Highlights
- Released in 1998, Ocarina of Time revolutionized the Zelda franchise and the gaming industry with its innovative gameplay and epic storyline.
- Ocarina of Time set the trend for open-world games by providing a large game world with multiple towns, varied species, and unique side quests.
- While newer Zelda games like Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom have brought innovation, Ocarina of Time remains the pinnacle of the series.
Released in November 1998, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time became the quintessential 3-D action-adventure game. In the early days of 3-D games, Ocarina of Time stood out as being not only revolutionary for The Legend of Zelda franchise, but the entire video game industry as a whole. As the fifth release in the Zelda series, it completely innovated everything done up to that point and opened the door for what would be possible in the future. After 25 years, Ocarina of Time still stands as the pinnacle of what The Legend of Zelda represents. Even the most recent titles, Breath of Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, pull inspiration from what was established in Ocarina of Time. Although the series has always reinvented itself and brought something fresh with each entry, in many ways no game will be able to top Ocarina of Time.
Often widely regarded as one of the greatest video games of all time, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time's influence cannot be overstated. It defined what players can experience in a large, open game world by providing multiple towns and varied species to interact with as they search for temples. These NPCs each offered unique "side quests" and secrets to uncover that were sometimes completely separate from the game's main story. All of these elements are tied together with an epic storyline, unique and memorable characters, innovative action gameplay that builds as the game progresses, and a beautiful Koji Kondo score to establish Ocarina of Time as the blueprint for a modern adventure game.
Zelda Fan Organizes the Franchise Into 6 Distinct Eras
A fan of The Legend of Zelda reorganizes the entire series into six separate eras and shares their work for other fans to see.
The Most Influential Zelda Game To Date
Each Zelda game that has come after Ocarina of Time has in some way been inspired by the game. 3-D games post Ocarina of Time such as Majora's Mask, Wind Waker, and Twilight Princess did all bring something very new to the table in their own respect, but they also more or less followed the Ocarina of Time formula. They all contained a set amount of dungeons that included a unique item to be unlocked in each, segments of traveling to the temples and doing side activities to access them. The basic elements of The Legend of Zelda have been around since the first installment in 1987 and further developed in A Link to the Past, but it was Ocarina of Time that set the trend for the 3-D era.
Updates to the Zelda formula did come over time. The Zelda side games offer another unique approach to the franchise's universe, such as in Four Swords, The Minish Cap, or Phantom Hourglass. In terms of mainline games, Skyward Sword was really the start of the refresh. Skyward Sword broke tradition in a lot of ways, namely the dungeon progression, item management, and the way weapons are approached. Skyward Sword laid the groundwork for what would be the largest innovation since Ocarina of Time, Breath of the Wild.
Breath of the Wild saw The Legend of Zelda franchise make the leap into the realm of modern open-world games. Stripping down the story-telling aspects of the series to only the bare essentials made for a more mysterious approach. Most notable was the BOTW's progression and customization, which allowed for more variety in the way the game is played. Breath of the Wild is easily the closest to Ocarina of Time in terms of renown and innovation in the gaming industry, however it arguably still hasn't quite topped it.
Even the most recent release Tears of the Kingdom, with its ground-breaking freedom to build and customize as well as its bold story decisions, is still unable to dethrone Ocarina of Time overall. Zelda games are still pulling elements from Ocarina all these years later. At this point in time, it seems that although future Zelda games may be able to innovate and forge a new legacy of their own, they will never be able to overshadow Ocarina of Time as the most beloved entry in the series.
