It’s hard to deny thatThe Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Timeremains one of the most influential titles in theZeldaseries. Not only was the jump to 3D a revolutionary change for the video game industry as a whole, butOcarina of Timeintroduced a slew of creative ideas and mechanics that have since become staples of the series. Yet, even a title as groundbreaking asOcarina of Timecould only come to fruition thanks to its own inspirations, and that includes theZeldafranchise itself.
Of course,Ocarina of Timebeing inspired by previousZeldaentries doesn’t come as much as a surprise. As inventive asOcarina of Timemay be, the game continues to adopt the non-linear gameplay ofThe Legend of Zeldafor NES, while following a similar dungeon structure toA Link To The Past. However, I was shocked to learn that one otherZeldatitle may have had an even bigger influence onOcarina of Time, which made me realize just how important this game was to the series overall.
Ocarina Of Time Was Heavily Inspired By Link’s Awakening
Ocarina Of Time Adopts Link’s Awakening’s Approach To Narrative
Ocarina of Timetook heavy inspiration fromLink’s Awakening, mainly when it came to creating the game’s story. This was revealed during an Iwata Asks interview published onNintendo’s websitein 2009, asZeldaseries programmer Toshihiko Nakago mentioned howLink’s Awakeningincluded “…a story running through the whole game”. This contrasted with earlier titles likeA Link To The Past, which used a minimal narrative to provide you with necessary context. Meanwhile,Zeldaseries producer Eiji Aonuma stressed the importance ofLink’s Awakening’s narrative in creatingOcarina of Time, stating how the game “…would have been different” without it.
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While this information initially took me by surprise,it didn’t take me long to see the similarities in either game’s narratives. Just asLink’s Awakeninghas you unravel the mystery surrounding the existence of Koholint Island,Ocarina of Timehas you follow Link as he leaves his childhood behind in order to save Hyrule.Each game maintains a steady momentum with its narrative, includinga multitude of shocking twistsand tense moments that keep players invested in comparison to previousZeldatitles.
In the same interview,Zeldaco-creator Takashi Tezuka mentioned howLink’s Awakeningwas heavily inspired by the TV series Twin Peaks, explaining how the show influenced the game’s “…deep and distinctive characteristics.”
Moreover,Link’s Awakeningserved as a major influence onOcarina of Time’s cast of iconic characters. For example, Aonuma stated how the development team forLink’s Awakeningworked to “…make all the characters suspicious types”, a method which was later adopted forOcarina of Time.The more active approach taken to giving more distinct personalities to NPCs helps to bringOcarina of Time’s version of Hyrule to life, making the kingdom feel like a real, tangible world, while also showing howLink’s Awakeninginfluenced some of the N64 classic’s most memorable inclusions.
How Link’s Awakening Shaped Ocarina Of Time’s Story
Both Games' Stories Were Emotionally-Driven
After learning about the connection betweenOcarina of TimeandLink’s Awakening,I began to reflect on both games' stories and the impact they had on me. It was then that I came to realize just how importantLink’s Awakening’s influence was onOcarina of Time. The Game Boy title didn’t simply supplyOcarina of Timewith a more exciting narrative structure to adopt,but it showcased the need for the story to have an emotional core.
What I adore aboutLink’s Awakening’s story is the internal conflict that you’re forced to reckon with. The revelation that Link is stuck in a dream world comes late in the game, at a point where you have become accustomed to Koholint Island and formed meaningful bonds with the people that live there. As I continued my journey towards the egg at the top of the island, I felt the fate of Koholint’s inhabitants weighing on me,creating this feeling of sorrow and affecting me in a way that olderZeldaentries couldn’t achieve.
Ocarina of Timeremains so memorable and beloved because of the emotional connection that can be made to its story.
It’s that same emotional turmoil that makesOcarina of Time’s story so compelling. Beyond the game’s cinematic feel and grandiose scale, you find yourself connecting with Link throughout the story,as his decision to leave his childhood behind reflects the real struggle many of us go through to grow upand adapt to the changing world around us.Ocarina of Timeremains so memorable and beloved because of the emotional connection that can be made to its story, and withoutLink’s Awakening, it simply wouldn’t have had the same impact.
Link’s Awakening Is One Of The Most Important Zelda Games
The Game Boy Classic Proved The Need For More Ambitious Stories
The influence ofLink’s Awakeningand the monumental success ofOcarina of Timeserved as proof of the importance that narrative can have in elevating the entire gameplay experience. The presence of an ambitious, emotionally-driven story doesn’t simply help to fill the gaps between gameplay,but it allows for a greater sense of immersion, as you’re able to fully connect with the people and the world that you’re trying to save. With this in mind, it becomes clearer how this bigger emphasis on narrative became a mainstay for theZeldafranchise.
The Worst Part Of Link’s Awakening Actually Has Me Excited For Zelda’s Future
The dungeon maker in Link’s Awakening is frustrating, yet it could be the starting point for an exciting new direction for the Zelda series.
Multiple entries in theZeldaseries use narrative to create a much greater sense of immersion than gameplay alone could accomplish. For example,Majora’s Maskremains so belovedbecause of its unusually dark story, creating this dreary and hopeless atmosphere as you’re faced with a seemingly inescapable fate.Titles likeMajora’s Maskwork so well because they ask you to become invested in their world and charactersin order to make a bigger impact, showing how influentialLink’s Awakening’s emphasis on narrative has been to theZeldaseries as a whole.
It’s worth noting that the co-director forMajora’s Mask, Yoshiaki Koizumi, also worked onLink’s Awakening, and had great influence over the larger role that the story played in both titles.
As much as I adore the revolutionary ideasOcarina of Timeintroduced, the Iwata Asks interview has made me recognize the huge importance thatLink’s Awakeningalso has to theZeldaseries. While the success ofOcarina of Timewas the catalyst for a more active approach to storytelling inZeldatitles,Link’s Awakeningwas the game that brought this idea to the table.Link’s Awakeningis undoubtedly one of the most important games inZeldahistory, and I’ve come to appreciate it even more than I had done before.
