Horhay's Full Review: The Legend Of Zelda Ocarina Of Time for Nintendo 6...
Intro:
November 23, 1998 was a date that was circled on many Nintendo 64 gamers’ calendars. I owned an N64, but I could care less about Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Zelda 64, if you prefer that title). It wasn’t until a few weeks after its release that I started getting interested in the game. The game was literally everywhere. My friends talked about it at school, websites had non-stop features, and magazines praised it as one of the best games ever made. I was tempted to give the game a try, and a month later I finally bought the game.
Story:
I was expecting a lot from the story. Overall I say it was decent, but for some reason it never got me involved. I didn’t care about the princess, the non-playable characters, and Link. I guess I was too involved with the gameplay to really get into the game’s story. One thing that disappointed me was that there was not that much conversation with other characters throughout the game. Anyway, the story is about a Keebler elf named Link. Something happens with Princess Zelda and the evil Ganondorf, and it’s up to Link to save the princess. The game starts out in Link’s adorable tree house. Here, a fairy wakes up Link, and tells him to get his butt in gear and save the princess.
Gameplay:
The game starts out with you in a small village filled with creepy elves. Your first task is to acquire a sword and buy a shield. This small village is a great introduction to the game’s controls and exploring. After you acquire both items, you enter a huge Deku Tree, and essentially this is your first dungeon. Once inside you must fight crazy creatures, discover new items, and solve puzzles. The dungeons are pretty much the places where all the action takes place.
The Hyrule map and its locales make up the rest of the game. The Hyrule map is just like a world map found in RPGs. There are various places to visit, but most of the time the game remains linear. Locations range from a small farm to a big castle community. Once inside these areas, you can chat with the locals, discover clues, play mini-games, uncover hidden items, and explore the beautiful surroundings. Most importantly these areas are just as important as the dungeons. In order to get farther in the game, you may need to acquire a new weapon or find a special item.
A great feature about Zelda 64 is the use of a small instrument that can play magical tunes. The Ocarina is one of the most amazing tools I have ever seen used in a game. This musical instrument can be played to change weather, time, transport you to places, and do other crazy stuff. The Ocarina is a vital tool that you must use numerous times in order to successfully beat the game. For example, there are times when you can only find an item at night. So instead of waiting for night to come, you can simply play the Song of Time, and day magically transforms to night. Other tunes can be used to unlock new areas and help you solve puzzles.
Now time is an important theme in the game. Another element of time is introduced further in the game, where you actually travel to the future. You first start the game as young Link, and once you go in the future you are now given the title as adult Link. So what’s the different? For starters, you need to find new weapons, and there are certain weapons that can only be used when you’re an adult. You must go back to villages and areas, and discover things that once were not there. Dialog between characters is new, and more areas of the game can be explored.
Now back to the dungeons. Dungeons consist mainly of puzzles and exploring. Puzzles range from moving blocks, lighting sticks, pulling levers, and shooting switches. There are various types of themes to each dungeons. There’s an ice cavern, water temple, and fiery cave. These areas are often filled with numerous enemies. Some can be ignored, while other creatures must be defeated. Fighting can either be done by using a lock on target system or going up to creatures and slashing them. I prefer the latter, but the lock on target feature is pretty cool. It gives you more accuracy and has nice cinematic feeling to it.
Weapons and items are a big part of surviving your quest. They can be discovered, and or bought at local shops. Weapons range from a giant sword to a slingshot. Armor and outfits are equally important. For example, in order to play through the fire temple you must equip yourself with an outfit that can resist heat. The same idea can be said for your shields. In one part of the game you must get a mirror shield. Once you obtain that, you can use it to reflect light, which can be used to light up areas and destroy certain objects. Weapons such as the slingshot and bow and arrow can be used via a third person view. This feature allows you to hit far way targets with more accuracy.
There really isn’t that much you can cry about with the gameplay. The control is pretty straightforward. The added mini-games and hidden treats throughout the journey supply the game with some replay value. It’s definitely a game worth playing again. The only real flaw I can think of is that sometimes the game can become frustrating, especially in the last couple temples. Some puzzles are hard, and you’ll find yourself wandering around, trying to figure out what to do. But I guess that’s natural in a game of this caliber. It’s about time there’s some challenge in an adventure game.
Graphics:
Zelda 64 unleashes the amazing power that the N64 is capable of. Beautiful landscapes, detailed characters, and nice cut-scenes are just a taste of Zelda’s impressive visuals. Although this game was released 3 years ago, it still is a testament to the system’s graphical powers. None of those major N64 graphical annoyances become an issue in Zelda 64. I really enjoyed the game’s time system, where you can actually see the sunset and sunrise. The details put into the environments, buildings, temples, and so on, are all amazing. Zelda set a new standard for graphics on the N64.
Sound:
I only wish the sound was on the same level as the graphics. The soundtrack is good, but nothing memorable. A couple songs get repetitive, while other ones don’t do anything to get the gamer involved. Sound effects are awesome though. There’s great detail in the ambient sounds. You can hear townspeople chatting, hear a windmill slowly spin, and hear a rooster’s call early in the morning.
Overall:
Nintendo’s most hyped game for the N64 is perhaps one of the best games for the system, and most importantly one of the best adventure games of all-time. Truly a classic that can be enjoyed by anyone.
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