E133: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is without a doubt one of the most influential video games ever made. Unlike some titles that struggled with the transition to 3D, Zelda absolutely smashed it, setting the blueprint for what successful open world level design looked like for many years to come.

It introduced (or popularised) many mechanics, including lock-on, c-button item selection and even an active day/night cycle. It somehow took the 2D dungeon design of the earlier Zeldas and transformed them into something that modern games struggle to emulate to this day. And its legacy is so strong that even people who have never played the games are familiar with “Hey, Listen!”.

But for all its fame and fortune, for all of its innovation and brilliance - it is 27 years later. What was once revolutionary is now standard or even passe. Ocarina of Time not only has to compete against all the games that have copied and built on its foundations, but also itself, with many more 3D zelda games launched in its wake. Has Ocarina of Time truly stood the test of time, or should it go back to kid mode and stay there?

On this episode, we discuss:

Dungeons

Ocarina of Time’s major gameplay draw, its deepest mechanics, are all found in its dungeons. It's a mix of puzzles, combat and exploration, gated by keys and items. Are the dungeons in OOT well designed with good pacing, or are they frustrating slogs with endless backtracking?

Items

The longer you play Ocarina of Time, the more tools you have at your disposal. Nuts, hookshots, hover boots, ocarina songs, spells - the list goes on and on. Does the game manage to balance this huge array of options, or does each one end up feeling too shallow and specific?

Combat

One of the pillars of Ocarina of Time, and all Zelda games, are their combat systems. OOT introduced the concept of a lock on, with some very aggressive mini boss enemies that feel like prototype Dark Souls skeletons. Is the combat here fun and engaging, or does the camera control and AI hold it back?

We answer these questions and many more on the 133rd episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast!

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Intro Music: KieLoBot - Tanzen K

Outro Music: Rockit Maxx - One point to another

Zelda OOT OST: Koji Kondo

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We played Zelda: Ocarina of Time using Ship of Harkinian, a custom modded port of the game that runs like a dream on modern PCs. Definitely check it out!

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Is our take on the Water Temple spot on, or highly controversial? DId you ever get stuck while wandering the greater open world, or was that just a feature so you could catch more fish? Which Zelda game should we play next? Come let us know what you think on our community discord server!

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