I'm not sure who would want to read a recent review of a videogame that came out over a decade ago (1998), but it is with great zeal and love that I write one. It seems only right to begin with my first console game I ever owned (kiiinda... the Nintendo 64 came with a Duke Nukem game that I didn't like and returned the next day, all in order to buy this game that "I heard good things about two years ago at school"). Yes, what is largely considered the best game of any console of any generation was my very first outing into console gaming. Sure, I played Duke Nukem 2D, Monster Bash, Commander Keen, various other DOS games, and various SEGA Genesis games through my cousin - even Super Mario World and Mario Kart 64 at a friend's house - but Ocarina of Time was the first game that was ever mine. And boy did I play it. Every morning I'd get up and play it for 30 to 60 minutes before I had to go to school. So many hours and hours spent trying to figure out each of the dungeons and even harder temples. When I started, I couldn't even run in a straight line. It took me a week to beat the Deku Tree dungeon. Now it takes me a little more than an hour, but I have beaten the game more times than I can remember. Anyway, enough of nostalgic waxing, on to the review.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time begins with a young boy, Link (really just whatever you place as your file name, so, for me, GREG), separated from the rest of his kind, the kokiri kids, on account of his missing one defining characteristic: a fairy to call his own. This, however, is quickly rectified in the opening scenes of the game, when a fairy, Navi (who is nowhere near as annoying as many believe), on a mission from the forest leader/protector/boss man, comes to find the boy and begin a grand adventure throughout the entire world of Hyrule and towards Link's destiny. The idea of this is at the same time startlingly simple and hopelessly involving. Who among us as gamers has never felt like an outsider or has never wished to be something great? Who among us as humans? What is a little disconcerting, perhaps, is that Link at the outset of his journey must be no older than 12, although he looks 8. Despite this seemingly young age, Link overcomes all odds and meets the game's namesake, Princess Zelda. With her help, Link finds the spirit stones and uses them to open the doorway to the Triforce, which grants the wish of the person who touches it. Of course, Link is not the one to touch it, but the Evil Man of the Desert, Ganondorf, does and becomes the King of Evil and conquers Hyrule. During this time, Link is imprisoned in a magical chamber until he is old enough to wield the Master Sword, evil's bane you see, and defeat Ganondorf, with the help of the six sages of the world, gained by passing each temple in the "Adult Link" part of the game.
If that story seems convoluted or if you think the names of the characters and places and items are all confusing, I understand. This game took my 10 months to beat it my first time, but I ate it all up, and happily. Just be thankful it's nothing like the infamous storyline of the Metal Gear series. In actuality, the story is a big part of what makes this game great. Link allows the player to identify with him and think of him as a "larger than life" hero. This entire game is an epic, fantasy adventure that puts the player in the driver's seat. This indeed is nothing new now, what with the Lord of the Rings and more Final Fantasy games than you can shake a stick at (I don't know why that's an expression), but back when Super Mario 64 departed from 2D side-scrolling, this was unbelievable. The story, even judged by today's standards, still holds up among other such amazing stories Mass Effect or Bioshock. Truthfully, it can be boiled down to "reluctant hero becomes confidant and finally banishes evil to make way for peace," but that type of generic characterization fails to do this game justice.
The more technical aspects also are still appealing. When playing any of the current-gen consoles, one may be used to high level graphics and incredibly detailed environments, but if one plays the Ocarina of Time there is no lost love or looks of disgust. When picking up the game today, I at first find myself surprised that games have come so far from the polygons and blurry edges and the sharp and hard backgrounds of yesteryear, and I must admit I'm slightly hesitant. Still, after a few minutes of playing, I can't help but feel accustomed to what would be lacking from modern games. Sure, there are no detailed flames or bloody rag-doll physics, but there is a solar glare and after a little while, night. And rain. And lakes, forests, deserts, temples, dungeons, bugs, giant monsters, and the like. There is nothing missing from this game in terms of style or presentation. Most of the enemies are colorful, but not excessively so like Wind Waker or what Skyward Sword appears to be. Everything about the feel of this game is natural. Even the controls feel right and are easily learned. Of course, it helps that they're always present on the screen. Still, nothing is awkward about the button uses or combinations. Z to target, B to attack, A for Action, and the C-buttons for items. Not to mention the fantastic soundtrack. From beginning to end, the soundtrack mirrors Link's actions, fitting with any situation. When in the kokiri forest, it's light and whimsical; in the boss fights, it's exciting and fast-paced; when fighting Ganondorf, the music is heavy, slow and epic. Combine this with the idea of using music on the ocarina to solve puzzles, open doorways, and, eventually, just to travel from place to place, then the soundtrack is more than just background to an otherwise great game, it becomes a reason for greatness, increasing the overall quality of the adventure. All perfectly accessible and formed for common hand placement. These elements can all come together to make the perfect gameplay experience.
The main thing I can talk about for hours in this game is the way it unfolds. I went from not being able to move in a straight line to blocking every attack, flipping out of the way, and then being able to land the perfect counter. I started with a wooden shield and small dagger in a small forest of kids and moved onto a legendary weapon with gauntlets of power in the fortress of evil. It never feels as if the game is forcing you to do things that you don't want to do, excluding the Water Temple, of course. Every action made is a step taken on your way to vanquishing Ganondorf and saving Hyrule. I can see where the temples can get repetitive what with the map, compass, special item pattern, but the expansive areas and fantastic themes of the temples more than overcome this slight shortcoming. To be able to fight a dragon in a volcano, an atom... thing... under a lake, or a ghost on a bongo in an ancient well is nothing less than amazing and really just a lot of fun in a totally awesome game.
I'm not sure how many games I've played in my life, but I am sure this is the game that started me down the gaming path. Most games are average, some are terrible, and many of them are very good. Some games, however, have everything a game needs in order to be great and even continuously pushes other games to strive for greatness. More than that, games like this are able to have such an effect on the player that no matter how often or how much later one plays the same old game, it is always challenging, fun, moving, and all-around a great way to spend one's time. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is one of these games. For my first review, I give the best game I've ever played a perfect score of 5 out of 5.
5/5 Perfect Score! Super Dope!
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