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Ocarina of Time playthrough log
Years ago on the N64, I played the original. I didn't have a 3DS so I never did the 3DS version that was basically the same game but with some QoL improvements with respect to the Iron Boots(those who played the original like i did know the pain of the Water Temple and the menu… Even the Shadow Temple and Hover Boots were a minor pain as well).
Anyways, this thread will be a playthrough log, noting various differences(if any) from the original. I may not catch them all but this is a first time playthrough so I apologize in advance. The controls are definitely different with the new jump button being X(would have thought it'd be B like in Echoes of Wisdom but that's me). Action is still A so grabbing and moving things are the same, with rolling into a Sprint being something new(thank Hylia).
Y replaces B for attacking with the Sword(B to sheath) but Link automatically blocks when using ZL or Z-targeting(didn't do that in the original, had to hold R to block). Another difference is the Jump Attack. Have to press X to jump forward and then immediately go with Y to initiate a Jump Attack. Original was all one action with A so that's a new one. I wonder how the Spin Attack will vary, if at all.
Using secondary items is ZR, hence aiming with Slingshot and Bow is with the right analog stick and changing secondary items is with L or R, hence you can't have multiple items hotkeyed(you could assign up to three to left, down and right c-buttons). I royally suck at free aim so I shudder at how I'll do at the Archery range or the race with Dampé to get a Heart Piece(have to hit a Torch with Longshot to pull yourself up to an area in order to finish the race in under a minute for the Heart Piece). Gerudo Horse Archery may also be an issue.
After starting the game, we get a nice intro cutscene. Long but nothing I'd complain about. The visuals of the game are nothing short of stunning. Some people don't like the art style and honestly I understand since it's subjective. Zelda, who I haven't gotten to yet in my playthrough, was off-putting the first time I saw her in the preview trailer. Yet when stepping into Kokiri Forest for the first time, you instantly know they took their time with this.
Getting the Kokiri Sword is in the same area as before but it's up high on a central pillar with a rolling boulder patrolling in a counter-clockwise fashion. At the end of the path is a ladder that you climb up to a ledge from which you can then jump to the pillar with the Chest containing the Sword(original had the chest at the end, easy to get to). The Shield still costs 40 rupees in the shop but they reward you for interacting with other Kokiri, notably the two doing work in front of Saria's Home and Mido's Home respectively. Namely if you cut the Grass in front of Saria's house and remove the boulders by Mido's house, you get Rupees for doing so(didn't have that in the original). There's also rupees at various locations so exploring is rewarding.
After entering the Deku Tree Dungeon, Deku Baba's are still the same enemies as before, yielding Deku nuts or Deku sticks. I didn't notice a ladder anywhere like in the original so vines will have to do to get to the 2nd and 3rd level. Deku Scrubs are still the annoying varmints but the Shield does the job. Dealing with Spiders is a bit different but I chalk that to a different Jump Attack.
They changed the dialogue with the Deku Tree. In the original he tells us that he's been cursed and that he needs us to break it to test thy courage. Instead he tells us about a spider in his depths(basically telling you where to go inside).
Deku Tree Dungeon has 4 Golden Skullutas. In the original, you could get three in the first playthrough of the dungeon but have to return after getting the Boomerang for the fourth. It seems that they didn't want people having to do that because the area where the 4th Spider happens to be has Vines that you can climb to get the token. So no need to backtrack and it seems the Compass now highlights Skullutas on the Dungeon Map(a very nice addition for those new to the game and giving more value to that Dungeon item). They also added a new chest by the Slingshot. Don't recall that being there in the original.
They also removed my favorite line in the Dungeon… 2, 3, 1, Twenty Three is number one.. They removed the last part… 😭 Gohma is still the hideous Spider I remember it to be and it's combat behavior is different. Normally after dealing damage to it, it'd climb to release eggs for mini-Gohma's but if you're aggressive and stay near it, Gohma may come after you and try to attack you. In any case, it dies and I get a Heart Container along with the Kokiri Emerald.
The scene after returning to the village definitely gives depth and screentime to my favorite character in the game: Saria. To say she's upset that you have to go is an understatement. I ventured into the Lost Woods to pick up a couple upgrades. The first being a Deku Seed pouch upgrade for the Slingshot and the other being an upgrade for Deku Sticks(costs 40 Rupees). I then saved before leaving to Hyrule Field so I haven't witnessed the Fairy Ocarina scene yet but I'd wager it's worth the wait.
More to follow obviously.
