My Biggest Gaming Dream: The Legend of Zelda.....Literally

Most likely, you’ve heard about The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time at some point in your life. It is also highly probable that you’ve played the game itself in one of its various forms. If you’re like me, you’ve played it in all of those forms. It is regarded as one of the best and most influential games in the lives of many people due to its story and gameplay. But part of that story has left me wanting more.

We play as Link, our silent hero, and with the aid of characters such as Sheik and the sages we save Hyrule. This is standard for a Zelda game. In fact, it’s the formula for all of them. You play as Link and save the kingdom with the help of other characters. You always play as Link.

This leads me to a thought I have had, maybe I’d even call it a dream, since I was a child. What if you were able to play Ocarina of Time through Zelda’s lens? We know almost nothing about her transition into hiding as Sheik or how she managed to always know what to do next to assist Link on his journey. Maybe it’s the completionist in me or my love of side quests in Zelda games, but I can’t shake the desire to be further immersed into the world of Hyrule and the story of Ocarina of Time.

Imagine being able to experience the story through Zelda’s eyes as she has her prophetic dream and starts to suspect Ganon is up to no good. How she prepares on her end while Link gets the Spiritual Stones and how she flees with Impa as Ganon begins to take over the castle. Training with the Sheikah would be an amazing gameplay experience, much like training with the Gerudo goes for adult Link. There are so many details and parts of the story that could be further explored and fleshed out to pair perfectly with the original game.

I know that the likelihood of Nintendo ever doing something like this, or even a more vivid reboot of Ocarina of Time (in the vein of Let’s Go Pikachu for Pokémon) is almost zero. But that doesn’t stop me from imagining how amazing the kingdom of Hyrule would be from a different point of view. Perhaps we would have to defeat different dungeons and bosses than Link did to find the correct tools and information needed to assist him on his journey. Building skill and uncovering the long hidden songs that give Link entrance to the main dungeons. The opportunities could be spun in so many ways.

While I have big dreams for this imaginary game to one day be a reality, I know that it will likely never be. The fact that I want more of the world in Ocarina of Time, to be so immersed in every aspect of the game there is, speaks volumes to the influence this game has had on me. I know many others feel the same and likely would love to explore Hyrule further and experience Zelda’s quest to save her kingdom. Though there are many Legend of Zelda games that could also be spun to be played from a different character’s view, Ocarina of Time is by far the biggest draw for me. The story is already so rich and well spun that you can’t help but feel a part of the story in a truly immersive way. Because of this, the knowledge that there is a whole side to the story that I haven’t seen is really intriguing. And honestly, I’d love to be able to immerse myself into Ocarina of Time via any character’s story simply to be back in that world with a fresh set of eyes. There is just something about Zelda’s untold journey that really makes me wonder what new adventures could be in story if my wildest gaming dream were to come true.