule: Hylians, Gorons, Zoras, Kokiri, and Gerudo. Each race generally stays within its region of Hyrule and is led by its own ruler.

Outset
During the events of a massive conflict known as the Hyrulean Civil War, a woman escaped the ravages of war with her child. The woman was gravely injured, but managed to reach Kokiri Forest, a sanctuary that deters all outsiders. Before passing away, she left the child in the care of the Great Deku Tree. The boy was to be raised as a Kokiri, and would remain unaware of his destiny, until one day, when the Gerudo King of Thieves appeared in the forest and demanded a Spiritual Stone from the Great Deku Tree. The mighty guardian tree refused to give it to him, sensing his evil intentions, and in return had a death curse put on him. The Great Deku Tree entreats Navi, a young fairy of Kokiri Forest, to take the boy, known as Link, to the Great Deku Tree. After obtaining a sword and shield, he approaches the Deku Tree. The tree tells Link of the curse on him, and the brave youth enters the Deku Tree to break the evil curse. Link successfully defeats the enemies inside, but the Deku Tree reveals that it was already too late for him even before he entered. In his last moments of life, he tells Link of the creation of Hyrule and the Triforce that Ganondorf desires. He reveals that it is Link's destiny to thwart the great evil and restore peace to Hyrule, and gives him the Spiritual Stone of the Forest, one of the three keys to unlocking the gates to the Sacred Realm, where the Triforce is kept. He is to seek out Zelda, the Princess of Hyrule. The Great Deku Tree, his purpose now fulfilled, withers and dies.

The Great Cataclysm
Link sneaks his way into Hyrule Castle and meets the Princess. She had prophesied that a hero clothed in green would appear holding a Spiritual Stone to thwart an impending evil. Link shows her the Spiritual Stone, and the two devise a plan to defeat Ganondorf. Link must collect the two remaining Spiritual Stones, the Goron's Ruby and the Zora's Saphire, and open the Door of Time in the Temple of Time with the help of the Royal Family's hidden treasure, the Ocarina of Time, in order to obtain the Triforce before Ganondorf. Link travels throughout Hyrule and gathers the two remaining Spiritual Stones. However, when he returns to Hyrule Castle Town, he sees Princess Zelda escaping the castle with her attendant, Impa. Ganondorf had caught wind of their plot and had attacked Hyrule Castle in order to stop them. Before she vanishes out of sight, she throws the treasured Ocarina of Time in the moat surrounding the gates to Hyrule Castle Town to avoid it being taken by Ganondorf. The King of Thieves appears shortly thereafter, not considering a young boy a threat to his impending conquest of Hyrule. He knocks Link off his feet with a powerful magic spell and chases after Zelda and Impa.

Link retrieves the Ocarina of Time and opens the door to the Sacred Realm with the Spiritual Stones and the "Song of Time". Inside, he finds the mythical Master Sword, a legendary blade with the power to repel evil. However, when he pulls the sword out of the Pedestal of Time, he is sealed inside the Sacred Realm.

Ganondorf, aware of their plan all along, enters the forbidden Sacred Realm and touches the Triforce. The powerful relic recognizes the wishes of Ganondorf's evil heart and turns the bountiful land of Hyrule into a haunted land rampant with evil monsters, of which he crowns himself King.

Link remains sealed within the Sacred Realm for seven years, as he was too young to be the legendary Hero of Time, the only one worthy of wielding the Master Sword. Link is awakened by Rauru, a Sage, who relates to him what happened to Hyrule while he was sealed away. Rauru reveals that the only way to thwart the King of Evil is to awaken the five other Sages sealed away in the five dungeons of Hyrule.

Awakening of the Sages
Link is transported back to the Temple of Time, where he meets a mysterious figure known as Sheik, a descendant of the mysterious Sheikah race. Sheik aids Link throughout his quest in the ruined Hyrule. Link, one by one, awakens the Sages, who appear to be friends he knew from Hyrule seven years prior to its destruction (with the exculsion of Nabooru, whom Link had only just met as a child). Link, after awakening all five sages, meets up with Sheik in the Temple of Time. Here, Sheik reveals that "he" is really Princess Zelda, the Seventh Sage, in disguise. She tells Link that when Ganondorf touched the Triforce, it shattered into three pieces representing Courage, Wisdom and Power, because the three virtues were not balanced within him. Ultimately Ganondorf was only able to obtain the Triforce of Power. The Triforce of Wisdom was given to Princess Zelda, and the Triforce of Courage to none other than Link. She presents Link with the powerful Light Arrows, which have the power to destroy Ganondorf. As they are about to leave, however, Ganondorf's sinister laughter is heard. Having found them out, he encases Princess Zelda in a crystal prison, and spirits her away into his castle, challenging Link to meet him.

