They gave you a childhood you could return to — because someone insisted on putting it there.
When Ocarina of Time was first taking shape, there was only adult Link — a fully-formed hero ready for battle. Shigeru Miyamoto, acting as producer, pushed back and insisted the team add a child version of Link as well. That insistence created the game's central structure: you begin as a child, fall into a seven-year sleep, and wake as an adult who must look back. The gap between those two states is where the game lives. Yoshiaki Koizumi, designing the combat system, watched sword-fight demonstrations at Toei Kyoto Studio Park and noticed that stage fighters face opponents one at a time — so he built Z-targeting to do exactly that: lock onto one, let the others wait. Both decisions came from the same instinct. The world is less frightening when you can choose what to face. You do not lose childhood in this game. You carry it forward, and learn what it cost.
— inspired by Shigeru Miyamoto
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.
Gallery
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.
Going deeper
Explore the machine this game ran on, and what to check before you buy or care for one:
What to Watch Out For
Before buying, these are the points worth knowing — from someone who handles original Japanese The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time copies regularly.
Does Ocarina of Time have a save battery, and is it likely to have died?
Yes, it does. Ocarina of Time saves to SRAM backed by a coin cell battery inside the cartridge. After roughly 15 to 25 years, those batteries typically fail — and a 1998 cartridge is now past that window. If saves disappear when you power down, the battery has died. Replacing it is a standard soldering task, but the most straightforward approach is to buy from a seller who has powered the game on and confirmed that saves write and persist.
What is the difference between the gold cartridge and the gray one?
The gold cartridge is the North American launch version (v1.0), distributed as a Collector's Edition to pre-order customers in 1998. Later printings shifted to a standard gray shell. Collectors seek the gold cart for its rarity and because it echoes the gold cartridge of the original Legend of Zelda (1987) — not because the game plays differently. The most discussed version difference is the Fire Temple background music: v1.0 and v1.1 contain a chanting track that was replaced from v1.2 onward after concerns were raised about its resemblance to Islamic prayer. The Japanese version uses a gray cartridge throughout.
Can I play a Japanese N64 cartridge on a North American or European console?
Not without modification. The N64 contains no software region lock, but the cartridge shells have different notch positions in Japan versus North America and Europe, so a Japanese cart will not physically seat in an unmodified non-Japanese console. If the cartridge can make contact with the pins — through a modified console or an adapter — it runs without any software barrier. The Japanese version is gameplay-identical to the North American release.
Before You Buy
Things worth knowing before you buy The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
A short checklist for buying a used Nintendo 64 cartridge wisely — useful with any seller, anywhere.
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Choose a seller who tests it before shipping
A copy that has actually been powered on and checked is a known quantity. An untested one is a gamble you only settle after it arrives.
Look for a seller who states it was function-tested and says what they confirmed. A serious seller can tell you exactly what was checked.
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Make sure it fits your console
This is a Japanese N64 cartridge. The N64 is region-locked by shape and lockout, so a Japanese cart needs a Japanese console or an adapter.
Play it on a matching Japanese console or a region-free system, and confirm the listing states the region.
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If this title saves your progress, check the battery
Cartridges that save use a small coin-cell battery that fades over decades — a dead one wipes your save without warning.
Ask the seller whether the save function was tested. Replacing the battery is possible, but doing so erases any existing save.
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Check that the contacts are clean
Dirty edge contacts are the most common cause of startup and sound trouble in cartridges of this age.
Choose a seller who cleans the contacts before shipping. A note that it was tested and cleaned means the basics were handled.
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Read the seller's reviews and return policy
A 100% positive record across thousands of sales is close to a guarantee — packing, communication and problem-solving all work for everyone. A return policy protects you if something is off.
Read the feedback and confirm a clear return window before you buy.
The last step before buying anywhere is knowing what it's worth.
See what it's selling for on eBay →Unexpected Discoveries
Games you weren't looking for — but might be glad you found.
Rooms this game lives in
Wander deeper — explore the themed rooms where The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time sits alongside its kin.
Memories from around the world
This is a young museum, and this page is still waiting for its first voices. The memories people send reach Taisei personally, and the ones that move him find a home here over time — always with the writer's blessing. Yours could be the very first for this game.
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