N64 Week: Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Welcome geeks to Day 3 of N64 Week and I thought we would take a look at a classic theme of the NES alumni.  The fifth of its incarnation and the first to partake in 3D breathes life into the franchise.   So gather your Deku nuts for your slingshot, prep for fishing and hey take in a game of darts.  This is Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

Faster Impa!! Past the title card!!

Navi: Hey! Hey! Listen!

This game operates as an action-adventure game with some role playing and puzzle aspects and tries its best to show real-time interaction as best as possible.   Link mostly relies on his sword and shield but he can also scroll through other weapons such as: arrows, slingshot, bombs and magic spells. 

The game opens up with Navi waking Link from a horrendous nightmare that Link witnesses a storm ridden night of a man in obsidian armor on a black horse chasing a girl on a white horse.  The village elder explains to Link the significance of the dream means he is destined to right the wrongs of this armored knight, speak to the princess of destiny and fight for Hyrule Castle.   I thought, “Thank God he didn’t have a dream he was surrounded by naked mimes armed with flamethrowers.”   Then he would have been stuck in a Resident Evil scenario.

Sure wish I was big.

As always with the Zelda games Hyrule is the kingdom with a huge topographical layout and a wide variety of races like: Hylians, Kokiri, Gorons, Zoras, Gerudos and Sheikah.

After making it to Princess Zelda she informs young Link that she has had dreams of the dreaded Ganondorf, The Gerudo King of Thieves seeks the highly coveted Tri-force (Power of the Gods), a sacred relic that depicts the past and future of Hyrule. Zelda tells Link he must obtain the three Spiritual Stones so he may enter the Sacred Realm and claim the Triforce before Ganondorf reaches it. 

I have just a few comments to be made about the game.  I was disturbed with the whole sending a 12 year old out on a dangerous quest seems a bit too child endangering.  At least Robin got back up from Batman.  Also as common with the original series Link mystically ages 7 years to tackle the more difficult of the tasks and bosses ahead. I guess that is also so we do not think his relationship with Zelda is a bit risqué. 

Shh, I think someone is watching us..

Link is stuck with a less than spectacular AI fairy.  She constantly loops her information about towns, potential traps and lands and quests you have already done.  That is quite annoying and in fact her only attribute for Link is her targeting ability for his weapons of choice.  

There are many distractions throughout the game.  Playing darts, fishing and town interaction can delay your quest quite a bit but no direct impact on time line.    So feel free to fiddly fart around the towns with no repercussions of villages getting ransacked or villagers being mutilated by the evil armies of Ganondorf.   Imagine being a farmer or blacksmith trying to take your goods from village to village when BOOM!  Raiding party or just random monsters attack.   Got to be made of sterner stuff to be living in Hyrule.