The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D

This one was long overdue. I missed the Nintendo 64 era completely, so Ocarina of Time was always the famous game I had only heard about. I heard it’s where 3D games really began. After playing so many Zelda games over the years, I finally went back to where modern Zelda started, and I can really appreciate how forward thinking this game was.

The Best Way to Play It on the Go

I played the 3DS version, Ocarina of Time 3D. It’s an enhanced version with slightly better graphics than the original, but the real reason I picked it is convenience. This is a big game, and the 3DS is the most convenient way to play it on the go. I could stop anywhere and pick it up again anytime.

That fit my life perfectly. I played only about half an hour a day, and it took me almost the entire summer to finish.

Just the Right Difficulty

The difficulty felt about right to me. You need to think, but it’s never too difficult.

The dungeon design is great. Each dungeon has its own theme and its own logic, and it’s impressive how clever they are for a game from 1998.

The Foundation of Modern Zelda

So many ideas started here and are still used today:

• Time travel. Playing as young Link and adult Link, and seeing Hyrule change between the two, is still a brilliant setup.
• The map of Hyrule. Death Mountain, Kakariko Village, Zora’s Domain, Lake Hylia, Gerudo Valley. This world carries all the way to Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom.
• The Sages. The different Sages give the adventure its structure, and Sages are right there again in Tears of the Kingdom.

This is the foundation of modern Zelda games. I can tell how well designed this game was back in its time.

Forty Years of Zelda

The timing turned out to be special too. This year is the 40th anniversary of the Zelda series, and Nintendo is releasing a remake of Ocarina of Time on the Switch 2, along with a special console. It shows how important this game is to the series.

Long overdue, but I’m glad I played it.