Pros: A feast for your senses...great story line, excellent graphics, enchanting music
Cons: Time-consuming; minor glitches

If you’re new to the world of video games like I am, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time for Nintendo 64 is a classic adventure/role playing game you should definitely put on your play list. It has enough adventure to keep a new player interested, yet simple enough moves and tasks to have fun without getting too frustrated. I recently beat this game – my first role playing game – after nearly a month of addictive playing...and now that I’m done...I’m playing it over again!

My friend picked a perfect time to introduce me to this game, because by the time I finish playing it this second time around (all by myself), it will be just in time for Nintendo’s upcoming release of Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask. Majora’s Mask will take off where this game left off, so playing Ocarina of Time is a perfect way to familiarize yourself with the characters and prepare for upcoming battles in Majora’s Mask.

Basic Story Line
The main character, Link, is an elf boy living among other elf children in the Kokiri Village, when he is called upon by the Great Deku Tree to save the great land of Hyrule from the evil King of Thieves, Ganandorf. Ganandorf is trying to steal the Triforce – a sacred power which will spread evil into the world it falls into his hands. It’s up to Link, the unknowing Hero of Time, to prevent Ganandorf from entering the Sacred Realm, where the Triforce is located. With the help of his guardian fairy, Navi, Link travels throughout the land – and also through time – to gather various battle gear and beat evil monsters that will help him ultimately conquer Ganandorf.

There are actually more interesting twists to this story than what I’ve revealed, but you will have more fun discovering those on your own. What I can tell you is that Link is such an endearing little boy that you might find it hard to put the controller down instead of helping him on his little adventure. You will also have a great time exploring the different villages, and meeting interesting characters like the chubby Gorons who eat rocks, the Zora water people, the tough Gerudo women, and important Sages.

Graphics
The cartoonish graphics in this game are excellent, for the most part. As Link runs through Hyrule, the scenery is always in perspective and rich with color – even the sunset as it changes from day to night. You’ll especially notice this when Link looks around using Z targeting. You get a realistic 3-D view of things from his changing perspective instead of just seeing flat objects from one constant viewpoint. The cinematic, non-playing parts of the game are also enjoyable. One of my favorite scenes explains the origin of the Triforce, showing the fiery goddesses (Din, Farore, and Nayru) descending onto Hyrule. The graphics can get bad, though. When you look closely at things, especially characters, you can easily see the choppy squares and triangles that make up their form. And there are plenty of glitches that make it possible to see through walls that you’re not supposed to see through, or cause Link’s body parts to disappear into them.

Audio
Sound is crucial to the success of this game. Each area in the land of Hyrule has its own theme song, some of which may be helpful in beating the game. For example, in the Lost Woods where it may be difficult to find your way around, you know you’re going the right way when you hear Saria’s Song getting louder as you approach the right pathway. Also, you must memorize most of these theme songs, like Zelda’s Lullaby, to play on the Ocarina to make magical things happen. Tiny little Link also makes cute little grunts, screams, and surprised sounds during his adventure, which become more deep and manly as he grows up.

Gameplay
During the game, you gather various battle gear such as swords, shields, and boots which you can equip and interchange by going into a subscreen. You can also collect weapons like a grappling hook, bow, slingshot, and items like bombs, fairies, and Deku nuts, then use them by setting them to any of three C buttons. One of the most frequently used items – hence the name of the game – will be the Ocarina of Time, which will reveal secrets and warp you to other places. You’ll usually know to use it when Navi turns green. Navi will be helpful in revealing secrets and helping you fight creatures, but she can get annoying sometimes, or forget to do her job.

Much of your fighting can be accomplished with a sword, but opening secret doors might require shooting an arrow, and getting to higher places might involve using the grappling hook with the help of your friend, the Scarecrow. By the middle of the game, if not sooner, you’ll get a good idea of when to use what weapons. What keeps the game interesting is that there are so many different areas to conquer, many surprises to unveil, and a wide variety of creatures to either meet or defeat.

Replay Value
When I said I was playing this game a second time, I wasn’t kidding. I’ve been playing again for a few days now, and no...I’m not bored yet. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time has good replay value because there are so many side quests that you can also accomplish, like selling the masks, finding all the Gold Skulltulas, and discovering secret areas. I discovered a lot of these secrets while looking up walk-throughs of Zelda on the internet. Unless you’re a hardcore Zelda fan, I think most people can put the game away, pull it out a few months later, and still find some fun in it. It’s a classic game to own that you can also introduce to friends.

Overall Thoughts
I definitely enjoyed playing Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time to the point of addiction. I would play it hours on end, sometimes catch myself humming the theme songs, or annoy my friend by occasionally saying “Listen!” (Navi’s signature line) in that whiny, fairy voice. If I wanted to buy a gift to add to a video game lover’s collection, this one would be it. In fact, I am thinking of buying it for my seven and nine year old nephews. If they are going to spend any time playing games, which they already do, I would prefer that they play an innocent adventure/role-playing game like this, rather than one that might be too scary or violent. I’m not at all concerned about the violence in this game, because everyone that gets killed in the game is really just a monster or creature that doesn’t really exist, anyway. I highly recommend The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and look forward to it’s sequel, Majora’s Mask.