The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is a Nintendo 64 video game released in 1998. It is a part of The Legend of Zelda series, and is renowned for being the series' first three-dimensional title. In 2000, the game was met with a sequel, also for the Nintendo 64, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask.
Since its release, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time has been considered to be one of the greatest video games of all time. Nintendo Power put it as #1 on its list of the 200 greatest Nintendo games of all time.[Citation Needed]
Plot
The game begins with a young boy named Link, a courageous and caring person. He lives in the Kokiri Forest with the other Kokiri children, their fairy companions, and the guardian spirit of the forest, the Great Deku Tree. One day, the Deku Tree summons Link and asks the boy to help him cure a curse that has been set upon him. Link agrees and, with the help of the fairy Navi, travels inside the Deku Tree. While there, the pair encounter numerous monsters, as well as the source of the curse, the Evil Queen Gohma. Link manages to defeat her, but to no avail. The Great Deku Tree reveals that he will die regardless of whether Link had succeeded or not. This task was simply intended to test Link’s courage. Having witnessed Link’s abilities, the Great Deku Tree becomes convinced that Link is the only one who can save the land of Hyrule. He tells Link about the evil desert King Ganondorf who put the curse on him in an attempt to get the Spiritual Stone of the Forest. The Great Deku Tree gives the stone to Link and asks him to visit Zelda, the Princess of Hyrule, who can help him. With that, the Great Deku Tree passes away and Link and Navi head out to start their journey.
They arrive at Hyrule Castle and meet Princess Zelda, where She confirms to them that Ganondorf is indeed an evil man whom they must stop. Zelda asks Link to retrieve the other two Spiritual Stones. With them, they would be able to access the Triforce, an item of legend that is said to grant the wishes of whoever posses it. With that in their possession, Zelda believes they can stop Ganondorf. Link agrees to help and begins to search for the other two Spiritual Stones. He manages to obtain the Spiritual Stones of Fire and Water by assisting the Gorons and Zoras, respectively. With all three in his grasp, he heads back to the castle.
Link gets there just to see Zelda fleeing on horseback. She tosses something back to him before disappearing into the night. Immediately, Ganondorf emerges in pursuit of her. Link attempts to buy the Princess time, but is utterly incapable of stopping the evil man. Ganondorf rides off and Link picks up the item that Zelda left him. It is the Ocarina of Time, the last key needed to enter the Sacred Realm, where the Triforce resides. Link enters the Temple of Time, which serves as a gateway between the real world and the Sacred Realm. He utilizes the Spiritual Stones and the Ocarina of Time to enter the Sacred Realm, but is interrupted by Ganondorf. The desert King reveals that he had suspected that Link had the keys to the Sacred Realm, and thanks him for opening the door form him. Before Link can do anything, he is mysteriously knocked unconscious and Ganondorf is left to enter the Sacred Realm uncontested.
Link awakens to find himself in the presence of Rauru, one of the ancient Sages entrusted to guard the Sacred Realm. Rauru explains that Link is the only one who is capable of wielding the Master Sword, a blade that no evil can touch. It is this blade that will be key in defeating Ganondorf. But, Link was too young to wield it when he entered the Sacred Realm, so he was frozen in time. Link discovers that seven years have passed and he has grown from a young boy to a young man. Rauru instructs Link to go back to Hyrule and awaken the other five Sages. Together, Rauru reasons, they should be strong enough to stop the evil King. Upon returning to the Temple of Time, a mysterious character named Shiek introduces himself to Link. He gives Link advice on how to proceed before disappearing.
The newly christened hero returns to Hyrule to find it is much different than when he left it. Ganondorf had used the last seven years to turn the world into a place of darkness and has set himself up as King. Link travels around Hyrule, encountering many characters that he had previously met in his childhood. With the occasional assistance of Shiek, Link manages to reawaken all of the Sages. Link then heads to the Temple of Time where he is met by Shiek, who reveals to him that he is actually none other than Princess Zelda in disguise. She explains to him that when Ganondorf tried to seize the Triforce, his heart was not balanced and the Triforce had split into three parts. Only the Triforce of Power remained with Ganondorf. The other two parts, the Triforce of Wisdom and the Triforce of Courage, went to those who most represented their individual qualities. Namely, they went to Zelda and Link, respectively. But, before the reunion can go on, Ganondorf springs a trap and captures Zelda. He then takes her hostage and challenges Link to meet him in his castle.
Link gives chase and enters the dark palace. With the help of the Sages, Link traverses up the tower and comes face to face with Ganondorf. The two engage in a fierce battle, which Link eventually wins. Ganondorf gasps that he can’t believe that he has been beaten before collapsing. Link and Zelda reunite briefly, but Ganondorf show that he’s not through yet. He uses his remaining strength to try and bring the tower down and kill them all in the process. Link and Zelda flee and barely manage to escape before the tower crumbles. Ganondorf is not done yet, as he utilizes the power of the Triforce to transform himself into a gigantic monster called Ganon. Link fights for his life against the terrifying beast. With one final blow, Link uses the Master Sword to fell the King of darkness. Zelda and the Sages then use their power to seal Ganon in the Sacred Realm. The game concludes with Link and Zelda saying their goodbyes, before Zelda uses the Ocarina of Time to transport Link back to his original time. The last shot depicts a once-again young Link meeting a young Princess Zelda in the Castle Courtyard.
Major locations
- Death Mountain - A large volcano inhabited by Gorons and the dungeon Dodongo Cavern.
- Gerudo Valley - A small valley that contains a vital bridge. Access to this bridge is required to enter the Gerudo fortress. The bridge is later destroyed.
- Hyrule Castle Town - The heart of Hyrule. Where the castle and royal family are located.
- Kokiri Forest - Home of the Kokiri; where you start the game.
- Lake Hylia - Contains many places the player will visit in the game, such as the Lakebed temple and fishing pond.
- Lost Woods - The section of the Kokiri Forest that is largely uncharted, hence the name 'Lost'.
Controversies
Fire Temple
The original releases of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time contained Islamic chants in the background music of the Fire Temple, while there are no recognizable Christian hymns in the game. Also, some pushable blocks have the Islamic crescent moon and star, rather than a Christian symbol like a cross. The chants were removed in later versions and the block symbol was changed to be religiously-neutral.[1]