Zodi Plays: The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time (Adventures in early 3D video games)

[DataNinja]

You can actually make it if you roll or side-run all the way (for some reason, Link runs faster sideways than forwards in OoT/MM).

Backflipping is faster too, I think.

Although, those aren't things a new player would do, so it does help with the cycle reinforcement.

[LaZodiac]

New episode time! It's too early in the morning for me to make a good Metal Gear pun so lets just get this done.

Zodi Plays: The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time [3] Princess of Destiny

Video Length: 27:29

We're back with Ocarina, and this time we've got a sneaking mission to get to. As it turns out the royal guards aren't too keen on a small child wandering around the grounds, especially with a sword I'd imagine. So we've gotta evade the ever watchful gaze of the guards and get to the weird sort of water sluice thing that we can crawl through to get to the Princess! This is easier than it looks because the guards are QUITE oblivious to most things. If you wait until night I'm pretty sure you can see their vision indicators, but that's not really needed either. Just stay cool and collected and you too can get that illustrious Big Boss ranking.

Unfortunately there's a very large Mario esque figure blocking the way. He's surrounded by crates that have cow marks on them, so he's probably related to that farm girl we talked to last episode, Malon. So after a brief encounter with the guards to save time we go to talk to her...only she's in this area now, singing a beautiful song. I know it's all midi and voice synth stuff since this is a 3DS game made from an N64 game and thus does not have an orchestra behind it but damn...I really like this music. Malon explains that her Dad's a big ole lazy pile of cow plop sometimes and gives us an egg to deal with it. After enough time has passed in game (about the length of time needed to get back to Malon's Dad in the first place) it hatches into a Cucco that we can use to wake him up. We push blocks into place and jump into the slide gate and successfully infiltrate Big Shell Hyrule Castle.

In this part of the castle, you get a sort of isometric view and the guards are wandering around this time. It's a bit trickier, but if you're patient you can get through it quite easily. If you get caught you get thrown out to where Malon's Dad was, so we've effectively hit a checkpoint. So, since there's really not all that much to talk about let's discuss the idea of stealth in an action game in the first place. As you may recall with Skyward Sword and, to a lesser degree, Minish Cap, they had stealth segments that kinda sucked. Skyward Sword's happened in one of the final areas and involved you getting all your stuff back so you can kill the guys. Minish Cap was basically just annoying guards with vision a little too good for my tastes. This one though, it takes place very early in the quest, and is of good people so fighting is clearly not an option. It makes sense for a young kid who's only beaten one dungeon to have to do a stealth segment like this, and it's lacking the...somewhat obnoxious feel of the other two sneaking missions. Basically, if you asked me how to do a stealth segment, I'd point to Ocarina of Time's stealth segments. Incidentally there is actually one more stealth segment in this game, but we'll talk more about that later. It actually succeeds in being a good late game stealth segment, too!

Anyway, we get to the secret garden where the Princess is hanging out. I also show off two neat easter eggs in this area. Shoot your slingshot at one of the windows and a guard'll throw a bomb at you for being a hooligan. The other window has some Mario stuff in it, and shooting it gets you a rupee! The Mario stuff is different in the N64 version, but my intent is to make a video at the end showing all the major differences between the N64 and 3DS versions of the game. But yes, let's talk to the so called Princess of Destiny...Princess Zelda.

Zelda informs us that she's been having prophetic dreams...and she believes we're the hero of her dreams! She also believes this dignitary from the desert, Ganondorf, is the black cloud that threatens to swallow the world. Considering his...menacing demeanor and the fact that the Deku Tree told us the black armor wearing man from the desert is evil, we can confirm quite readily that yeah, dude's probably nasty. Zelda then explains what she suspects he's up to. I sort of mentioned it last update, but basically when the God's left the world they left behind the Triforce, a magical artifact of triangles that can grant your any wish. It's been hidden away in the Sacred Realm, but Zelda suspects he wants to get in. Zelda's great plan is to collect all three Spiritual Stones, the keys to open the Sacred Realm, and get in before he does. Clever plan! Nothing could possibly go wrong here.

With that, Zelda sends us on our way, and we meet her ninja maid Impa, who teaches us Zelda's Lullaby, a song only members of the royal family or those close to them would know. This song does many magical and wonderful things and I'll be sure to show them all off because it's cool. Most importantly, it's a sign that we've got connections to the royal family, and that'll probably be important on our quest. Impa takes us out to Hyrule Field and informs us of where to go next: Kakariko Village. It's on the way to DEATH MOUNTAIN, the home of the Gorons, where the Spiritual Stone of Fire lays. So, lets press onward!

Only not. First we've gotta go check out Lon Lon Ranch. After all that fun with Malon and Talon (Malon's Dad) we should pay them a visit! I uh...do a very silly thing and end up burning an entire night dancing due to poor navigation. MY BAD. The next morning we head into the Ranch and it's pretty chill. We talk to Talon and play a goofy minigame that I can't really say anything about because for the most part it's luck based. You have enough time to check every single chicken so you shouldn't lose this. You get a bottle for your trouble and that's pretty rad. It also comes with free milk, which is the best kind. Out in the field proper we can find Malon surrounded by horses, singing a song. After some talking she decides to teach us said song. It's Epona's Song, and it's one of my favorite songs in the game. It lets us be all friendly with the horses, especially the titular Epona.

One more thing before we go to Kakariko. This is of vital importance, to the degree that they actually added in a new Navi hint telling you to go do it. Let's head off to the Lost Woods to find Saria and tell her how we're gonna save the world! On our way we encounter the day time enemy in Hyrule Field, the Peahat! They're quite a degree larger than we're used to, but go down a little easier, exploding fantastically! Blasted bladed sky pineapples. Anyway, the Lost Woods is a maze of sorts, with a wonderfully catchy tune playing. This is actually important! If you get near one of the exits in the Lost Woods, listen closely. If the music fades away, it's the wrong option. The right option has the music get a little louder. It's also possible to edge close enough to the exit to have it reveal the next room, if it's the right path. Unless it's a full on screen transition. We navigate the Lost Woods, randomly getting a Slingshot Seed Satchel upgrade due to being really accurate, and eventually find ourselves in the Sacred Forest Meadow.

