About this game
Ocarina of Time is the highest-rated game in recorded review history and the first Legend of Zelda title rendered in three dimensions. Developed by a team of fifty people under five directors — including Eiji Aonuma and Yoshiaki Koizumi — over three and a half years, it introduced Z-targeting (the lock-on combat system that every action-adventure game adopted after it) and context-sensitive button mapping. Originally intended for the 64DD add-on disc peripheral, technical constraints moved development to cartridge, delaying release from 1997 to November 1998.
Key Features
Z-targeting system — hold Z to lock onto an enemy and circle-strafe; the template every 3D action game since has followed. Context-sensitive A button — same button opens doors, speaks to NPCs, rolls, climbs, and plays the ocarina depending on context. The Ocarina of Time itself: six songs that control the environment — open temples, summon rain, travel through time. Day/night cycle affecting NPC behaviour and enemy spawns. Two playable timelines — Young Link and Adult Link — with inventory and progression separated. Fully voiced NPCs (text-only, no spoken dialogue) with distinct character writing.
The Story Behind
By 1998, the PlayStation had firmly established CD-ROM as the industry standard. Final Fantasy VII (1997) had demonstrated what a disc-based 3D RPG could achieve cinematically. Into this context, Ocarina of Time arrived as a purely Nintendo response: no full-motion video, no voiced dialogue, no cinema aspirations — instead, a mechanical depth and a structural elegance that critics found overwhelming. Pre-orders in North America were so intense that Electronics Boutique stopped accepting them on November 3, three weeks before launch. In Japan, the game sold 820,000 copies in its first week. The North American launch — coinciding almost to the day with Japan's — distributed a limited gold-cartridge Collector's Edition to pre-order customers, echoing the gold cartridge of the original 1987 Legend of Zelda.
Tricks & Tales
The "Fire Temple Music" controversy: the original Japanese and early Western releases contained a chanting track that critics alleged resembled Islamic prayer; Nintendo replaced it in later printings. Distinguishing "v1.0" and "v1.1" cartridges is a point of collector interest. The Mirror Shield in early builds bore an Islamic crescent-and-star design — also changed. The game uses only seven musical notes (the N64's six C buttons plus A) corresponding to the ocarina's six finger holes, making it physically playable on a real ocarina by players who memorised the note patterns.
Collector's Guide
Region & Compatibility
Released worldwide. Japanese cartridge plays on Japanese N64 and region-free modified units. Gold cartridge North American launch version is collector-sought. The Japanese "Zelda no Densetsu: Toki no Okarina" title screen differs from Western versions.
Maintenance Tips
N64 cartridges should be stored upright, not stacked flat, to prevent warping of the PCB. The save file in Ocarina of Time relies on SRAM backed by a CR2032 battery inside the cartridge; if saves are deleting themselves, the battery needs replacement. A dead battery is a common and entirely fixable issue — the battery is soldered, not socketed, but replacement is a straightforward soldering task.
Available in our shop
Hand-cleaned and tested units shipped worldwide from Toyohashi, Japan. HP direct purchase exclusive: we include a printed shop owner's note card with every order.
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