12 Things You Didn't Know About The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time
Wait, the fishing game wasn’t planned?
Legend of Zelda fans might be patiently awaiting Breath Of The Wild 2 right now but if it wasn’t for Ocarina Of Time, none of this would be happening. Zelda’s fifth entry marked a dramatic reinvention for the franchise back in 1998, overseeing its transition to 3D gameplay through the N64 to universal acclaim.
Not ready to wield the Master Sword as a child, we saw Link travel between two different eras to stop King Ganondorf, putting him to sleep for seven years upon unsheathing it. Discovering the Gerudo King has taken over Hyrule in his absence, it’s down to Link to end his tyrannical reign.
It’s a story needing little introduction to most, seeing numerous re-releases across Gamecube, Wii, Wii U and 3DS that’ve helped its enduring popularity but it’s a game filled with cameos, secrets and a development history that nearly brought us a drastically different title.
Hardcore fans will most likely be aware of these but for the less informed, or those simply seeking a refresher during the wait, here are some Ocarina Of Time facts you may not be aware of.
12. It Was Nearly A First-Person Adventure
It’s hard to picture Ocarina of Time outside of a third-person perspective but upon being interviewed before the 3DS release, director Yoshiaki Koizumi confirmed that producer Shigeru Miyamoto initially pitched a first-person approach.
Suggesting to Koizumi "How about making it so that Link will not show up?", he confirmed that Miyamoto’s idea would’ve seen you walking around Hyrule in first-person and when an enemy appears, the screen would've switched to a side perspective.
Considering that Miyamoto is an FPS fan, its not too surprising he considered this approach but it was quickly shot down, and as a character designer, Koizumi confirmed "I couldn't stand to see my Link not appear”. Fellow director Toru Osawa also agreed, saying "it wasn't interesting visually.".
There’s no way of knowing how this would’ve turned out but we believe the directors were right to stick with their guns here.