Number One!

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Released in 1998 for the Nintendo 64, re-released for Wii’s Virtual Console in 2007.

Come on, as if you didn’t see this coming.

It’s a no-brainer. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is regarded by most gamers to be one of, if not, the best games ever created. The Legend of Zelda series is one of Nintendo’s oldest, beloved by the company itself and a huge amount of gamers the world over. The original (titled The Legend of Zelda) was released in 1986 for the Nintendo Entertainment System, or NES for short, and is still considered a pivotal point in gaming for its inclusion of an in-built save system – before this people were required to remember or write down passwords if they were to continue from a particular point. Over time the games were developed for other Nintendo platforms and the scale of the adventures continue to grow.

The premise is usually the same for each home-console release of the Zelda games – Ganon seeks to obtain the power of the Triforce, the balance of all life and law throughout Hyrule. The (unsuspecting) hero Link somehow becomes tasked with the fate of protecting the world from Ganon’s rule by acquiring some sort of aid from the title character, Princess Zelda. Along the way Link discovers new perils, weapons and cultures. It’s a formula that’s present in all major releases of the game, which is both good and bad; good in the sense that it doesn’t risk doing something radically different, and bad in the sense that it doesn’t risk doing something radically different. Most Zelda fans (myself included) are happy with the way the games are, but it is understandable how some people would want some changes – and that’s what the handheld versions have done. The DS iterations of the series are sequels to the controversial Wind Waker title released for GameCube in 2003. The formula remains relatively the same - Link attains new weapons, must find/help Zelda, culminates in bad dude confrontation, however they take place outside of the world of Hyrule (above it to be exact, since the once prosperous civilisation is been underwater for hundreds of years) and the art style features a more cartoonish look.

One of the most important moments in gaming; Link embraces destiny.

However, back on topic, OoT was the first Zelda game developed in a fully realised 3D world and the scope of it, since it was an N64 game, was massive – if you stood in the middle of Hyrule Field and saw something far into the background, you could go there. The game was also the first to feature an automatic jump mechanic – one that was quite unconventional at the time but again is not unusual today. A particularly “memorable” (for the lack of a better word) inclusion was the character Navi, Link’s fairy. Within the universe of this particular game the children of Kokiri Forest were considered to be grown-up only when they obtained the company of a fairy. I mention this because apart from being a character in the game Navi was a sort of hint system – if you were lost you would press C-Up and receive a hint for what currently needs to be done. Though, Navi also proved to be an annoyance for a lot of people spawning various internet memes for its frequent exclamations of “Hey! Listen!”. One of the most notable and appraised features of the game however is the inclusion of a musical instrument; the titular Ocarina of Time. With this players were able to learn and memorise certain button combinations to perform a tune that would alter the gameplay or the environment in some fashion. Another highly revered feature was the ability to time travel between the present and the future. Completing certain quests or objectives in Link’s childhood affected the outcome of some situations or passages in his adulthood. In fact the final dungeon, The Spirit Temple, could only be completed once certain objectives were met between both timelines.

 
First confrontation with Ganon.

Ocarina of Time was the very first Zelda game I had ever laid eyes on upon its release in late ‘98 when one of my uncles bought it. I watched him play the entire game from after the first dungeon, The Great Deku Tree, over a period of perhaps six months – we got stuck in the Water Temple like a lot of people and took a two month break before figuring it out and working towards the finish again. It wasn’t until I finally owned the game in the following year that I realised how much more the game had to offer – the game has many secrets and collectibles it’s almost frustrating, though finally attaining them is greatly rewarding. It was also the first game that made me feel like a hero – the absence of a voice for Link allows for you to imagine your own instead (this is true for every Zelda game; the only vocal sounds Link makes are grunts and screams during action). It was also the biggest game I’d seen at the time; as mentioned before about seeing places in the distance, when you see Death Mountain in the distance then realise you have to eventually scale it and enter it makes you feel apart of something grand. The discoveries of other cultures such as the Gorons, Zoras and Gerudo make you feel like it’s a living world with each culture being so unique yet practical to the game. Also the unique effects of most songs learned for the ocarina are easy to take for granted, such as the ability to quicken time from night to day, summon the rain, call your horse and more.

I could go on and on about what else makes this game great, but I’m sure you’ve already heard other people rave on about its brilliance. And if you haven’t played it yet then get to it!