I have a theory that if someone plays a video game franchise for a long time that one game from that series will come to mind due to nostalgia whenever they think about that series. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is that game to me since that’s the first The Legend of Zelda game I have played.

Now some of you may think that I’ll say that The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is the greatest game ever. Well, if you asked me when I first played it as a kid, I probably would said it that. However, now that I’m older, I wouldn’t go that far. Don’t get me wrong. It’s a decent game, but I wouldn’t go so far to call it a masterpiece.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time was originally released in 1998 for the Nintendo 64. It was then released on the GameCube a few years later as part of The Legend of Zelda: Collector’s Edition. It was later released for the Virtual Console on the Wii and was remade for the Nintendo 3DS.

Like all Legend of Zelda games, this game follows a boy name Link. After removing a curse from the Great Deku Tree, Link is sent to go see Princess Zelda. Upon meeting her, she informs our hero that she believes that Ganondorf, the prince of the Gerudo tribe, is after the holy relic, the Triforce. Her reason of thinking this is that she has been having terrible dreams lately. She then asks Link to get the three Spiritual Stones before Ganondorf does.

After getting the Spiritual Stones, Link returns to Hyrule Castle to see Ganondorf chasing after Zelda and her bodyguard, Impa. Seeing Link, Zelda tosses the Ocarina of Time to him. Once they’re gone, Link grabs the ocarina and receives a telepathic message from the princess. She tells him to play the Song of Time in the Temple of Time, and protect the Triforce. Once Link plays the song, a secret door opens to reveal the Master Sword. The moment that Link pulls the sword from its pedestal, Ganondorf appears and claims the Triforce for himself.

Link is then greeted by Rauru, the sage of light. He informs our hero that when he pulled the Master Sword, he was too young to wield it and defeat Ganondorf. So Link was sealed for seven years while the Gerudo prince transformed Hyrule into a land of darkness. Now Link must find and awaked five out of the seven sages so they can imprison Ganondorf in the Sacred Realm.

Like Final Fantasy VII, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is the first Zelda game with 3D graphics. Some people may find the graphics haven’t aged well. However, due to the time that it was released and the system it was on, they aren’t that bad. Now the graphics for the Nintendo 64 and the GameCube versions are the same expect for the design of the Mirror Shield. When it was released for the Nintendo 3DS, the graphics got an upgrade.

During your play through, you’ll gain some items to aid you. For the Nintendo 64, you can equip these items to three of the four C buttons, while it’s the C analog stick for the GameCube. On the Nintendo 3DS, not only can you equip items to the X and Y buttons, but there are two additional buttons on the touch screen to equip items. Also, the ocarina gets its own button on the 3DS while, on the Nintendo 64 and the GameCube, you have to equip it to one of the C buttons.

Now during the game, you’ll have to travel through time. Because of this, there are some items you can use as both a child and an adult while there’re some items that you can only use as a kid or an adult. For example, you can use bombs as both a kid and an adult. However, you can only use the hookshot as an adult while you can only use the slingshot as a kid.

Some players may find The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time to be very linear. I don’t mind for it to be like that. But, I do understand how they feel since I have played this game about twenty times, and it doesn’t help your fairy companion, Navi, is talking you where go next every now and then. However, there are some side quests that you can play if you want to take a break of the main story. For example, you can collect all thirty-six heart pieces and collect all one hundred gold skulltula. Now, you don’t have do all the side quests to complete this game.

Throughout the game, there are puzzles to solve to get through each dungeon. They’re easy to solve. However, the Water Temple on the Nintendo 64 and the GameCube is very difficult, and it’s easy to get lost. Luckily, the Water Temple on the Nintendo 3DS is easy to get through.

Now there is a harder version of this game known as The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Master Quest. It was original going to be release on the Nintendo 64DD, an add-on for the Nintendo 64. However, it was never release until the GameCube. It was on a special bonus disk when you pre-order The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. It was release again on the Nintendo 3DS’s Ocarina of Time, but you had to beat Ocarina of Time to unlock Master Quest.

Overall, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is a good game, but there are slightly better ones from this series. Despite how easy the dungeons and bosses are, this game is worth play at least once. If you’re wandering which version of this game to get, it all depends on which system you have and how much you’re willing to pay.