Zelda 64 Screen Shots!!!Zelda 64 EnemiesEven though Zelda 64's story is set in the misty past, players will once again take on the mantle of the young hero, Link. As the story begins, Link is preparing for his coming-of-age ceremony, in which he will receive his guardian spirit. In the tradition of his people, children receive a fairy from the Fairy Tree when they reach adulthood. This fairy becomes a person's life-long familiar. The fairy accompanies the youthful adventurer seeking his or her fortune in the maze-like forest or in the lands beyond.
Link's ceremony, however, is not destined to be a happy one. The Fairy Tree, source of guardian spirits, is captured by a strange creature from the depths of the forest. Link is able to locate his guardian spirit, Navie, and with her help, slay the creature. However, in the process, the Fairy Tree is grievously damaged. As its life force ebbs, the Fairy Tree speaks the words that will shape Link's destiny.
"Do not allow the thief, Gannondorf, to claim the Triforce ... " the Tree mystically communicates. "Oh brave one, you must take this sacred stone to a wise man...."
Gannondorf was infamous throughout the land for his evil practices as the king of thieves. He lusted for the power of the Triforce and searched throughout Hyrule for its resting place, most recently plunging into the forest of Link's people. Link knew he was in grave danger should Gannondorf find him. He took the sacred stone from the Fairy Tree and set out for Hyrule Castle, the capital of the Hyrulian people.
Upon entering the castle, Link is welcomed by the young Princess Zelda, a woman of the Hyrulian royal family about the same age as he. She is well aware of the crisis facing the land of Hyrule. Zelda relates further details about the Triforce's hiding place, telling Link that he needs to find the three sacred stones that fit into a magical Ocarina, which serves as the key to hidden realm. Link's race with the evil Gannondorf to find the sacred stones and the hiding place of the Triforce is on!
Zelda 64 tells the story of an earlier age of Hyrule, when Gannon was merely known as the king of thieves and not the powerful creature of evil he becomes in the other Legend of Zelda adventures. In this role-playing game, the story unfolds in a realistic 3-D world. The depth of the backgrounds, the dramatic camera angles, and the realistic objects and animation all combine to create one of the most immersive gaming experiences ever.
Although the game play has been designed so that anyone can enjoy it, the adventure will not be without its challenges. Great battles will reward the courageous.
The fairy, Navie, will accompany you on your journey, providing hints, warning you of enemy attacks and helping you to search for items.
Video game players will finally be able to venture back to the fantastic realm of Hyrule in The Legend of Zelda for Nintendo 64. Like Super Mario 64, Mr. Miyamoto's development team aimed to create a virtual world to explore in Zelda 64. But even though Hyrule is a fantasy world, the layout and look of the world is much more realistic. From a rocky mountain pass to a quaint medieval village, Zelda 64 transports you to a land far, far away, but real enough to be in your own backyard.
According to Mr. Miyamoto, the feel of the game is about 90% complete, but the team is now working on polishing the game and adding the many unique tricks and gimmicks that make the games in the Zelda series masterpieces of action and adventure. The team's true goal for the game-- making a game like players haven't experienced before-- doesn't seem too difficult when Mr. Miyamoto says it.
Thanks to the graphic power of the Nintendo 64, Zelda 64 already displays a rich and detailed world that evokes emotion just from the look of it. Dark forests crawl with spider-like creatures and massive mountains loom in the distance. You can almost feel the slime on the walls of the dank dungeons. Link's movements are sharp and quick, as befitting a warrior. Enemy animations are also life-like and evocative. For example, the spider-like Ghoma gracefully approaches in the tree branches overhead, and then suddenly drops to the ground with a screen-shaking thud. Through this simple graphical technique, what looked like a small spider suddenly becomes a huge, menacing adversary.
Atmospheric lighting effects are also used to heighten the ambiance of the environments. Underground locations are dimly lit, while the lighting outdoors changes depending on the weather and time of day. Camera views also automatically switch to capture the action from the most dramatic angle possible. When the giant dinosaur-like Dodongo lumbers towards Link as he enters the creature's lair, the camera switches to the Dodongo's perspective. Soon you are looking down on a tiny, pitiful elf; fit only to be squished under the Dodongo's scaled foot. Of course, once the action begins, the view again switches to Link's perspective, and this time you'll be in awe of how huge the Dodongo is as you look up into his fire-breathing maw. He makes Bowser from Super Mario 64 look like a pet turtle!
In typical Zelda series fashion, Link will collect many items and weapons during his travels, upgrading his sword, shield, clothes and footwear. Zelda 64 has a easy-to-use menu system for swapping out the items. Using different weapons and items is a snap, too. Some of the yellow C Buttons can be assigned to items or weapons. In addition to using the C Buttons to control some of the weapons, you can use the A Button in conjunction with Link's sword to perform feats of outstanding swordsmanship. Even with all these weapons and items, the game wouldn't be much fun if it was too difficult to hit your intended target. When Link encounters an enemy, you can press and hold the Z Button to "lock on" to the enemy. While holding the Z Button, Link will always face the enemy, making it easy to circle the creature as you search for its weak point, and to move in for the kill once you've found it. You'll also be able to easily track the enemy with a missile weapon as it moves about.
Although automatic actions such as the Z Button targeting system sound like they may detract from the challenge of Zelda 64, in actuality they make it a 3-D experience that will be enjoyable for players of all skill levels. In addition to the weapon targeting system, Link will automatically perform certain actions depending on his surroundings when you press the B Button. For example, when approaching a gap in a walkway, he will automatically jump. When approaching a ladder, the B Button will make Link grasp the rungs and climb. Unlike some 3-D adventure games, where getting the character to do anything you want her to do is a challenge, in Zelda 64, the action is meant to be smooth and seamless, which enables players to concentrate more on the drama and story. There will still be plenty of challenge in solving the game's puzzles, exploring everywhere, and in combat.
Another great new feature of the game is Link's horse. Although in the current version the horse could only be ridden around in a fairly open plain, it's easy to extrapolate on how it might be used to complicate game play. By whipping the horse, Link can make it gallop faster and faster. At top speed, it will easily vault over obstacles that might be impassible for Link on foot.
One of the biggest questions about Zelda 64 is; will it use voice? Mr. Miyamoto told us that the sound in the Space World version was very incomplete and only a few areas had music. As Link walks around the world, though, characters will hail him with a short voice sample that sounded like "Konnichiwa" (Good afternoon in Japanese). While it's definite that more sound will be added for dramatic effect, it does not sound like there will be any more elaborate voice samples than there were in Super Mario 64.
In addition to the sound, the game's magic system was also not implemented
yet in the Space World game sample. Based on the impressive graphics in
other areas of the game, we can expect to see some gorgeous and dramatic
magic effects!
Another issue that Mr. Miyamoto hasn't decided yet is how the game
will be released; as a stand-alone cartridge, a stand-alone Nintendo 64
Disk Drive game, or a combination of cartridge and N64 DD. The team is
developing the game so it can be released in any of the three ways, and
the actual decision will be made closer to completion. In any event, the
game will probably take an extra three months to develop, which puts the
planned release date in Japan around March of 1998. A US release date will
follow as soon as the translation can be completed!