The Sacred Forest Meadow introduces two new enemies to us. Sorta. The Wolfos is the main threat, a big scary wolf person who's quite good at guarding attacks. However, his full combo has him spin around, exposing his weak backside. Two jump attacks will take him out, and if we normal stab it something funny will happen so I'll try to remember that for next time. The second new enemy is encountered in the large hedge maze in this area. The Mad Scrub! They're like regular Deku Scrubs only you have to actually kill them after stunning them with their own seed, or by throwing a Deku Nut at them or using the Slingshot since those all work on getting rid of them too.

At the very end of the Forest Meadow we find Saria, sitting on a tree playing that wonderful song. This place looks fairly ominous, a big metal pad and what looks like a mansion in the distance. Saria says this place feels...special, to us both. In return for finding her she teaches us how to play Saria's Song, a song of vital importance in the coming future. It's main purpose is basically just to phone Saria up and ask her for more detailed advice.

And with that, we end the episode. It's a long one, full of meaty stuff. We woke up a farmer, got exposition dumped on by a Princess, and then learned some sweet tunes. Hope to see you guys next time where we do some silly stuff and also like get another song because spoilers: magical ocarina songs is this game's "thing". I know right, hard to tell given it's called Ocarina of Time.

[TheWombatOfDoom]

Spoiler: Zodi's Sounds (2)

Show

Deeper into the tree we go. Where we stop, nobody knows!

Zodi Plays: The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time [2] Armored Arachnid

Video Length: 25:00

Opening up this video, we fall deep into the pit that is seemingly burrowed into the Deku Tree's roots and stuff, and quickly find two more Gold Skultula's. That's three all together, so one is left and later on in the dungeon we encounter a rock wall which is where the last one is. We can't get it since we don't have bombs. Anyway, moving on.

This room we fell into is the first in a long line of torch puzzles throughout this dungeon, and the game as a whole. Burning webs, lightning other torches, perhaps using the flaming deku stick for other purposes. It's a lot of cool stuff I think. We burn the web in this room and move onward, we find another Deku Scrub that gives us hints! This one in particular is quite iconic. He tells us the order to beat up his brothers in to get to the boss of this dungeo, 231. Twenty Three is number One! Such a classic mnemonic to use, and it's use here is quite iconic to say the least. We also reintroduce Eye Switches to the game, which work as you'd expect. Shoot a seed or other projectile at them to activate things. Be careful not to put your eye out!

The other main puzzle in this half of the dungeon I want to talk about specifically is the room with all that water and the rotating spike log. Due to perspective issues it can be a little hard to realize the spike log can't be ducked under, which is fair I think. But the switch you need to press being under water...while it's a good challenge and a reasonable place to put it, I think it's unclear that you actually CAN hit said switch underwater. It always felt weird to me, and it feels weird now. What do you guys think? This room also has the oddity that despite being easily within reach you can't actually climb up onto the platform moving in the water. This is perfectly reasonable since otherwise you could just break the puzzle that way, but it still feels a little silly.

This video also introduces our old friend, block pushing puzzles! However, unlike many of the other games, this game does something quite smart with it. First of all, all pushable blocks have a little mark on them to let you know they are pushable. I believe the mark changes each area, but the distinct look of a cube with a mark on it is unmistakable. The action button prompt also makes it easier to TELL you're supposed to be doing some block pushing. Another thing is that, when the cube is in it's final position, it makes a distinct noise. These are all things that help the player understand and solve these sorts of puzzles, which are appreciated. They're still not the best type of puzzle in my book, but Ocarina of Time does it's best to make em enjoyable!

Now, let's talk about the new enemy we encounter in this sordid place. The Gohma Egg, and the Gohma Larva it holds within! We can't scan the eggs here and I sooorta missed my chance to scan the egg in the boss fight, but suffice to say...they're eggs. If you break them the larva inside doesn't get to exist, which is fine by me. I did make sure to fight at least one Larva to show off how they function. They're...super weak, as to be expected of strange larval baby spiders. They hop around and don't take much damage before dying. They'd be annoying in mass numbers or if some larger spider was around, but I doubt that'll happen any time soon.

Speaking of which it's boss time. The little introduction scene where you're required to look up at her yourself is PRETTY GREAT. Another iconic as hell moment. But yes oh no it's the giant spider! Queen Gohma, the Armored Arachnid! As first bosses go she's...pretty easy. She lunges at you and skitters around the room, trying to hit you or run you over. Her weakness is her big ole eye, stunnable by Deku Nut or from our slingshot, each of which stun her for a different length of time which I think is cool. After teasing her a bit on the ground she gets up on the ceiling, and this is where she'd start spawning eggs at us to make us fight some of her larva. However, a quick shot from our slingshot takes her down, giving her the longest amount of stun time...and also allowing us to kill her outright. We get a heart piece for our trouble, and a magical ward out of the dungeon. The curse has been defeated!

And now it's time for some backstory from our dear friend the Deku Tree. For the first time in series history, we finally learn the creation story of the world, and one that would stick with it forever. There are some more details than what we learn here, lost to the ages of history, but the general story remains the same. The three Goddesses, highest on high, shaped the world. Din, with her flaming arms and intense Power, forged the land. Nayru, with her Wisdom, infused the land with law. Farore created all life inbetween, and with them the spark of Courage that drives men forward. These three supreme deities left, leaving three golden triangles in their wake...the Triforce. As we also know, a lesser god of Light protected the Triforce, but that is a tale for another day (go watch Skyward Sword).

