Review and Analysis: The Legend of Zelda - Ocarina of Time
Five excruciating years passed from the last official release of a Zelda title and seven since the previous home console release--the Nintendo 64 launched in 1996 without a Zelda game in sight, and the hype was unmatched. As with previous games in the series, Ocarina of Time was in production alongside Mario 64, one of the pioneers of 3D movement in games, though it wouldn't be until two years after that game released that Ocarina of Time would see the light of day. One of the biggest challenges, though, was that Zelda as a whole was always far more intricately designed than Mario; where the latter had always concentrated on tight controls with an emphasis on overcoming obstacles, Zelda was a slow-burning adventure title on the opposite end of the spectrum. Thankfully, Mario 64 laid much of the groundwork for Ocarina of Time--so much, in fact, that the original design of Ocarina of Time was planned to share the same world-select painting system in a large castle like the earlier title.
Ocarina of Time wasn't any ordinary sequel, though: like Mario 64, this was the important transitory period where the series would shed its 2D roots and break into 3D, and for that it needed to be perfect. We can see just how important it was at the time for a series to nail the landing when it came to this transition, as games like the disastrous Bubsy 3D would drop and completely destroy their respective series forever. Even the Sonic franchise hit a speed bump when Sonic Adventure dropped on the Sega Dreamcast--in the same year as Ocarina of Time, no less--a launch so pitiful it destroyed one of the titans of home console gaming. I'm going to break down the exact ways I believe Ocarina of Time executed the many necessary steps needed to achieve greatness, and what better way than to start at the beginning?
The Boy Without a Fairy
Much like A Link to the Past, Ocarina of Time opens with dialogue from a secondary character: the mystical Deku Tree. After a brief introduction and an ominous dream foreshadowing events of the story, the Deku Tree tasks the fairy Navi to find and assist Link, the only Kokiri child who is not accompanied by a fairy. When the player is eventually charged with purifying the Deku Tree and then implored to stop the black-clad man from the desert, it really feels like Link is facing near-impossible odds from a story perspective. As an aside, the story subtly hides Ganondorf's identity from the player since at that point, returning players will only remember the villain as simply Ganon, a giant pig monster. It's a great way to subvert expectations and throughout the game, players familiar with A Link to the Past will already know that Ganondorf will eventually claim the Triforce for himself. Beginning the game at a disadvantage is nothing new for the series--in fact, at this point I'd say it's more common than not--but the much greater emphasis on the plot presentation can create an emotional connection between the player and the game's protagonist.
This focus on story presentation is probably the most apparent flaw of the game as it can potentially take players out of the action. Dialogue-based cutscenes are often longer than any of the past games by a pretty sizable margin and to make matters worse, there are no ways to skip them to jump back into the action immediately. In an Iwata Asks from a few years ago Shigeru Miyamoto himself rejects the notion that Zelda is story-focused and would prefer for players to focus on the gameplay, which I find incredibly ironic given just how much more strongly the game presents its narrative. It's not necessarily bad design, but gone are the days of the player naming their save file and being dumped right into the overworld.
In a year of so many narrative-driven games, Ocarina of Time is a bit more generic than the likes of Metal Gear Solid, which featured fully-voiced cinematic cutscenes and a bizarre, contemporary story. The biggest difference in the games comes pretty much when the player is given control: much like Mario 64, Link controls using analog movement in a 3D plane. In contrast, Metal Gear Solid largely uses digital controls in an overhead perspective with the exception of limited first-person control; if the game had been created with 2D sprites and removed the first-person option, it would highly resemble its MSX2 ancestors.
That's not to say Ocarina of Time is even the first title to merge an involved story in a 3D game, I mean hell Mega Man Legends came out in 1998 as well and that one had both a behind-the-back camera and fully-voiced cutscenes. Ocarina of Time sets itself apart by transplanting the legendary Zelda design into a new dimension of video games which, at the time, was still nascent. Much like the original Zelda took a genre which was still going through learning pains and flipped tropes which at the time had yet to even be established, Ocarina of Time took the overall design the series had developed at that point and attempted to carefully recreate it as close as possible in a fully 3D world.
