Corrections: - The manual of A Link to the Past contains the story of the Imprisoning War, not the opening crawl - They are Hover Boots, not Feather Boots - Zelda tells Link to open the Door of Time, not pull the Master Sword - One can read Ruto's Message in a Bottle to get a useful hint

I've been watching your content for about a year now and Its always a pleasure to see a notification for one your videos.

My man. I have a ton of nostalgia for this game, simply hearing the music brings me back to that time, and simultaneously triggering many fond memories playing this when it was new. I will always, always love this game, but can definitely admit to the faults of pacing, sidequest design, etc. Your channel deserves so much more recognition. I adore analytical reviews like this, especially for games I'm personally attached to. LttP, Link's Awakening and OoT are still the only Zelda games I've 100%ed more than once, so honestly I love them all equally, but for different reasons. OoT just got me through some tough times in my life, and much like Link in the game, I experienced it during my formative years, so it really struck a chord with me. Love your content, sorry this was such a mismanaged comment.

I think a lot of it has to do with that we had a lot more patience as a kid playing the game. Trying to play it as an adult with all this running around makes it feel tedious, but when we were a kid with all the time in the world, it didn't matter. Unfortunately now due to how current day games are completely handheld, kids now would not have patience either. That has taken the fun out of most newer games.

Some of the problems the N64 version has were fixed in the 3DS remake, like the text speed is faster and mashing B properly can actually make it instant, but I have to agree that even there the game feels clunky at times. It added a hint system to "fix" parts of the game being obscure, but to me that just makes it even more clear that it's aged to a degree.

Great review I'm 30 and for me this is one of the best games of all time.

Wow I had no idea that the hover boots prevented that platform from collapsing. Still learning new stuff about this amazing game.

I don't care what people say.. this was the Skyrim of my time.

I can't believe how detailed these retrospectives are that you do. So much info that totally flies over most people's heads, but is totally relevant and thoughtful. I enjoyed getting an even deeper understanding of one of my favorite games ever PERIOD. 😃👍

I was very impressed by this video. I’d like to revisit Ocarina of Time as adult now. I can wait to watch more over your videos. I’m already subscribed and plan on watching another as soon as I finish this comment.

That was a really awesome video! I’m really glad how it turned out. I completely agree with a lot of stuff you said and cannot wait what you cover next! Thanks for the review.

I love the time travel of the spirit temple - it’s cool to fight adult enemies as child

I have no problem with the linear structure and it has plenty of freedom. I love this game. And if you want something more open you can play breath of the wild The narrative wouldn’t work without the linearity. And also I love the Metroid vania style

Ocarina has flaws for sure, but what I feel a lot of people often forget is just has special this game was...and how special games have the potential to be, given the mentality of the player and how the player composes them self before and while playing Ocarina of Time was one of the first 3D adventures we have ever seen At the time this game was magical. No one cared about the “design” of the game, they were utterly absorbed by the magic of the game. We were about to embark on an epic, grand adventure in a magical fantasy world with swords, castles and monsters OOT was a whimsical experience. Just pure soul oozed from the game. At the time we have really never seen anything like this and so the impact it had on us was overwhelming. Imagine living your whole life be a prisoner in a dark basement for a large portion of your life....and then you are set free...not only are you in absolute awe and pure joy from seeing the sky and all the people and eating good food, feeing the wind and hearing the birds But also imagine you are from a rich family and inherit their wealth, and you have he whole world at your feet now That’s what it was like to experience Ocarina when it released....its almost indescribable The music and the world....running around exploring progressing through your adventure as you experience this vast magical world where nobody knows all the secrets, mysteries and everything the game had to offer.... We didn’t know what was around each corner and through each door...we had no idea....so our imaginations went wild...just an absolutely incredible experience Immersion like this was never felt before, a magical experience of PURE adventure and wonder was never experienced before (only Mario 64 could compare) The absolute magic this game had is often forgotten when people go back to the game and just analyze the mechanics and the design....their is usefulness in doing that, but to forget all perspectives and experiences isn’t in our best interest So many things critics say are wrong about this game, we just didn’t care about *at all* We were on our own immersive, soulful, magical adventure where everywhere and everything was wonderful and awesome in the original meanings of the words (full of wonder and awe) going through this vast journey of the huge overworld (at the time, where we had no idea what we would find in which direction and how far it went) going through these deep dangerous dungeons full of monsters and fights that gripped us (and gripped us is an understatement) a huge epic story of going through time and saving he world from this evil man bent on having power over it.... Such an immersive, magical, whimsical, joy exuding adventure and story the likes of which we had never seen at the time....a true *Legend*

I was in high school when this released and had a part-time job at Electronics Boutique (which later became Gamestop). Launch day for this game was a lot of fun. The small store was absolutely packed shoulder-to-shoulder back in a time where everyone would show up to a store at launch uncertain if there would be enough copies to go around.