Final Battle
Link finds that Ganon's Castle is separated from the mainland; to aid him, the Six Sages create a luminous bridge that he crosses to enter Ganondorf's huge stronghold. Here, he finds that the entrance to Ganondorf's throne room is sealed by six barriers. The Sages dispel the barriers with the help of Link and his Light Arrows, and he enters the inner sanctum of Ganondorf's Castle. After ascending the dangerous main tower, he finds Ganondorf. Ganondorf tries to convince Link to give him the Triforce of Courage, and later tries to force it away from him, but to no avail. The confident and powerful King of Evil then challenges Link to a battle. Link turns Ganondorf's evil magic upon himself and after a long and hard-fought battle, Ganondorf is defeated and drops to the ground. Princess Zelda is released from her crystal prison, and all seems to be well. However, with his last remaining strength, Ganondorf tries to destroy his own castle, in order to crush his foes. Link and Zelda both make it out barely in the nick of time, as the castle is undone right before their very eyes.

When the Evil King seems to be finally defeated, the pair hears a sound come from the ruins of the castle. Ganondorf, using the true power of the Triforce of Power, transforms himself into a powerful entity known as Ganon, the embodiment of his evil heart. He knocks the Master Sword out of Link's hand, and Link is forced to fight him with other weapons. After causing enough damage to Ganon, Link retrieves the Master Sword, and with the help of Princess Zelda, deals a finishing blow to the monstrous creature. The Six Sages, along with Zelda, use their power to seal the King of Evil away. With peace having been restored to Hyrule, Zelda returns Link to his own time with the Ocarina of Time. After the free people of Hyrule celebrate their liberation, Link returns the Master Sword to the Pedestal of Time. The game ends with Navi flying away from Link in the Temple of Time, and shows the scene where he meets Zelda in the courtyard with the knowledge of what would happen, implying that he would tell Zelda of Ganon's plans and stop them from ever coming into fruition.

Development
Ocarina of Time Trailer rzhw_jxWJoU Ocarina of Time was first shown as a technical demo at Nintendo's SpaceWorld trade show in 1995. Nintendo originally intended the game for the Nintendo 64DD peripheral, but later decided to release it on a cartridge. At 32 megabytes, it was the largest game Nintendo had created at the time. The development crew involved over 120 people, including stuntmen to capture sword fighting and Link's movement. A minute long commercial was also released and shown on TV. During the commercial one of the original titles read "Willst Thou Get The Girl, Or Whilst Thou Play Like One?" this was removed and replaced with the "Willst Thou Soar" title due to the sexist humor.

Customers who pre-ordered the game received a limited edition box with a golden plastic card affixed reading "Collector's Edition." This edition contains a gold-colored cartridge, a tradition for the Zelda series that began with the original game released for the NES. Demand was so great that Electronics Boutique stopped pre-selling the title on November 3, 1998; IGN reported that some retail employees were unsure if Nintendo would be able to fulfill the initial demand.

Ocarina of Time contains development code and text that is not used in the finished product. An Arwing enemy can be found in the game code, with the attack and movement AI fully programmed. The model, sound effects and animations are taken from Star Fox 64. Also, the collector's edition retained the Fire Temple chant and had different symbols for the Mirror Shield and the banners in the Gerudo's Fortress, though some early non-Collector's editions had the same ones.

Interestingly, Satoru Iwata has stated that initially, Shigeru Miyamoto planned to develop Ocarina of Time into a 'first person shooter' style game. When Link would encounter an enemy, his character model would then reappear, and the battle would be played from a side view.

Re-releases and sequels
Ocarina of Time was re-released as an emulated ROM for the Nintendo GameCube in the compilation disc The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Master Quest, and again in The Legend of Zelda: Collector's Edition.

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 in Japan on February 27, 2007. The only absent element is the rumble feature, and thus the Stone of Agony functionality. The Wii does support the rumble feature when running either of the two GameCube re-releases. The Virtual Console is considered Version 1.3 of the game.

