What are the changes made in Ocarina of Time's Master Quest?

I want to start this off by saying I am technically only a casual gamer, in that I do not play very many games and I can go long periods not playing anything at all. That being said, the games that I do play and enjoy, I play A LOT and replay many times. The series of games that certainly holds the number one spot in my heart is The Legend of Zelda. I believe I have played every 3D Zelda game that has come out and I can say with certainty that Ocarina of Time is the game that sparked my love of video games as well as the Role Playing Game genre.

So when I recently got struck with my yearly craving for a Zelda game I looked to my 3DS version of Ocarina of time and upon turning on the game I realized that I had never actually played through the Master Quest version of the game. The Master Quest version for anyone who doesn't know, is a reworked version of the base game that is largely the same, but with dungeons that are redesigned to make them more difficult.

This felt perfect, I would get to replay a beloved classic game while getting new content at the same time. I went in completely blind as I had never looked into the Master Quest before so I had no idea what changes I was in store for. There were certainly a decent amount of changes and the dungeons were adequately more difficult than their original versions. I have compiled a small list of the changes I found to be the most note worthy. So for anyone who has not played through Master Quest beware there are some slight (Although not story related) spoilers ahead.

1. Crystal Switches:

Always a staple of the LOZ series, Crystal switches that have to be hit by the player in order to have a door open, a chest appear, a pathway cleared, or any number of other effects. The Master Quest version of took these switches and hid them in several fun and interesting ways, making for more challenging and sometimes funny puzzles. A few examples of this being: A switch hidden beneath the ice in one of the rooms of the Ice Cavern, only the barely visible tip able to be interacted with revealing a piece of heart. Another switch hidden in the eye of a spooky wall plaque in The Bottom of the Well, and even a crystal hidden within a torch basin inside Ganon's Castle. These crystals rank low on my list only because they are still a predictable part of the game though now creatively placed.

2. Time Blocks/Song of Time:

The original game did contain these blue blocks that could be moved by playing the song of time, usually to unblock a door or to help reach a previously unreachable area. There were very few that were actually crucial to progressing in the story. In Master mode however, these Time Cubes can be found in almost every dungeon and are sometimes vital to progressing. This is a fun and sometimes challenging change from the base game that also adds some enjoyable function to a previously neglected mechanic.

3. Din's Fire:

Much like the above mentioned Time Cubes, Din's Fire was available in the base game, but only had a few moments where it was necessary for the progression of the main story. The Master Quest version of the game took advantage of this unique spell mechanic and several areas of progression required it's use. I suddenly became very aware of anything in my surroundings that may need a little fiery additive. This didn't so much create a more challenging gaming experience, but did offer a change up from the usual play through and added a freshness to many of the dungeons.

4. The Bottom of the Well:

This one is a change that seemingly has no purpose and actually took away some enjoyment for me. The bottom of the well is arguably the creepiest section of the game, with the numerous Redeads, Wallmasters, Deadhands, and the bones scattered throughout, giving it the feel of a torture chamber. Another part of what made this dungeon challenging and more interesting was the presence of illusory walls and floors that you couldn't see through without the dungeon's item the Lens of Truth, prompting for some surprise falls or exciting finds. For some reason in the Master Quest version of the game, these illusions are not present. That is every hole in both floor and wall is clear to see without using the Lens of Truth. This was a big disappointment as it really took away from the feel of the dungeon as well as a fair amount of the challenge presented within.

5. Jabu Jabu Cows?:

Perhaps the strangest and most entertaining change that I came across during my play through was fully contained within a single dungeon/character. The game's third dungeon is located within the body of a whale like creature worshiped as a deity by the aquatic race called the Zoras. As if having an entire dungeon taking place inside this creature wasn't strange enough, the Master Quest version decided to add cows to the mix. These cows aren't just sitting around in the belly of the beast either, they are actually stuck inside the walls of the dungeon, only their heads and shoulders sticking out of the fleshy pink insides of Lord Jabu Jabu. If you thought that was the end of this weirdness, you're in for a surprise! Not only, are there cow heads sticking out of the walls like some kind of hunter trophies, but they actually act as switches when shot with one of link's projectile weapons. Yes, this means you're constantly looking around rooms with your slingshot to see if there is a cow head to shoot unlocking a door, making a chest appear, or just dropping some supplies. Strange as this particular change was, it did add some hilarity, challenge, and freshness to the game for someone who has played the base game dozens of times. The only disappointment being that this mechanic was not continued in any other parts of the game.

All things said and done, the Master Quest version of Ocarina of time is definitely worth checking out if you want a familiar but new experience. It was good for a few moments of extreme frustration, a few pretty good laughs, a few moments of absolute bewilderment, and an overall enjoyable time.