Community: "I Think Of Her Every Time I Play It" - Your Zelda: Ocarina Of Time Memories

With the Switch 2 remake of the N64's The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time fast approaching, we recently asked Nintendo Life readers to share their memories of the 1998 original.

Whether you were a Zelda veteran taking your first steps into a 3D Hyrule or this was your very first encounter with the series, this particular entry holds an extra special place in many a player's heart, having a profound effect and eliciting emotions that have stuck with us ever since.

So, for those looking to reminisce as we await the new version, as well as Ocarina newbies and younger gamers who, perhaps, are wondering what all the fuss is about, here's a selection of the messages you sent...

Your Ocarina Memories

Thank you to everyone who took the time to share these moments. Some entries have been edited for brevity and clarity.

"my (now) friend overheard me"

Ocarina of Time is what introduced me to one of my best and longest-time friends. I picked up a used copy in the 6th grade, and got stuck navigating the Lost Woods. I was talking to someone about it on the bus ride home from school, and my (now) friend overheard me, and immediately jumped over and gave me advice. After I thanked him the following day, he let me borrow his strategy guide in case I got stuck again. That experience and the long-term friendship it resulted in cements this as not just my favorite Zelda game, but one of my favorite games of all time.
Broosh

"Ocarina totally dominated my life"

I was still at college when Ocarina of Time came out in the UK, and I clearly remember playing it religiously on my N64 each afternoon or evening after lessons, over about a three week period. Ocarina totally dominated my life for that brief period, and I genuinely felt like I'd lost a friend when I finally finished the main quest - all these years later I can still recall the hollow feeling of not knowing what would fill the void it left! Still one of the most memorable adventures I've ever had.
Tom Charnock

"Was Link capable of being evil?"

Fighting Dark Link for the first time triggered something in me, as a kid it opened my mind to question who Dark Link was. Was Link capable of being evil?
Another core memory I have is the first time I ever beat Ganon I quickly rushed to the phone and dialed my best friend and excitedly told him what I just accomplished. We used to switch turns when it came to playing Single Player games.
And who can forget the TITLE SCREEN.
Arkay

"made me feel like a badass"

Not sure why this one sticks out, but in the Shadow Temple, fighting two Stalfos on the ghost ship made me feel like a badass. I was 10 at the time, admittedly.
Mattock1987

"It was the first time I was grounded"

I do remember one funny occasion where, I turned the N64 to mess around a bit later at night, when I was not supposed to, and went to the title screen, I pressed some buttons and somehow deleted my father's save. I didn't even realize I did so, I just thought it was cool there was keyboard where I could insert my name.
Once he went to play the next time, he grounded me for 1 month. It was the first time I was grounded as well.
Brandon Silva

"such a scary, grown-up game"

My older neighbor had OoT when it came out, and I would go to his house to watch him play. We'd sometimes take turns, until we got to the well dungeon! I remember thinking it was such a scary, grown-up game. I got my own copy when our local Blockbuster rental store closed, and was barely brave enough for the Shadow Temple then. I love the variety of ambiences in Hyrule, and I hope the remake can convey how scary the original could be!
Jake

"learning to take on the weird tasks"

In a collective save played by every kid at my after school babysitter, my only contributions were earning the cow in the horse race with Ingo and the golden scale in the fishing minigame, which taught me the value of learning to take on the weird tasks in any group project.
Zach

"I set the controller down and just sat there in awe"

Playing it when it first came out in 1998, the beginning area felt impressive in the early days of games in three dimensions. But when I left the Kokiri Forest and stepped out on to Hyrule Field, I set the controller down and just sat there in awe. My kid-brain couldn't comprehend how vast a video game could be, and it was beautiful to stare at as the sun slowly set. To this day, each time I replay OoT, I always take a moment to relive that sight. I'm looking forward to being stunned again.
Adam Hollerud

"finding the Triforce didn't seem so far-fetched"

