5/5 ★ – RawMetal's review of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

System: Nintendo 64 Started: May 10, 2025 Ended: May 30, 2025 Redemption Playthrough First Attempt: 2002 This was my very first Legend of Zelda game that I played during my childhood years. I never owned a copy of Zelda until the early 2000s, but I remember playing the demo version of Ocarina of Time on a Nintendo 64 demo kiosk at an electronics store in the late 90s. It could have been Best Buy or Target. The same goes for Majora’s Mask. My interest in exploring the Zelda franchise was quite high, mostly thanks to Super Smash Bros. I really wanted to know about Link, Ganondorf, Princess Zelda, and even Sheik from Smash Bros. Melee. Funny how I was already spoiled to know who Sheik was. I finally got a copy of Ocarina of Time in the early 2000s but never finished it. In fact, my brother finished the game before I did, and I was there when I watched him play the final battle and defeat Ganon. So I saw the ending anyway. However, I wanted to finish it myself, which is why I chose this backlog game that I hadn’t completed in years. Now that I’ve finished it, I can proudly say Ocarina of Time still stands today as one of the best Zelda games. Fans and critics are not wrong about the high praise for this game. What makes Ocarina of Time a Nintendo classic? It was the first game to implement 3D gameplay in the Zelda series on the Nintendo 64. This was also the first Zelda game to feature day-night cycles, where anything can happen at nighttime. Especially when stores are closed and the drawbridge to Hyrule Castle is up. You literally have to wait until morning when the bridge is finally lowered while finding those skeleton monsters. This game mechanic brought the game closer to real-life situations than its predecessors. You become more immersed in the world of Hyrule by seeing each citizen and other races like the Gorons, Zoras, Kokiri, and Gerudo, thanks to one of the best sandbox world designs. Playing the ocarina felt more in-depth because you could literally experiment with it. The notes change when you hold the Z button on the Nintendo 64 controller, allowing you to create your own tunes, even your own custom song note to summon Scarecrows and access hard-to-reach items. The dungeon design in this game was unique at the time. You explore inside a giant, ancient tree, and you venture into a dreadful, hellish Shadow Temple filled with giant monsters that can scare even kids. At first, the dungeons are fairly easy, but as you progress to the notorious Water Temple, it becomes a real brainteaser. Some dungeon bosses are very easy if you found the key weapon/tool in the dungeon, but there’s one in particular, like Bongo Bongo, that has a notable difficulty curve if you don’t know what you’re doing. Not only is Ocarina of Time the first 3D Zelda game, but it also serves as a crossroads for other Zelda entries in the franchise's story timeline. Three games continue from Ocarina of Time: Majora’s Mask (following the Child Link storyline), The Wind Waker (set in the adult Link timeframe), and A Link to the Past (if Link failed in his quest to stop Ganon), a sort of “what-if” scenario. The soundtrack of Ocarina of Time is famous for tracks like the Song of Storms, Song of Time, Saria’s Song, Epona’s Song, and Gerudo Valley. Most of the game soundtrack definitely feels like an adventure, like the Hyrule Field Theme. The dungeon themes also give a sense of old, decrepit, and full of danger from monsters and traps. I can confidently say that Ocarina of Time has one of the most popular Zelda soundtracks, even by today's standards. Back then, it was widely regarded as the best Zelda game. Today, however, not many people would claim it’s the most favored Zelda entry anymore. Sure, the Nintendo 64 graphics have aged, which is why there was a 3DS remake, a version that looks very good with its modern 3D character art. Since Zelda has remained a popular franchise with successful entries, many of my friends are still fans of Twilight Princess. Personally, I still say A Link to the Past is my favorite. I think I prefer A Link to the Past because its difficulty was just right. I never got a single game over while playing Ocarina of Time during my backlog playthrough, and I even collected fairies in a bottle. Additionally, A Link to the Past is shorter, which appeals to me. Ocarina of Time can feel quite talky, like those moments when the owl stops you in your tracks, and Nintendo had the gall to reverse the Yes and No options after he finishes talking. Lastly, here’s a hot take: I actually want to keep the original Fire Temple track. Nintendo had to censor it to avoid offending audiences in the Middle East, which makes the Fire Temple feel more epic and exotic while avoiding a Fire Keese and traps. If you want to experience the original, uncensored version, you need to play Ocarina of Time Version 1.0 or 1.1. Ocarina of Time is easily in my top five favorite Zelda games. It was a pivotal game for the franchise and the Nintendo 64 era, helping to popularize Zelda as a franchise in the late 90s and early 2000s. It’s a must-play for newcomers to the series and for those interested in experiencing the Nintendo 64 as a nostalgic time capsule. If you prefer better graphics over polygonal visuals, then the 3DS remake is a great option.