Legend of Zelda: Master's Quest

GameCube

Nintendo - 2003

Now most people wouldn't really count this as a "true" game in the normal sense, as it was released for free when one preordered Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker, but I would have to disagree. This game is Ocarina of Time but harder, which reminds me of another favorite game of mine, Mario: Lost Levels. See the great thing about both games is that they rely on a simple formula that everyone is used to. Everyone has played the original Mario, just as everyone has played Zelda: Ocarina of Time. So what they, they being Nintendo, do is just make it harder. And when I say harder, I mean extremely and utterly harder. Like impossibly hard.

Sure Master's Quest starts out easy enough. The Deku Tree stage isn't too difficult at all. But right away you notice, especially if you have played Ocarina of Time as much as I have, that there are differences. More enemies, more strategy when solving puzzles, more, well, hard. Which is a good thing, since that's what you expected. By the 4th dungeon I was dying left and right. This game rocks.

Everyone knows the story of Ocarina of Time, it is the same in Master's Quest. Save Zelda by going back and forth thru time. Nothing new is, unfortunately, added to the story, just as no new weapons are added nor secrets. But you don't really need any of that. Zelda was great without all the standard rpg sidequests and secrets. But you must remember that Ocarina did have some sidequests, and a secret sword and everything. So go do all that again you tool. There you go. But just don't look for more sidequests than in Ocarina of Time.

Nintendo did do some fixing up of the game though graphics wise. While they didn't overhaul the graphics, and they still look crap in comparison to say, Star Fox Adventures or Resident Evil Redux, they are a lot crisper. Which is a good thing, for one thing I do remember about Ocarina, and all N64 games for that matter was that they were very fuzzy looking. Probably why I didn't like the N64 all that much.

What else? The controls are different, as there is no Z button underneath. But they make perfect sense and you get used to them real fast. So don't worry about that.

What liked: A Hard version of one of my favorite games ever. It gives me another reason to play the game again, which I had been thinking about for some time now.

What disliked: It was an almost perfect game, and one of the best Zelda's too boot. Now it's harder. What can't you like?

What to expect: Ocarina of Time with extremely hard puzzles that you will spend long amounts of time staring at getting angry for you can't figure them out. Also, only expect differences between Master's Quest and Ocarina of Time in Dungeons. Everywhere else is the same.

What not to expect: Star Fox Adventures.

What's so different from this and other games of it's genre: It's extremely hard. Don't give it to your younger brother.

Ratings on:

Control: 8 - I remember thinking the controls were perfection when I played on the N64. I think they aren't as good on the GameCube controller, but I still can't fully decide.

Graphics: 9 - Ok I rated graphics as it would be an actually N64 game. By GC standards it is probably a 3.

Sound: 8 - Still beautiful sound. Can't argue there.

Style: 9 - Zelda has always oozed with style. Everything Miyamoto makes has style out the wazoo. Now with extra controller-breaking anger though.

1st hour: 9 - WooHoo! Zelda! It's old but it's new.

5th hour: 7 - I want to be big.

1st week: 8 - Yay! I'm big. But now I have to be small to solve puzzles and stuffs. Boo.

5th week: 8 - This game distracts me from Dark Cloud 2, Breath of Fire V and Dot.Hack. What more can you ask for?

#1 reason why I hate this game: That stupid owl. Everyone hates him.

by Hawke