The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (?????? ?????? ,Zeruda no Densetsu Toki no Okarina?) is an action-adventure video game developed by Nintendo's Entertainment Analysis and Development division for the Nintendo 64 video game console. It was released in Japan on November 21, 1998; in North America on November 23, 1998; and in Europe on December 11, 1998. Originally developed for the Nintendo 64DD peripheral, the game was instead released on a 256-megabit cartridge, which was the largest-capacity cartridge Nintendo produced at that time.
Ocarina of Time is the fifth game in The Legend of Zelda series in terms of release, but is set before the first four games. The player controls the series' trademark protagonist, Link, in the land of Hyrule. Link sets out on a quest to stop Ganondorf, King of the Gerudo, from obtaining the Triforce, a sacred relic that grants the wishes of its holder. Link travels through time and navigates various dungeons to awaken sages who have the power to seal Ganondorf. Music plays an important roleto progress, the player learns several songs for Link to play on an ocarina.
The gameplay system introduced features such as a target lock system and context-sensitive buttons that became common elements in 3D adventure games. Despite a late November 1998 release, it was the best-selling game of that year, and has sold over 7.6 million copies. The title won the Grand Prize in the Interactive Art division at the Japan Media Arts Festival, won six honors at the 2nd Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, and received wide critical acclaim, with several publications awarding a perfect score. The game is featured on many compiled lists of most influential or best games of all time.[14]
Ocarina had four major rereleases on the Nintendo GameCube and Wii consoles. It was ported to the GameCube as part of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time: Master Quest (?????? ?????? ? ,Zeruda no Densetsu Toki no Okarina Ura?, ? (Ura) meaning reverse side), featuring reworked dungeons with new puzzles, and The Legend of Zelda: Collector's Edition compilations as a direct port. It was also ported to the iQue Player in 2003 and the Wii's Virtual Console service in 2007. Reception towards these rereleases were mixed; while some critics considered the relatively-unchanged game to be outdated by modern standards,[15][16] others felt the game has held up well over the years.[