The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time cover art

Game

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

1998 · Wii · Nintendo 64 · 64DD · Wii U · Puzzle · Adventure

92IGDB player score
2,178 ratings

Previously Take

A 92 player score with 2,178 ratings behind it — about as proven as games get. An adventure game, from Nintendo leaning hard into fantasy, sandbox — more about the journey than the destination. Best experienced alone, preferably with nowhere to be.

About this game

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is the fifth main installment of The Legend of Zelda series and the first to be released for the Nintendo 64. It was one of the most highly anticipated games of its age, and is listed among the greatest video games ever created by numerous websites and magazines. The gameplay of Ocarina of Time was revolutionary for its time, it has arguably made more of an impact on later games in the series than any of its predecessors even though they had the same cores of exploration, dungeons, puzzles and item usage. Among the gameplay mechanics, one of the most noteworthy is the time-traveling system. The game begins with the player controlling the child Link, but later on an adult Link becomes a playable character as well and each of them has certain unique abilities. Ocarina of Time also introduces the use of music to solve puzzles: as new songs are learned, they can be used to solve puzzles, gain access to new areas and warp to different locations. Dungeon exploration is somewhat more puzzle-oriented than in earlier games but they are not too complex.

A young boy named Link was raised in the village of the elf-like Kokiri people. One day a fairy named Navi introduces him to the village's guardian, the Great Deku Tree. It appears that a mysterious man has cursed the tree, and Link is sent to the Hyrule Castle to find out more. Princess Zelda tells Link that Ganondorf, the leader of the Gerudo tribe, seeks to obtain the Triforce, a holy relic that grants immense power to the one who possesses it. Link must do everything in his power to obtain the Triforce before Ganondorf does, and save Hyrule.

Screenshots

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time screenshotThe Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time screenshotThe Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time screenshotThe Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time screenshotThe Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time screenshotThe Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time screenshotThe Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time screenshotThe Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time screenshot
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Trailers & videos

TV commercial compilation

Game facts

Release date

Nov 21, 1998

Developer

Nintendo Entertainment Analysis & Development

Publisher

Gradiente, Nintendo, iQue

Platforms

Wii, Nintendo 64, 64DD, Wii U

Genres

Puzzle, Adventure

Themes

Action, Fantasy, Sandbox, Open world

Game modes

Single player

Franchise

The Legend of Zelda

Perspective

Third person

More in this series

More from Nintendo Entertainment Analysis & Development

More games to explore

Game data and artwork via IGDB.

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