I doubt anyone's gonna forget about Ocarina of Time, whether it's 10 years, 20 years, or 50. It's always gonna be the best game in the series.

Awesome review! We need more channels like this! Hope your channel grow alot!

27:00 "without Navi giving away the solution" *shows green Navi flying on the ladder*

I got this game right when it came out when I was 14 and the long Playthru on it was what was great about it. It was such an impressive game for its time that it seemed better because it kept you immersed for longer.

A great game that I had the luck to experience when I was still a child. As link matured during this adventure, so did I since I had never experienced such an open 3d game before.

Absolutely love Ocarina of Time! It was So revolutionary for the N64, and I was so blessed to have completely played this game in the GameCube and 3DS versions. 9/10

This is a fantastic analysis. I also found the game to be surprisingly obtuse in places on my first playthrough, which nobody ever seems to talk about. I'm glad I wasn't the only one.

Thanks for another great video. Love your content! Keep it up :)

The given information in the dialogue is easy to comprehend, the progression if opening the goron city doors & receiving the tunic is supposed to have some sort of puzzle, (which is bombing the last remaining goron in goron city, that wasn't held hostage). Which shouldn't be a complaint being given the idea that goron city is almost deserted, and having to rely on the last goron for exploring the mountain past goron city. And also you can actually read the message in the bottle from princess ruto. Other than those small/unnecessary complaints, great review.

the twitchy controls is because you're playing with the gamecube controller, this is one of the few instances where the n64 controller is actually easier to play with. Fantastic analysis otherwise, I've played through this game more times than I can count, and it's really interesting to get a fresh take on the game, and remember that yeah, it was quite easy to get stuck!

It's not the text speed, it's the default to hear it again, and then they troll you by changing it from a yes or a no from conversation to conversation.

Pretty good video man I enjoyed it Also I really like how you did not plug yourself no mention of subscribe or thumbs up with the lack of mentioning this I instantly liked and subscribed Thank you for your work

Eventually you can snipe bats from the other side of large rooms. There is an invisible targeting reticle of sorts, ie that spot on the screen where the projectiles will fly. And they aren't effected by gravity or distance so once you get a feel for that you can be quite accurate with it.

I don’t know, I found it fun in 2019 I’ve beat it twice on console and it was great. I wasn’t born when it came out. Defo not perfect, but really good

Ok......this review, although I don’t agree everything said, was exactly what I hoped it’d be...an in-depth open and honest perspective on the different aspects of the gameplay...I don’t think the game is perfect either but the charm associated with it puts it in a class of its own. It’s memorable and witty in its way...it keeps you engaged and above all else is FUN!! Thanks again Kris for an excellent review...I’ve been asking for this review for as long as I’ve been a subscriber to this channel and you delivered as usual!! Thanks Bro!!

This is one of my favorite games, but I bought my N64 to get this game- so I've long forgotten what it was like to play it for the first time. Every moment I found myself disagreeing with you, I stepped back and realized you were making really good points...and in the end, I think your final message is spot on.

I don't think I'll ever tire of Zelda analysis videos especially with the wide array of conclusions they reach. 🤘🏼🤘🏼

I really liked your review, one can see that video games are your true passion. One thing I noticed upon watching analysis videos of N64 Zelda games is the fact, that virtually everyone thinks the dungeons are the best part of the games. When I played the game as a kid I loved exploring the overworld, going from A to B didn't feel like a chore to me but was the essence of the experience. When I was in a dungeon I just wanted to get out to continue exploring again. One could argue, that these games were the wrong ones for me then, but in fact I have very fond memories of playing Ocarina of Time and Majoras Mask. This is also the reason why I can't understand the criticism of Hyrule Field being empty and boring.

