So you're telling me this version...
- has better graphics
- has less annoying text speed
- has aiming that isn't garbage
- has a hint system for all those cryptic moments
- has a much less tedious to navigate Water Temple
- and has the Master Quest, an entire hard mode with not only harder enemies but also harder dungeons, included
...and yet some people say the N64 version is better?

Ocarina of Time was my entry into the Zelda franchise way back in 2012 when I first got my copy of this game. I believe I have completed it 3 times and started countless other playthroughs that have been abandoned along the way. Despite how many times I have played it, this is still one of the Zelda games I looked most forward to playing again as not only does it hold a special place in my heart, it is regarded as one of the greatest games of all time.

Obviously this is the 3ds remake, not the N64 classic. I was debating playing the OG version through the switch as I had never played that version before but the 3ds version is so much more polished and all around more fun to play.

To start off, Ocarina of Time carries on the trend started by Link's awakening and puts way more effort into the narrative. While the story is the same as most others, Ocarina of Time excels due to its environmental storytelling. The main quest is the same as always, Ganon wants the Triforce so Link has to go beat some dungeons and then save Zelda. Ocarina keeps this but makes the world around it feel so lived in. Each NPC has unique dialogue and will tell you more about the area you are in, The first instance of the different races across the land of Hyrule with the Gorons, Zora's and Gerudo's and a decent amount of side quests to allow you to explore the whole map.

One thing I don't think Ocarina of Time gets enough credit for is how dark it is. Obviously it is overshadowed by its harrowing younger brother, Majora's Mask, but Ocarina is by no means a bright and happy game. Ranging from how after the time jump Hyrule Town is completely destroyed and full of ReDeads, People who get lost in the Lost Woods turn into Stalfos, the whole concept of the shadow temple which I will talk about later. Its no Majora, but hardly a laugh riot.

Ocarina's gimmick involves the time jump mechanic. It works in a similar way to the dark world in Alttp where the majority of the games content is found there. Once young link gets the three spiritual stones and obtains the master sword, he is awoken 7 years later to find Hyrule in ruin. The time jump gives Link a whole new arsenal of items, new characters and large differences to main locations. It never feels stale, as Nintendo managed to use the same map locations and make them feel completely different after the time jump.

Where of course Ocarina shines is in its dungeons. I briefly wanted to talk about each one as I have a lot of thoughts about them. First off the three child dungeons which are: Inside the Deku Tree, Dodongo's Cavern and Inside Jabu-Jabu's belly. Each increase in difficulty to provide more of a challenge. I love the aesthetic of each especially Dodongo's cavern with the giant skull and the lava lakes. I have a special liking for each of these as I have probably played them around 20 times each over the years. Forest Temple is the first of the adult temples and is my personal favourite. I love the atmosphere, with it looking like an abandoned Manor house with ghosts everywhere. The boss is great and the dungeon is a good mix of challenging but fair. The fire temple is often forgotten as it isn't as memorable as the rest. I liked the boss but i found the puzzles annoying. The infamous Water temple, I actually found fairly easy this time around, the boss is very easy but managing the water level is really annoying. The water temple is made way easier of the 3ds version so maybe that's why. The shadow temple is probably my second favourite. The atmosphere is so creepy, with the murals on the walls and that horrifying dead hand monster. The lore of this temple is the most interesting as it used to be a torture chamber where the Sheikah would interrogate prisoners, Also the boss Bongo Bongo looks eerily like someone who has been beheaded. The Spirit temple is whatever, I like that you have to do it both as a kid and adult. I think its lacking because there is no connection to it as all other temples had a connection via a character like Darunia for the fire temple or Ruto for the water temple but Link isnt required to visit Gerudo valley at all when he is a kid. This games dungeons are amazing, probably my favourite in the series thus far.

Gameplay wise it plays amazingly. Combat is satisfying with the lock on targeting. The items are fun to use, like the biggoron sword which is so OP. Also for the first time in the series so far, this game is completely possible to play without a guide as it does a great job of telling you where to go and what specifically to do. That of course comes with a downside of having Navi never always yelling at you but you end up tuning it out eventually.

Visually the 3ds version has aged great. I hope that in the future Nintendo will port these versions to switch as they are so much more fun to play, this goes for Ocarina, Majora and even games like Mario 64. Also the Score is fantastic but that's a given, Forest temple and the Deku tree theme are my favourites.

I have a couple small complaints. I wish that there was a useful fast travel system. The one this game has isnt the best as it puts places you in weird spots and you dont unlock them until you are about to do that dungeon. Meaning that you dont get fast travel to Kakariko village until the 2nd last dungeon and by that point you probably have done everything there is to do there. Also Epona in this game is pretty much useless, the controls are janky and she can only be used in Hyrule field and small parts of gerudo valley. Also I wish the day/night cycle was a bit longer as it passes so quickly that is you are to walk normally you cannot make it from Kokiri forest to Hyrule castle in a single day cycle.

