Despite the immense challenges in bringing Zelda to the N64 and the 3rd dimension, Shigeru Miyamoto and his team crafted a superlative work that features some of the series' most iconic music, dazzling graphics and daring gameplay. Now, more than a decade after its 1998 release, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is among the best loved and best known video games, ever.
But did you know these five facts about "Zelda 64" dug up from around the Internet? Brag/bemoan how much you knew in the comments below.
Gameplay could have used a GoldenEye-style shooting system
If Zelda creator Shigeru Miyamoto is the mastermind behind the franchise then Takashi Tezuka is his right hand man. The pair told Nintendo Power in 1998 that before starting development on Ocarina, they considered different gameplay approaches, including, amazingly, a 3-D shooting system "similar to that used in GoldenEye."
Can you imagine strafing through misty forest pathways trying to score head shots on Deku Scrubs? That would would've livened up the ole Forest Temple for sure, though perhaps we did get a taste of that Goldeneye007 gameplay in Link's bow and arrow mechanics.
Miyamoto's team ultimately decided to draw its gameplay inspiration from another popular Nintendo 64 title –– Mario 64 –– but hey, we can still cross our fingers for a future Zelda shooter, right?
Time travel was added to showcase an adult Link
Up until Zelda 64, almost every Link incarnation was a child (with the exception of Zelda II: The Adventure of Link). Miyamoto wanted players to get another chance to take adult Link out for a spin, yet he didn't want to alienate gamers who had grown used to the wee little adventurer. Time travel to the rescue!
"The concept of young and old Link matched other Zelda games, since they usually had some sort of parallel world for Link to travel between," Miyamoto told Nintendo Power. "The parallel world in this case just happens to be a time shift –– going back and forth between times."
Swooshing the Master Sword as adult Link feels mighty satisfying, and my favorite parts of the game –– plunking arrows and riding Epona –– are only possible after Link goes through puberty. Though I think we can all be glad that Miyamoto chose to skip over Link's emo goth phase.
The ocarina wasn't always the only instrument
The ocarina altered the flow of time, summoned horses, and even inspired one of the iPhone's most beautiful apps. The wooden pixelated flute-like instrument thingie (which I believe is the item's technical name) was understandably a big deal in Ocarina of Time, but early in development calling Epona required a different flute-like instrument thingie.
"In the beginning you used a reed pipe, but it was too much trouble so we eventually changed it to the ocarina," Miyamoto said in a massive interview translated by the Zelda Power site.
For the life of me I cannot find a good example of what a reed pipe sounds like. Safe to say, Epona's song probably would've sounded different on it (and I will preemptively admit that the preceding clip is not from Ocarina because I couldn't find one. Anyone want to get on that?). What other instrument would you have added? It doesn't exactly fit the wooden forest theme, but a "womp womp womp" on the trombone could've lightened each death.
Ocarina of Time stole Miyamoto's "virginity"
Shigeru Miyamoto spent years behind Mario, Star Fox, and Donkey Kong, but it was Zelda (64) who stole his innocence. Using an expression that I probably wouldn't have, Miyamoto explained to Nintendo Online Magazine that making Ocarina was like losing his virginity.
"This Zelda was like losing my virginity, in the sense that we were making something completely new and never done before." Apparently really into the sex metaphor idea, Miyamoto continued, "but with practice we can make it so that playing will be a much more pleasurable experience as we get the hang of it.. it all depends on the player’s will and how far he wants to go."
In non-sex speak, Miyamoto meant that this was the first Zelda game where players could do so much more than they were used to, like, say, finding a horse and then riding it. Previous adventure games were relatively limited in how players could interact with the environment, and Ocarina's innovative design allowed a more imaginative play style. That's what Miyamoto meant, but just saying OoT took his virginity is more fun.
Designing Link's chest-opening movement took three years
Link's haughty treasure chest kick looks sweet, huh? It should –– it took Miyamoto's crew three whole years to design it. At issue was making the motion look realistic and refreshingly new. Not an easy task, it turned out, until
the motion capture team went treasure hunting itself.
"On the day I went to the studio, there was a fantastic iron-frame treasure chest with a sword and shield inside," Miyamoto said in a conversation translated by Zelda Power. "It clearly had cost a lot of money. When I asked 'What is all this for?' the triumphant reply was 'We figured out how to open a treasure chest!' Their conclusion was that before you opened the chest you needed to kick the hinge first or there's no way the action looked realistic."
Now tally your scores, folks. How many of these facts did you know?
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