5:55 The "point" you are missing is that the the player can strike out in any direction, motivated by nothing but their own curiosity, and the odds of finding something they can do is high. And there are 672 possible dungeon orders. OoT is still amazing, but it makes the design choice to funnel the player towards (usually) one location at a time, so their motivation comes from the story instead of curiosity. It's not worse, but it IS different. Striking out on your own in Hyrule field mostly leads to roadblocks.

I love how you go into the game design as a whole instead of bit by bit on why something does or doesn’t work.

As a kid I just felt like I was playing a link to the past again but in 3d and even then was baffled by the praise. It's a good game but that's because it's really just a reimagined version of an already great game.

I have played and beaten Ocarina of Time well over 20 times in its 20 years. I had not played it in at least 10 years (so 2009). I picked up the 3DS one earlier this year and truth be told... that game still owns! Bias... I dunno. Maybe, but I feel like a 10-year gap would have shown its age, but that game played super awesome on the 3DS and was every bit as awesome as I remembered it to be. C'est la vie. Like all things, I do imagine it will lose its luster, but I didn't feel any of that playing it through this year.

Even though I grew up in the 90s, I ended up playing ocarina of Time much later. I played through it and beat it for the first time during the 2000s and it was on the original cartridge that has the Arabic music in the fire temple. I do have to say it really annoyed me how much I had to look up KZfaq videos to figure out where I'm going. I still think the game is pretty great, but I think I actually got more enjoyment from A Link to the past.

One thing I'll add.. I think things like the bottom of the well make total sense. It's a time travel game with very little actual mandatory time travel. If anything the tedious nature (It wasn't tedious when I was 9 playing it for the first time) of sections like that can be blamed on the tedious nature of changing time periods and not the task itself. The temple of time and master sword mechanic limit the amount of time travel the developers could play with.

I've played OoT more times than I could count both as a child and an adult. So there is no way for me to be completely unbiased. It was one of the like . . . first ten games I ever played. Not the first, but pretty early in my gaming life. That said yeah. Ocarina of Time is one of those games I recognize that in time, barring a major re-imagining remake happening, will be more looked at in terms of what it did for gaming than anything else. I still think it's a great game, maybe not a masterpiece, but still. It'll always have a ever changing place in my top 3 or so Zelda titles. How can it not when, much like SM64, the end credits music alone evokes so much nostalgia and emotion from me. When to this day the entire final dungeon, the battles with Ganondorf/Ganon, and the escape through the castle remains one of my favorite final sections in the series. Despite its flaws, which plenty could probably be attributed to growing pains, Nintendo still did far better than it had any right to on its first foray into 3D with Zelda. It's a game, as you admitted, sticks with you and that's not a bad thing. As a child I'd have given the game a 10/10. Today I'd begrudgingly admit it is more like a 8/10.

Funny i played this game when it first came out and i did not find myself getting stuck or "wanting to turn the game off" as you did.

I played Ocarina of Time for the first time when I was 16 on the Wii U virtual console. I had no nostalgia for the game, but I was completely hooked. It quickly became my favorite game of all time, and I finished my play through on March 2nd, 2017, the day before BotW arrived at my House. It only took one hour into BotW to realize that OoT had been overtaken. I love adventure games, but I love exploring and going off the beaten path doing things you’re not supposed to be doing right now. I like to make challenges for myself. BotW was the first game to truly scratch that itch for me in a satisfying way.

Great review! Are my eyes playing tricks on me cause the footage looks better than I remember. Shot through the framemeister if I'm assuming correctly?

After watching 4 Kirby vids, much as I love the series, it is nice to have a 40+ minute analysis :) I'm almost certain Majora's Mask will be... fun. Hopefully it doesn't burn you out too much this time.

I grew up with this game, all my friends love and cherish it as one of the best games they've ever played. I personally enjoyed the game, however I always saw it as a very flawed game. Only now that people younger than my generation are talking about this game has it been shown on a wider scale that this "masterpiece" is less perfect than others make it out to be. I will always cherish my memories with this game, but that does not mean it is critically untouchable.

