Nintendo Switch Zelda Case

 Nintendo Switch Zelda Case

It was developed by Nintendo EAD, led by five directors including Eiji Aonuma and Yoshiaki Koizumi, produced by series co-creator Shigeru Miyamoto, and written by Kensuke Tanabe. Veteran Zelda series composer Koji Kondo created the musical score. The player controls Link in the fantasy land of Hyrule on a quest to stop the evil king Ganondorf, by traveling through time and navigating dungeons and an overworld. The game introduced features such as a target-lock system and context-sensitive buttons that have since become common in 3D adventure games. The player must learn to play numerous songs on an ocarina to progress.
 Nintendo Switch Zelda Case
Ocarina of Time received widespread acclaim from critics and consumers and won several awards and accolades, who praised its visuals, sound, gameplay, soundtrack, and writing. It has been ranked by numerous publications as the greatest video game of all time, and is the highest-rated game of all time on the review aggregator Metacritic. It was commercially successful, with more than seven million copies sold worldwide. In the United States, it received more than three times more pre-orders than any other video game at the time, and was the best-selling game of 1998 in the country.
 Nintendo Switch Zelda Case
A direct sequel, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, was released in 2000. In the early 2000s, Ocarina of Time was re-released as part of The Legend of Zelda: Collector's Edition promotional disc for the GameCube and for the iQue Player in China. An enhanced version of the game for the Nintendo 3DS, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D, was released in 2011. Both versions feature Master Quest, an alternative version of the game including new puzzles and increased difficulty.
 Nintendo Switch Zelda Case
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is a fantasy action-adventure game set in an expansive environment.[1] The player controls series protagonist Link from a third-person perspective in a three-dimensional world. Link primarily fights with a sword and shield, but can also use other weapons such as projectiles, bombs, and magic spells.[2]: 22–25  The control scheme introduced techniques such as context-sensitive actions and a targeting system called "Z-targeting",[3][b] which allows the player to have Link focus and latch onto enemies or other objects.[2]: 11–12 [c] When using this technique, the camera follows the target and Link constantly faces it. Projectile attacks are automatically directed at the target and do not require manual aiming. Context-sensitive actions allow multiple tasks to be assigned to one button, simplifying the control scheme. The on-screen display shows what will happen when the button is pushed and changes depending on what the character is doing. For example, the same button that causes Link to push a box if he is standing next to it will have him climb on the box if the analog stick is pushed toward it.[3] Much of the game is spent in battle, but some parts require the use of stealth.
 Nintendo Switch Zelda Case
Link gains new abilities by collecting items and weapons found in dungeons or in the overworld. Not all are required—Ocarina of Time has several optional side quests and minor objectives that the player can choose to complete or ignore. Completing the side quests usually results in rewards such as new weapons or abilities. In one side quest, Link trades items he cannot use himself among non-player characters. This trading sequence features ten items and ends with Link receiving an item he can use, the two-handed Biggoron Sword, the strongest sword in the game. In another side quest, Link can acquire a horse. This allows him to travel faster but attacking while riding is restricted to arrows.[2]: 38 

