Summary
One skillful fan has recreated aLegend of Zelda: Ocarina of Timefilm with stunning Studio Ghibli visuals for the game’s 25th anniversary. Released back in 1998 for the Nintendo 64, it was the first game in the franchise to feature 3D graphics. Since then, fans haverecognizedOcarina of Timeas a genre-defining gamewith a rich narrative, great music, and fun gameplay mechanics.
Twenty-five years is a momentous milestone, and it has left fans with a wave of nostalgia for one of theLegend of Zelda’s most timeless games. With older titles likeFinal Fantasy 7getting a complete remake, the anniversary has left some fans wondering what the game and characters would look like with modern graphics. One fan group, Curiomatic, hasrecreatedOcarina of Time’s Link using Unreal Engine 5, which shows the character having a similar graphical style to Kena fromKena: Bridge of Spirits. And while there is no news from Nintendo, remakes such asLink’s Awakeningpoint to the company being open to the idea of bringing older titles in the franchise to modern consoles. For now, however, fan projects are a good way to commemorate the enduring legacy of this beloved title.
RELATED:How Modern Zelda Games Honor Ocarina of Time’s Legacy, 25 Years Later
A YouTuber called RwanLink has taken things up a notch by using Unreal Engine 5 to create a short fan film ofOcarina of Timein Studio Ghibli’s unique aesthetic. According to RwanLink, the 600-hour project that took over four months to make is not meant to be a game but rather a film. The video features over 30 characters, along with four different environments and a third-person perspective. The third-person perspective has RwanLink exploring Castle Town and coming across some familiar characters such as the Happy Mask Salesman, Malon of Lon Lon Ranch, Princess Zelda, Impa, and even Ganondorf and Fi.
Music for the fan film was composed by another YouTuber named Mosik and featured several tracks, some entitled “Your Destiny,” “Hyrule Castle Town,” and “The Master Sword.” According to Mosik, to keep with the Studio Ghibli aesthetic, their inspiration for the score was influenced by music composed by Joe Hisashi forsome of Studio Ghibli’s most beautiful filmssuch asLaputa,Howl’s Moving Castle, andPrincess Mononoke.
RwanLink and Mosik’s project has been gaining traction on YouTube, with fans being especially awestruck at the dedication to creating the film, mostly solo, in just four months. One commenter remarked that the world-building, cinematic shots, and musical cues are very similar to Studio Ghibli’s.
The beautiful visuals have left some fans wishing thatNintendo’s announcement of a live-actionLegend of Zeldafilmwas instead for an animated one. However, withThe Super Mario Bros.movie being a box office hit and Shigeru Miyamoto being a producer, chances are that theLegend of Zeldafilm will be a success.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
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The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of TIme marks the first time that The Legend of Zelda made the jump to 3D, giving players the ability to explore Hyrule in an entirely new way.