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The Fairy Ocarina scene with Saria hits your soul. If you've ever had to leave a dear friend, you'll relate to this scene. Upon entering Hyrule Field, we get the infamous Owl who shall not be named. Interaction with him was surprisingly better than what I remember but maybe I'm just being harsh on the Owl from back in the day.
Layout of Hyrule Field has changed with Lon Lon Ranch being the biggest difference. Hyrule Castle Town is, for the most part, unchanged with the Guardhouse holding all those Pots and a Gold Skulluta but my fears with respect to free aim on the Slingshot came to pass where I struggled mightily on the game to upgrade the Slingshot bag to its max capacity. Took me three tries… 😭 and that's even with me knowing the pattern beforehand. May be why I don't play FPS…
Anyways… I explored the town and came across a new addition: a 5th Bottle. Normally you would get your first Bottle in Kakariko Village but it seems they have a subtle tutorial in the Potion shop where your reward is the Glass Bottle and a free Red Potion(id prefer a Fairy but this will do).
Onward to Hyrule Castle where waiting along the roadside is Malon(careful… she's a red head). Get the egg which hatches into a Cucco and use it to wake her father. Sneaking into Hyrule Castle is different than what I remember. Use of the free camera helps a lot but it gives a different experience sneaking in from ages past.
Zelda's courtyard is missing the Mario Easter eggs but it still has the guard throwing Bombs at you if you shoot your Slingshot at the windows. Impa is indeed intimidating.. I miss her Age of Calamity look lol. One thing I forgot to say from last time is I've been annunciating Farore wrong for over 25 years… Din is easy… Ditto Nayru but Farore… nope lol.
Kakariko… talk about a redesign. Major landmarks are mostly where I remember them but Cucco lady has been relocated if I'm not mistaken. At least I somehow remembered where all the Cucco are for the Glass Bottle. Did the Cucco again to see what she rewards you and it's a red Rupee(20 rupees). Could have sworn it was a purple rupee(50 rupees) on the original but maybe my memory is failing me.
Anyways, I head to the Graveyard where I break open the Composer Brothers entrance for the Sun Song. Man did Nintendo do ReDead's justice!!! They're nightmare fuel now and seriously not to be trifled with. Sun Song stuns them within an area, permitting you to slash them without fear of reprisal or to simply run past.
Once exiting, I moved a grave to get a Hylian Shield(which has always been there). Pretty sure there's a grave with a Piece of Heart but I haven't found it yet(plan to in next session). I did Dampé's Grave tour and got the Heart Piece for that. There's also a Skulluta that requires the Boomerang but it's at a different location than I remember. Ditto all the Skullutas in Kakariko Village and I think I got them all. Fortunately I got to 10 for the Adult Wallet that raises your limit to 500 Rupees. Seems the child limit was 200(used to be 99) so I wonder why they made that change unless Great Fairies require rupees now… like in BotW/TotK and other past titles.
Went back to Hyrule Castle Town for the Keaton Mask, sold it to the guard in Kakariko and then grabbed the Skull Mask. Seems the drawbridge remains down, even at night so that's an interesting change. Did Sir Richard side quest for a Heart Piece before exiting for Kakariko.
Plan to grab the Heart Piece in the Graveyard(if it's there), then head up to Goron City and use the Skull Mask in the Lost Woods for an upgrade and then to sell it to the Skull kid after getting Saria's song(can get a Heart Piece from Skull Kid if memory serves). Then return to Goron City and do the 2nd Dungeon.
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So I traveled back to the Graveyard and got the Heart Piece underneath a Grave(they moved things around). Then went up the Mountain into Goron City and it's layout looks the same but feels different if that makes any sense. Opened the door to Darunia to get a source of Fire and used it to light torches and then the Bomb Flowers to the Lost Wood shortcut. Upon entering, went straight to the Sacred Grove where the battle with the Wolfos was a new experience. Normally I'd backflip and quickly jump attack but since the Jump Attack has been redone, Fighting is going to take some practice. I eventually defeat it and slog through the maze, which honestly looks much, much better in the remake. Free camera really makes it look gorgeous.
Upon arrival at the end, a reunion with Saria results in learning her song that I need to continue quest wise. Backtrack to the Lost Woods and go to a secluded grove area where I use bugs to get a Skulluta and then drop down into a hole to use the Skull Mask to get the final Deku Stick upgrade.
Then backtrack to the beginning and turn left to meet the Skull Kid. Play Saria Song for a Heart Piece and then sell the mask. Grab a Skulluta where the first Deku Stick upgrade was(soft soil). Then go play with more Skull Kids for another Heart Piece.