Link is given an ocarina near the beginning of the game, which is later replaced by the Ocarina of Time. Throughout the game, Link learns twelve melodies that allow him to solve music-based puzzles and teleport to previously visited locations.[2]: 30  The Ocarina of Time is also used to claim the Master Sword in the Temple of Time. When Link takes the sword, he is transported seven years into the future and becomes an adult. Young Link and adult Link have different abilities. For example, only adult Link can use the Fairy Bow, and only young Link can fit through certain small passages. After completing certain tasks, Link can travel freely between the two time periods by replacing and taking the sword.
 Nintendo Switch Zelda Case
At the Hyrule Castle garden, Link meets Princess Zelda, who believes Ganondorf, the evil sorcerer Gerudo king, is seeking the Triforce, a holy relic that gives its holder godlike power. Zelda asks Link to obtain the three Spiritual Stones so he can enter the Sacred Realm and claim the Triforce before Ganondorf reaches it.[7] Link collects the other two stones: the first from Darunia, leader of the Gorons, and the second from Ruto, princess of the Zoras. Link returns to Hyrule Castle, where he sees Ganondorf chase Zelda and her caretaker Impa on horseback, like in his nightmare, and unsuccessfully attempts to stop him.[8] Inside the Temple of Time, he uses the Ocarina of Time, a gift from Zelda, and the Spiritual Stones to open the door to the Sacred Realm. There he finds the Master Sword, but as he pulls it from its pedestal, Ganondorf, having snuck into the Temple after Link, appears and claims the Triforce.[9]
 Nintendo Switch Zelda Case
Seven years later, an older Link awakens in the Sacred Realm and is met by Rauru, one of the seven Sages who protects the entrance to the Sacred Realm. Rauru explains that Link's spirit was sealed for seven years until he was old enough to wield the Master Sword and defeat Ganondorf, the sorcerer king of evil, who has now taken over Hyrule.[10] The seven sages can imprison Ganondorf in the Sacred Realm, but five are unaware of their identities as sages. Link is returned to the Temple of Time, where he meets the mysterious Sheik, who guides him to free five temples from Ganondorf's control and allow each temple's sage to awaken.[11] Link befriended all five sages as a child: his childhood friend Saria, the Sage of the Forest Temple; Darunia, the Sage of the Fire Temple; Ruto, the Sage of the Water Temple; Impa, the Sage of the Shadow Temple; and Nabooru, leader of the Gerudos in Ganondorf's absence, the Sage of the Spirit Temple. After the five sages awaken, Sheik reveals herself to be Zelda in disguise, and the seventh sage. She tells Link that Ganondorf's heart was unbalanced, causing the Triforce to split into three pieces. Ganondorf acquired only the Triforce of Power, while Zelda received the Triforce of Wisdom and Link the Triforce of Courage.[12]
 Nintendo Switch Zelda Case
Ganondorf appears and kidnaps Zelda, imprisoning her in his castle. The other six sages help Link infiltrate the stronghold; Link frees Zelda after defeating Ganondorf, who destroys the castle in an attempt to kill Link and Zelda. After they escape the collapsing castle, Ganondorf emerges from the rubble and transforms into a boar-like beast named Ganon using the Triforce of Power, knocking the Master Sword from Link's hand; with Zelda's aid, Link retrieves the Master Sword and defeats Ganon. The seven sages seal Ganondorf in the Dark Realm; still holding the Triforce of Power, he vows to take revenge on their descendants.[13] Zelda uses the Ocarina of Time to send Link back to his childhood. Navi departs and young Link meets Zelda in the castle garden once more, where he retains knowledge of Hyrule's fate, starting with Hyrule's decline.[14]
Development
The Nintendo 64 with 64DD attached
 Nintendo Switch Zelda Case
Ocarina of Time was developed concurrently with Super Mario 64 and Mario Kart 64 for the Nintendo 64 (N64) by Nintendo's Entertainment Analysis & Development (EAD) division.[15]

Originally developed for the 64DD, a disk drive peripheral for the system,[16][17] development was eventually migrated from disk to cartridge media due to the high data performance requirements imposed by continuously reading 500 motion-captured character animations throughout gameplay.[18] Initially planned as a 16-megabyte game, it was later increased to 32 megabytes, making it the largest game Nintendo had created at the time.[19][20] Early in development, the team had concerns about the data storage constraints of the N64 cartridge; in the worst-case scenario, Ocarina of Time would follow a similar structure to Super Mario 64, with Link restricted to Ganondorf's castle as a central hub, using a portal system similar to the paintings that Mario uses to traverse the realm.[21] An idea that arose from this stage of development, a battle with a doppelganger of Ganondorf that rides through paintings, was used as the boss of the Forest Temple dungeon.[21]

While series co-creator Shigeru Miyamoto had been the principal director and producer of Super Mario 64, he was involved in the game’s production and now in charge of five directors by acting as a producer and supervisor of Ocarina of Time.[22][23] Different parts were handled by different directors, a new strategy for Nintendo EAD. Four or five initial teams grew over time, each working on different basic experiments, including scenario and planning, Link's actions, transforming classic 2D items into improved 3D form, camera experiments, motion capture, sound, special effects, and the flow of time.[24]
 Nintendo Switch Zelda CaseThe developers were inspired by the chanbara sword technique, as seen in this photo.