After telling us this story, the Deku Tree also admits that...he kind of tricked us. The curse was too far gone, and though what we did helped ease his pain...his passing is inevitable. He grants us the Kokiri Emerald, the first of three Spiritual Stones that we will need in the future. He dies, and we must move on. We passed his test of Courage, exploring this massive tree and fighting a monstrous spider. We must now leave the Woods, though it's said that any Kokiri who leaves dies...we must find the Princess of Destiny. On our way out, Saria meets us on the edge of the woods. She gives us her Fairy Ocarina, a tool that will be quite important to us...though sadly due to game mechanics will get lost along the way. I'll talk more about it later but it's actually something that kinda bugs me. But for now let's reflect on the fact that she's given us a nice flute, and wishes us well. It's time for the game to begin in earnest.

We enter Hyrule Field, and that wonderful Zelda theme music starts playing. It is quickly interrupted by the encounter of a...friend. Kaepora Gaebora, the tutorial owl! When people talk about Navi being annoying it's typically in jest or due to her sound clips being bothersome. When people talk about THIS guy being annoying, I can understand it. He's quite long winded in explaining things that most people would consider...perhaps not needing an explanation, and when you're done his conversation he asks if you understood what he said, and it defaults to NO. NOW, there is a REASON why this is done. I don't really agree with it, but I do UNDERSTAND it. This game was such a new thing that Nintendo really wanted to make sure people understood what was going on. It wanted to ensure people where paying attention, so that they'd play the game with understanding and not get mad at it because of their stupidity. Just look at people like say, Egoraptor for examples of how a game can look really ****ty if the player is a moron who doesn't pay the slightest bit of attention. So in order to make sure people were paying attention they had Gaebora ask if you wanted him to repeat his question, and set the default answer to yes. If you're paying attention, you say yes, and nothing bad happens. If you're mashing through the text like some impatient baby man, you get to listen to the whole spiel again. I do not approve of this method of enforcing your player to pay attention, but for the time it was really the only way to do so and I can't really fault them for it. Later on we'll meet this owl again, and he'll phrase the question of "would you like me to repeat what I said" in a different way, making it so that you have to answer OPPOSITE of what we answer here, another method to ensure the player is paying attention. It's rude and I don't really like it but again, this game was made in the era where it was kind of needed. Moving on.

SO! Hyrule Field! This place has a lot to explore, and it's quite large! I won't be speeding through it just yet, I want to show off all the areas IN it first before just kinda zipping along willy nilly with editing. There ARE enemies here, but as long as you stay on the path they won't attack. This is also where the Day/Night mechanic plays a factor. Time passes in the Field, and at night different things occur in places, as well as different enemies being about. We actually end up encountering some because I missed the drawbridge by like five seconds. Stalkids, little child skeletons that are...certainly not ACTUAL children I hope. They wonder around trying to smack you, and if you take off their heads they wander even more! If you kill ten of them a large one pops up with more rupees in him, and if you kill ten more you can get even more rupees. It's neat and I'll show it off later.

As day breaks, the drawbridge lowers and we can finally enter Hyrule Castle Town. We have fun smashing up some pots and crates with a city guard (finding a Gold Token in the process), we talk to a bunch of neat looking NPCs and get some hints to stuff we can do in the future, we talk to this cute farm girl. It's a relatively small city, but this is clearly just "one part of it" and we don't get to see the other parts because it's not vital to the game. The camera angle makes it feel like it's VERY crowded which I think is quite effective. But we can't tarry for long, and we head towards the Castle proper. We encounter our devious tutorial owl friend once more and he does the trick I mentioned above that is quite rude, and we end the video here (after killing another Gold Skultula).

So yeah, hope you enjoyed! Went on a biiit of rant there with Mr Owl, but it's to be expected. See you guys next time!

I've always loved the mechanic of dropping from a high place to break the webbing.

The skullatas are more obvious here to get the player used to them and to watch out for them. "Hey what's that sound? Oh its that thing that gives me the gold tokens. I better keep an eye out for more."

I also like the falling in water douses your torch. The 2 3 1 puzzle really is a neat way to do things, I just wish they'd done more of it. Ultimately, what it is teaching the player is that information in text IS important.

The room with the spinning spike log - I see what you mean about switches and underwater...and there aren't really that many in the game...in fact I can't recall any that are underwater and activated just by swimming to it...but alas, their efforts to not break the puzzle are in vain. I don't even bother with that switch. I stylishly backflip over the log to the other side with careful timing.

With the sliding blocks, they don't change much in this game, but they DO change between this one and Majora's Mask. I'm not through the 3DS remake because I'm doing that along with my remake of the game in Super Mario Maker, so they could be different in this version of the game, but so far this is not the case. Curiously, they bear the (retcon'd) mark of the Gerudo...old relics from Nayru Desert perhaps?

I believe all withered Deku Baba respawn while you remain in the room, while all healthy Deku Baba don't.

I'm glad you showcase breaking the eggs while they are still on the ceiling. Those things are annoying. Alternatively, you can just stay out of the middle and they won't drop. Also notice that the bombable wall makes a different sound than the regular stone walls. (I also like that the deku tree's walls make a wood sound).

I like after the crawl space that the torches are all too high for link, so he has to use the one he first used when entering the roots, by pushing that block shortcut down. Speaking of shortcuts, this game really likes to do that. If you die or have to start the temple over, they build the puzzles so that you unlock new things close to the entrance to skip having to redo the temple. I'll showcase this as part of my dungeon write ups, but in this dungeon they do this twice. Once when you break the web from falling from the top of the tree (which cuts having to climb up again), and a second time when you drop the block down (which cuts out having to go around to get into the upper part of the main room). Just a nice thing to observe.

Is it just me or do the goddesses outlines look like...Zora? The death of the deku tree makes me depressed. Watching him die is really sad...

Not fond of the owl's dialogue either, but I like him in theory. He's more useful when he isn't used as a tutorial. But yes, I find him to be the intolerably annoying as well.

There are a few enemies along the day sure, but along the path has nothing to do with it. Only at night does staying on the path effectively protect you. You're current trajectory, yeah, nothing along that path, but future paths feed you into the range of a few nasty guys. At night, the baddies come out to play. And as some people have pointed out, you can beat the sun to the castle by side hopping or my personal favorite, running backwards. Silly mechanics.