This is accomplished so well in the introduction to Hyrule Field that I kind of feel sorry for people who were too young or never had the chance to experience this moment when Ocarina first released. The camera sweeps across the world as the brand-new theme plays its strong first notes before settling on the small corner of Hyrule from which Link hails. The sheer size of the world, translated almost perfectly from prior games in the series, is laid out in its full glory for players to explore. But first, a certain owl (a callback to Link's Awakening) impedes the player to make sure that even after clearing an entire dungeon, they know how to navigate the world. Tutorializing is an annoying contrivance which reared its ugly head during this console generation, and while Ocarina of Time is fairly light on explicit tutorials it can still take players out of the game. Navi will occasionally alert the player if she feels they've gotten lost or forgotten the destination, but I'd have much preferred a system wherein the player could just talk to Navi at any time because she is genuinely helpful. I know later games remedy this problem, but I'd like to go at this one game at a time.
What a Hot Beat!
3D space aside, Ocarina of Time shines most brightly as a composite of the Zelda series as a whole. Much of the game can feel like a portmanteau of the entirety of The Legend of Zelda, though unlike Link's Awakening the developers understood the importance of perfecting what was at hand rather than fumble at reinventing the wheel. That's not exactly a flaw for Link's Awakening, but given that game was a handheld sequel the stakes were much lower for Nintendo to experiment. Because A Link to the Past was largely a new take on the original Zelda, it's a bit difficult to see which key components Ocarina of Time took from the earliest entry; on the flip side, I feel Ocarina finally fulfills the promise of Adventure of Link's intricate combat system without any of the annoying tedium. Players can position themselves and attack enemies with a multitude of attacks; players have access to a hard-hitting jump swing, directional inputs can be used to swing the sword in several directions--even combat mechanics from A Link to the Past are intricately woven into Link's arsenal with many of the spells making a return as well as an upgradable Spin Attack.
Much of the game's plot progression has been kept from A Link to the Past to the point where most players can identify that, at its core, Ocarina of Time is only very close to being merely a 3D remake of the older title, though the setting is far more unique in many areas. The players are tasked with finding three gems in order to stop Ganondorf, which boosts the player's power while sending them to a darker and inverted version of the previous world. As I mentioned in my A Link to the Past review, I actually played this game first so upon discovering the older game I was pretty astounded by just how similar they actually appear to be, though I think it's a discredit to both games to simply say Ocarina of Time is just a retread of A Link to the Past. Further emphasis has been placed on character development in the vein of Link's Awakening, with almost every single character the player encounters being memorable in some way. Because the major characters are so well-written and unique it gives the player a much more urgent pace in the second half when the goal is to awaken the sages; rather than the fairly boring maidens of A Link to the Past, the sages needing to be awakened are all revealed to be characters Link befriended as a child.
This makes the fairly shocking twist that many of them die over the course of the game that much more impactful; it's sad that Darunia is likely killed by Volvagia, but in death he's able to repay the enormous debt he owes to Link. Link isn't merely foisted as a hero figure by a mystical entity who bestows him great power, he earns it over the course of the adventure. Saria and Link are established as childhood friends; Darunia feels a brotherhood with Link because Link was the only person able to defeat King Dodongo; Link saves Princess Ruto from Jabu-Jabu's belly and cleanses what ostensibly amounts to the Zoras' God. The actions Link takes as a child permeate the entire second half of the game and make the player feel that much more involved in the world.
The Gap Between Both Dimensions
The weakest link is a holdover from Link's Awakening, where later parts of the game require beating the dungeons in order before new parts of the map can open up. Link can't access the Gerudo Valley as a child unless the player can warp through the back, but in order to gain access to that warp point the player needs to find items from the Shadow Temple in order to safely cross the desert as an adult. An interesting aside is that the game never truly forgets about the younger Link and actively forces players to travel back and forth through time once the Shadow Temple is accessed, though it's annoying to me that this dungeon is barred until the player collects the medallions from the first three temples.
