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Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Universal acclaim
Based on 22 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 678 votes
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Game Info
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo
Genre(s): Adventure
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Release Date: October 31, 1998
Summary
Considered by many to be the greatest single-player video game ever created in any genre, Ocarina of Time features young Link who lives in a magical forest populated by elf children. Link must defeat strange monsters lurking in the area and stop a growing evil spreading in the complex land.
Also On Metacritic
GAMES: Legend of Zelda Collector's Edition, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time / Master Quest, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
Cheat Codes & Hints: Cheat Code Central Game Revolution GamePro GameSpot GameSpot Guide IGN IGN Guide
Also On The Web: Official Website
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
GameSpot
A game that can't be called anything other than flawless...This is the masterpiece that people will still be talking about ten years down the road.
Read Full Review >Weekly Famitsu
10 / 10 / 10 / 10 - platinum [first ever perfect score]
GameShark
This is, without a doubt, one of the all-time greatest games made. 50 years from now people will still be playing and enjoying this game... thoroughly.
Read Full Review >IGN
Call us crazy, but when the final version of Zelda 64 arrived in the IGN64 offices, we stopped working, locked ourselves into a room with a big-screen TV and a surround system and played 17 hours straight. After only a few hours of sleep, we were back for more and we couldn't stop until we finished the game. Then, we started over again to find all the secrets.
Read Full Review >All Game Guide
The amount of secrets and little things will astound you if you take the time to fully appreciate the vast world that lies before you. No matter how skeptical you are, do yourself a favor and try this title for five minutes. That's about how long it will take to get you completely drawn into this incredible adventure.
Read Full Review >Electronic Gaming Monthly
An epic adventure that is among the best N64 games. [Jan 2004, p.189]
Games Domain
A truly remarkable achievement. Nintendo have created a beautiful game world and breathed life into it with puzzles, secrets, enemies, and loveable characters that will completely engross gamers around the globe. Stunning attention to detail is present throughout the game and is constantly evident in the visuals, audio and gameplay.
Read Full Review >Game Revolution
The N64 is a 3D workhorse, and Zelda proves it with great textures, lighting, tons of little environmental effects, and smooooth framerates with no slowdown. Faces, the toughest graphical challenge on 3D characters, are fantastic in Zelda. Characters blink, look around and change expressions with surprising grace.
Read Full Review >Nintendojo
[Review Score = 110] What’s significant about this convergence of audio, graphics and gameplay is that you are COMPLETELY IMMERSED in Zelda’s world. Why? Because everything is meticulously thought out. Each character and event plays a role in a storyline that sprawls like a J.R. Tolkien masterpiece...It's certainly the game of the decade.
Read Full Review >Adrenaline Vault
Ocarina of Time is the complete package appealing to one and all, and is the definitive accomplishment in game design.
Read Full Review >GamePro
This is Zelda supreme. It's fun. One hitch, however, is that the skill level gets progressively harder - so hard that casual gamers might give up rather quickly.
Read Full Review >Cincinnati Enquirer
This Zelda adventure will undoubtedly withstand the test of time and take its place as one of the best games to ever grace a home system.
Read Full Review >Game Critics
High praise goes to them for also managing to fit joy, creativity and discovery into the game and doing so without the use of Full-Motion Video (FMV) and the CD soundtrack his critics said was needed. This game is simply the most complete experience of any game ever made making Ocarina Of Time the game I've always dreamed of playing.
Read Full Review >Nintendophiles
My favorite game of all Time. It is the perfect example of a perfect and polished game. Every aspect of the game is virtually flawless.
Read Full Review >Electric Playground
Perfect. Epic. Unstoppable. Unbeatable. Irresistible. Sensational...The best videogame I have ever played. It is the crowning jewel of the industry. It is Nintendo's finest achievement.
Read Full Review >Nintendorks
The biggest, most heartpounding and awe-inspiring quest of all. Oh yes, Zelda 64 does indeed own your soul.
Read Full Review >TotalGames.net
When it comes to what people will now demand of a top videogame, Nintendo has moved the goalposts off the pitch, into a lorry, down the road, into the airport, onto a plane and halfway round the world to a different continent entirely.
Read Full Review >Gaming Age
Featuring unparalleled 3D environments, a deep and involved quest, brilliant and intuitive play controls, and a well-developed cinematic quality that enhances rather than overwhelms the whole game experience, Miyamoto's latest soon-to-be-classic title deserves to be played by each and every person who might deign to consider themselves a fan of great games.
Read Full Review >My Gamer
The player will be drawn into the Zelda fantasy world from the moment the opening sequence bursts onto the screen, and the game won’t let go—not even after finishing the quest.
Read Full Review >Happy Puppy
Realism is one of the major reasons this title is so amazing. After playing for a while it feels as though you have actually been to Hyrule.
What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this game is 9.2 (out of 10) based on 678 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Lev gave it a7:
I played this game only recently, 11 years after it's release, to see what the Zelda hype was about. And I have to say I was satisfied, more or less. The story is very generic and very weak, but I found the gameplay so much fun that eventually I couldn't put it down until I finished it. There are just so many things to do in this game,that, despite the lack of story or character development, it never really bored me. It lacks real depth, but who cares when it's this much fun to play.
Diesel gave it a10:
This game is revolutionarya nd anyone who is rating this low is either brain dead or too young to remember it or has never played it. A Masterpiece. My #2 game of all time behind Super Metroid by a hair.
Elmo 3000 gave it a10:
I really think this game deserves a 10. To be honest, it's not completely perfect, but it's as perfect as a game can be. It's not like there's ever going to be a game loved by everyone, so this is basically your best bet. The gameplay is timeless, the controls are perfect, and the dungeons are challenging, but not too hard. I know that some people find Navi annoying, but I never did. She doesn't talk too much as long as you don't ignore her. Anyway, the length of the game, the storyline, the cutscenes, and the interesting characters all join together to make this one of my favourite games.
Zak R gave it a10:
Every time I see the intro screen to this game, I'm instantly hit with a pure feeling of nostalgia. All though today the graphics are easily beaten by modern day game console, at the time these graphics were fantastic. The controls are so fluid, the items were fun to use and the dungeons although something being absolute hell (Water temple, ugh), they were always fun and would keep you staring at the screen for hours. The characters always made you laugh or smile, and you felt the need to talk to everyone in sight. Cutting this short, I personally consider this to be the greatest game in history.
luis g gave it a10:
This game made me a fan of miyamoto and nintendo for life. I enjoyed so much this game that i play it like once every year, since then i had (and still have) every game of zelda that has came out and i will continue to do it until the end of the serie or until i die.im working on my skills in 3d and animation to some day hopefully work in nintendo and be a part of a future zelda release. PD: maybe is just me, but i would love to see ( and play) a game from the ganondorf perspective, the story of his past.
Eirik M. gave it a10:
This game will, without a doubt, go down in history as the greatest game ever made. It's in every way perfect, with great controls, great graphics, and something for each and every one. The amount of secrets in this game will astound you. I, personally lost my n64 game, but luckily I got a new one in the Wind Waker collectors edition package. If you are skeptical to even try this game, give it 5 minutes. No matter what, you will be hooked. Enjoy.
Sean K gave it a10:
Ocarina of Time Is without a doubt my favorite game I have ever played. When I was little all we had was a N64 I played less than an hour a day back then. When I got this game I started playing probaly 3hours. The first time I even just watched the game my eyes were glued to the screen. It had good graphics for its day, an amazing plot line, lovable characters, wonderful puzzles, frightning monsters and reat fighting mechanics. I've never played a better game and probably never will.