Little details like the tenth stalchild is bigger really is one of the reasons I like this game so much. They put a ton of detail into the game, and it feels very...complete. 1 Style Point for showing of this secret.

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EPISODE 2 KILL TALLY!

Deku Baba - 11
Gold Skulltula - 4
Big Skulltula - 2
Gohma Egg - 2
Gohma Larva - 1
Gohma - 1
Stalchild - 14

Style Points - 1

Missed Rupees - 0

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Ocarina of Time
Total Kills
(As of Episode 2)

Deku Baba - 17
Stalchildren - 14

Tula
Gohma Egg - 2
Gohma Larva - 1
Gohma - 1
Skulltula, Big - 7
Skulltula, Gold - 5
Skullwalltula - 3

Total Things Dead - 50

1st Place - Deku Baba, at 17!
2nd Place - Stalchildren, at 14!
3rd Place - Big Skulltula, at 7!

Total Style Points - 1

Total Missed Rupees - 0!

[Amidus Drexel]

Saria's song is great, but the song of storms is definitely my favorite. (Especially considering the time-related shenanigans involved in your learning it)

A fun little "easter egg" I found was that playing Saria's song in the sacred forest meadow has Saria ask that you just talk face-to-face instead of with the ocarina's magic. (not that actually talking to her in-person reveals anything special, but I thought it was funny).

[TheWombatOfDoom]

Spoiler: Zoid's Sounds (3)

Show

New episode time! It's too early in the morning for me to make a good Metal Gear pun so lets just get this done.

Zodi Plays: The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time [3] Princess of Destiny

Video Length: 27:29

We're back with Ocarina, and this time we've got a sneaking mission to get to. As it turns out the royal guards aren't too keen on a small child wandering around the grounds, especially with a sword I'd imagine. So we've gotta evade the ever watchful gaze of the guards and get to the weird sort of water sluice thing that we can crawl through to get to the Princess! This is easier than it looks because the guards are QUITE oblivious to most things. If you wait until night I'm pretty sure you can see their vision indicators, but that's not really needed either. Just stay cool and collected and you too can get that illustrious Big Boss ranking.

Unfortunately there's a very large Mario esque figure blocking the way. He's surrounded by crates that have cow marks on them, so he's probably related to that farm girl we talked to last episode, Malon. So after a brief encounter with the guards to save time we go to talk to her...only she's in this area now, singing a beautiful song. I know it's all midi and voice synth stuff since this is a 3DS game made from an N64 game and thus does not have an orchestra behind it but damn...I really like this music. Malon explains that her Dad's a big ole lazy pile of cow plop sometimes and gives us an egg to deal with it. After enough time has passed in game (about the length of time needed to get back to Malon's Dad in the first place) it hatches into a Cucco that we can use to wake him up. We push blocks into place and jump into the slide gate and successfully infiltrate Big Shell Hyrule Castle.

In this part of the castle, you get a sort of isometric view and the guards are wandering around this time. It's a bit trickier, but if you're patient you can get through it quite easily. If you get caught you get thrown out to where Malon's Dad was, so we've effectively hit a checkpoint. So, since there's really not all that much to talk about let's discuss the idea of stealth in an action game in the first place. As you may recall with Skyward Sword and, to a lesser degree, Minish Cap, they had stealth segments that kinda sucked. Skyward Sword's happened in one of the final areas and involved you getting all your stuff back so you can kill the guys. Minish Cap was basically just annoying guards with vision a little too good for my tastes. This one though, it takes place very early in the quest, and is of good people so fighting is clearly not an option. It makes sense for a young kid who's only beaten one dungeon to have to do a stealth segment like this, and it's lacking the...somewhat obnoxious feel of the other two sneaking missions. Basically, if you asked me how to do a stealth segment, I'd point to Ocarina of Time's stealth segments. Incidentally there is actually one more stealth segment in this game, but we'll talk more about that later. It actually succeeds in being a good late game stealth segment, too!

Anyway, we get to the secret garden where the Princess is hanging out. I also show off two neat easter eggs in this area. Shoot your slingshot at one of the windows and a guard'll throw a bomb at you for being a hooligan. The other window has some Mario stuff in it, and shooting it gets you a rupee! The Mario stuff is different in the N64 version, but my intent is to make a video at the end showing all the major differences between the N64 and 3DS versions of the game. But yes, let's talk to the so called Princess of Destiny...Princess Zelda.

Zelda informs us that she's been having prophetic dreams...and she believes we're the hero of her dreams! She also believes this dignitary from the desert, Ganondorf, is the black cloud that threatens to swallow the world. Considering his...menacing demeanor and the fact that the Deku Tree told us the black armor wearing man from the desert is evil, we can confirm quite readily that yeah, dude's probably nasty. Zelda then explains what she suspects he's up to. I sort of mentioned it last update, but basically when the God's left the world they left behind the Triforce, a magical artifact of triangles that can grant your any wish. It's been hidden away in the Sacred Realm, but Zelda suspects he wants to get in. Zelda's great plan is to collect all three Spiritual Stones, the keys to open the Sacred Realm, and get in before he does. Clever plan! Nothing could possibly go wrong here.

With that, Zelda sends us on our way, and we meet her ninja maid Impa, who teaches us Zelda's Lullaby, a song only members of the royal family or those close to them would know. This song does many magical and wonderful things and I'll be sure to show them all off because it's cool. Most importantly, it's a sign that we've got connections to the royal family, and that'll probably be important on our quest. Impa takes us out to Hyrule Field and informs us of where to go next: Kakariko Village. It's on the way to DEATH MOUNTAIN, the home of the Gorons, where the Spiritual Stone of Fire lays. So, lets press onward!

Only not. First we've gotta go check out Lon Lon Ranch. After all that fun with Malon and Talon (Malon's Dad) we should pay them a visit! I uh...do a very silly thing and end up burning an entire night dancing due to poor navigation. MY BAD. The next morning we head into the Ranch and it's pretty chill. We talk to Talon and play a goofy minigame that I can't really say anything about because for the most part it's luck based. You have enough time to check every single chicken so you shouldn't lose this. You get a bottle for your trouble and that's pretty rad. It also comes with free milk, which is the best kind. Out in the field proper we can find Malon surrounded by horses, singing a song. After some talking she decides to teach us said song. It's Epona's Song, and it's one of my favorite songs in the game. It lets us be all friendly with the horses, especially the titular Epona.

