WhenOcarina of Timewas first released in the winter of 1998 it was nothing short of revolutionary, introducing unique and game defining game mechanics that are still imitated in modern games today. When a game still manages to have a significant influence more than a decade after its release its evident how much of an impact it had on the industry. Personally I was skeptical when the prospect of a 3D remake was introduced. Was Nintendo just going to slap on a half-assed 3D conversion and call it a day? Thankfully they didn’t and this remake is as lovingly crafted as the original masterpiece. It upgrades the visuals to how they were intended to be and they look better than ever before. You could even argue this is the definitive version on the N64 classic.
We don’t need to tell you how goodOcarina of Timeis – well we do otherwise this review would be pointless – but if you’ve been a gamer for any amount of time in your life there is a very large chance you’ve heard of this title and how it is often spotted at the #1 spot on various different ‘best games of all time’ listings and it’d probably be in a similar position if we ever put one together.
What we’re saying is that this reiteration retains everything we loved about the original release and its various remakes and re-releases. The added 3D effect revitalizes the somewhat dated visuals by adding an increased sense of depth to your surroundings and will really stand out whilst you are exploring the vast fields of Hyrule and its treacherous dungeons. The visual updates also contribute to the game’s interface. It’s an absolute breeze rearranging your inventory and observing your map with the touch screen, after a few short sessions of gameplay it feels as if it has always been there.
Visually the game does show its age in some departments, textures on environments and buildings can come across as flat and lifeless compared to more recent titles. But these are quickly overlooked by the phenomenal update the majority of the world has been given, especially the character models that are brimming with imagination and personality. Some game mechanics such as aiming with the 3DS gyroscope disrupt the 3D effect, which diminishes the otherwise immersive mood of the game. Sometimes it can stick too true to the original as some improvements could have been made to the gameplay formula to make it more accessible to a new generation. But as far as preserving the original experience goes its quite difficult to faultOcarina Of Time 3D.
The gameplay structure here is exactly the same as the latest Zelda games where you will be hopping from dungeon to dungeon whilst unlocking new gadgets and items along the way to progress, as well as facing off against some wonderfully inventive boss battles (not quite as inventive by today’s standards). You’d expect such a tried and tested formula to become tiresome but not when it is done so well and with each newZeldatitle it is often reinvented to keep things fresh. This would be my 3rd time revisitingOcarina of Timeand it was still an absolute blast but also easier to pick out a few of its faults.
Saying this is a must own title for the 3DS doesn’t quite do the system justice considering its essentially a very well done port, but if you own a 3DS you’ll most definitely want to pick this up if you can.Ocarina Of Time3D breathes new life into one of the best games out there and the new visual updates make it more than worth revisiting. The game is more intuitive and easier to access with the dual screen system that further enhance the experience. If you own a 3DS you owe it to yourself to pick this up and play through it… and play through it again… and again. Considering we have anotherZeldatitle arriving on the 3DS soon, there is a lot to look forward to this year and maybe we’ll be treated to another remake somewhere along the line such asMajora’s Mask.