I appreciated how you weren’t afraid to criticize a game in which you may get a lot of backlash for. For example, many people praise the bosses for their atmosphere and story without actually mentioning the fight. Your review really does sound non-bias and truthful

First of all, thanks for disproving today's false narrative of the first Legend of Zelda being this overtly open-world game. You were bothered by the fact that Ocarina of Time is sometimes too cryptic in communicating to the player what needs to be done in order to advance. Sure, we lack the time as adults running looking for clues endlessly like back when we were kids and teenagers but I always thought being lost/stuck for some time period was an intrinsic part of a Zelda game as the pay-off is usually quite big when you eventually do manage to figure it out. As you didn't like this aspect in Ocarina of Time, it very well could be that you won't be too happy about Majora's Mask doing this on a more extreme level - I actually restarted that game three times in a span of multiple years until I finally managed to beat it because there were road blocks which for whatever reason I simply couldn't conquer (however this hasn't affected my opinion of the game in any way as I like it even more than Ocarina of Time). At last, I wholeheartedly agree with your assessment on the camera issues. Back then though, Z-Targeting was a rather simple and elegant solution and IIRC, Ocarina of Time was even the first video game to feature a lock-on combat system.

Well the 94 metacritic score for the 3ds version was due to the fact that it was a remake. Remakes don't usually get as high of a score as the original, particularly when released years aparts. Good examples would be Wind Waker HD, Twilight Princess HD and Majora's Mask 3D which all have a lower metacritic score than their original. Great video though! Can't wait for the next Zelda review

An order of magnitude usually means 10x more or less, not 10+/-. So an order of magnitude longer than 19 hours would be like 190 hours, not 29 hours.

I remember when this came out. It felt like the biggest game world ever.

I started it the other month with the emulator on the Nvidia shield, completed as a kid also the game is amazing for its time and still great now I feel, basically there hasn't been a jump like from 2D to 3D since (and we can't exactly go 4D), unless you accept virtual Reality things and I haven't tired that (and its still 3D) but when the 1st VR games come out (like real games of GTA and in a whole world only in VR) they will be looked back in 20 years and seen flaws or changes that a future look back will find not great. There is literally only ever 1 period in time where these things change from 1 to the other and its always gonna produce the least tech looking back but most high tech as its coming out at the time and how a company manages that is gonna be tricky and the fact they done such a good job of this game back then when it was the High tech time was incredible and the team at nintendo are literally geniuses for some of the games and consoles they have produced and their innovativeness and joy and simpleness yet tricky games they create. And the fact they still follow the formula is testament to its crew that worked on it. in Thank you Nintendo is all I can say , literally made my childhood alot more fun and happier and I did appreciate it then but even more so now that I am older.

I fail to see what's wrong with doing the diving minigame. Unless you just don't have the 20 Rupees, who wouldn't at least give it a try? I can see why they make you go do the Dampe thing before the first temple, to make sure you're familiar with how different the future is, though I feel it could have been handled better. I also don't see what's so weird about the Lens of Truth section. Unless I'm remembering wrong, you should have the relevant warp songs by that point and after 3 dungeons as a kid, then 3 dungeons as an adult, it's interesting to have to switch between the two for the final leg of the journey. I agree about the camera and the finicky controls in the Virtual Console version though. Good video.

I know this is obvious because of the order the games were released, but I still find funny how the seven sages are all different races but LttP 7 descendants are all pretty much human maidens

When I played Ocarina of Time as a kid, I didn't finish it because I found walking and walking and walking over Hyrule simply boring. But maybe I was too young back then and should give it a try again now as an adult... but then I feel like it hasn't aged well in the 20 past years yet alone I'm sure the next 20 years won't be kind to the game. So I might never be able to understand why so many people consider it a masterpiece. But thanks for the honest review. As always good work!

This review is straight up ballsy to upload on such a hostile environment like youtube but I like how you expressed your opinion without sounding like you were trashing my favorite zelda gamr

As an o.g. gamer, I'll say- I still consider adventure on the atari 2600 a classic. That said, I was about 18 when ocarina came out, and today I consider that the absolute peak of the series... but for me, I was all in for every zelda up until majoras mask. Thats when I walked away.

If you played OOT in 1998 when it first came out you would realise why it’s the GOAT

I really like your videos. Let's hope you get 100K one day.

This game was the Indiana Jones of my childhood

Not to seem bothering or pushy but will you be doing more from the zelda series?

Great review and trust me this is not a knock, but this game has been done to death in such a manner... would LOVE to see this done for Majora's Mask, or Spirit Tracks, or Windwaker..