My brother and I used to play Ocarina of Time together in the early 2000s. We browsed the early fansites, especially those that documented known glitches. Replicating these glitches ourselves was endlessly entertaining. This was the era when rumors ran rampant and the idea of finding the Triforce didn't seem so far-fetched. Does anyone remember "turning all the gossip stones blue?" The doctored photo of the "Temple of Light?" This game reminds me of my brother and of the unique online culture that surrounded it.
Mike DeCou

"I felt almost like a traitor"

When both my grandparents were still alive, I used to spend a lot of time at their house, an apartment in a 17th-century building. Going there was an adventure in itself: a big entrance door, three flights of old stone stairs, the smell of soot, and finally, the front door to their big apartment.
It was December, and from the very first day, everything felt like a prelude to the long-awaited Christmas Eve. My sister, my cousins and I couldn’t wait to spend some time together.
My cousin had a Nintendo 64. I still loved my SNES, but I also had a PlayStation and was really into PC gaming. And 1998 was the year of Ocarina of Time.
He owned the game, and I distinctly remember how jealous I was, how I felt almost like a traitor for not owning a Nintendo 64, after being a Nintendo kid for so long.
He pushed the cartridge into the console, switched it on, and my world stopped.
All of a sudden, I forgot about Doom, Quake, Duke Nukem 3D and whatever else I was playing at the time.
I was home.
It was Zelda.
Matteo Guarino

"My other classmate slapped me in the face"

I was in first grade when we got Ocarina. My mom played it mostly, but I loved watching. One time in school, I was trying to draw the item subscreen (yeah...) and couldn't remember what was in a certain spot. My classmate who was watching and had no idea what it even was suggested "I think you should put a giraffe there".
My other classmate slapped me in the face when I told him about the different temples, because "Only God could have those" (church and temple being the same word in Hungarian).
Krisi

"I gave myself a challenge"

I played Ocarina of Time so many times that I gave myself a challenge: beat the game with only the 3 hearts you start with, and I did it! (I’ve pictures to prove it)
Joseph R Casper

"It absolutely helped the both of us"

As a 53 year-old, I didn’t get into playing non-sports games until the mid 2000s. Up until then, I was only using my PS2 to play FIFA and Gran Turismo. But my brother who’s four years my junior? He had every Nintendo console. Including the N64.
In January and February of 1999, we lost our mum and dad very suddenly. They were only 47 and 51 respectively and it hit us very hard. At the time, I was already married and had our first daughter, but I went to my mum’s place to see my brother every day and I vividly remember one day just sitting there watching him playing Ocarina of Time. It looked utterly incredible and that memory, no matter the brevity, was fundamental in me migrating to Nintendo and playing all the big, proper games. The Zelda’s, the Mario’s, the Metroid’s.
That probably isn’t what you guys at NL are looking for here, but for me, just watching Ocarina was huge. It absolutely helped the both of us escape the pain of bereavement, even if only for an hour or two. And, to us, that was priceless.
The_Pixel_King

"sitting with my mom, trying to solve puzzles together"

In 7th grade, The Legend of Zelda OOT was my entire personality! We couldn’t afford it when it first released, but in 2001, my parents surprised us with it. I was obsessed! I carried that beautiful N64 instruction manual around like it was my Bible, to school and everywhere I went, studying every page. Some of my favorite memories were sitting with my mom, trying to solve puzzles together, getting stuck, and celebrating when we figured them out. Looking back, it wasn’t just a video game. It was pure magic, a piece of my childhood I’ll treasure forever.
Giodannie Isabel de leon

"I sobbed"

I cried when Link left the Kokiri Forest with Saria standing alone on the bridge in the Lost Woods and again with Mido expressing remorse over how he treated Link before allowing me passage into the Forest Temple. I sobbed when Navi left Link in the Temple of Time.
I also [remember] feeling tears of joy after finishing the game and seeing all the lives Link had interacted with throughout my entire journey. I also sobbed when I beat Majora’s Mask and Wind Waker and seeing all the people I had helped and bettered their lives in the process!
VirtualVisage87