Ocarina of Time was intended to be a prequel to A Link to the Past, but was instead followed by conflicting sequels. Majora's Mask is a direct continuation of the Ocarina of Time Link's story, chronicling his travel to a parallel version of Hyrule known as Termina. The Wind Waker is set hundreds of years after Ocarina of Time, on a timeline that follows on from the devastated world that Link left behind when Zelda sent him back in time, long after Hyrule has been flooded due to Ganon's inevitable return. Twilight Princess also takes place an indefinite amount of time after Majora's Mask and roughly parallel to The Wind Waker, featuring the Hero of Time's direct descendant and taking place in the timeline where he prevented the majority of events of Ocarina of Time. The Hyrule Historia eventually revealed the full official timeline as it currently stands, revealing that the initial connection to A Link to the Past has been preserved and is now considered part of a third "what-if" timeline in which Ganondorf defeated the Hero of Time and led to the Imprisoning War.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Master Quest
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Master Quest is an alternate version of Ocarina of Time. The game was originally developed as a 64DD add-on disc for the Nintendo 64 version of Ocarina of Time, code-named Ura Zelda. However, the game was not released until it became available on a disc containing both versions of the game, which was available as a pre-order bonus for The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. In Europe, the disc came in the same case as The Wind Waker. Master Quest contains exactly the same storyline as the original, but is mirrored from the original, includes altered dungeon layouts and more numerous enemies. The alterations concerning the dungeon maps contain slightly different room layouts (items are placed in different locations, and puzzles have to be solved in another manner). In many cases, knowledge of the original game can be a hindrance rather than a help, and trying to solve puzzles the way they are done in the original leads only to a trap, or a meager prize of no more than five Rupees.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D
A tech demo for the Nintendo 3DS depicting an enhanced remake of the opening cinematics for Ocarina of Time, in which Link rides Epona across Hyrule Field, was revealed at the 2010 Electronic Entertainment Expo. The full game was later confirmed to be in development and was released on June 19, 2011 in North America, June 17, 2011 in Europe, and June 30, 2011 in Australia. Ocarina of Time 3D retains mostly the same gameplay of the original but contains new content and control options. On November 1, 2010, Shigeru Miyamoto said of the coming experience of Ocarina of Time 3D: "In the past 3D Mario games, and 3D Zelda games for that matter, if there were several floors at the same height, it was hard for the players to tell if each one of them was located with the same distance between them, or if just one was further away and higher than the other floors. On Nintendo 3DS, you can readily understand the height and distance of the next floor in front of you. You can feel the difference by switching between the 2D and 3D modes. You might have had a hard time trying to jump on a stump or to hit a floating question-mark block in 3D Mario [games] until now, but you will be able to do so easily on Nintendo 3DS."

The hardware of the Nintendo 3DS allows for some enhancements to the gameplay. The built-in gyroscope of the 3DS allows the player to aim the Fairy Slingshot, Fairy Bow, Boomerang, Hookshot, and Longshot when in first-person perspective by tilting the 3DS, as well as aim the first-person camera mode. This mechanic uses a 2:1 degree ratio of turn: for every one degree the 3DS is turned, Link turns two degrees. The use of the gyroscope is optional, and the circle pad can be used for control instead of or at the same time as the gyroscope while in these modes.

Additions include Master Quest and Boss Challenge. The former includes the same changes featured in the Gamecube version including new puzzles and altered puzzles which must be solved differently. Room layouts in dungeons are also altered. Unlike the Gamecube version the entire game is mirrored to further confuse players familiar with the original version. Enemies also deal twice as much damage as the original. Boss Challenge, meanwhile, provides players with the opportunity to face any boss they have defeated once again, or to confront them all in a continuous battle gauntlet. This mode can be accessed by checking Link's bed at his house. Also included are hint movies, a new feature providing short explanatory videos for players who have trouble solving puzzles. Hint movies are accessed through one of two new Sheikah Stones located in front of Link's house and inside the Temple of Time. When a new movie is available, a Sheikah Stone glows green.

Triforce rumors
A very early work-in-progress screenshot of Ocarina of Time shows Link receiving the Triforce itself from a Treasure Chest. However, such a scene never occurs anywhere in the final game, as the plot itself does not correspond to this event. Despite this, there has been great speculation as to whether the Triforce exists in Ocarina of Time as an obtainable item, as it does in other Zelda games, rather than simply being referred to in the storyline. One website detailed a comprehensive hoax, complete with screen shots, from a reader who claimed to have found the obtainable Triforce.

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Reception and impact
Ocarina of Time met with both commercial and critical success. Reviewers praised the graphics, soundtrack, gameplay, and story. It has been inducted into the #1 spot in GameSpot's "Greatest Games of All Time" list as well as being GameSpot's first game to get a perfect 10 out of 10, and is ranked first on the 2008 edition of IGN's top 100 games of all time list. It is the first game to receive a perfect score from Famitsu, and also won GameFAQs' 2009 "Best. Game. Ever." competition.