One more thing before we go to Kakariko. This is of vital importance, to the degree that they actually added in a new Navi hint telling you to go do it. Let's head off to the Lost Woods to find Saria and tell her how we're gonna save the world! On our way we encounter the day time enemy in Hyrule Field, the Peahat! They're quite a degree larger than we're used to, but go down a little easier, exploding fantastically! Blasted bladed sky pineapples. Anyway, the Lost Woods is a maze of sorts, with a wonderfully catchy tune playing. This is actually important! If you get near one of the exits in the Lost Woods, listen closely. If the music fades away, it's the wrong option. The right option has the music get a little louder. It's also possible to edge close enough to the exit to have it reveal the next room, if it's the right path. Unless it's a full on screen transition. We navigate the Lost Woods, randomly getting a Slingshot Seed Satchel upgrade due to being really accurate, and eventually find ourselves in the Sacred Forest Meadow.

The Sacred Forest Meadow introduces two new enemies to us. Sorta. The Wolfos is the main threat, a big scary wolf person who's quite good at guarding attacks. However, his full combo has him spin around, exposing his weak backside. Two jump attacks will take him out, and if we normal stab it something funny will happen so I'll try to remember that for next time. The second new enemy is encountered in the large hedge maze in this area. The Mad Scrub! They're like regular Deku Scrubs only you have to actually kill them after stunning them with their own seed, or by throwing a Deku Nut at them or using the Slingshot since those all work on getting rid of them too.

At the very end of the Forest Meadow we find Saria, sitting on a tree playing that wonderful song. This place looks fairly ominous, a big metal pad and what looks like a mansion in the distance. Saria says this place feels...special, to us both. In return for finding her she teaches us how to play Saria's Song, a song of vital importance in the coming future. It's main purpose is basically just to phone Saria up and ask her for more detailed advice.

And with that, we end the episode. It's a long one, full of meaty stuff. We woke up a farmer, got exposition dumped on by a Princess, and then learned some sweet tunes. Hope to see you guys next time where we do some silly stuff and also like get another song because spoilers: magical ocarina songs is this game's "thing". I know right, hard to tell given it's called Ocarina of Time.

The green glow isn't just for...what I think you are referencing. (something to do with scary avians?) The green glow also means that when you play a certain song, a LARGE glowing fairy will pop out. Green glows just mean "something hidden". Speaking of fairies, have you ever tried touching a butterfly with the edge of a deku stick?

That second vine wall you climb to get to the moat used to be a different texture. It wasn't obvious that you could climb it, and people would get confused, so its nice to see the change. The guards do not have vision indicators, you're confusing that with a different guard creep from a different game. That's Majora's Mask. And yes you can if you pester the guard a lot, he asks for a bribe, but it only works if you ask him repeatedly, and I believe only if you haven't been caught.

I was wondering if you'd go for those rupees when starting this episode. Can't say I blame you, but part of me is a little...disappointed. Then again, you're wallet IS almost full.

Aw, you should have done the easter egg from farther away so that you could see the actual guard poke his head out.

So not only is Link having dreams of the future, but so is Zelda? I wonder who else might have these dreams...and what is causing them!

The ornateness of the letter Zelda gives you looks wonderful in this version! And now that we have met Zelda, I'd like to point out that tradition continues from Skyward sword - Impa is again the protector of Zelda. A neat thing to have happen again, looks like the Sheikah are still going strong, whoever they are! Also, the theme for skyward sword is Zelda's Lullaby backwards, which is neat.

You don't get overflow for found rupees, only from rupees you get from chests as you can't get those back. So you're good. Sorry you went all the way around, though...

The chickens you can identify because they peck a lot more often than the rest of the cuckoo's. Also if you look at Malon and Talon's neckerchief clasp, you'll see bowser's head.

Oh nice, Peahat show off. Very nice. And I didn't expect you going to the Lost Woods first! There's a few areas in there that you missed, but I'm sure you'll be stopping by there again in the future!

---

EPISODE 3 KILL TALLY!

Peahat - 1
Wolfos - 1
Mad Deku Scrub - 5

Style Points - 0

Missed Rupees - 27

---

Ocarina of Time
Total Kills
(As of Episode 3)

Deku Baba - 17
Deku Scrub, Mad - 5
Peahat - 1
Stalchildren - 14
Wolfos - 1

Tula
Gohma Egg - 2
Gohma Larva - 1
Gohma - 1
Skulltula, Big - 7
Skulltula, Gold - 5
Skullwalltula - 3

Total Things Dead - 57

1st Place - Deku Baba, at 17!
2nd Place - Stalchildren, at 14!
3rd Place - Big Skulltula, at 7!

Total Style Points - 1

Total Missed Rupees - 27

[LaZodiac]

The green glow isn't just for...what I think you are referencing. (something to do with scary avians?) The green glow also means that when you play a certain song, a LARGE glowing fairy will pop out. Green glows just mean "something hidden". Speaking of fairies, have you ever tried touching a butterfly with the edge of a deku stick?

Aw, you should have done the easter egg from farther away so that you could see the actual guard poke his head out.

So not only is Link having dreams of the future, but so is Zelda? I wonder who else might have these dreams...and what is causing them!

The ornateness of the letter Zelda gives you looks wonderful in this version! And now that we have met Zelda, I'd like to point out that tradition continues from Skyward sword - Impa is again the protector of Zelda. A neat thing to have happen again, looks like the Sheikah are still going strong, whoever they are! Also, the theme for skyward sword is Zelda's Lullaby backwards, which is neat.

The chickens you can identify because they peck a lot more often than the rest of the cuckoo's. Also if you look at Malon and Talon's neckerchief clasp, you'll see bowser's head.