Although the development team was new to 3D games, assistant director Makoto Miyanaga recalled a "passion for creating something new and unprecedented".[25] Despite the setting being a "medieval tale of sword and sorcery", Miyamoto used the chanbara genre of Japanese sword fighting as a model for the game's combat and was content with the positive worldwide reception.[26] The development involved more than 120 people, including stunt performers used to capture the effects of sword fighting and Link's movement.[27] Miyamoto initially intended Ocarina of Time to be played in a first-person perspective[28] to enable players to take in the vast terrain of Hyrule Field better and let the team focus more on developing enemies and environments. The concept was abandoned once the idea of a child Link was introduced, and Miyamoto believed it necessary for Link to be visible on screen.[29] Originally Z-targeting involved a generic marker, however Koizumi changed the design to that of a fairy to make it less "robotic". The fairy gained the name of the "Fairy Navigation System" amongst staff, and ultimately, this turned into the nickname "Navi", which in turn resulted in the "birth" of Navi's character. The "birth" of Navi was a pivotal point in the story's development.[30] harry potter gryffindor scarf

Some of Miyamoto's ideas were instead used in Super Mario 64, since it was to be released first.[15] Other ideas were not used due to time constraints.[22] Ocarina of Time originally ran on the same engine as Super Mario 64, but was so heavily modified that Miyamoto considers the final products different engines.[31] One major difference between the two is camera control; the player has a lot of control over the camera in Super Mario 64, but the camera in Ocarina of Time is largely controlled by the game AI. Miyamoto said the camera controls for Ocarina of Time are intended to reflect a focus on the game's world, whereas those of Super Mario 64 are centered on the character of Mario.[22]

 Nintendo Switch Zelda Case
Miyamoto wanted to make a game that was cinematic, yet distinguished from films.[22] Takumi Kawagoe, who creates cutscenes for Nintendo, said that his priority was to have the player feel in control of the action.[32] To promote this instantaneous continuity of cinematic gameplay, the cutscenes in Ocarina of Time are completely generated with real-time computing on the Nintendo 64 and do not use prerendered full-motion video.[22] Miyamoto's vision required this real-time architecture for the total of more than 90 minutes of cutscenes, regardless of whether the console had a vast medium like CD-ROM on which to store prerendered versions.[24] Toru Osawa created the scenario for the game, based on a story idea by Miyamoto and Yoshiaki Koizumi.[33][34][35][36][37] He was supported by A Link to the Past and Link's Awakening script writer Kensuke Tanabe.[37][38] Miyamoto said the real-time rendering engine allowed his small team of 3 to 7 cinematic developers to rapidly adjust the storyline and to focus on developing additional gameplay elements even up to the final few months of development, instead of waiting on a repeated prerendering process.[24] The dungeons were designed by Eiji Aonuma.[39]

Beyond providing a backdrop for the setting, music plays an integral role in gameplay. The button layout of the Nintendo 64 controller resembles the holes of the ocarinas in the game,[43] and players must learn to play several songs to complete the game. All songs are played using the five notes available on an ocarina, although by bending pitches via the analog stick, players can play additional tones.[43] Kondo said that creating distinct themes on the limited scale was a "major challenge", but feels that the end result is very natural.[40] The popularity of Ocarina of Time led to an increase in ocarina sales.[44]

