After playing the Link’s Awakening remake, I figured I should move on to the other updated editions of the games: Ocarina of Time 3D, Majora’s Mask 3D, The Wind Waker HD, and Twilight Princess HD. (I’ve covered the other two, the A Link to the Past of A Link to the Past and Four Swords and Four Swords Anniversary Edition.) I’m starting with the 3DS games now that I’ve finished the DS games, and will do the Wii U games after I wrap Skyward Sword. For the record, I have a 2DS, so I can’t play in 3D, so I have no idea what 3D adds to the game, if anything. There certainly was never a time when I felt I needed 3D for the game to work, although of course it’s a game that was originally designed for 2D.
Ocarina of Time 3D is largely a direct port of the Nintendo 64 version to the 3DS. (The changes made for later N64 printings of the game – Fire Temple chanting, Gerudo symbol on blocks and the Mirror Shield – are kept.) The graphics are touched up, going from early 3D blockiness [1] to actually looking pretty good. Sheikah Stones were added near Link’s home in Kokiri Forest and in the Temple of Time to give hints to stuck players. The interface has been redesigned nicely for the 3DS – the touchscreen has two item slots, plus a permanent one for the ocarina.
The highlight of the remake is the rework of the Water Temple. It’s just an inventory change (Iron Boots are now an item, so they can be put on and taken off with the press of a button), highlighting where Link can change the water levels, and the cutscene where Link first raises water to the intermediate level highlighting that there’s something to explore underneath a block that raises up, but these touches make it so much better. (The Tektites respawning and falling on Link’s head in the large central room are still there, sadly.) I still got stuck because I missed the time block behind the Longshot chest, but oh well.
As for the rest of things I wasn’t looking forward to in the remake… All the things that require Epona and are more complicated than “jump over the gap in the bridge” were still hard, whether it was racing Ingo to secure her freedom, racing the clock to get a cow sent to Link’s home, chasing down Poes in Hyrule Field, or the Gerudo archery game. The other things – not so much. I found I was much better at archery than I remembered as long as I wasn’t doing it from horseback, got through the Dampé race for the heart piece on the third or fourth try, and got the hammer fairly quickly too. So, horse controls still not great, everything else better.
I did the few things I skipped/missed in the first game. I raced the man who teleports from the entrance to Gerudo Valley to the bridge in the Lost Woods one second slower than it takes Link to run it a couple times. At the fishing hole, I found a sinking lure and used it to catch a Hyrule Loach… and also stole the fishing hole guy’s hat and dragged it through the pond before finally letting it go. (Poor guy.)
On my first run of the game, I could understand why Navi wasn’t popular, but I only remember being annoyed one time, when a tutorial popup that no one needs (“Don’t fall in the lava!”) interrupted a lined-up jump onto a moving platform. That changed this time. Her reminders of what the next quest objective should be seemed to pop up too often, and the game apparently has no way of knowing if what Link’s doing is working to that objective, so she’ll remind him he’s supposed to be going to the forest to find the sage as he’s trying to sneak past the Moblins. Navi now has two new things to tell the player – that they’ve been playing for a while and should take a break, and that they seem to be having trouble with a dungeon and should check a Sheikah Stone for a hint. I guess it’s the authentic Ocarina of Time experience, but yeesh.
In Link’s home, he can use the bed to revisit old boss fights. He only gets a limited set of items for each fight – usually only the ones needed to win, plus a potion for the later bosses – and only three hearts for Gohma, increasing by one for each boss up to ten for Twinrova. It took me several tries to get past Bongo Bongo [2], until I refined the strategy that worked for me earlier. After winning rematches with all eight bosses, a final mode is unlocked to face them sequentially, starting with five hearts. After each boss, Link gets to choose between two chests, which have random items – including extra heart containers, useful items (including the Longshot, so with bad luck he may have to fight Morpha with just the short Hookshot), stuff that may be useful later (he can get an empty bottle early, which gives him a chance to get potions later), or useless junk like Deku Seeds and Nuts. I didn’t much like this addition, particular with the fluky random items.
Overall, I quite enjoyed revisiting Ocarina of Time, and I think when I replay the game, this is the version I’ll come back to. (Until the next remake comes along.) I think the next time I do, I’ll try the Master Quest…
[1] Because I basically missed this generation of games, I have zero nostalgia for this look.
[2] I also needed a fairy-rez to beat it in the dungeon.