I do like that although the progression is similar to A Link to the Past, the game can be broken down into even more layers than simply Light World to Dark World; the player has to finish three dungeons as young Link, then three dungeons as adult Link, then two dungeons as both versions of Link across time before finally moving on to the final encounter. And I would be remiss if I didn't give the Shadow Temple its fair due, as it and its childhood-accompanying dungeon Bottom of the Well are easily the most memorable dungeons in the entire game. The only thing that really irks me is that the player must clear the required dungeons before opening up either of these areas in the game, although I have to admit that the three-act structure is an interesting change of pace especially since these acts are cleanly separated by three dungeons apiece.
Beating the Shadow Temple also gives players the hint that the game can be tackled in a number of orders, as the Medallion for the Shadow Temple is actually displayed last in the order of the Quest Status sub-screen, despite it appearing correctly on the save screen and song selection. The subtle hint here is that players who actually take the time to notice this might begin to speculate the ways to approach dungeons in different orders for a second playthrough; once a player determines a new direction for a second game, this might also prompt players to think about the order of the first few dungeons as well. It's impossible for players to completely forego later dungeons before finding the major item in some dungeons, but unlike Link's Awakening most dungeons aren't locked behind plot progression.
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| Pictured: 9-year-old me developing forreal OCD |
Two notable elements return from Link's Awakening, the less obvious of which being the expanded Trading Sequence. While the original sequence required players to remember dialogue and specific items in order to eventually receive an item necessary to progress to the end of the game, the sequence in Ocarina of Time is far more streamlined and is one of the many optional sidequests of the game. Players must take items across Hyrule Field on a short timer and ultimately acquire a new sword, though this is not an outright upgrade like previous games in the series. Instead, the Biggoron Sword offers players an interesting trade-off of higher damage and longer reach, with only the Master Sword being able to equip shields while dealing less damage.
I generally prefer big, passive upgrades and transformations--which I suppose is likely due to being such a big fan of anime like Dragon Ball as a kid--but given that this is reinventing the Zelda formula it totally works in context. The Trading Sequence can even be ignored entirely if players have no interest in the Biggoron Sword, much like the option to skip Epona or the Golden Skulltulas. Giving players beneficial upgrades as opposed to hiding plot-crucial items and events behind an obtrusive fetch quest is not the best example of game design, so in the case of Ocarina it feels more like an activity for players who want a distraction from the main quest. I have a very good friend who always makes a beeline for the Biggoron Sword when he reaches the adult section of the game because it matches his playstyle more, and the fact that this option even exists is pretty spectacular.
Perhaps the most notable gameplay mechanic to return from Link's Awakening comes in the form of music, which is greatly expanded upon into a robust system. Link's Awakening revolves around song: Marin is a singer; Link is given an ocarina on which to learn three different songs which can be used at various points for different results; and the ultimate goal of the game is to recover the Instruments of the Siren in order to play the Ballad of the Wind Fish and awaken it from its slumber.
In Ocarina of Time, seemingly everything in the world revolves around music. Warp points are used with specific songs, greatly expanding the warp mechanic in A Link to the Past. Songs are also used for puzzle solutions; one background song in particular returning from A Link to the Past is used to solve many block puzzles, though there are also songs to change the time of day, to change the weather, to call Link's new horse, Epona--the list goes on.
To me, this is a way of grounding Ocarina of Time and helps to give it some of the transcendental quality that makes the game so special. Music is a language without words; it doesn't have to fit into a setting or be presented in a strange light to communicate a feeling. The Song of Storms is chaotic and whimsical while the Song of Time is mysterious, and all of these songs are performed with the same five notes on one small ocarina. To say it bluntly, it's beautiful.
