The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D

Game Info

In 1998, I could still remember searching the internet frantically or going to the local store to just see the pictures of Nintendo’s highly anticipated game The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.  If Nintendo could move the Mario franchise into 3D so flawlessly, Zelda was a franchise that was going to be beyond epic in 3D.  Oh boy was it ever!  So when Nintendo showed off this thirteen year old game with completely redone visuals and running in stereoscopic 3D, I could not wait to get my hands on it. Does this classic adventure still hold up after so many years?

For all the noobs out there that have not played the number one game of all-time according to gamerankings.com, let me give you a little background on Nintendo’s fifth installment in The Legend of Zelda franchise. You play as Link, a little child in the village of Koiri, where all the children stay young and receive fairies as their sidekicks.  As the game begins, Link has yet to receive his fairy and is summoned to the Great Deku Tree.  He finally receives his fairy, named Navi, and Link is set in course to a grand adventure.  Staying away from spoilers, the game is split into two main parts: as young Link and as adult Link.  Each Link has some unique abilities but the gameplay for the most part remains the same.

All the same great gameplay has made the transition from the Nintendo 64 console version to this handheld version flawlessly.  Grezzo, though, has changed a few things for the better.  First off, there is now inventory management located on the touchscreen, which is seamless and makes for switching items a breeze.  There is also two quick touch items where players just tap the top right or bottom right corner of the touch screen to use the equipped item.  This comes in handy in the Water Temple where players will be switching there gear on and off frequently.  Another gameplay feature updated is the use of the gyroscopes that let gamers move there system to either look around in first-person or aim to shoot in first-person.  This works extremely well as long as you are not in a plane, train or automobile.  The aiming is super sensitive and even the littles bump can move the screen.  Thankfully an option to turn this off has been included.  A nice addition I would have liked to have seen since this is a handheld version is that when you save and quit, you can pick up exactly where you left off instead of having to restart at Link’s house or at the Temple of Time.  It really isn’t a problem later in the game when you get the Warp songs, but still would have been a nice feature.

A new mode that has been added to the title is a Boss Challenge Mode, where gamers can replay the boss battles in either a single battle or in sequential order.  It is basically a time trial mode where players beat the bosses as fast as possible.  It would have been a nice feature to include your times in a StreetPass or on an online leaderboard, but Nintendo must have passed at the opportunity.  The Master Quest is also available after you beat the game once.  In the Master Quest, the world is mirrored, the enemies are more difficult and the dungeon structures are different.  For those of us who have played the game before, it would have been nice to be able to access the Master Quest as soon as we popped the cartridge in the system.

In terms of graphics, Grezzo has overhauled the whole game.  The detail that is present is jaw dropping.  From the shops that now have full inventories behind the cashier to the little details of pieces of wood and stones the game looks amazing.  This is by far the best looking game I’ve seen to date on the 3DS and the 3D-effects are awesome.  It makes the game feel fresh and not like a thirteen year old game.

The music has is the same as from the original game.  The songs are timeless and classic.  Some of my personal favorites are the Gerudo Theme, the Windmill theme and Saria’s Song.  I’m glad that Nintendo left the music untouched, it has aged well and I’m not sure if they changed it to an orchestrated theme it would have the same feel.

Games like The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is the reason gamers continue to play games.  This is a timeless classic that only seems to get better with age.  Even though I have my minor complaints this does not take away from the perfection that Nintendo had created thirteen years ago.  I really had a hard time deciding what score to give, I didn’t want to sound bias or like a fanboy, but I came to the realization that this game is one of the reasons why I and an army of gamers are Nintendo fanboys.  The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is as near perfect is a game gets and I’m glad a new generation of gamers get to experience it now as well.