Ocarina of Time Master Quest Conclusion: Meh.

The entire selling point of Master Quest is the fact that the temples are re-arranged from Ocarina of Time. Those are the only changes they made from the original; everything else is left totally untouched.

Cross the Rainbow Bridge to Ganon!

Unfortunately, the dungeons suck. The new puzzles are lazy. One sad, overtired programmer for Ganon's Tower decided that his or her quota hadn't been met so he or she decided to hide a crystal switch in an ornamental torch. Any visibility from the outside? Nope. Just hoping the player would swing their sword around until they hit something and it worked. Instead, I used Din's Fire, like a boss. (Incidentally, that is how you beat this entire game.)

That is sheer, rugged brainpower, and exactly what that programmer went to university for, I'm sure.

The Spirit Temple was easier than the original. I honestly have nothing to say about it besides the fact that I finished it and pretty much moved on. 

Ganon's Tower, as previously mentioned, was just kind of stupid. My theory is that the team behind the game had three days to do the whole thing, start to finish, and Ganon's Tower was at about 4 AM on the last day and the project was due in at 8:00. (Imagine lots of little narrow ramps, invisible crap, and silver rupee collecting.) 

Rating this game is a little bit difficult for obvious reasons. For all intents and purposes, besides the dungeons, it is Ocarina of Time. As a result, I'm just going to be marking it on what is unique - Gameplay/Difficulty and Design/Graphics.


Gameplay/Difficulty: 25/50

"Okay, so there are two cows on the wall,
and the player has to hit them with a slingshot,
right..."
"I love it! I want every room to have at least three!"

The only difference in terms of gameplay between Master Quest and Ocarina of Time was that Master Quest was ported on to the Gamecube. It didn't turn out well. The thumbstick on the Gamecube controller is a lot less smooth than the N64s, which made aiming accurately really difficult. The C-Button to C-Stick change made a surprising amount of difference, especially when using assignable items. The shift from Z-Targeting to R-Targeting felt natural and intuitive, though, so I have to give marks where they're due.

In terms of difficulty, I can't honestly give you a straight answer. Sometimes it was laughably easy, sometimes it was genuinely challenging, and sometimes it was almost literally impossible to figure out without first discovering the dungeon's "gimmick" (slingshotting cows in Jabu Jabu's belly, for example, or using Din's Fire...well, pretty much everywhere.)

Design/Graphics: 10/50

"Guys, I can't think of what to do with this room!"
"Just add some flame pillars. People love flame pillars."
(image via IGN)

Nintendo, I'm sorry in advance, but please don't let your Rent-An-Intern division be in charge of level design. I don't think I've seen dungeon layouts this lazy since the NES Zeldas, and they had the benefit of being 8-bit and 2D. The one shining moment of relatively zany fun was Jabu Jabu, but if you can't make a dungeon located in a fish a bit wacky, I don't know what to say.

Master Quest was plagued by the same camera angle issues and visual glitches that the original game had, but it feels worse somehow because Nintendo had the opportunity to recognize and fix them.

Total: 35/100

Did I have fun playing this game? Yes. Kind of.

Will you have fun playing this game? Probably not, and that's because chances are good that you haven't played Ocarina of Time enough times to memorize the dungeons but can't bear to let 1998 go.

If you loved Ocarina of Time but want something more challenging, I recommend you go ahead and play Majora's Mask. If you've done that as many times as I have, then and only then would I recommend Master Quest.

I leave you with the awesome ending of Ocarina of Time.

...And also this one, which is better because it involves Dr. Emmett Brown.

Next time: Majora's Mask. Before next year. Seriously. (Probably.) 

Ocarina of Time Master Quest Part 3: Enter room, use Din's Fire, shoot wall ornaments, repeat.

This is Din's Fire.
It's your new best friend.

There are pretty much only two things that you really need to know about Master Quest:

1. It will take you a while to figure out the correct way to solve the puzzles.
2. Once you do, you will complete the dungeon in less than twenty minutes, guaranteed.

It's been a while since I had a crack at Master Quest, and I'd forgotten how much easier the Water Temple is in this version than in the original. Start to finish, including the boss, it took about half an hour - if I hadn't been faffing around on the boss and stopped sucking earlier, I could have done it in less. That's because every room in the dungeon contained at least one of three puzzles:

1. Step on/hit switch. Sometimes Longshot targets will appear as a result, sometimes not. Use Longshot to quickly get across the room. This may or may not be timed.
2. Enter room. Use Din's Fire to light nearly invisible torches. Hooray, door open!



This should strike fear into your heart.
Master Quest made it boring.

3. Enter room. Hit ornamental wall decoration panel with an arrow or the Longshot. Door opens/key drops/chest appears/etc. 

