Full disclosure : The Legend of Zelda : Ocarina of Time is a new game for me, I didn’t play the game growing up (we were a Sega/Playstation house) so this preview will not be from a nostalgic lens. This instead is a preview from someone experiencing the game for the very first time.
Nintendo are bringing back, what most consider to be their greatest game of all time, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
The game will release on November 5th, which is dangerously close to Grand Theft Auto IV, after a couple of hours hands on with Ocarina of Time, here are my thoughts on Nintendo’s big remake.
First Steps
The demo started out in Kokiri Forest, a beautifully lush and green glade, you play as young link who has just gotten his first fairy.
You journey through the different areas of the forest climbing trees, swimming in water and jumping (which I’m told was not a thing in the original game) Once you collect the sword and shield through a couple of different quests, you can head out to Hyrule Field and toward the castle.
The thick green grass of the somewhat empty field is vast, you have a chat with a giant owl called Kaepora Gaebora with the biggest eyebrows you’ve ever seen. There are a few enemies floating around the field that you can take out to collect jewels and a couple of surprises that I won’t spoil here.
We were allowed a short time in Castle Town and got to interact with a few of the townsfolk that we saw in the Nintendo Direct, I also took the time to pet and be-friend a dog called Richard.
Temple Time
Then I moved onto the Forest Temple, this was my first time playing as adult Link. Now I am used to the short puzzles in the temples in the Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom games, so I was pleasantly surprised at the intricate detail of each piece that you are required to complete in the temples here.
For games of this era I was expecting a BOTW quick solution, fortunately the process of finding certain keys in order to keep progressing was enough of a challenge (I was definitely helped by Paul over at Player 2) My favourite part was the addition of a Hookshot grapple that can be controlled either with the gyro controls or using the thumb stick. When I got to the end of the temple, I was confronted by my first boss fight the Phantom Ganon.
Having to find the real villain in the portraits was a great challenge, and the deflection mechanics before striking kept things engaging. This temple only needs one song (The song of time) and it was my first time using the Ocarina in game to unlock this area.
Now you can use the controller to sing the tune into rather than following the on screen prompts, as this was my first play through of the game, I followed the on screen buttons. It is a cute mechanic that fans who know these songs inside out will no doubt love.
Thoughts So Far
Playing through two hours of this game convinced me of its greatness. The incredible music that stayed with me long after I had left the play session. The sheer beauty of the details in the environment and Link’s clothing is astounding.
There were moments in the temple where the light hits Link’s shield and you can see the reflection of the shiny metal, it truly looks beautiful.
From this short time with the game, I think I am beginning to understand why this game is so beloved, the characters, gameplay and graphics are truly mesmirising and I can’t wait to sink my sword and shield into the full release next month.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time releases exclusively on the Nintendo Switch 2 on November 5th.
