Ocarina of Time is the quintessential videogame. The influence of OoT over the medium is immeasurable and would grant it a place in history by itself. However, the game is also damn good, and holds up to today's standards.
OoT is a masterclass in both game design and storytelling and lays the foundation to the modern videogame. The item-dungeon loop, the quasi-open world, the hub areas integrated into the worldbuilding aspects and the time-related plot twists and implementation of quests and sidequests integrating the game's main gimmick in such a natural manner were basically the template for most major game created ever since.
The use of soundtrack in ambience and storytelling is also extremely inspired and helps the game in its longstanding legacy. The musical and audio motif introduced in OoT are, in fact, one of the more important factors in the series identity up to the most recent entries.
The Kingdom of Hyrule feels alive, which is a feat and a half considering the technical hurdles of the time. The clever use of hub locations contrasting with the ample Hyrule Fields makes the populated areas feel that more important and full of points of interest.
Locations are, in fact, the most important part of the storytelling in OoT. The dungeons all have some significance that is alluded to but explicitly told - a not pioneering, but definetly daring move at the time. And the identity of the locales merges with the level design, capabilities acquired and soundtrack of the dungeons in a manner seldom replicated from then to now.
The UI and UX factors of the game are harder to evaluate. The field has developed tremendously and OoT utilized dated conventions - which still work, as most average gamers even today can navigate without any issues - but the use of c-buttons to alleviate the clutter of so many tools was a functional and perfectly able solution. The menuing can get quite annoying, especially during areas where the boots are used frequently. The d-pad should-ve been better utilized - and this was one of the first QoL solutions implemented by current-day modders. Hindsight is 20-20, however. During its day, there were few 3D games which utilized solutions as effectively as OoT - the Z-targeting was one of the greatest legacies for gameplay UX, and is now ubiuitous because of the great implementation made by OoT.
The story is an apt retelling of the Chosen One trope. While not groundbreaking as a general motif, the time-travelling twist is extremely effective in its implementation. Link is a blank slate and does not impede the player immersion into the story being told. That is very much a good thing, and contributes to the longevity of the game's enjoyability and it's perpetuity in history.
While being prey to the curse of the early 3D graphics, it is one of the least offensive polygons of the era. The artstyle is fantastical enough to make the graphics not too dated for today's standards - there is a kind of charm in them. Of course, in it's heyday OoT was considered an impressive technical feat. There were few games of it's scope back then and the graphical fidelity was amongst the top of its class, especially considering the N64 library - and not using pre-rendered graphics as much and as overtly as the jRPGs of the era. It's use of pre-rendered graphics was, in fact, subtle and melded well with the real-time polygonal graphics. The camera is generally acceptable, but it's finnicky sometimes - a problem that was much more felt in Majora's Mask -, an issue of the times. The ability to move the camera in the way OoT did, however, was extremely innovative.
All in all, OoT is one of those rare games that can be considered a true masterpiece. It is the template for all current open-world action-adventure games and is the starting point to videogames being taken seriously as a medium. It holds up well as an entertainment piece and is legendary as turning point in videogame history.
OoT is a masterclass in both game design and storytelling and lays the foundation to the modern videogame. The item-dungeon loop, the quasi-open world, the hub areas integrated into the worldbuilding aspects and the time-related plot twists and implementation of quests and sidequests integrating the game's main gimmick in such a natural manner were basically the template for most major game created ever since.
The use of soundtrack in ambience and storytelling is also extremely inspired and helps the game in its longstanding legacy. The musical and audio motif introduced in OoT are, in fact, one of the more important factors in the series identity up to the most recent entries.
The Kingdom of Hyrule feels alive, which is a feat and a half considering the technical hurdles of the time. The clever use of hub locations contrasting with the ample Hyrule Fields makes the populated areas feel that more important and full of points of interest.
Locations are, in fact, the most important part of the storytelling in OoT. The dungeons all have some significance that is alluded to but explicitly told - a not pioneering, but definetly daring move at the time. And the identity of the locales merges with the level design, capabilities acquired and soundtrack of the dungeons in a manner seldom replicated from then to now.
The UI and UX factors of the game are harder to evaluate. The field has developed tremendously and OoT utilized dated conventions - which still work, as most average gamers even today can navigate without any issues - but the use of c-buttons to alleviate the clutter of so many tools was a functional and perfectly able solution. The menuing can get quite annoying, especially during areas where the boots are used frequently. The d-pad should-ve been better utilized - and this was one of the first QoL solutions implemented by current-day modders. Hindsight is 20-20, however. During its day, there were few 3D games which utilized solutions as effectively as OoT - the Z-targeting was one of the greatest legacies for gameplay UX, and is now ubiuitous because of the great implementation made by OoT.
The story is an apt retelling of the Chosen One trope. While not groundbreaking as a general motif, the time-travelling twist is extremely effective in its implementation. Link is a blank slate and does not impede the player immersion into the story being told. That is very much a good thing, and contributes to the longevity of the game's enjoyability and it's perpetuity in history.
While being prey to the curse of the early 3D graphics, it is one of the least offensive polygons of the era. The artstyle is fantastical enough to make the graphics not too dated for today's standards - there is a kind of charm in them. Of course, in it's heyday OoT was considered an impressive technical feat. There were few games of it's scope back then and the graphical fidelity was amongst the top of its class, especially considering the N64 library - and not using pre-rendered graphics as much and as overtly as the jRPGs of the era. It's use of pre-rendered graphics was, in fact, subtle and melded well with the real-time polygonal graphics. The camera is generally acceptable, but it's finnicky sometimes - a problem that was much more felt in Majora's Mask -, an issue of the times. The ability to move the camera in the way OoT did, however, was extremely innovative.
All in all, OoT is one of those rare games that can be considered a true masterpiece. It is the template for all current open-world action-adventure games and is the starting point to videogames being taken seriously as a medium. It holds up well as an entertainment piece and is legendary as turning point in videogame history.