The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D (2011)

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is an adventure game, released in 1998, that has become one of the most influential of the genre. Bringing a story with many classical elements, the game surprised players by reinventing the formula established by A Link to the Past, adapting it to accommodate the advent of the third dimension. Despite some flaws, Ocarina of Time is a game that delights in the way it stimulates the exploration of its universe, offering a wide range of memorable settings and situations.

The protagonist, Link, is a young Kokiri who lives in a secluded forest village. He is different from every one of his colleagues, because he is the only one who does not have a fairy to guide him – which makes him be marginalized by the other Kokiri. His only friend is Saria, a girl who believes that one day Link will have the company he deserves. One morning, however, the Great Deku Tree sends the fairy Na’vi to wake the boy up and summon him to an audience. After hearing the speech of the ancient tree, Link discovers that it was poisoned by an evil force and that it is up to him to leave on a journey through the kingdom of Hyrule to save the world.

The plot of Ocarina of Time does not try to hide the fact it has roots in the biggest clichés of the fantasy genre, with a “chosen one”, a diabolical villain and even a princess to be saved. However, what matters most is how this premise is developed and the trio of writers (Miyamoto, Ousawa and Koizumi) do not disappoint in this regard. They are very economical, building relationships between characters with very brief but meaningful dialogues and scenes. The player cares about the relationship between Saria and Link, for example, thanks to the fact that the boy is an outcast in the forest and she is his only friend. Without Saria, he has nothing left. Thus, the scene in which the protagonist decides to leave to fulfill his mission, and notes that she is the only person waiting for him at the exit, is moving because of the mixed feelings linked at that moment: on the one hand, the scene demonstrates the affection and the concern that Saria feels for Link, but, on the other, it is also loaded with sadness, suggesting that the journey of the protagonist will prevent them from being together.

The localization for the English language also deserves applause. Early on, for example, one can already notice incredible care in the lexical choice: the vocabulary used by the Great Deku Tree conveys its age and wisdom by using terms in an older English (“Doust thou sense it?”) and, mainly, because it refers to evil in the world as a “climate” (“The climate of evil descending upon this realm”), revealing that it is so ancient that it sees even the forces of evil as something fleeting, which happens now and again.

The narrative moves on in a quick pace in the first hours of gameplay thanks to the enormous amount of events happening. In a few hours, Link leaves his home village behind, runs through the kingdom of Hyrule and meets eccentric people, such as the Gorons – amiable stone monsters who like to eat stone – and the Zoras – amphibian humanoids who live in their secluded kingdom. He meets Princess Zelda and comes face to face with his nemesis, Ganondorf. After a series of twists, Link witnesses the castle of Hyrule being attacked, Zelda fleeing and then finally travels forward in time when removing a sacred sword from its pedestal.

It’s just a shame that after going to the future, the pace of the story becomes a slog. There are no new regions or peoples to be discovered until near the end of the game. The main plot itself does not advance, stuck in Link’s mission to get five magical medallions. The goal in this part is to revisit previous areas and observe what has deteriorated over time, but this objective does not prevent the second act of the game from signifying a sudden decrease in the pace of the adventure.

The developers, however, work very well with the transformations that have taken place in Hyrule over time. There are shocking moments – notably the decadence of the main city –, but also some more subtle changes: in the room of Lon Lon Ranch owner, for example, his daughter’s paintings are replaced by portraits of Ganondorf and the bright wallpaper is replaced by a purple one – a color usually associated with death and attached to the villain figure in Ocarina of Time.

The game, in fact, has a unique fantasy universe that mixes several influences: it contains Arthurian myths, such as the “Master Sword”; typical characterizations of races of the genre, such as the Zoras, who, cold and reclusive, act as if they were the elves of Tolkien; and it has even a very strong Shinto atmosphere, with nature spirits emerging with great power and influencing the events of the story. This Shinto influence can be especially noted in the active stance that developers wish the player to take in front of Hyrule: the game is focused on interactions with the environment to reflect the mystery and importance of nature.

Thefore, if most of today’s games – especially open world ones – are concerned with filling their spaces with activities, Ocarina of Time fills its world with secrets. The consequence of this difference is evident: while some strive to keep the player busy, leaving him bewildered with so many goals (most of which are irrelevant), Ocarina of Time hides its missions, inviting the player to join its universe. The resulting effect is dazzling, due to the mystery built around that magical world.

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