Enter Kokiri Forest at night and earn two more Skulluta (one via soil) before going back to Goron City and playing Saria song for the Goron Bracelet. Darunia dancing is still funny but hits different. Exit the city and open up Dodongo entrance, claiming another Skulluta from the soft soil. One thing I've noted in this game so far is that Heart Pieces that would normally be obtainable as a child are not accessible until you're an adult. It's a shame but makes sense since the whole point is to plant magic beans everywhere or to use the Hookshot. So the Heart Piece on the rooftop in Kakariko or above Dodongo Cavern will have to wait.
Dodongo Cavern honestly looks phenomenal in this remake. Lava Pits truly hurt and Bombs are your best friend in this Dungeon. Spike Traps aren't as scary though… mild disappointment there. Lizalfos are a cakewalk though. Dodging their attacks or simply using the age old Turtle tactics results in an easy win. Not sure if the same number of Skullutas are in the Dungeon. I didn't see if there's a ledge for the Scarecrow like there is in the original but one Skulluta location has a Business Scrub seed instead(a new item). They did add a new Skulluta location though so this game has new stuff for those thinking it's a carbon copy remake(it's not).
King Dodongo looks gorgeous and while his fight may be similar to the original, he spawns baby Dodongo to annoy you during waves that makes stunning him a bit harder. That said, he eventually rolls into the lava pit once defeated.
After obtaining the Goron Ruby, I go back to Goron City to get a Bomb Bag upgrade and then proceed to blast rocks to get a Skulluta. Two chests near it only house Blue Rupees(they have Purple or 50 rupees each respectively in the original) so my hopes of cashing in were dashed. Didn't really see anything else to get so head up to the Volcano summit and the Volcano eruption is much better than the original.
The Great Fairy, as expected, requires a rupee offering(25). I can only imagine that the cost will rise going forward so that explains why we got more wallet space. In addition to this change, this Great Fairy gives you Din's Fire when she normally gives you the upgraded Spin Attack. Seems they swapped their locations and now the Great Fairy that would have given you Din's Fire in the original now gives the Spin Attack. Will have to go get that eventually. Before flying down the mountain, I opt to enter the crater and they changed how things work here. Normally you'd have a set amount of time based on the number of Heart Containers you have before you black out from the heat and lose Health. In this remake, you start taking damage over time and it's FAST so getting the Heart Piece near the summit entrance is much harder. After obtaining it, I fly down and jump down to get another Heart Piece on a shed roof.
Plan for next session is next Skulluta upgrade(whatever that is at 20) and then going to Castle Town for Spin Attack and next mask. After that, sell the mask to kid in Graveyard before grabbing the Rabbit Ears. Will hold off in doing the last part since I want to get the next Wallet upgrade for it. Might do Bombchu bowling too for the last Bomb upgrade, Heart Piece and Bombchu.
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Me, resisting the urge to read the spoilers
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Thank you for the detailed notes! I'm playing BOTW currently. The control changes sound like they’ll take some getting used to (especially the jump attack), but the QoL improvements like the Compass showing Skulltulas and not having to backtrack for that fourth one in the Deku Tree are really nice.
Also glad they gave Saria more emotional weight — that scene always hit hard.
Enjoy adventuring!
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Yeah controls are still a work in progress. Been taking damage in fights id normally avoid back in the day.
Eh you don't have to read. Then again I'm not giving away anything visually such that it spoils the moment if you opt to play.
Anyways, did a modest session this morning. I grabbed the 2nd Skulluta upgrade that is a charm that activates whenever you're near a Skulluta. Replaces the Stone of Agony that would resonate near any secret(don't recall if that's for Skulluta or not). Returned to Castle Town and got the Spooky mask before selling it to the kid in the Graveyard for a big profit(50 rupees is a change. Used to pay 30 or cost). Then returned to Castle Town for the Bunny Hood and Bombchu Bowling. This was different than what I remember but they made it cheaper… used to be 30 Rupees per game, now it's 10. Got Bombchus, Bomb Bag and the Heart Piece. Then went to visit the Great Fairy by the Castle. Along the way I noticed Malon and her Dad. Talking with Malon sets the stage with Epona at the ranch so that's new and am glad I didn't go to Lon Lon yet because I don't think they'd be there. As for the Great Fairy, it took 50 Rupees to get the Spin Attack and she mentioned the Great Fairy at Zora Fountain(not hard to find but it kind of kills the whole exploring part).