Even though Ganondorf's battle theme is similar to the theme of the Ganon battle from A Link to the Past, extra care was put into creating a discordant, unnerving, and ultimately oppressive song that perfectly suits this version of the series villain: in a world where song is so pervasive, it's only natural that Ganondorf would stand out in such a menacing way. Ganondorf even plays music on an organ to really hit home that by the time Link reaches him, the two are fundamentally two sides of one coin--one light, one dark. If you don't believe me about Ganondorf's battle, just listen to the soundtrack. The most common time signature in music is 4/4; that is, four instances of quarter notes. You've likely seen an orchestra composer exaggeratedly counting time in some form or another, but this is basically just counting "one-two-three-four" and then repeating that on every measure. The more complicated the time signature the more uncommon it is to find examples of those signatures being used--Ganondorf's battle theme, to really drive home his imposing theme, is theorized to be counted in 23/16 time! You could probably simplify this to alternating measures of 13/16 and 10/16, but to be frank there's nothing simple about it.
To have a game with a stand-out final boss theme can be difficult, but "stand-out" and "complete insanity" are two very different things. As I said, what makes this so very special is the permeation of music in every aspect of Ocarina of Time--a master of their craft strives for perfection, but even then Ocarina of Time goes a step further to completely shatter expectations. There's a phrase that I feel has basically lost all meaning now, but I'm drawing a very hard line in the sand and making a firm statement on a debate that should have been settled an extremely long time ago.
Ocarina of Time is the Citizen Kane of Video Games.
I hate the idea of a "Citizen Kane" of any type of medium, but this is a very specific argument that I think deserves to be dismantled. In recent years bog-standard shooters like The Last of Us and Bioshock Infinite have been inexplicably given such praise as "gaming's Citizen Kane moment," but what does that even mean? Put your analytical helmets on my beauties, because this is going to get rocky.
Even if you've never seen the movie yourself, you likely know that Citizen Kane has a legacy for being "the greatest movie of all time." And to be very fair to Orson Welles, the praise is not unwarranted: Citizen Kane is a very unique and engaging story, but what really set it apart from its contemporaries is the groundbreaking cinematography which at the time of its filming was unheard-of.
Filming techniques like deep focus are used to their full effect, along with other techniques like angle shots and panning. I'm not all that versed in film as the experts so I'm likely missing a very large and more important innovation, but what matters is that Citizen Kane perfected its medium. Unreliable narrators and framed narratives were a thing long before Citizen Kane, but the ultimate product is an engaging character study in a unique format which would go on to influence its medium forever. Film has everything to thank for Citizen Kane in the same way modern video games have everything to thank for Ocarina of Time.
To be clear, I completely acknowledge all the derivative elements taken from earlier games in the series don't necessarily make for a compelling argument, but as I mentioned earlier what's really important is that no 3D game had yet approached an adventure story of this scale before. From combat to presentation, games have forever been indebted to the forward-thinking nature of Ocarina of Time much in the same way general role-playing games took from the original Zelda. What's even more impressive is the sheer amount of ingenious ways the game works around and even engages in its own technical shortcomings, one way being the Z-targeting system.
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| Is this a Dark Souls reference? Probably. |
Aiming with ranged weapons was still a shortcoming of the system given the fairly convoluted nature of the controller. And without a standard camera angle for third-person shooting, the developers needed to take serious consideration before deciding on a way to implement items like the bow or hookshot. In order to do this, first-person aiming is used to fairly admirable results; while it's a bit on the touchy side, aiming the ranged weapons feels far more responsive and balanced than it has any right to and even if players have trouble with this, Z-targeting is always available. Ocarina of Time makes no attempt at standing out as a first-person shooter, but it implements the style of gameplay when necessary because it was the best option available. Oh, and that thing about third-person shooting angles? I lied.
