The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, released in 1998 for the Nintendo 64, is the fifth game in The Legend of Zelda franchise. What makes this game notable, other than its award-winning, fan-favorite status, is that it is the first game in the franchise to have 3D graphics. The developers do a fantastic job of translating what was previously a 2D world into 3D one, creating the feeling for the player that they are back in the same world of Zelda that they know and love. Though the game retains the same motifs and characters and most of the core mechanics of previous games in the franchise, the developers also introduced some additional mechanics that were only made possible via 3D graphics. Just within the span of the first (of nine) dungeons, it is evident that the developers really took advantage of the possibilities 3D graphics create, helping pave the way for more 3D games in the future.
At the beginning of the game, you (Link) have been summoned by The Great Deku Tree After running around town to find a sword and shield, you are permitted to see The Great Deku Tree—and here begins the game’s first dungeon. The first thing you see after stepping inside The Great Deku tree is this dynamic, birds-eye-view of the inside of the dungeon. Already, we are noticing the developers showcasing this incredible 3D space. Immediately, we are meant to notice the height of the space and the platforms and doorways all at different heights above you, indicating to you that you can expect to be moving in all three dimensions through this dungeon. But, this is a 3D game. That much is to be expected. So, what special mechanics did the developers introduce that are unique to 3D graphics that make this game so notable?
One of the first places the dungeon leads you is to a room with a chest. Just on the way there, the dungeon offers the player plenty of opportunities to practice these new climbing skills. It is on our way to this chest that we also see one of the first times the player is forced to jump a gap between platforms. Though this is an action that is very typical in other game genres—like platformers—the 3D graphics add a bit of a new challenge with the additional directional variable. Small but new challenges like these probably contributed to making this game all the more challenging, and thereby all the more rewarding. Even today, I struggle with jumping platforms like this sometimes. I can’t even imagine how much I would struggle if this were one of the first 3D games I was exposed to.
Continuing with the trend of utilizing 3D mechanics, you finally reach the chest, and you receive a slingshot—a ranged weapon, one that now requires much more finesse to aim properly than in previous 2D games. When you go to leave the room, you find that the door is locked. Only when you think to look upwards will you find a ladder you are meant to shoot and release with your slingshot so you can get out. So again, we are seeing the developers both teaching the player how to use these mechanics and emphasizing the importance of such mechanics to this game.
And finally, at the end of the dungeon, you are meant to combine all of these skills that the dungeon has so thoughtfully taught you, in order to defeat the boss, Gohma. In this first dungeon, there are several other 3D-specific mechanics we are introduced to, including the use of fire and Z-targeting. I don’t have time to describe these here, but we can see from the several different mechanics I have described here, the developers not only focused on finding ways to make their game 3D but also how to use the 3D-ness as a tool to challenge the player. All of these mechanics force the player to confront new problems and find solutions by thinking differently than they might have had to in 2D games before.
As someone who grew up on games with 3D-graphics, mechanics like these are incredibly familiar to me. But I can imagine it would have been quite an experience to play a game like this at the time of its release and experience the novelty firsthand. While I’m sure Ocarina of Time didn’t invent many of these 3D mechanics, this game did help to solidify these mechanics as core features of many 3D games today.
