Last time, I wrote about how Ocarina of Time could be streamlinedto work better on the Nintendo 3DS. All of those changes were based on more recent Zelda titles. However, remaking Ocarina of Time also gives the developers an opportunity to add completely new content to the game.
New content doesn’t need to change the original game. Instead, it should be optional content that aims to make the game better without changing the original experience. Because of this, I think the best idea is for all of this content to become available to players only after completing the original game.
One of the best ways to add new content that players actually want to finish would be to add dungeons to accompany them. These should be complete dungeons with enemies, puzzles, a boss, and possibly even new items.
Unfreeze Zora’s Domain
Even though Sheik saves Princess Ruto and Link saves King Zora, the rest of Zora’s Domain is never rescued during the game. After defeating Ganon, players should be able to complete a series of events to unfreeze Zora’s Domain and be rewarded.
It would be appropriate for Death Mountain to hold the key to unfreezing Zora’s Domain. This is similar to what happened in Twilight Princess, but rather than a large rock Link should find another flame-based item to do the job. The item could be hidden in an optional dungeon in Death Mountain Crater.
So what is this item? It could just be a pendant of some sort, but I think a weapon would be more interesting. How about an upgraded Din’s Fire or Bombos Medallion? Din’s Fire would just be a more powerful version of the item you already obtain before completing the game. Bombos Medallion is a more interesting alternative because it opens the possibly for adding the other two medallions (Ether and Quake) into the game as well.
The Unicorn Fountain
The fabled Unicorn Fountain has been sought by players for years. It was shown in early screenshots ofOcarina of Time, but didn’t make it into the final game. The rumors surrounding the fountain claim that it was where the Sword Beam was obtained, and it was believed to be beneath the ice in Zora’s Domain.Rather than just giving player’s access to the fountain after unfreezing Zora’s Domain, completing the unfreezing event should open up access to another dungeon. That dungeon should eventually lead to the Unicorn Fountain and give players the Sword Beam.
One More Optional Dungeon
Obtaining the Sword Beam should open up access to one more dungeon for players to enter. This could be anywhere, but I think a popular choice would be the Temple of Light. The Temple of Light was part of the original game and was removed during development. There was even a gold-colored tunic to go with it.
I don’t think adding the tunic back into the game would serve any purpose, but there should be a reward worth completing all three dungeons to obtain.
The Cave of Ordeals
The Wind Waker introduced the idea of a large underground area where monsters from around the world exist. Each level takes Link further underground to battle more dangerous monsters. Surviving the underground labyrinth leads Link, and the player, to a reward.
The area appeared again in Twilight Princess with the name “The Cave of Ordeals.” Unfortunately, completing it in Twilight Princess didn’t lead to an amazing reward.
I suggest that the dungeon be added into Ocarina of Time to add an extra challenge for players.
Second Meeting with Zelda
At the end of the game, you see Link going to speak with Princess Zelda while they are both still children. We’ve been told that they decide not to do anything about Ganondorf this time and it prevents him from even taking over Hyrule.The events at the beginning ofMajora’s Mask show us that Link has Epona as a child and the Ocarina of Time is given to him by Zelda before he leaves Hyrule.
Players should be able to play through these events. Let us talk with Zelda the second time, get Epona as a kid, and leave Hyrule with the Ocarina of Time in hand. Lead us up to the events of Majora’s Mask.
Better yet, put Majora’s Mask in the game.
Let us experience the transition between Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask, and then let us play through the latter. I’m not sure if this is possible on a DS card, but I think it would be a neat feature to have as a sort of “second quest” that is actually a “second game.”
Like previous second quests, this feature should allow you to start a new file. Otherwise, you would be unable to complete the rest of the new content as Adult Link.
The Secondary Goal of All of These Changes
Why secondary? The primary goal should always be to make the experience enjoyable, and as much as I would like for Nintendo to focus on some other areas (story and timeline specifically), they will never add or remove something from the game for the sake of other things.
All of these changes have this secondary goal in mind: completing theOcarina of Time story and adding continuity to the timeline.
All of the new dungeons would complete missing parts of the story in Ocarina of Time. What happens after Zora’s Domain is unfrozen? Where does the Temple of Light fit into all of this?
Adding the medallions, sword beam, and Cave of Ordeals would add continuity to the storyline. Specifically, what are the origins of the medallions? How did the Hero first learn of the sword beam technique? And is there a story behind the existence of the Cave of Ordeals?
And of course, showing us what happened between the end of Ocarina of Time and beginning of Majora’s Mask would give us the rest of the story of the Hero of Time.
Recently, Nintendo, specifically Eiji Aonuma, has tried to make the timeline easier to understand without specifically telling us the exact chronological order of the games. These changes fall into that same category.
One more stop…
I’ve written three articles discussing what should, could, and shouldn’t be changed in the remake of Ocarina of Time. The last part will be a little different as I take a look at what the lasting impact of Ocarina of Time 3D will be, and I’m not talking about 3D.
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