The programmers have gotten equally lazy with the enemies. The Water Temple is pretty famous for those weird underwater baddies, but there was only one or two that I saw in the entire dungeon. Instead, the programmers decided to just randomly drop groups of Stalfoses (Stalfi?) or Lizalfoses on your head because they're slightly harder. I can't decide if the lack of generic enemies is due to a programming error, or deliberate - whatever the case, it severely detracts from the atmosphere of the place.

"Oh look, an unusual wall ornament!
What should I do in this room?"

Something else I've noticed is that in both the Fire and Water Temples, there were loads of rooms you didn't actually have to enter in order to finish the Temple. That might be just to punish you for doing them if you don't have to, thinking you were playing the original, but it just feels sloppy to me. Also, if you see a chest on the map, you will always have to get it. Even if you get there and it's a rupee chest, if you put on the Eye of Truth (lets you see invisible things) there will doubtlessly be a key nearby. There's no trickery, no deviousness, no real creativity in Master Quest. The Shadow Temple was nearly identical to the original, except in that they switched around the order of some of the rooms slightly.

I'm currently on the last temple in the game, the Spirit Temple, so I expect I'll have a conclusion for you in the next few days. Do yourself a favor, though - unless you're desperate, just play the original.

Ocarina of Time Master Quest Part 2: When cows meet slingshots.

After about six hours of gameplay, I'm maybe 1/4 through dungeon five. It's a bit slower than my usual time (I'm generally at about five hours at this point) but Master Quest isn't posing a whole lot of difficulty so far. It seems like a good time for an update, so I want to talk a little bit about the main differences I'm noticing between Ocarina of Time and Master Quest.

The Gamecube controller:
From Batman accessory to Picasso painting.

I want to talk first about some of the differences in the game that come from the fact that it's on the Gamecube instead of the N64. For starters, the graphics are a lot sharper and clearer - I'd compare it to the difference between looking at something with smudgy glasses and then looking at them once you've cleaned them. If you don't have glasses, come up with a simile yourself.

This isn't necessarily a good thing. It instantly dates the game, for example, and reveals some of the more lazy texture mapping and design choices that Nintendo made in 1998 not thinking about future ports on more advanced consoles. The pre-rendered backgrounds in Hyrule Castle and Castle Town are particularly bad, and the difference in quality between some graphical elements and others become really, painfully obvious. Watching the very detailed, very sharply done Link sprite climbing up flat, ugly and pixelated vines really takes you out of the game. It does allow a lot of graphical details to pop out at you that weren't immediately obvious on the N64, though, which does add a bit of extra color to the game.

Star and Crescent on the left, edit on the right. The same symbol
appeared and was changed on movable blocks in dungeons.

My biggest critique of the Gamecube version is probably the control scheme. While the controls generally map over well from the N64 to the Gamecube, the Gamecube controller isn't really fantastic for the job. The "c" buttons, for example, are replaced by a yellow "c" stick on the lower right side of the controller. You can select the "c" buttons by pointing the stick in the right direction, but it's a jumpy little thing and as a result you often select the wrong item or screw up otherwise simple ocarina tunes. The main joystick on the left hand side of the controller is horrible for aiming things like arrows or the hookshot; it's so jumpy that it's almost impossible to make the small adjustments needed. Z-Targeting is replaced by R-Targeting, activated by the right bumper button, which is a natural enough adjustment and doesn't really interrupt gameplay.

Because the Gamecube uses discs instead of cartridges, it has the same problem as the Playstations do - writing to memory cards. While saving your game was very seamlessly integrated into Ocarina of Time on the N64, activated by simply closing the menu with the B button, the same habitual saving is accompanied by about five seconds of wait time as data is written to the memory card.

Ganondorf used to cough up red blood, but they changed it
to green. It just looks kind of dumb now. Note to self:
slash chickens and see if they have green blood...

Finally, Master Quest and the vanilla version of Ocarina of Time for the Gamecube feature all the changes that were made to Ocarina of Time over its many re-releases for the N64. As the game came out originally, many things were brought to Nintendo's attention which people might find offensive. As a result, with each reprint, Nintendo changed some things to make it more PC. The music in the Fire Temple originally featured male Muslim chanting, but it was deemed offensive and replaced with synthesized music. The main symbol on items in the original game was a crescent moon and star, but this was replaced for obvious reasons. Red blood was changed to green and several other small changes were made.

I have a very old version of Ocarina of Time for the N64 which has none of these changes, so it kind of kills the nostalgia for me, but if you've never played it or played an edited version, it probably won't bother you.

So anyway, on to the game.

