Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D Review

The first 3D Zelda game returns remastered for the Nintendo 3DS.


Personally, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D is one of my favorite games because of the adventures I had. It was like no other game I had played. But there is one thing that sets it apart from other Zelda games is the introduction of the magical instrument called the Ocarina of Time.

STORY:
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D’s beginning is pretty dark. The story begins when the Deku Tree introduces himself. He explains that the “children of the forest” or the Kokiri live with him. Each Kokiri has a guardian fairy, but there is one boy who doesn’t have a guardian fairy, which is Link. The scene shifts to Link’s dream, where it is raining and he is standing by the drawbridge to the entrance of Hyrule Castle. As he stands in front of the drawbridge, it lowers down. Zelda’s protector, Impa is riding on a horse with a kid version of Zelda. Ganondorf also comes out with his black horse and looks at Link, raising his hand like he was about to summon something. The dream ends and the Deku Tree summons a fairy called Navi. He explains to Navi that the fate of Hyrule is at risk and the boy without a fairy, which is Link, has to start his journey to save Hyrule. He orders Navi to go find him. After Navi finds him and scolds him for being a sleepyhead, Navi explains that she is Link’s new partner and that the Deku Tree summoned him. They then begin their journey to save Hyrule. The game’s goal is to save all of Hyrule and defeat Ganondorf.

GAMEPLAY:
I was impressed by how much it has improved from the original. Ocarina of Time’s gameplay is fun and exciting, but Ocarina of Time 3D’s gameplay is even better.
The new gyroscope camera feature can be really helpful when you are stuck and maybe if you have trouble finding those Gold Skulltulas. Or maybe if you get REALLY stuck, you could try the new Shikeah Stones that display video hints to try to help you with certain areas. 
Like most Zelda games, there is a lot of exploring involved, but sometimes you will need to backtrack to get items to defeat a boss, or backtrack to complete sidequests, and that can be a pain, even with Epona.
There are many items in the game, such as the Hookshot, Slingshot, Boomerang, Bow, Arrows, and Bombs, and even some magical items from the Great Fairy, just to name a few. To hold bombs, arrows, or rupees, you need a receptacle to hold them in, and there is limited space, however, the containers can be leveled up to hold more items. Some items are required to move through an area or defeat a boss.
Speaking of bosses, I had quite the challenge trying to beat them. Every boss unique with different tactics. Same with dungeons, difficult but unique with all sorts of puzzles for you to figure out.
If you ever get bored of the main story, you could always go and try some side-quests. There are a lot of side-quests which adds to the amount of time it takes you to beat the game. There are some pretty good and satisfying rewards if you complete the side-quests.
Navi’s OK, gives you small hints once in a while, but can become annoying and and when she wants to give you pointless hints she says “Hey!” and flashing text saying Navi is on the menu screen. It’s hard to ignore.
In the game, the Ocarina of Time is the main item. Every song you learn has a function, like opening an area that’s necessary for you to explore. Other songs move special blocks for you to advance farther into a dungeon.
Menus were very appealing, had a great “Zelda” feel to them. There are 3 different menus. MAP; Lets you check the world map, where you are, and a map of where you are. GEAR; Lets you see your equipped gear/sword/shield/items, how many Heart Pieces you have, and key items. ITEMS: Lets you check and equip items to your X/Y buttons or the touch screen.
 
Gear menu

GRAPHICS:
This is the one thing that I feel like the remake improved most on. This game has one of the best graphics I’ve seen on a Nintendo 3DS. And the artstyle? Even better than I expected. Backgrounds were pretty plain but most of the time I was too busy looking at other scenery to notice backgrounds.
Graphical difference between versions
AUDIO: I absolutely love the music of this game. Ocarina songs have me whistling the tunes and boss battle music make me replay the bosses. Sound effects are great as well, I mean who doesn’t like the “ching” of collecting a rupee??

CONCLUSION: Ocarina of Time 3D has improved greatly from its predecessor. Music and graphics are top-notch and gameplay is mostly good. If you like games with exploring, action, or just love Zelda, I think you ought to give this game a try.

Score: 85