12 Things You Didn't Know About The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time
8. Child Link Was Almost Cut
Ocarina’s time travel is so ingrained in the gameplay structure, it feels weird to consider that this could’ve been left out altogether. But according to Part 1 of the Iwata Asks interview, only Adult Link was initially considered.
Director Toru Osawa confirmed this was due to the game’s use of Chanbara-style combat, advising it didn’t work as well with Child Link due to limited attack reach, and explained “he would be at a terrible disadvantage, especially against large enemies”.
The idea was put back on the table by other staff, chiefly Shigeru Miyamoto, who advised they wanted to see a “cute little Link” and the time travel concept was formed. It proved a controversial decision internally, with Eiji Aonuma claiming there were some “heated exchanges” as this drastically changed Ocarina’s gameplay structure in an already-delayed release.
It came together after Osawa undertook several script rewrites, with fellow director Yoshiaki Koizumi resolving the combat issue. Considering how successful this turned out, its hard to imagine playing Ocarina any other way.