I hadn't played OoT in about three years (since the last Throwdown) and had since played through Majora's Mask twice. Some things surprised me during my revisit to Hyrule.
First and foremost, I have this game down pat. Again, not bragging, it's just that I beat this game so many times that it has almost literally become muscle memory for me. I almost felt as if I was watching someone else play through the game as I watched myself beat the entire thing in a single day.
I forgot some things, though. Like I always did when I was younger, I forgot to go get Saria's Song after meeting up with Zelda before attempting to enter Dodongo's Cavern. Frankly, I still think it's stupid the game makes you do this - you leave the forest, are given the Fairy Ocarina from Saria, then you run to Hyrule Castle, talk to Zelda, then are expected to run right back to Saria to learn another song.
WHY DOESN'T SARIA JUST TEACH YOU HER STUPID SONG WHEN SHE GIVES YOU THE OCARINA?!
Anyway. Coming off playing Majora's Mask twice as I did, I was surprised at how short the dungeons are in OoT. Besides the Water Temple, all the dungeons can be completed fairly quickly and don't get too devious in terms of navigation - they are pretty linear. I'm glad Majora's Mask, Wind Waker, and Twilight Princess didn't fall prey to this.
I do suppose that they are only linear because I know exactly where I'm going, which is a fair point. Considering I've beaten Majora's Mask so many times, though, the dungeons in that game aren't a cakewalk to me each time I play them, which is how I prefer it.
What Ocarina of Time has over Majora's Mask, and probably every other Zelda game, is the final boss gauntlet. The little dialogue from Ganondorf right before the battle is fairly chilling, then the duel you have with him is intense, and you can easily die if you aren't careful. Then you have to run down the collapsing castle with Zelda, and, just when you think it's all over, you hear a noise from a pile of rubble. Link runs in to investigate.
A gravely injured Ganondorf pops up from the rubble, and floating there, he holds up his hand. The Triforce of Power appears, reminding the player that Ganondorf will not go down easily. Nothing is said at all from any of the three people standing there as Ganondorf begins to transform into the monstrous pig-beast Ganon. Holding two giant twisted sai, the beast roars its challenge at Link as it begins flailing its arms. Link, taken off guard, loses his Master Sword as Ganon knocks it out of his hand, out of the arena. Ganon then takes a moment to squeal triumphantly as he knows Link is in trouble without the only blade capable of killing the evil dictator. Link, sword-less, looks up at his foe, in what is probably the single best pre-boss scene in any video game ever:
So, so tense. I'm going to end it there, at one of the greatest moments of quite possibly the greatest series in video games.
No comments:
Post a Comment