The first couple of introductory dungeons, the Deku Tree and Dodongo's Cavern, are really very straightforward and similar to the original. There's nothing revolutionary here. They changed around the order of some rooms and, annoyingly, made other rooms superfluous (so far, in every dungeon there's at least one room which contains only a gold skulltula or is otherwise unnecessary for completion. Lazy.) Familiar obstacles might have one added step or complication to complete it, but generally it's nothing that will make an experienced player scratch their head.

Apparently Jabu Jabu likes his steaks tartar. Hurr. 

Things don't start to get creative until the third dungeon, Jabu Jabu's Belly. The entire dungeon is based around hitting cows embedded in Jabu Jabu's stomach walls with slingshots to proceed. It's silly, it's surreal, and it's a bit gross - it's something that the level designers would probably not have gotten away with in the original, which makes it kind of fun. However, once you've figured out the gimmick, the dungeon loses all difficulty. The first thing you do when you get into a room is look for a cow.

The Forest Temple was done beautifully, as previously (the Forest Temple is my favorite dungeon in the entire game anyway) although so much of the dungeon's puzzles were integrated into the design and layout of the dungeon originally that the only thing the designers could really do was rearrange the steps to complete it. No challenge to an experienced player, but the extra complication is enough to freshen up the game significantly.

Largely, so far, Master Quest isn't nearly as punishing as any of the previous Zelda titles. It's a great choice for experienced Ocarina of Time fans who love the game, but are getting a little bit tired of being able to complete the dungeons with their eyes closed and/or timing themselves with stopwatches to make it interesting.

Ocarina of Time Master Quest Part 1: A whole new woooorld! A new fantastic poooint of vieeew!

Sorry. I can never stop those Disney references from popping out.

The N64 controller. It looks like a Batman accessory.

Anyway, like I said before, I'm going to take this opportunity to talk a little bit about Ocarina of Time and some of the exciting new features it brought into the Zelda series.

First, and most obviously, Ocarina of Time is the very first 3D Zelda title. This absolutely revolutionized the series, giving the developers the opportunity to totally change the way that the game was played. Ocarina of Time's 360 degree view allowed puzzles to be infinitely more complex and challenging, and on several levels. Link can't jump freely like he could in Link's Awakening with the Roc's Feather, but he does automatically jump over gaps now (to a certain length.) He can also push, pull, and climb on blocks now. Rather than being instantly trapped by a ledge, Link can climb up to a certain height. There are now little tunnels that Link can crouch and crawl through commando-style (on his elbows, not without underwear!)

Link uses Z-Targeting to accurately Hookshot an enemy. Keen!

Sword fighting becomes a lot more complicated in this game with the introduction of the "Z-Targeting" system. The N64 had a famously complex controller, like nothing that had yet been seen in gaming to that point. It featured an analog stick for movement, four small, yellow "C" buttons, an A+B button, a start button, and a tiny, barely-used D-Pad. It also had two shoulder buttons and a "Z" button, which was on the back of the controller, where your index finger naturally rested when properly holding the controller. This gave the general impression less of a controller and more a jet fighter control system.

The carrots represent how many times you can get
Epona to go faster. Once you use them up, you have
to wait until they regenerate before you can gallop again.

Anyway, by holding down "Z," Link can lock on to targets, people, and objects in order to aim arrows, slingshot bullets, boomerangs and to assist in dueling with shielded enemies. He can also "Z" target certain objects to get information about them from Navi. By holding down "Z" and the right shoulder button simultaneously, Link can strafe and circle around the enemy with his shield up. More buttons held down result in more movements, like backflips, side jumps, and awesome jump stabs. In the words of Church from Red vs. Blue, the buttons in this game are kind of like Voltron - the more you hook up, the better it gets.

There are tons of mini-games and two main sidequests in Ocarina of Time - one is a Link's Awakening-style trading quest, and the other allows you to get your very own horse, Epona. This is possibly the coolest thing ever, as you can shoot arrows from her back like a boss. (Twilight Princess lets you have awesome sword duels from Epona's back, but that's not until later.) There's a lot of NPC interaction, and in fact Link has some pretty in-depth conversations with several NPCs. There are four new sentient races in Hyrule - the Kokiri, Gorons, Zora and Gerudo - who flesh out the world nicely and add a bit of flavor.

The Spiritual Stones

The dungeon scheme is very similar to A Link to the Past's. There are three beginner dungeons in which you obtain the three Spiritual Stones, then five full dungeons in which you obtain the Sage Medallions. That makes it a little bit shorter than A Link to the Past, but there are also a couple mini-dungeons that flesh out the game and lots of things to do to break up the monotony of the quest.

