The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D Review

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D
By: Julian MacDonnell

Nintendo 3DS

The Legend of Zelda series has seen its fair share of ports and updates of already existing titles. Now comes one more in the form of a touch up to one of the best known and well loved entries in the series; Ocarina of Time. First released on the Nintendo 64 in 1998, Ocarina of Time was for many the first foray into the land of Hyrule and an introduction to some of gaming's most well known and beloved characters.

With the recent release of Nintendo's newest hand-held system, the 3DS, Nintendo needed titles to help sell their system. So it's no wonder that when looking into their back catalog of games, they would choose to touch up and release one of their most revered titles to help sell the system. But with the newly renovated Hyrule, is it enough to ask gamers to come back once more to a land they have most likely seen many times before, or is it doomed to fall into mediocrity once the nostalgia trip fades?

The story starts as Link, a young boy in the Kokiri Village, is awakened by the fairy Navi. Navi informs Link that he is to finally meet with the protector of the forest, the Great Deku Tree. Once properly equipped and having rid a bit of a bug infestation from within the Great Tree, Link is told of his destiny; to rid the world of a great evil that seeks to corrupt and control all it sees with the power of the legendary Triforce. Pretty typical plot for The Legend of Zelda, let alone a game in the adventure genre. However as anyone that's played a Zelda game can attest to, it's not for the story that you play. It's the world and the characters that inhabit it that entices you to push through. Link's adventure in Hyrule brings him to meet many charming, interesting and quirky characters. Even if these characters aren't in themselves original, it's how they are implemented into the story and world that makes them stand out the most. It's also thanks to the art design that both the characters and the world pop out as well as they do. Whether you're plundering a dark temple filled with spirits from the beyond, or riding your steed across the open plains, you can see all the effort that was put into making everything so vibrant.

With this version of Ocarina of Time, Nintendo decided to go one step further than just doing a regular port. The entire game has been given up-rezed graphics and the ability to see the world in 3D. Granted, while not much was really added to the main game in the form of extra dungeons or side missions, at the very least the core game was left fully intact as it could be found on the Nintendo 64. One nice addition to the whole package is the return of the Master Quest in the form of an unlock for those that beat the main game. If you are unfamiliar with the Master Quest, it's basically the same game with a harder difficulty and all the dungeon layouts changed up to offer a different experience. But again, this mode isn't new to the game, having been first incorporated into a special GameCube disk a few years ago. This does present the first down side to this port; there's almost nothing new for returning fans. All the dungeons and towns you visit are the same as they were before.

There is the inclusion of a Boss Challenge mode that is selectable from the bed in Link's house. Though it's nothing more than a chance to play against already beaten bosses to see if you can get the best preset time. While it does add some form of new content, it's one feature I never found myself ever really wanting to use. Had there been some sort of leader-board incorporated so you could compete with friends or other people around the world for the best times, maybe I would have been more inclined to try it out. There is also a sort of 'super guide' that has been put into the main game in the form of a special Sheikah Stones that are sprinkled throughout Hyrule. If you choose to use these stones, you can gain access to 'Visions' which are short videos showcasing how to get past certain puzzles or bosses. While it's another nice feature, I never saw a need for it as every direction or objective given to you is pretty clear to understand and most of the puzzles are relatively easy to figure out if you give yourself enough time. Even with the game left mostly intact and unchanged, I found the best parts to be the small changes made to the gameplay.

The first of note is that the inventory system is a lot easier to manage this time around. Not only has Nintendo decided to move the inventory, gear and map menus to the bottom screen for use with the touch screen, it's now easier to just pull any items you need from your bag to one of five slots on the right side of the screen for easy access later. As players of the earlier incarnations of Ocarina of Time may have noticed, there are now two more items slots than before. Originally where you would have to contend with three slots which would most likely cause you to have to constantly pause the game just to switch to an item that is now necessary for an immediate puzzle, you can now get most of the necessary items for a dungeon ready at once. However, those two added slots can't be assigned to any buttons. Instead, you need to either use the stylus or your thumbs to press the slots to use whatever items you assigned to them. This originally seemed like a hassle, but as I played on I found it more helpful than anything. Especially when you consider the option of assigning items used less frequently like a healing item to those slots. Also, with the change for tunics to now be taken as gear instead of items, as well as the ocarina to have it's own dedicated slot on the opposite side of the touch screen, that's less item management and pausing during intense battles for the player. One very minuscule yet oddly impressive enhancement of the gameplay was the incorporation of the 3DS's built-in gyro sensor. When using the Bow, Slingshot or Hookshot, you can now use the gyro sensor to get a more precise aim by moving the hand-held around you. I tested aiming with the Bow using the sensor and the thumb stick and found the gyro aiming to be the most reliable and accurate. I never once found myself running into technical problems with the sensor.

For a being on a portable, I must say the sound quality is quite good for what could have been. Again, as with the everything else, nothing was really added or changed. The music and sound effects are pulled straight from the original game, and while this could have been a down side to not hear a more orchestral version of the full soundtrack, I found it to not be a really bad thing overall. The inclusion of all the original music lent greatly to my nostalgia trip, bringing me back to my childhood when I first got my hands on Ocarina of Time.

So with everything presented as it is, how does this rendition of a classic fare? Pretty well I would have to say. While I will have to ding this port for not adding anything to the original game, the updates done to the graphics and menus were greatly welcomed. Depending on the player, one run through could go as far as 20-30 hours depending on if you want to unlock every thing and get every little upgrade. Even as a seasoned player I found the game lasting at least around 20 hrs. For fans of the series looking to return to this great adventure, as well as new comers to the Legend of Zelda, I would recommend you pick this up. Of all the ports for Ocarina, this is easily the best that Nintendo has put out yet.