Oh nice, Peahat show off. Very nice. And I didn't expect you going to the Lost Woods first! There's a few areas in there that you missed, but I'm sure you'll be stopping by there again in the future!

Took me a second to get what you were slyly referring to. Interesting, I don't...actually recall ever seeing that happen before, what song is it? Assuming it's one we've seen. Also yes I'll show off the Deku Stick thing too.

I'll show off the royal guard's face in my N64 video.

Hmm...that's a point. I wonder if Ganondorf had a dream as well...

Haha...yes. The Shiekah are...going strong. Yes. That's...a word I'd use. looks at a future episode

Yeah a lot of the stuff in the Lost Woods and such I'll be covering before "the thing" that happens. Also I didn't know you could tell which cuccos were the super ones by how they peck. Interesting.

[Qwertystop]

Ah, yes, this bit.

EDIT: Oh, I never knew about the seed pouch.

EDIT: I also never knew you could throw Deku Seeds somewhere other than at your feet.

[Lord Raziere]

don't remember the cuckoo part of the stealth mission...

ah, there is the part of Zelda games I'm really familiar with: their ocarina music. this is always made them stand out to me for some reason: the fact that protagonist has to play certain music to progress and save the world. they're always beautiful though. good thing too, can you imagine if Link had to play some goofy little tune throughout a game to save the world instead? like imagine if Link had to play the benny hill theme every time to do something magical instead....

and jeez so many girls giving Link music to play. he seems already popular with the ladies, but given that all three girls in his life so far have taught him music, he is only going to become more popular....and since Saria's Song is basically her phone number one wonders if there isn't ulterior motive there. NAH! I'm reading too much into it for the sake of humor.

[HalfTangible]

don't remember the cuckoo part of the stealth mission...

ah, there is the part of Zelda games I'm really familiar with: their ocarina music. this is always made them stand out to me for some reason: the fact that protagonist has to play certain music to progress and save the world. they're always beautiful though. good thing too, can you imagine if Link had to play some goofy little tune throughout a game to save the world instead? like imagine if Link had to play the benny hill theme every time to do something magical instead....

and jeez so many girls giving Link music to play. he seems already popular with the ladies, but given that all three girls in his life so far have taught him music, he is only going to become more popular....and since Saria's Song is basically her phone number one wonders if there isn't ulterior motive there. NAH! I'm reading too much into it for the sake of humor.

HOLY S#@$ YOU'RE RIGHT O_o

[GloatingSwine]

We talk to Talon and play a goofy minigame that I can't really say anything about because for the most part it's luck based. You have enough time to check every single chicken so you shouldn't lose this. You get a bottle for your trouble and that's pretty rad. It also comes with free milk, which is the best kind.

You can trivially cheese the chicken game by just throwing all the chickens behind the counter and then talking to Talon.

GG now the chickens he throws out are the only ones there.

[ShneekeyTheLost]

I will admit, Link is such a player in this one.

So far, we've got the 'girl next door' in Saria, and the 'farmgirl' Malon. Both of whom seem to be into him. Oh, and Princess Zelda. Impa... well, we'll get into that later. And that's only the start. I swear, there isn't a named female character he doesn't end up macking on.

[Seerow]

I will admit, Link is such a player in this one.

So far, we've got the 'girl next door' in Saria, and the 'farmgirl' Malon. Both of whom seem to be into him. Oh, and Princess Zelda. Impa... well, we'll get into that later. And that's only the start. I swear, there isn't a named female character he doesn't end up macking on.

And to think we still haven't met Link's future wife yet!

[GloatingSwine]

I will admit, Link is such a player in this one.

This is the only Link to definitely have a nonzero number of descendants.

Other Links may have, but we don't know. This Link definitely does.

[Seerow]

Just finally got time to watch Monday's video, and wow I completely forgot that rancher dude offers to get you married to Malon. I was joking about a different character that will probably show up in about 3-4 episodes at our current pace.

Also on the topic of songs, I agree with loving the Ocarina music in general, all of the songs are very distinctive and full of flavor while being simple enough that even the least musically inclined among us feel like we could play. Saria's Song is definitely one of the better songs, but Song of Storms is far and away my favorite.

[ShneekeyTheLost]

Just finally got time to watch Monday's video, and wow I completely forgot that rancher dude offers to get you married to Malon. I was joking about a different character that will probably show up in about 3-4 episodes at our current pace.

His offer is something of a 'Oh but thou must!' scenario. Regardless of your choice, he shoots you down. Not that this would stop Link from spending quite a bit of time with Malon later on, but you don't officially get engaged to her. The other lady to whom you refer, on the other hand...

[enderlord99]

I swear, there isn't a named female character he doesn't end up macking on.

That sounds reckless.

[ShneekeyTheLost]

That sounds reckless.

She made an offer, but he politely declined. When she got more forward, he had to be more insistent. Not his fault she was being all creepy stalker on him.

[HalfTangible]

His offer is something of a 'Oh but thou must!' scenario. Regardless of your choice, he shoots you down. Not that this would stop Link from spending quite a bit of time with Malon later on, but you don't officially get engaged to her. The other lady to whom you refer, on the other hand...

Most of the chat options in OOT and MM are like that, honestly.

[Friv]

Zelda informs us that she's been having prophetic dreams...and she believes we're the hero of her dreams! She also believes this dignitary from the desert, Ganondorf, is the black cloud that threatens to swallow the world. Considering his...menacing demeanor and the fact that the Deku Tree told us the black armor wearing man from the desert is evil, we can confirm quite readily that yeah, dude's probably nasty.

[Qwertystop]

Ten days late there. Also, GitP isn't a chan, please don't just post a picture.

[Friv]

Ten days late there. Also, GitP isn't a chan, please don't just post a picture.

How do you figure I'm ten days late? The post in question was both (a) three days ago, and (b) the most recent one in the series.

[Qwertystop]

How do you figure I'm ten days late? The post in question was both (a) three days ago, and (b) the most recent one in the series.

Misread the date on my post (that included the same comic).

