Revisiting The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is a Nintendo 64 Masterpiece

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time was the first 3D Zelda game and one of the first 3D adventure games. This video game made its debut in 1996. It was immediately hailed as a masterpiece. To this day, this N64 classic still holds up.

Ocarina of Time revolutionized third-person adventure games with its control scheme.

Z-Targeting is the most innovative feature. The Z Button acts as a trigger used to lock on enemies and have the camera focus on them. Another innovation is the A-button function that varies with context. Both features are now ubiquitous, but they originated here.

The soundtrack was created by writer and composer Koji Kondo. He also oversaw music direction for most other Zelda games. The themes for Kokiri Forest, Kakariko Village, and the Lost Woods are some of the most memorable tracks from that era of gaming.

Ocarina of Time was followed up by The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask, which also saw similar critical acclaim.

Ocarina of Time received a graphical facelift for the GameCube port. This was released as a Game Stop exclusive pre-order bonus for The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker. It was also made available on the Wii and Wii U Virtual Console. However, the 3DS version is the definitive version. It utilizes the bottom screen for inventory management, maps, and swapping out your equipment. The port also runs at a higher framerate.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, released simultaneously for the Switch and the Wii U in 2017, is another beloved entry in the franchise. Its art style being something of a middle ground between classic 3D Zelda and the cel-shaded look of the Wind Waker. Fans and critics alike lauded the open-world gameplay and non-linear story.

Zelda fans can look forward to a direct sequel, simply title Breath of the Wild 2, on Switch in 2022!