I never played The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time on the Nintendo
64. In fact, by the time I realized it's one of the most highly scored
games of all-time, I had already finished both The Legend of Zelda: The
Wind Waker and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. With expectations
based on its successors, how does Ocarina of Time hold up 13 years
after its original release? Outclassed as it is by its descendants, The
Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3DS still stands in a class of its own
among modern adventures.
Though the peripheral circumstances always change, the Legend of Zelda games generally revolve around the three bearers of the Triforce: Ganondorf, Princess Zelda, and the player-directed protagonist (Link, by default). This installment employs the now-familiar "enter dungeon, fight and solve puzzles to acquire dungeon item, and use dungeon item to defeat boss" formula of the series with an added twist: time travel. After retrieving the ubiquitous Master Sword, you spring seven years into the future as a young adult (where most of the game unfolds in a Ganondorf-cursed future), but can return to the present by relinquishing the Master Sword in the Temple of Time. Even though only the adult hero can use the majority of quest items, you still need to revert to childhood in order to solve a few key puzzles. Additionally, the titular Ocarina of Time is used to solve many of the more obvious puzzles and serves as a convenient method of warping among the game's major dungeons.
Though the peripheral circumstances always change, the Legend of Zelda games generally revolve around the three bearers of the Triforce: Ganondorf, Princess Zelda, and the player-directed protagonist (Link, by default). This installment employs the now-familiar "enter dungeon, fight and solve puzzles to acquire dungeon item, and use dungeon item to defeat boss" formula of the series with an added twist: time travel. After retrieving the ubiquitous Master Sword, you spring seven years into the future as a young adult (where most of the game unfolds in a Ganondorf-cursed future), but can return to the present by relinquishing the Master Sword in the Temple of Time. Even though only the adult hero can use the majority of quest items, you still need to revert to childhood in order to solve a few key puzzles. Additionally, the titular Ocarina of Time is used to solve many of the more obvious puzzles and serves as a convenient method of warping among the game's major dungeons.
Experience with the original Nintendo 64 version isn't necessary to see that Ocarina of Time 3DS technically outperforms it in every way. The graphics stand among the best the 3DS has to offer with sharp, expressive facial artwork, smooth animation and lush environments -- and the 3D effect intensifies the experience if you can deal with the added eyestrain in long play sessions. Perhaps a bit more surprising are the 3D audio effects that render sounds off to the sides (and nearly behind you) when you use the built-in speakers. Even on a portable system, it's truly immersive.
The game's controls also benefit from the addition of the 3DS' touchscreen. Not only are the dungeon/overworld maps visible at all times (though why the map doesn't always have an arrow representing your location and direction is a mystery), but the inventory is also a breeze to navigate. X and Y serve as item-assignable buttons, and the touchscreen also offers onscreen buttons I and II for lesser-used items. This is great news for gamers who are familiar with that one level: I enjoyed the Water Temple above all others with the hookshot on the X button and the iron boots at the ready on Y.
However, that isn't to say that the controls are uniformly superior in this remake. While the hero responds well to the analog nub, the absence of a second analog stick to reposition the camera really stings. I lost plenty of health being chased by fast-moving offscreen enemies with no way to see the action without risking damage, and a few of those enemies hit pretty damn hard. That lack of an analog stick sometimes spells death (or fairy-in-a-bottle resurrection), and -- if you're anything like me -- those cheap hits will certainly evoke streams of profanity in the ultra-hard Master Quest, unlocked after completing the main quest.
Control differences aside, Ocarina of Time 3DS contains the same expertly crafted dungeons as its forebear, which is mostly a good thing. Designed long before the advent of the kinder, gentler Nintendo that holds your little hand and makes sure you're never clueless about what to do next, Ocarina tosses out some maddeningly obtuse puzzles at times. This is mostly mitigated by the addition of Sheikah stones -- locations where you can watch brief video montages with clues on how to proceed -- which you can use freely and without penalty, but I'm almost ashamed to say that I still had to scour the Internet for a few puzzle solutions. That's a first for me in a 3D Zelda title.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3DS isn't the greatest game of all time; it's not even my favorite Zelda game. It is, however, a sterling example of epic 3D adventure done right -- the likes of which you won't find on any portable until Nintendo announces an original adventure or gives The Wind Waker the 3D treatment. I'd prefer something new, but if I'm going to relive decade-old stories, this is a helluva way to do it.