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| Pictured: innovation. Also pictured: a sizable amount of annoyance because none of you idiots have taken a screenshot of this angle before and I had to take it on my own 3DS. You're welcome. |
Verily, Thou Hast Felt It
Recently, critics have seemingly wanted to "take Ocarina to task" for a perceived problem of the game's unshakable legacy and continued status as one of the greatest games of all time. Online animator Egoraptor released a flaccid half-hour hitpiece full of half-truths and an outright appeal to look at its predecessor with more rose-tinted nostalgia goggles compared to the revolutionary Ocarina of Time. Maybe it's because I played Ocarina of Time first so I don't necessarily feel like the games are even worth comparing negatively, but to wave away the contributions of Ocarina of Time to make a still very good game appear in a better light is a waste of effort. Since then, the crushing weight of his sins destroyed any notion of creativity and stopped his animating career for the rest of time. May he be missed. That Sequelitis was not worth the death of Girl-chan.
That's just one example, and it's probably the most popular criticism Ocarina of Time will ever get. I don't even disagree with some of the points made, but as I mentioned in an earlier review it's important to remember the time in which a game released and keep its limitations at heart. Other criticisms, both within that video and on other reviews critical of Ocarina of Time, are usually far less thought-provoking or insightful. There's no badge of honor to criticize popular or well-received games two decades after their release unless the reviewer places the game under a very fine microscope, but a half-hour video is far from the time investment necessary as in order to criticize Ocarina of Time, I believe it would be more important to analyze the negative influence the game had, if any. Most negative criticisms of Ocarina of Time are instead often relegated to edgy contrarianism for quick clicks.
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| The typical moronic Ocarina of Time naysayer. Don't debase yourself like this. You're better than that. Respect yourself. |
Don't give me your horseshit about The Last of Us being some sort of Citizen Kane-level savior of the medium. It's a good story, but in gameplay terms it's outstripped by even Resident Evil 4, the grandfather of the third-person shooter. I like it as a survival horror game, but it does nothing revolutionary for its genre. I know this is all a silly point and kind of undermines the whole critical aspect of my review, but Ocarina of Time is a game of such quality that it doesn't even seem feasible for it to come together so well while other games struggled to even come close.
Verdict
Compared to A Link to the Past, Ocarina of Time appears at first glance to be missing some of the intricate open world that Zelda had been known for. Sure, the sword can't be explicitly upgraded and there are fewer dungeons, but what Ocarina of Time strives for and ultimately executes perfectly is the overall sum of its parts. Taking elements of every single Zelda game up to this point and combining them into an untouchable experience, Ocarina of Time once again followed up on one of the most important aspects of the Zelda formula: look forward and continue innovating. Endearing, deep, sometimes creepy and always a blast to play, Ocarina of Time deserves its spot as the best game of all time. There might be more complex games or titles that have since taken the formula found in this game to new heights, but without Ocarina of Time these games would have never existed. Ocarina of Time isn't merely a good game or an influential game, it is--pardon the pun--timeless.
Before I sign off, I want to address the many ports and versions of the game as I outright recommend players who haven't tried Ocarina to give it a shot. The original Nintendo 64 gold cart is far and away the best as it was the only version of the game to not be touched by censorship, but good luck finding it at a reasonable price. The second printing is just as good, and the Wii and Wii U Virtual Console ports are decent. The biggest problem is that Ocarina of Time was developed specifically for the controller of the console it was designed for, so a strange downside to these ports is that the controller layout just doesn't translate perfectly. The Gamecube version is the only one to play the original game at 480p, but it's probably last on the list for me as it crashes and seems to have new glitches.
There's also the matter of the 3DS remaster, which boosts the game's original 20 frames-per-second up to a more modern 30. The difference is night and day, and many of the game's character models were improved dramatically. I have a full write-up of that port and the other remasters of the 3D Zelda games linked below if you want details; if you're fine with the notably worse atmosphere of the 3DS remaster, it's an improvement in nearly every other aspect. To get the most out of Ocarina of Time, I'd say play the original Nintendo 64 version for your first playthrough, then for repeat games play the 3DS version. Either way, please do yourself a favor and try out this piece of video game history.
Zelda 3D remaster mini-reviews:
http://subjective-objective.blogspot.com/2016/03/mini-review-zelda-remasters.html
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TL;DR please
ReplyDeleteOcarina good
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