ZELDA: OCARINA OF TIME

NINTENDO EAD • 1998

Few games of the time teased the promise of adventure like Ocarina Of Time did when you first stepped out onto Hyrule Field. Masterfully adapted to 3D by Nintendo EAD and featuring an innovative Z-lock system for handling combat, Ocarina Of Time deserves every accolade that was heaped upon it. While its time-spanning story might feel rather bland today, its world-building and boss design is second to none, while the ability to travel to any location you could see on Hyrule Field felt mind-blowing. Placed against Breath Of The Wild and Tears Of The Kingdom, it’s clear to see that Ocarina’s game world is incredibly small, but it felt so back-breakingly ambitious in 1998 with familiar Hyrulean locations brought to life by an incredible 3D engine. Those later Zeldas (like many other similar games) owe a huge debt to Ocarina and it’s little wonder that one of its directors, Eiji Aonuma, now holds the key to Hyrule’s kingdom. DJ

“The classic Zelda formula perfected in 3D, moving games forward with a cohesive package and flawless execution.” TIM LONGO STAR WARS: STARFIGHTER

“Introduced more innovations to the open-world 3D adventure genre than you could shake a Deku Stick at.” GASSI THE CAT RG PATRON

“Guiding Link through the two different time zones was an incredible and emotional experience.” DOUGLAS WILSON RETRO GAMER PATRON

“Still the most timeless of all the Zeldas, and the wizards at Nintendo somehow perfected this transition to 3D on the first go.” ALAN WEN FREELANCER

“I literally ‘borrowed’ a guy’s N64 for ‘just a weekend’ to be able to play this. Still as good as Zelda gets for me.” MARK LIGGETT RETRO GAMER PATRON

“This was mind blowing when it came out. A huge milestone in the history of gaming.” MARK R JONES ARTIST, OCEAN