Ahead of the remake’s launch, a retrospective on The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time revisits the moments that made the Nintendo 64 game memorable—and the rough edges that can be harder to appreciate. The writer, who recently replayed the original, says it has mostly held up, while arguing that a remake smoothing out some of its flaws makes sense.
The highlights include Darunia’s dance, the first encounter with a Redead, and the dramatic change in Hyrule Castle Town when Link returns to the future. The Forest Temple’s twisting hallway also earns praise, as does the eerie encounter with Dark Link. Other favorites include riding Epona for the first time, King Zora’s scoot and the reveal of Bongo Bongo.
The retrospective’s complaints range from small irritations to difficult sections. Selecting the wrong dialogue option can make Kaepora Gaebora repeat himself, while collecting a silver or gold rupee with a full wallet yields no benefit. Jabu-Jabu’s Belly is singled out as the game’s worst dungeon, with the task of carrying Ruto through its hazards drawing particular frustration.
The Water Temple brings two more grievances: overlooking a small key and struggling with its boots. The writer also criticizes the Goron sword-fetching quest, the challenge of finding all 100 Skulltulas, and the Bongo Bongo fight, which they describe as difficult to manage amid its movement and the bouncing floor.
The list closes on the final confrontation with Ganondorf. Reaching his second phase is praised as an epic finale, but running out of magic during the fight can force a restart. The writer says they did not realize they should avoid breaking all the pots on the lower floor before the battle.
Sources: Kotaku.