It took me at least 30 hours to beat it the first time, probably about half that next time. For instance first time forest temple took me 4 hours originally, then when I was playing it again it took 1 hour

man I really love Zelda Retrospectives :)

The biggest issue I had with this game, and all N64 games in fact, is they looked horrible on televisions at the time! The clear, high-res visuals in this video is a striking contrast to the fuzzy, headache inducing textures I remember seeing.

At the time it was perfect for me. I had a N64 and a SNES and no other game was as epic as this one. It was annoying at times, like roaming around hyrule without knowing what to do next, not finding the way around a temple... But it was all extremely rewarding in the end.

As far as I can tell, dual analog control DID NOT exist when Ocarina came out. The N64 was already ahead of the pack by even having the single stick. The original PSX didn't even have analog inputs, and when the Dualshock came out later on few games supported analog control.

For Phantom Ganon, you can hear which is the real one.

Also fire arrows are not optional. You need them in shadow trial I believe.

You know, I don't remember my first run of Ocarina of Time. I do know I had a guide around my 3rd run but I've since memorized and lost it. I don't remember how I figured out any of the puzzles or clues. All I know is that I know this game better than I know my dominant hand and love every chance I have to play it.

As a kid, I found the "cleverly written clue" in the second dungeon to be completely obtuse. It never occurred to me that "seeing red" meant bombs. I kept trying to use the day/night mechanic. I mean, the dungeon had one of those time stones, so surely the time was going to be relevant. Nope, it just seems to randomly be there.

The hookshot really annoys me. As a child back in 1998 I only knew about it because a friend of mine told me even before I got the Master Sword. It seems not important enough to go after what these NPCs in Kakariko tells you about Dampé's Grave. It feels more like a side quest for later. That is the only point I think OoT has a difficult moment. The Jabu-Jabu situation doesn't feel so bad. At least my eleven years old self managed to solve this without any help.

Places i got stuck longer than JabuJabu: Figuring out to bomb the rolling Goron. Playing Sarias song for Darunia. Pushing the wall in the basement of the forest temple. Pushing the statue in Darunias room to get to the fire temple.

I might mention the sidequests for the tunics are not really necessary to obtain them since they can also be purchased in the correct shops. The sidequests just let you get them for free. Personally I feel while OOT might feel dated in some aspects its importance in gaming history cannot be denied and should be respected. As of now the 3DS remake is pretty much the definitive way to enjoy OOT as it actually did address several issues with the original most notably with the water temple. Also you do get access to a fast travel system sorta via the warp songs you learn before entering each temple

Amazing review. I'm so hoping you get to Skyward Sword. For all of its pacing issues, it does a lot of things right.

One slight video improvement suggestion. (And it is very slight.) I think it would work slightly better if you have a beat of silence between the start of the video and starting to talk. I watch a lot of videos, and that just feels more natural. Like one second to fade in, then you talk. Just a suggestion. You make excellent videos, and I just love to see the excellent get better. I've heard KZfaqrs say they actually prefer this to just straight praise.

I prefer to do fire temple first I like that you can change order a bit 2 advantages are having more magic for forest and water, and having bolero to get to lost woods quickly. Also I never had a problem with the water temple, no more so than forest. Both took me awhile and i did need to look up some keys. Shadow temple is the bane of my existence.

I agree about forest temple oh my gosh

up until there was 2 rotaries on a controller the z targeting system to change the view was fine and even a leap forward, with the c buttons to change the angles in mario also, its literally the only way they could have done it with that controller, I really liked the review though I'd argue with certain parts of it but I like the fact you clearly care for what you do and spend time to help others for a good cause and I hope you get something from it also.

Damn good analysis, man! I hold 2 opinions at the same time, one of them being what you've hinted at: Ocarina of Time has not aged well. And, also, Ocarina of Time is still ONE of my favorite games of all time. Some of the wonkiness and wondering around I can attribute to being an N64 RPG. In fact, it's issues are almost endearing to me, there isn't another game quite like it. I never thought Ocarina of Time was GOAT, but I was always happy with keeping Ocarina of Time held in such regard because, if not Ocarina, I wouldn't know WHAT game should be considered GOAT. (Well, maybe Majora's Mask N64, which is what you should do an analysis of next ;) )

Are you going to do Majora's Mask? Or have you already?

