The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D

Posted June 10, 2012 by Speed - 0 comments

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time dates from 1998 but is still seen by many as one of the best games ever. The Nintendo64 classic was already remade for the Gamecube, but now Nintendo has given it a remake – with 3D graphics – for their latest handheld, the Nintendo 3DS.

The result of that is a top title that you can now expeirence again with better graphics and some extras that are more than worthwhile for young and older gamers. It’s also the perfect example for other publishers for how you can re-release old titles again and that without just porting them.

As said, the graphics are the main reason to get this version. The surroundings look sharper and more colorful, there’s a lot more detail, more objects to be found and the 3D in some way manages to immerse you even more into the fairy world of Hyrule. A sidenote is that the impact of the larger areas is now less, and that because you’re playing on a smaller screen in the palm of your hand. We wouldn’t want to have to take that into account.

Under those graphics we of course find that good old atmosphere and storyline that make this game truly great. After all it’s still a game in which you have to go exploring and discovering yourself and despite the introduction of movies that help you when necessary you’ll get the feeling of truly being on an adventure more than in other recent games. Not only the surroundings lend themselves to this with all kinds of surprises but the storyline constantly prepares you for what’s coming and the characters are varied, original and often mysterious. Still unequalled in that regards!

And that of course also goes for the puzzles and the gameplay itself, probably the best example of how Zelda games should play. You get a constant stream of new weapons, gear and objects that give you new possibilities and allow to complete new missions. With the Orarina itself as one of the highlights of course. Even for those who finished everything already one or multiple times there’s still some new stuff to get as thanks to the 3DS’ motion sensing you can now move your handheld to look around and aim with your bow and arrow. Very cool and natural, and also very handy in the more complex dungeons! These good controls are present throughout the game: a few minutes after you take your first sword you’ll jump, evade and stab like the best.

But as gamers who already stepped into the shoes of Link before know, the combat is only part of the game, even when taking into account the brilliant bosses. Most satisfying are of course the extensive puzzles and also here the game doesn’t disappoint, even though they’re a bit clumsy for those who got used to perfectly polished missions we get to see in modern games. You’ll often have to use your brains well and some previous experience or help from Google will make that you’ll never get stuck for too long. It’s possible we’ve all gotten smarter than ten years ago, as I found the temples a lot more digestable – and unfortunately also less impressive – than back then. Nintendo apparently noticed this as well as you get a Master Quest as extra after finishing: an option that puts all temples and dungeons in mirror image, with refreshed puzzles and more opponents.

This 3D remake of Ocarina of Time is as we expected: a beautiful adventure and one of the best games ever, but with better graphics and some handy improvements like motion controls and the Master Quest. Those who have never played this Zelda before have no reason to not buy it, and those who checked it out in an earlier incarnation won’t only have fun with the nostalgia but also be surprised with the Master Quest and great 3D images

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