Critics of Ocarina of Time's gameplay mechanics have perhaps missed the forest for the trees with regards to art as experience. While the occasionally tedious combat system, overly simplistic puzzles and linear sense of progression meaningfully hamper the experience of playing Ocarina of Time, I do not believe them to be at all fatal, since it is the cinematic element of the game that makes it most interesting. Massive green fields which serve little purpose other than to be traversed sound like a waste of space, until one considers the immersive effect of including such a thing in an adventure game. Ocarina is a pioneer in regards to emotional engagement. The story is incredibly basic, but its beats hit with relatively intense power because the game is designed around them. Seemingly needless wait times serve to heighten the scope of the adventure in the player's heart. Dramatic use of angles, both in cutscenes and in gameplay, help create a sense of not just large scale adventure but serious emotional consequences. People remember Link's first meeting with Ganondorf and their first time stepping outside of the Temple of Time for a reason. It may not be complex, but the weight there is the beginning of something seriously special, and to deny that is seriously missing the point. The "gameplay" simply can no longer be separated from the experience of playing the game.