The official soundtrack of Ocarina of Time was published by Pony Canyon and released in Japan on December 18, 1998.[45] It comprises one compact disc with 82 tracks.[45] A U.S. version was also released, although with fewer tracks and different packaging artwork. Many critics praised the music in Ocarina of Time, although IGN was disappointed that the traditional Zelda overworld theme was not included.[43] In 2001, three years after the initial release of Ocarina of Time, GameSpot labeled it as one of the top ten video game soundtracks.[41] The soundtrack, at the time, was not released in Europe or Australia. In 2011, however, a 51-track limited edition soundtrack for the 3DS version was available in a free mail out through a Club Nintendo offer to owners of the 3DS edition, as an incentive to register the product. The original musical theme for the Fire Temple area was altered before release of the game, due to Nintendo's policy of not including real religious references in their products, with the altered theme simply removing the chanting samples.[46]

Hero of Time, an orchestral recording of Ocarina of Time's score performed by the Slovak National Symphony Orchestra, was released by video game label Materia Collective in 2017. A vinyl version was published by iam8bit.[47] It was nominated for "Best Game Music Cover/Remix" at the 16th Annual Game Audio Network Guild Awards.[48]
Release

Ocarina of Time was first shown as a technical and thematic demonstration video at Nintendo's Shoshinkai trade show in December 1995.[3][49] Nintendo planned to release Super Mario 64 as a launch game for the Nintendo 64 and later release Ocarina of Time for the 64DD, a disk drive peripheral for the system that was still in development.[16][17] Issues regarding performance of the 64DD peripheral led to development being moved from disk to cartridge media, and thus the game would miss its scheduled 1997 holiday season release and was delayed into 1998.[18] They planned to follow its release with a 64DD expansion disk.[50]

Throughout the late 1990s, the Nintendo 64 was said to lack hit first-party games. Next Generation wrote that "Nintendo absolutely can't afford another holiday season without a real marquee title" and that Zelda was "one of the most anticipated games of the decade", upon which the Nintendo 64's fate depended.[51] In March 1998, Ocarina of Time was the most anticipated Nintendo 64 game in Japan.[52] Chairman Howard Lincoln insisted at E3 1998 that Zelda ship on time and become Nintendo's reinvigorating blockbuster, akin to a hit Hollywood movie.[51]

Customers in North America who pre-ordered the Ocarina of Time received a limited-edition box with a golden plastic card reading "Collector's Edition". This edition contained a gold-colored cartridge,[53] a tradition that began with the original Legend of Zelda (1986) for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Demand was so great that Electronics Boutique stopped pre-selling the game on November 3, 1998.[54]

Several versions of Ocarina of Time were produced, with later revisions featuring minor changes such as glitch repairs, the recoloring of Ganondorf's blood from crimson to green, and the alteration of the music heard in the Fire Temple dungeon to remove a sample of an Islamic prayer chant.[55][56] The sample was taken from a commercially available sound library, but the developers did not realize it contained Islamic references. Although popularly believed to have been changed due to public outcry, the chanting was removed after Nintendo discovered it violated policy of avoiding religious material,[56] and the altered versions of Ocarina of Time were made prior to the original release.[57]
Rereleases
 Nintendo Switch Zelda Case
Nintendo ported Ocarina of Time to its next console, the GameCube, as part of The Legend of Zelda: Collector's Edition, a compilation of Zelda games. The port runs at a resolution of 640×480, quadruple that of the original, and supports progressive scan.[55][58] Another GameCube release included the original game and a second, more difficult "master quest" that was included as a pre-order bonus with The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (2002) in Japan and North America[59] and included in GameCube bundles worldwide. It was also given to those who registered certain hardware and software or subscribed to official magazines and clubs.[60][61]

In February 2007, Ocarina of Time was released for the Wii Virtual Console service for 1000 Wii Points.[62] This version is an emulation of the Nintendo 64 version; as controller vibration is unsupported, the "Stone of Agony" item, which employs vibrations via the Nintendo 64 Rumble Pak controller accessory, has no function.[63] A five-minute demo of the game can be unlocked in Super Smash Bros. Brawl (2008). Ocarina of Time was rereleased on the Wii U Virtual Console worldwide on July 2, 2015,[64] this time including the original controller vibration.[65] It was also released on the Nintendo Switch on October 25, 2021 as part of the Nintendo Switch Online subscription service. 
 Nintendo Switch Zelda Case