This game is very special to me as it was the first one I played which got me into this fantastic series. I especially love the young link segment as it feels so alive compared to the darker adult section. I have played the three starter dungeons over so many times that I know them top to bottom even years on from the last time I played. There is a reason that this is considered not only one of the best Zelda games but one of the best games of all time. It was revolutionary at the time and is still an absolute delight to play through. 100% recommended

best to ever to do it baby, medium defining experience that still holds up to this day.
Gameplay defined 3D action games, literally every single one gets their DNA from here. Dungeon crawling is fantastic, features some of the best temples in the entire series, the progression is still among the most satisfying in all of Zelda.
Storytelling is subtle but is one of the richer tales in the franchise, a coming of age story that really fuckin' hurts once you realize just how tragic the Hero of Time's story is.
The timeline split here is also such an engaging element of the game's story, having Link be sent back in time in order to relive his childhood that was stolen from him, while then having to lead a ruined Hyrule to a better future- sick af brotherman, love that shit.

idk, this was the second Zelda game I played, and it's still my favorite after all these years. I come back to it every now and then and have a grand old time no matter what, love this game man.

I’m going to destroy the nonexistent credibility I have and criticize OOT. It’s not bad by any stretch, more an indication of my changing tastes and what I look for in a video game. I admit I was never a big fan of this game, but I couldn’t place my finger on why. After some deliberation, I figured it out.

Zelda is an action, puzzle, adventure franchise. You explore the world for secrets, complete puzzles to traverse the dungeons, you fight bosses and enemies, it’s all self-explanatory. OOT’s job was translating the design of the previous Zelda’s, notably ALTP, into 3D. Assessing how well it accomplishes that job, it’s solid, but far from perfect.


ALTP’s Hyrule field felt expansive but contained, just the right size to pack full of secrets. Progression was open ended enough to feel player lead without relying on a guide. I remember finding items such as the flippers and medallions thinking I found some broken powerup, only to realize that they were required to open certain dungeons. I remember how I needed to use the hook-shot to access the second half of the Dark World. I remember how items from one dungeon were required to beat another. I remember how it all culminated in Ganon’s Tower; a gauntlet that remains brutal no matter how many heart pieces you have.

It’s surprising to play a game with the confidence to gatekeep progression behind the players own curiosity to explore. Ironically, it gives the player everything they need to succeed but remains brutal in its challenge. It somehow conveys these values better than Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, games centered around player discovery.

Ocarina of Time is infamous for Hyrule Field, a sprawling green field of nothing, but its other areas are just as bland. Lake Hylia is a lake housing the Water Temple in the middle, Death Mountain is a linear path containing stops to Dodongo’s Cavern and the Goron City, Zoro’s Domain is a straight line ending in the waterfall where you play Zelda’s Lullaby.

It’s not the lack of meaningful exploration, or Link’s slow movement, that’s the issue (though they are factors.) It’s as if these areas have no interest in anything besides getting you to the next dungeon or “place-where-the-story-happens.” It’s the lack of detours and depth that makes this iteration of Hyrule less interesting. The world design is the definition of something that’s “aged poorly.” What was once impressive with its ability to render sprawling landscapes only becomes less impressive with time, demonstrating a lack of foresight.

The bosses in A Link to the Past sell the “action” in action-adventure. They had weaknesses, you often used the dungeon item to provide an advantage, but they were fights first and foremost. They required strategy and skill to overcome. The Helmasaur King had you use items to break his helmet. After his helmet broke, the fight continued. You now had to attack his green weak point, but he was still shooting fireballs and using tail swipes. Trinexx needed the Ice and Fire rod to stun the protruding heads. Once they’re defeated, the main head starts snaking around the player, subverting the fight in a way that’s surprising and memorable. With the right strategy, many of these bosses can be trivialized, but they’re designed in a way that tests both your knowledge of the mechanics and skills in maneuvering Link to dodge attacks. The interactions were varied and nuanced in a way disturbingly absent from the rest of the series.

Ocarina of Time. Gohma, wait for its eye to turn red then attack with the slingshot, it then lies down for you to attack it. King Dodongo, wait for its mouth to open to throw a bomb, it then lies down for you to attack it. Twinrova, you wait for them to shoot a beam so you can reflect it, they then lie down for you to attack. These are egregious examples, but every fight is like this. It’s a boring and binary interaction repeated 9+ times.

