The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Review

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Retro Review (N64)

Three words: Best. Game. Ever. I got it very soon after it came out after I got my 64, way back in ’99…I think, and loved it immediately. I’m embarassed to say it, but before OoT I had never played a Zelda game before. It introduced me to a world of video games that just can’t be beat–And did it with style.

Plot- [10/10] The story is remarkably compelling, and would make an excellent movie, book, or fan fiction (*cough ME cough*). Basically a young forest boy is reckoned by the Deku Tree, the guardian spirit of his forest, to begin an ancient quest to stop the evil Ganondorf, king of the Gerudos. Link, the young boy, collects the three spiritual stones from the Kokiri, the Gorons, and the Zoras and then must use their power, along with the royal heirloom, the Ocarina of Time, to enter the Sacred Realm and wield the Master Sword.

…But there’s a twist–Before Link can do so, Ganondorf ransacks the palace in an attempt to kidnap the princess. He fails, but no sooner is he seemingly defeated than Link opens the Sacred Realm, leaving the way open for Ganondorf to grasp the power within…

Link must now find the six sacred Temples of Hyrule, and free the spirits of the Sages who guard the magic there. Using their power, he must then defeat Ganondorf–Once and for all.

Gameplay- [8/10] I’m gonna be honest–The gameplay of this game isn’t all that great. The action button makes it easy to do things, but I just wish you could jump upward! Targeting with the bow and arrow isn’t too bad, and the Hookshot makes it very clear to where it’s going, so the points will rack up to 8, instead.

Graphics- [5/10] Well, perhaps it’s just my 64, but from my experiences with this game… The graphics suck. They continually lag, glitch, and even stop about an hour into the game, at which point I have to reset the machine (which isn’t easy, as my Reset button is jammed with peanut butter). And while Adult Link’s nose is too pointy, Child Link has no nose. It’s not a good balance, but I guess it’s okay considering the technology back then.

Final Score- [10/10] I’ll revert to the intro when I say this: Best. Game. Ever. It pwns, honestly–You can’t beat the Ocarina. They keep trying, but they keep failing. This game will go down in history. A+