"my dear friend sitting beside me"

Sitting before the big TV in the playroom, my friend Maysen and I gazing up at a wide open field, enchanting music beckoning us away to the time of castles and kingdoms and brave knights. Navigating a tricky gated area in the field, feeling so smart. Exploring a quaint village (with a spooky-at-night graveyard). Sneaking about a castle courtyard. Finding a fun yellow mask, at last being allowed to pass the gatekeeper. Then it gets hard! Now, I sometimes revisit this land, experiencing again the faraway, magical places. Imagining my dear friend sitting beside me.
Brian

"I think of her every time I play it"

This game is one of my favorite early memories with my mom. I started playing before I could read very well at all. My mom would sit with me and read the dialogue, stories, and signs to me. She would help me solve the puzzles when I was frustrated or didn’t understand some of the lore specific words that were being used. It is one of my absolute favorite memories of growing up and I think of her every time I play it or see the Triforce tattoo on my leg. Thank you Nintendo for all of these awesome memories.
Joseph McKinnon

"we all got the gold carts"

I was already a Zelda super-fan years previously, and when news started coming out for "Zelda 64" my friends and I followed that religiously. So when the OoT release was finally coming, we decided to have a launch party at my house. A couple of us saved and pre-ordered the game at the same EB Games to make sure we all got the gold carts. Immediately after school, Mom picked us up, brought us to get our copies and picked up pizza on the way home. When we all got to my place, starting up that game was awe inspiring. The music, the graphics, everything sucked into Hyrule and enthralled from the start. We all took turns playing while others chowed down on pizza and eventually my mom came out with a cake for us that she had decorated with the Triforce! We played till all hours of the night. It's a vivid and cherished gaming memory for me even 30 years later.
David Hannah

"I was late"

I got the 3DS remake in 2019 (I was late) after hearing that it considered the greatest game of all time. I dabbled in the franchise before. I played BotW, and while I love that game, my nine year old brain was used to Mario platformers. OoT was a better introduction with its smaller world. Despite that, I sucked at the game. I loved what I played, it was so cinematic, but when I got stuck on a puzzle, I'd give up and wouldn't come back in months. Thus, I finally beat the game earlier this year. (Yay).
The_Mario_Bro

"used the library’s internet to find tips"

My brother got a cool Christmas gift from the U.S.—an N64 and Ocarina of Time. Even though he wasn’t really into gaming, I totally got hooked! I kept getting stuck and even used the library’s internet to find tips. I skipped school a few times and picked up magazines to help out. I’m not sure exactly how long it took, but I’d guess about a month.
Alejandro A

"I panicked as he kept playing"

I got Ocarina when it was first released on N64. I had hit a roadblock at the Water Temple. After watching me fail repeatedly, my sister brought me and my game to her friend who showed me exactly what to do. The solution was so simple I was so mad at myself. Then I panicked as he kept playing, so I made up something “we forgot to do” and had to leave immediately. Needing help, the victory was bittersweet.
Joshua Younis

"a flash game that taught you the correct path"

I remember before the game came out, there was a hype website with a flash game that taught you the correct path through the lost woods. My friends were all amazed when I just ran through without any trouble.
Justin V

"I had made friends with the Best Buy associate"

I was always a gamer, and so I had made friends with the Best Buy associate. When Ocarina of Time was about to release I went to Best Buy every day in my car until he told me it was in stock, and standing by for release. The night before release I went, and he sold me a copy. Gold cartridge. The night before it came out. I got home at 9pm, my sophomore year of high school and I locked in. I stayed up all night. One of the first people to ever play the game. One of the best gaming memories of my life.
Ed Tilden

We're around halfway through these golden recollections - turn the page for tales of young love, final battles, tears, realisations, Sharpies, and uncondonable launch-day activities that are surely past the statute of limitations...