The bosses and world design are a simple product of my central problem with OOT. It’s transition to 3D adopts a more streamlined and predictable approach to everything you encounter, and that’s unproductive when applied to a game claiming to be about “adventure.” The appeal of an adventure is finding what surprises await you, but when it’s so easy to boil every encounter down to a formula it gets less interesting. A Link to the Past has stayed timeless in my mind because it doesn’t fall for the trap of predictability. Unfortunately, Ocarina of Time does, and it’s a worse game for it.


You can say that all these aspects were simple growing pains of a franchise moving toward the third dimension, with which I will wholeheartedly agree. However, the term “growing pains” implies the thing experiencing the shortcomings has moved past the stage of development they were in, and unfortunately, I disagree.

My biggest problem with OOT isn’t with the game itself, but with the Victory Disease it gave the franchise. Every subsequent 3D Zelda except for BOTW is essentially an attempt to one-up Ocarina of Time by tying it to a new novelty. Unknowingly inheriting the same flaws and cliches, never evolving as a product.

Wind Waker, what if Ocarina of Time was more expansive? Twilight Princess, what if Ocarina of Time was darker? Skyward Sword, what if Ocarina of Time was a shitty prequel? It’s a reductive assessment of these games’ quality, but their ties to a flawed game limits what they can do. As a result, they fail to interest me.


Ocarina of Time is not bad by any stretch, but it’s not what I look for in a video game anymore. I chase things that are new, surprising, risky, and not afraid to offend. Ocarina is not what I look for in an adventure. You can love this game, along with its successors all you want, and I will understand why. Unfortunately, I can’t share that passion with you.

I can't in good faith give this game a good rating. 3D Zelda games are plagued with so many issues, that most of them are either boring or infuriating. The N64 Zeldas are more infuriating while the later ones are more just boring. I've tried to play this game 3 times now and let me tell you some of the breaking points that existed for me

The first time, I tried to present the letter to the zora king but it didn't work so I spent 2 hours trying to find out what to do, just to find out that I was not standing the right spot. The second time was trying to find out what to do after the bad jabu jabu "dungeon" just to realize that I didn't pay attention to the cutscene enough where zelda throws a thing in the water in front of the town. This time around, was doing the forest temple and the required small key was in the beginning where you have to climb a vine texture that blends into the background. These moments suck but these are more "the straw that broke the camels back" than the real causes. 3D Zelda games tend to be very obtuse and inconsistently fun. Most of these games consist of dialouge, lots of walking, terrible combat, and dungeons. Only one of those things is good and its not the walking.

You know, for how much these Zelda game have to say, it sure is a whole lot of nothing. This is a larger problem of every 3d zelda where they all have story and all of them are damn near the same and add nothing of value. But also every game has unskippable dialogue and mindless chatter. The story is nothing, its meaningless, its all the same. Link is the hero he has to kill ganon, then he does. You always have to help the zora and do a water dungeon, you always have to help the gorons and do a lava/fire dungeon. You always get the hookshot, and the bow, and bombs, and a boomerang, a couple bottles, and some type of instrument. The dungeons are always the same, the items are the same, the characters are the same. SO IF EVERYTHING IS ALWAYS THE SAME, WHY DO YOU KEEP GIVING ME A BORING UNSKIPPABLE STORY? This is less targeted at ocarina of time, being that it is the first 3d one but it is something this game still suffers from.

The combat is awful, I know this is a 1997 n64 game but I still do not enjoy this combat. Its clunky, slow and barely functional with the terrible camera controls.

There is some good though. The dungeons are mostly fun. Twilight princess 100% has better dungeons than this game but there are still cool. The dungeons here struggle being interesting considering this is the first attempt into 3d, but they have the core elements that make zelda dungeons fun. Theres a lot of really strange things that players will have to figure out in the n64 zelda game to clear it without looking it up, like my earlier example of the forest temple. I spent a lot of time in jabu jabus dungeon, because I didnt realize to get to the boss room, I had to use the boxes that only exist in that one room for the button. Or sneaking into the hyrule castle for the first time and not realizing you had the power to climb steep slopes all of a sudden. In a way, OoT has issues that tomb raider 2 has, where it requires you to do things that the player had access to but would never know. For example, in tomb raider 2, theres a level where you can climb bookshelves, but you can't climb all bookshelves, only those specific ones in that level.

The music in this game is also great and boosted my rating of this game by at least half a star. It has some absolute classic tracks that are iconic to this day.

I've given this game many chances though, I've tried to be patient but even looking back, I can't say much of my time spent playing this game was doing anything that much fun outside of the dungeons. Its strange to me that a franchise so creatively bankrupt that has barely improved upon itself is considered one of the best in the industry. I'm sorry, but I don't like the best game of all time.