[Coidzor]

This is the only Link to definitely have a nonzero number of descendants.

Other Links may have, but we don't know. This Link definitely does.

Well. Depending on if Zodi makes it through without Bad End.

And how you interpret the next game.

don't remember the cuckoo part of the stealth mission...

ah, there is the part of Zelda games I'm really familiar with: their ocarina music. this is always made them stand out to me for some reason: the fact that protagonist has to play certain music to progress and save the world. they're always beautiful though. good thing too, can you imagine if Link had to play some goofy little tune throughout a game to save the world instead? like imagine if Link had to play the benny hill theme every time to do something magical instead....

and jeez so many girls giving Link music to play. he seems already popular with the ladies, but given that all three girls in his life so far have taught him music, he is only going to become more popular....and since Saria's Song is basically her phone number one wonders if there isn't ulterior motive there. NAH! I'm reading too much into it for the sake of humor.

The Legend of Zelda: Harem of Anime

I'll show off the royal guard's face in my N64 video.

Hmm...that's a point. I wonder if Ganondorf had a dream as well...

Oh mai, an N64 video.

And it turns out that all of this happened just because three people had a couple of bad dreams.

Although, those aren't things a new player would do, so it does help with the cycle reinforcement.

That's true. It's nice for the replayability/speedrunners that you can use knowledge to avoid having to waste a night on the road, though.

[DataNinja]

That's true. It's nice for the replayability/speedrunners that you can use knowledge to avoid having to waste a night on the road, though.

I think that's part of the mark of a well designed game. It guides new players towards a road of discovery, but returning players are able to use the tricks they've picked up to feel cool about being able to bypass the lessons.

[LaZodiac]

Let us begin once more!

Zodi Plays: The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time [4] The Composer Brothers

Video Length: 22:52

This time on Ocarina of Time, we're gonna shore up some side quests while also making our way to our next destination, the hidden ninja village that Impa built and then opened up to all the poor people. First off though, we buy a new shield at the Castletown shop, the Hylian Shield! It's a big hunk of metal so fire doesn't hurt it...but it's also large enough for Link to have legitimate problems using it. Oh dear! He can only duck and cover underneath the shield, barely moving around to change the hit box of it. It's neat, but also kind of difficult to use sometimes. But seeing as how we'll be eventually going to a place known to be full of fire and lava and death, it'll help us quite a bit. We also check out the Happy Mask Shop but there's nothing in it that we can do yet. Oops!

I really love the home-y feel Kakariko Village has. It's so peaceful and nice. Even the NPCs who are a little mad due to layabout useless construction workers are kinda chill still. Our first order of business here is talking to Anju, the lady taking care of the cuccos...or should be. Turns out that much like in Minish Cap, her flock has flown the coop! Unlike Minish Cap we aren't arbitrarily timed to do this, so it's pretty easy. Except for the fact that two are hidden behind a gate that requires a REALLY precise jump with a third cucco (and one of which I miss my first time through) and another is hidden in a crate that I did not remember about. The jump is honestly the worst because...you have to approach it from a certain angle and at a certain speed or Link won't actually JUMP he'll just fall off the edge. Even if he does jump correctly you might not actually MAKE the jump. It's REALLY annoying and I'm curious if there is an alternative method to get into there. I'm very silly when it comes to remember stuff in this game. For getting all of Anju's ridiculously loud and rude cuccos back she gives us a bottle. This is our second one and that rules, every bottle you get is incredibly important.

After dealing with Anju, we head over to the graveyard! I also show off that Zelda's Lullaby can fix broken signs. As it turns out, a village that was originally full of badass royal ninjas also has a pretty extensive graveyard! We'll be exploring this place more later, but for now we're here for a specific purpose. At the very top of the place is a big ole stone honouring them all, especially the two Composer Bros Sharp and Flat. After uh...interfering with the eternal rest of the two brothers and having to fight them, we can play Zelda's Lullaby to blow up the big ole memorial stone to get down into it! I think fighting the brothers is optional but I did it. The brothers are basically just the basic Poe enemy, which I don't fight here but I will fight eventually. They're ghosts that float around being rude, spinning to try and hit you with their lantern or turning invisible after every hit to avoid getting re-killed. They're bothersome but not that dangerous a fight.

Inside the Royal Family's Tomb we encounter Keese! They're bats and do what bats do. Our slingshot makes dispatching them far easier than normal, given that we have near perfect aim! That's pretty great. We talk to some skeletons to get an idea of what to do, and head onward. The next room is full of corrupted, poisonous goo that hurts us the way lava does...it also has Redeads, one of the more iconic enemy types in the game. They're fleshy undead, though it's unclear if they're actual zombies or just homunculi made of flesh and mud. They scream at you to paralyze you and slowly trod toward you. If they get within grabbing range...well, they cling onto you and start draining your life. They're pretty scary, especially if multiple ones are around to chain their screams, but they're also not very durable. I you can catch them off guard you can do it.

At the end of the Royal Tomb we find that the song the Composer Bros were working on...it exists! The Song of the Sun lets us switch it from night to day, and also freezes undead enemies to boot! I think it might outright kill Poes I'll have to check that out. But yes, with this song we're never in any real danger of being locked out of anything, we can decide what time it is. After that we move on...and it's time to check out the one house that appears to be boarded up. It's creepy and covered with spider webs and as we see once we get deeper in...actual spiders. Or rather, the poor greedy folk inside who've been cursed to turn into monstrous spiders. Their leader tells us if we can kill all the Gold Skulltula's, they'll make us rich! I can get behind that, I'd love to have more money please. They also give other rewards at certain tiers which I'll get to later.

Anyway, we head over to the guard that's blocking our path to Death Mountain...and discover that taking to him triggers the Mask Store to open AND gives us a discount on the Hylian Shield. Oops! We also kill like three Gold Skulltula's. That's it for today, hope you all enjoyed. Next time we explore Death Mountain!

[Yuki Akuma]

There's actually a free Hylian shield in the graveyard, so even if you used the discount you'd have spent more money than you needed to.

