The beloved Ocarina of Time was acclaimed in its time for its watershed of intuitive mechanics in the burgeoning early 3D lanscape, but its resonant story and heartfelt subtext revolving around the subject of aging, adulthood and time itself is what has granted the game a retrospective appeal and why it is so frequently hailed as a sort of Citizen Kane of video games.

intended as the origin story of the series, the game follows the plucky Link traversing across time to stop the calamitous takeover of Hyrule by the tyrannical Ganondorf. Beginning in his childhood, the world appears fantastical and inspiring, and link traverses imaginative locations such as a talking tree and inside a whale while befriending a host of eccentric and beloved characters- a sly but subtle quality of the Zelda games which reaches something of a zenith with the N64 entries. Upon completing his quest, Link finds he has been tricked by Ganondorf in order for him to gain the Triforce, and he is immediately thrust with the burden of responsibility and transformed into an adult while frozen in time for seven years.

The future adult world in its presentation is purposefully shocking upon reaching it. Exiting the temple of time, Link finds a ruined town populated by the undead, an ash-filled sky and an ominous castle standing in place of what was once a romantic medieval world. Suddenly, much like real life, the world seems to have become increasingly and unbearably complex, the safety net of adolescence thrown away in an instant. The dungeons he explores are now sterile and industrious rather than fantastical. The intent of him transitioning so quickly from childhood to adulthood was to preserve that youthful optimism into an apocalyptic and grim world, embodying the role of the hero so succinctly.

The game's theme cultiminate in its penultimate dungeon where link travels back to his childhood form to be purposefully manipulated by a greedy thief so that he may explore the epic Spirit Temple. Link's own naivety becomes his weapon and in doing so turns the spiteful thief, Nabooru, into an altruistic woman united in the universal struggle.

Nintendo has a reputation of being innocous and child-friendly, eschewing adult themes and conventions, but Ocarina of Time is their most beloved game because it is frought with pained melancholy which only seems to cut deeper with age, reminding ourselves of the values we earned in our youth should never be forgotten to forge a better world.



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