Young Link

Adult Link

The game's "gimmick" is, of course, the ocarina. Link can learn 13 different songs through the game which all do different things, from making it rain to teleportation to different regions of Hyrule. You receive two ocarinas in the game, one of which is the Ocarina of Time. This ocarina is the key to travelling back and forth through time.

This leads us to the coolest part of Ocarina of Time - the inclusion of both an adult and child Link. You start as child Link, and at a certain point in the game are sent seven years into the future to a Hyrule ruled by Ganondorf. This opens different items and dungeons, and you need to travel back and forth to complete the game. Some sections can only be done as a kid; some only as an adult.

The Ocarina of Time

I could probably talk about all the features of Ocarina of Time for several more posts, but this is a basic overview of some of the more interesting additions it makes to the series. The next couple of chunks will be discussing a little bit more about Master Quest and its differences from the original game, although I might decide to come back to Ocarina of Time and talk about it a little bit more.

I hope you enjoyed, and I'll be back soon with some Master Quest fun!

Ocarina of Time Master Quest: Let's get nerdy.

Title: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Master Quest (Toki no Ocarina Ura, or "Ocarina of Time Flipside")
Original Release: November 21st, 1998; Master Quest, November 28, 2002
Game #: 5
Chronologically: #1, Young and Adult Link timelines

The Hero of Time fan movie.
I think I prefer the 1998 graphics.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is considered by many gamers to be the single greatest video game ever made. I'm not pulling that out of my ass; it grabbed rare perfect scores from influential gaming mags and websites like Famitsu, GameSpot and IGN. Gamefaqs pollsters rated it as the best game ever in 2009, and it still consistently tops lists more than a decade later. You'd be hard pressed, in fact, to find a "best game ever" list in which Ocarina of Time does not come in the top five at least. It even spawned possibly the worst indie movie adaptation ever, The Hero of Time. (Look for it on torrents if you want to watch; they got a C&D from Nintendo, so it's not available on their website anymore.)

It wasn't surprising to anybody, then, when Nintendo decided to re-release Ocarina of Time for the Gamecube in 2002. This time, though, they included something new - Master Quest, which is Ocarina of Time's answer to the Second Quest in the original Zelda. Basically, Master Quest is identical to the original game except that the dungeon puzzles have been totally redone. It's famous for being incredibly difficult, unfair, and punishing, which is why I naturally have to choose this version for my playthrough.

Navi tries to wake up Link.

I have to assume for the sake of the review that some of you readers out there haven't played Ocarina of Time before, so I'll start with a little summary of the first hour or so of the game (credit to Wikipedia for a little help.)



Ocarina of Time is the first game chronologically in the series and takes place before the first four games. It is the first 3D Zelda and the first Zelda for the N64. It's set in Hyrule, like every game to this point except for Link's Awakening. Hyrule Field serves as a central hub connected to several outlying areas with diverse topography. Most of these areas are populated by the races of Hyrule: Hylians, Kokiri, Gorons, Zoras and Gerudo.



Check out that phat 3D.

Link lives in the Kokiri Forest, inhabited by child-like beings of the same name. Every Kokiri has a fairy except Link, and he's somewhat ostracized for it. He's first introduced to the player as "the boy without a fairy." The game opens as the fairy Navi awakens Link from a nightmare, in which Link witnesses a stormy night where a man chases a girl and a woman fleeing on horseback.



Navi tells Link that the Deku Tree, the guardian of the Kokiri, wants to speak with him, which is a great honor. After getting a sword and shield, Navi takes Link to the Deku Tree, who is under a curse cast on him by a "wicked man of the desert." Link breaks the curse, but cannot stop the tree from withering. The Deku Tree tells Link that the "wicked man" seeks to conquer the land of Hyrule and that Link must stop him. Before dying, the Great Deku Tree gives Link the spiritual stone of the forest, the Kokiri's Emerald, and sends him to Hyrule Castle to speak with the princess of destiny, Zelda. After that, Link leaves the Kokiri Forest and goes on his adventure.



That's a big tree.

Because Master Quest is on the Gamecube, I won't be able to take direct screenshots of what's going on in the game, but I'll do my best to take pictures when possible. It's kind of rare to find footage or pictures of Master Quest due to its relative unpopularity. In the coming posts, I'm going to discuss first some features of Ocarina of Time and its improvements and differences from previous Zelda games, and then I'm going to discuss Master Quest and its differences from the original Ocarina of Time.

tl;dr: Best game ever. First 3D Zelda. Master Quest is harder, so that's what I'm doing.

Wish me luck, and stay tuned!

ps: I checked out my stats and I realize I have a lot of readers from outside of Canada! Hello to all you fun international people, thanks for checking out the blog!