[TheWombatOfDoom]

WOMBAT'S TEMPLE ANALYSIS!

[Inside the Deku Tree]

The entirety of Kokiri Forest is under the domain of the Great Deku Tree. The Great Tree's branches span high above the wood, shading all beneath it. Its roots likely stretch farther, protecting the children of the forest from evil growth. The Kokiri themselves seem to thrive based on the Deku Tree, as he created them. He provides them fairies, and protects them. In turn, they serve him and assist in maintaining the forest. A symbiotic relationship, if you will. However, we also know that the Deku Tree has been cursed, and his health is failing. That being said, the forest has been relatively quiet, with only three withered Deku Baba sprouting near the entrance of the Deku Tree's sanctuary. The rest he has contained entirely within himself, to prevent the foul creatures from attacking his children. Who knows what will happen to the forest when the Deku Tree succumbs to the curse...

Look & Feel - Entering the Deku Tree feels like entering a magnificent tree house, similar to the smaller houses of the Kokiri. Most of the structure appears as it was built around the Deku Tree's trunk, not carved into it. These were likely built by the Kokiri, perhaps when strangers entered the forest they could retreat to safety within the Deku Tree. With Ganondorf's curse, this no longer is possible it seems. The rooms and main structure above give off a once lived in feel. As we descend under the Deku Tree, it feels more like the area was breached by something large that burrowed straight down from the main structure to inhabit the roots, as evidenced by the straight drops down, blocked by webbing. This lower area appears to have once been some sort of testing ground, perhaps to assist in selecting the leader of the Kokiri by trial. Perhaps this is where Mido garnered his title? Or perhaps it was an area to assist in maintaining a pure water flow to feed the roots of the Great Tree. Whatever the reason, it seems the Kokiri keep this secret close...

Theme/Layout - Like the Deku Tree itself, the area is very vertically inclined, both above and below. It involves a lot of climbing and jumping, requiring the explorer to be both nimble and able. The walls are mostly made out of wood, and give off the appropriate 'thunk' should one be careless with a blade. The entirety of the dungeon is themed to be that of a natural sense, which is appropriate for being within a gigantic tree. The roots of the Deku Tree curl around doors and passages below the main chamber, and these passages are made up of dirt and stone.

The above and below ground have stark contrasts to them. In the upper area, the way is sprawling with small antechambers within what one can assume to be a few of his great branches. The lower area is made up of a smaller network of chambers, and then burrow further still to an even darker and danker place than before. And to reach it, one must use wits as well as weapons.

Puzzles & Items - Many of the puzzles within the Deku Tree seem simple, and without fear of injury. Within the branching rooms above, we have rooms that might have been used to teach the Kokiri the ways of the forest, such as jumping from branch to branch, climbing trees, and lighting the way through the dark places of the wood. If it weren't for the monsters that now inhabit the tree, there would not even be fear of injury in these tasks. However, once one delves into the roots, the puzzles seem more than just teaching methods.

If it truly was used to test the leader of the Kokiri, these harder puzzles seem appropriate, and appear to require the Fairy Slingshot as well. The webbing from the Tula that infest the tree cause these obstacles to become even more potent. Fortunately, the Deku Baba provides a nearly limitless supply of Deku Sticks to solve many of the puzzles of this dungeon, both for unlocking doors as well as clearing the silken barriers. The Fairy Slingshot seems an appropriate weapon for the Kokiri. Generally nonlethal, but potent with dealing with many of the enemies that seem more common in the forest, perhaps the Deku Tree need only arm his children with these rather than locking them inside himself...

Monsters/Boss - Many a creature dwell within the Great Tree, but the most curious is the Deku Scrubs. Not yet mad, but not all together sane, it seems these Deku Scrub have given fealty to the creature that curses the very thing they dwell in. Perhaps this is the only way they could survive within the tree, or perhaps they bow to whatever is immediately strongest as evidenced by their change in loyalty upon their defeat. Many Deku Baba, both withered and otherwise also dwell throughout, aiding the resourceful, and injuring the inattentive. The most common enemy are that of the Tula. There are quite a variety of Skulltula, from the smaller Skullwalltula to the Larger Skulltula, and a few Gold Skulltulas which seem to appear where you least expect. They are the creators of the network of webs in the canopy of the main upper chamber, though it seems most of their holding is beneath the earth. The roots of the Deku Tree are infested with spiders, webbing, and even the eggs of the Spider Queen, Gohma. If our hero had not defeated them, they could have turned into Gohmas of their own...

Queen Gohma is a menacing foe in appearance, and certainly the creature that has cursed the Deku Tree. Likely she is the creature that burrowed through the roots and created the passages the three Deku Scrubs protect. Her only weak part is her eye, but it is a large weakness indeed. Given the fact that it glows, she is likely not used to creatures who are able to fling objects to blind or damage, which seems strange since those that serve her are the Deku Scrub within the tree, a creature known for slinging projectiles. Since she's customarily in the darkness, perhaps it is a side effect of dark vision? Either way, any enemy that can create more of itself is always one that should be dispatched with haste. Fortunately, our hero has become well practiced at slaying arachnids throughout the dungeon and by using the proper techniques, can quickly dethrone the queen. Unfortunately, Gohma's reign did not end quickly enough...for in the wake of her death, the Deku Tree follows her to the grave...

[LaZodiac]

There's actually a free Hylian shield in the graveyard, so even if you used the discount you'd have spent more money than you needed to.

Poop right I forgot that. Ech, it's for the best. Shops are under utilize as heck in these games.

@Wombat: Damn good write up I don't really have much to say. I imagine her eye glowing is a sign of activating some sort of night vision given we're in a dark, dank cave when we fight her.

[Qwertystop]

Ah, Link as a turtle.

The Kakariko theme sounds nice sped up.

Have you tried not L-targeting the Poe? Navi mentioned it.

[LaZodiac]

Ah, Link as a turtle.

The Kakariko theme sounds nice sped up.

Have you tried not L-targeting the Poe? Navi mentioned it.

...she did?