It’s interesting that games back in the day used to allow you to be lost, not sure of what to do or where to go next. New games where you can just follow the quest marker seem like a response to criticisms of this design philosophy. I guess the idea was to force the player to explore but we know now that you don’t need to make people do that.

Please do one on Resident Evil or Resident Evil 2. I really enjoy your videos, they are very well produced.

BTW, I have a piece I arranged for the Ocarina of Time. Does anyone here know of a good place with little to no background music that's easy to get to? Better yet, does anyone here read music and have experience playing other songs on the Ocarina?

My 1.0 gold OOT N64 cart in excellent condition with the manual still saves and I honestly believe the game will *still* be regarded as one of the best games of all time in 20 more years, even beyond. I see your points towards the flaws, most notably the camera and off-shaded cryptic puzzles that are not highlighted to the player for one this is an issue others will agree with perfect notice. I think one other issues that would lead to criticism is the fact that Nintendo oddly censored green blood to red in later versions of the game. I generally agree with your points though i would like to ask a question. where you ever bothered by the hidden spider skulls? I think most players overshot this opportunity on their adventure, including myself. they were obtusely hidden more than you could imagine overall and generally weren't really worthwhile spending hours to locate. I look forward to your future reviews! in all honesty, I feel the game is best played a second time. Although this may highlight some of the floors with the dungeon it does allow the player to explore and question their last moves, but that is still unlikely for the average gamer to memorise leading to more overdrawn hours of exploration than necessary to complete the quest. overall, I'm mixed and I understand it's flaws that the developers worked, I still believe Ocarina of time is one of the best games created. Maybe that is the nostalgia talking and I'm biased? It is hard to say for certain in all honesty. Musically, the game is a masterpiece.

I struggled so much with this game on the 3DS. I really enjoyed it but I struggled with figuring out what to do next. The lens of truth and the iron boots threw me off as a strong memory. Fun game but I got confused. BOTW is the only Zelda game I finished without a walk through. Side quests I look up from time to time.

Have you played the 3ds version? It fixes many of the issues of the N64 version

Great video!

The water temple has grown on me over the years, but in no universe is it the “best”. It is actually possible to get the dungeon in a state where it is impossible to complete (you can run out of small keys and not be able to get at another one). I’ve done it by accident and restarting your game at this point is not fun.

I don’t think I got stuck in zora domain I did google a couple temple keys and stuff

I never played any Zelda game as a kid. This was only one of the first 3 Zelda games I've ever played, and that was as recent as last year. And I'll be honest: I love this game, but have the exact same complaints as you (even down to enjoying the water-level mechanic and frustrating targeting on Bongo Bongo) and find it enjoyable, but not a masterpiece. It's an amazing, well-crafted game with an immersive world and full of challenges and triumphs, but in no way is it the best game ever, and has not yet turned me into a Zelda fanatic as many others are.

Things can be revolutionary master pieces in their time but as time goes on and newer titles get released that build on those elements, there will inevitably titles that are better

I didn't have an N64, I tried it on the Wii virtual console. I really wanted to like it but I just couldn't get into it, I found the controls clunky and the camera wonky. The story somehow managed to hold your hand until it decides not to... I love a link to the past and I think the best modern Zelda game is a link between worlds.

A Link to the Past was when Zelda became more linear. The only true non linear games would be the first one and Breath of the Wild. A Link Between Worlds and Adventure of Link were a mix of the two, but still limited in some ways

So glad I have the 3DS version of this game.

i miss this series :(

I spy the green Ganon blood! Must be one of the later carts!

16:00 Shit, you could spend 6-10 hours JUST IN THE WATER TEMPLE if you don't have some sort of guide handy. But such estimates would be our collective rose-tinted goggles doing the talking, I imagine. I'm pretty sure a full playthrough by the average person without constantly consulting a guide could be 40 hours or more. There is a LOT to do in this game, if you're trying to explore and be at all thorough.

Left me speechless and unwilling to even play the game, as difficult as you try to make it simple.

Younger players may not like Ocarina or Link to the Past or the original as much as I do, but I also don't give two flying farts in a windstorm about what they think. Ain't gonna change what I enjoy anymore than I can change what they enjoy.

Aww Barrinade is my favorite boss