Upon exiting the Great Fairy, we run into Impa. This is an entirely new addition that the original never had since she points us towards Zora River and Zora's Domain therein. The river is just like it was before and I spent my Rupees buying Magic Beans(150 for 5 pieces). Planted one at the river along with getting both Skullutas that I could remember. The Frogs don't give 50 rupees per song but rather ramp up with 5, 10 and so on. Got 30 Rupees for the 3 songs I know but will have to return when I have Epona, Song of Time and Song of Storms(which isn't until I'm an Adult). I wonder if they still have the crazy hard Heart Piece involving them.
Anyways, the River also has two Heart Pieces and getting them was a bit harder than I remember because they moved the Cuccos. The Cucco you need to get to a Piece along the River is actually down a hole so you have to grab it and carry it upward(sneaky but a clever change).
Another change is that once you open Zora's Domain, you don't have to keep using Zelda's Lullaby to re-enter. The Zora Diving game has been made free of charge. Why I don't know but you do need the Silver Scale reward to get to Lake Hylia via the shortcut, else it's a long run. Before traveling to the Lake, I grabbed the Heart Piece by lighting the Torches behind the Waterfall.
At Lake Hylia, I grabbed the Letter Bottle and then did the Fishing Game. Costs 10 Rupees as before but can be a bit frustrating at times. I did get a Big Fish though and therefore got the Heart Piece reward. Then grabbed a couple Skullutas at the Lake. One by the usual soft soil spot and then another at a little secret area I don't recall being in the original. Pretty sure there's more but one requires being an Adult.
Anyways, I return to Zora's Domain and plan to do Jabu Jabu next time along with the Great Fairy(hopefully I'll have enough Rupees for it).
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Alright so Jabu Jabu was definitely different than what I remember. The Dungeon Map was definitely moved and the Mini Boss in the original was harder because he'd change direction and the middle had spikes that would spin and hurt you if you got too close. The addition of the Bubble monsters didn't make up for the drop in difficulty on the Mini Boss. As for the Dungeon Boss itself, it was about what I remember. Having Din's Fire made it easy though because once it stopped and it's Jellyfish Armor became vulnerable, a dose of Fire destroyed most, if not all of them. Then stun with the Boomerang and slash away. Deku Nuts also worked well.
Ruto gives you the Spiritual Stone and effectively becomes your Fiancé(can only imagine her at the Water Temple now). The Great Fairy at Zora's Fountain requires 100 Rupees for Farore's Wind so the next three Great Fairy encounters should be 200, 400 and 800 respectively if the pattern continues. She even tells you about the Fairy in the Volcano Crater so… way to spoil exploration. Hopefully they don't change the order of what each Fairy gives because the Crater one doubles your Magic Meter, one out in Gerudo Desert gives Nayru's Love and the last one reduces incoming damage(I won't spoil its location but to get to it requires a particular item).
I then grabbed what Skullutas I could get, including the one in the Graveyard that I couldn't get before. Then I went and did Lon Lon Ranch for Epona's Song and grabbed what Skullutas I could find. Then did the cutscene for Song of Time.
The fact I don't have to do Deku Tree again is a blessing(at least I hope I don't.. watch me eat my words eventually). So far I have 38 Skullutas but I could have sworn you could get more as a Child prior to going ahead in Time. Needless to say I have the Adult Wallet and the Bunny Hood sale only nets 200 Rupees… Seems they didn't want people exploiting the bigger wallet and getting 1k Rupees from that since the original completely fills your wallet so if you have the Adult wallet, you got ~500 Rupees but only had to pay back 50 of it.
I then used the Mask of Truth and 40 Rupees to get both Deku Nut upgrades in Lost Woods. Also got both Heart Pieces and both Skulluta on Gerudo Canyon River(they moved one of them). Currently exploring to see if I missed anything. 17 Heart Pieces isn't too bad and I've been going in my mind to see what I missed from the original(nothing coming to mind so far).
Speaking of which I figured out how to get the Heart Piece on the Kakariko roof. Normally you'd jump off the high vantage point by side jumping to the left but since you can't do that, I used a Cucco to jump to it. The Heart Piece above Dodongo Cavern will have to wait though. I've planted Magic Beans just about everywhere except Volcano crater(need Bolero of Fire for that) and the one at the Spirit Temple. Wouldn't surprise me if they added more but I'm not paying 100 rupees unless I have to.
Will continue exploring next session before jumping ahead in time.
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