Review

The Legend of zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D

At long last, Nintendo has re-re-re-released The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, one of the most praised games of all time. For this offering they didn’t just port it to a different platform and add a hard mode. Well, they did do that but Nintendo didn’t stop there. Oh no! They gave the game a much needed graphical upgrade and the option to play it in 3D. I hear that’s all the rage these days.

Sarcastic jokes at Nintendo’s expense aside, I must admit that Ocarina of Time on the N64 was my first foray and love in the action adventure game genre. It was my favorite game for the same reasons everybody has said a million times before: it was revolutionary, it had good graphics, great music, it was fun to play, the puzzles were challenging, and it filled a world with different characters you could interact with. And now, thanks to Nintendo’s graphic upgrades, it is all those things again, years later. Like many have said, it’s like playing it again for the first time.

There are a few problems with that. First, the upgrade is mostly only skin deep. And second, sometimes that skin fails to pull off what lesser graphics did wonderfully. For instance, in the first boss battle with Queen Gohma in the original game, the lighting was very dark and it was hard to see in her lair. You could hear her rustling around and when you finally found her floating glowing eye on the ceiling it was downright scary. In this new version the lair seemed lit up like it was daylight. No eerie feeling at all. And what I mean when I say the upgrade is only skin deep is that while the graphics are up to par by today’s portable gaming standards, the game itself is not. It has definitely aged better than most classics but in the end it feels a bit lacking. The animation and facial expressions are limited, Hyrule feels smaller and emptier than it used to, and the puzzles seem too easy. Games and gamers have simply evolved since then. And I think that’s a good thing.

While the game is mostly the same with updated graphics they did add a few things to tighten up the experience. Motion controlled aiming was one of the hyped features. Moving the 3DS around willy-nilly trying to aim an arrow plus 3D equals me trying my hardest not to be sick all over an expensive piece of gaming hardware that I’d probably like to use again one day. You have to look squarely at the center of the screen to keep the game from looking blurry in 3D. To do this while moving it around aiming at a moving target is impossible. Even when the 3D was off I had problems keeping up with my reaction times. Luckily, you can turn the motion option off and use the analog pad.

Another interesting new addition is the Sheikah Stone. It can be used to watch video hints for just about every part of the game. Useful for newcomers but some of the videos seemed a bit vague and had even a veteran like me confused-and I’d already done the parts being shown. Speaking of confusion, it is time to bring up the dreaded Water Temple, purportedly the hardest dungeon in the game and previously announced by Nintendo to contain some improvements. And it does have an improvement indeed! Not that it helped me at all. If you aren’t a dimwit like me and miss what is right in front of you, you’ll be pleased to know they color coded the doors leading to the water level switching rooms. They are now outlined by bright and glowing color markers that are impossible to miss.

The game handles nicely in this portable iteration and pretty much echoes the original. Items are mapped on buttons as well as the touch screen. There’s no need to juggle with the stylus since fingers work fine for item selection. Most of the heads up display is on the bottom screen which leaves the top screen uncluttered for a better view of the scenery. Playing the Ocarina of Time has been made easier with a song list that allows you to play while looking at the notes and corresponding buttons simultaneously. Those who had the old song button patterns memorized (like me) are going to appreciate this feature most since they don’t use anything close to the same layout.

While The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time isn’t the flawless diamond some people make it out to be, it is still a solid, fun and memorable game. If you are a fan of the original, this version is definitely worth checking out for the new graphics alone. And if you’ve never played it before I would suggest this version over all others. The portability is a nice addition as well. Besides, what other 3DS game are you going to spend your hard earned money on? Starfox 64 3D doesn’t come out until September.