In 1998, Ocarina of Time won the Grand Prize in the Interactive Art division at the Japan Media Arts Festival. It also won six awards 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 went on to become number one on Nintendo Power magazine's "Top 200 Nintendo games of all time", even rivaling Resident Evil 4. The British Official Nintendo Magazine placed Ocarina of Time second in their "100 greatest Nintendo games of all time". OoT recently came second in their "50 greatest Nintendo Moments of all time ever".

Despite being available for only the last 39 days of the year, it was the best-selling game of 1998, with 2.5 million units sold. It went on to sell a total of 7.6 million copies worldwide.

Criticism of Ocarina of Time started to appear regarding the game's re-releases, with reviews for Master Quest and the Virtual Console version considering the graphics and sound technologies dated. The most recent Gamespot review awarded a score of 8.9 out of 10 for these reasons.

Since the game launch, over 10 years ago, Ocarina of Time is the highest rated game of all time according to Guinness book of World Records Gamers Edition and Game Rankings. The game has a metascore of 3.46 out of 4.00 on TopTenReviews.com, ranked number 66, and received a 99 out of 100 on Metacritic.com, giving it the highest rating on the site.

Versions
There are four main versions of Ocarina of Time, which are described below. Note that a cartridge's serial number does not always accurately reflect its version; the best way to test a cartridge's version is to utilize the game's debug screen or check for version-unique content differences. For an in-depth look at version differences, see here.

Version 1.0 (usually NUS-CZGE-USA)
This is the original version of the game, and is mostly identical to the initial Japanese release aside removing the standard enemy music from Ganon's Castle and recognizing a 64DD (as well as the obvious translation into English). It was released in North America at launch date and was available for only a short while afterward, making it the rarest of the versions. Most Version 1.0 cartridges were gold; however, some grey ones were released as well, which are very rare. This is the only version with a brighter "N" logo at startup.

Version 1.1 (usually NUS-CZLE-USA)
This version started being produced in North America shortly after Version 1.0. These are also somewhat rare. The glitch that allows Link to use items other than the Fairy Bow while riding Epona was removed, as was the easiest method of rendering Link swordless during the game's final battle. It also contains minor grammar fixes in certain NPC dialog.

Version 1.2 (usually NUS-CZLE-USA-1)
This version entered production in North America and Europe significantly later than Version 1.1. It is the most common version for the Nintendo 64, and the most heavily edited. The glitches removed in Version 1.1 remained absent, Ganondorf's blood was changed from red to green, and the original Fire Temple chant, which has Islamic influences, was removed. The translation had a few minor touches as well. This is the version which was later used for the Wii Virtual Console, though that particular edition also includes changes to the Gerudo Symbol (see below), as well as the Virtual Console standard of removing Rumble Pak support (rendering a certain item useless).

GameCube
Sometimes referred to as "Version 1.3", it was first released in 2003 as a bonus disc for those who pre-ordered The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker and those who were currently subscribed to Nintendo Power. The Legend of Zelda: Collector's Edition also features this version (with the exclusion of Master Quest). Graphical changes to the game since Version 1.2 on Nintendo 64 include largely removing of the original Gerudo Symbol of a crescent moon and star (which strongly resembles a prominent symbol of Islam) in favor of the design used since Majora's Mask, some differences in the saturation of Ganondorf's aura, and a different design for Morpha (which is technically in the original but not visible due to a video filter). The Scarecrow's Song was also removed from the post-credits sequence, and more minor text was again adjusted slightly. The Chinese iQue release and the 3DS remake are closely based on this version, but feature differences of their own as well.

Adaptations
Pathways to Adventure is a literary adaptation of Ocarina of Time, written by Jason R. Rich. A manga adaptation of Ocarina of Time created by Akira Himekawa was published in the US by Vizkids. The manga takes several liberties with the game's storyline. For example, Link's first meeting with Zelda does not take place in the Castle Courtyard; Zelda's identity is actually concealed during the pair's first encounter. Included in the second volume are two bonus chapters. The Hero of Time is an independent film loosely based on the events of Ocarina of Time. It was developed by the independent company BMB Finishes, and stars David Blane as Link. Principal photography began in 2005 and the film was released publicly in Atlanta, Georgia on June 6, 2009. The film was taken down at the end of the year upon Nintendo's request.

The Legend of Zelda: The Abridged Series is a popular series of fan-created videos hosted on YouTube, which spoofs the plotline and characters of Ocarina of Time.