- Joined
- Jan 10, 2019
Hi everyone--first post here, but have owned Ocarina of Time since Christmas 1998.
I still can't get Link to grow up. I've played this game off and on and have typically put it away out of sheer frustration, only to come back anywhere from several months to several years later and maybe get a little tiny bit further.
Twenty years later, I found it while cleaning the closet, sitting in the corner next to a bookcase. Figuring it's been a while, I decided to make it a point to try to beat this game for once.
Yes, my save file has been going for two decades with very little progress. I was 12 when I got the game, now I'm 32. I've grown up but my Link character hasn't. I have exactly one motive for beating it: I am an educator and tell all my students to always finish a project they started. I don't want to be a hypocrite, so I figure I should make good on doing exactly that. It's more or less a peace of mind thing with myself.
I thought maybe I got the wrong strategy guide when I got the game. I had the Prima one. I ordered an official Nintendo one on eBay, only to find it was even more confusing--it just tells a story, nothing about what to do. What a waste of $20! (At least the story was mildly entertaining, even for someone who would rather read economic journals than fantasy).
I've been following the videos from this site on YouTube, and they've been pretty useful so far, but I am absolutely stuck right now. (I'll generally watch it, pause it, try to do it myself, then occasionally rewind the video when I get hopelessly lost or have a camera issue). Here are the major problems I have been having despite using the videos and the Nintendo book:
1A. I can't beat Barinade. I've lost to him about ten times so far. The video makes it look too easy, plus I don't have this fire weapon they have in the video. There don't seem to be any extra hearts anywhere in this board, although the first time I played through the vases had them. Now none of the vases have them and my character just runs out every time. I only have five hearts, which seems to be enough since all of the videos I've seen lose far less than that when fighting him, but I can't seem to get in to him. How do I avoid getting shocked? What is the trick to this guy?
1B. I'll get zapped but can't seem to get inside to hit him. I do have to hit him with the boomerang, right? Can I just use the sword after that? Also, how many hits does it take? I keep hearing a countdown on the videos, but there doesn't seem to be a life meter for him on the screen.
2. When I use the Z button to target, the camera angle changes during the Barinade battle. Sometimes, it will turn completely around. How do I get this to stop? Mario 64 made this really easy as I recall (I don't think I've fired that one up since college), but this was one of my complaints about Zelda from day one. Link will face the complete opposite direction, which is how I keep getting zapped.
3. How finicky is the shield? When I restart the level every few minutes, the guys who shoot the rocks (sorry, not sure of their exact name) keep bludgeoning me. I could get out one of my protractors and measure the angle of reflection, and it looks to be perfect, but they're always a little off. Are there known issues regarding geometry and physics in this game?
4. What is the green bar under the hearts I keep seeing on all the videos? I don't have one on mine.
All I want is to get the third spiritual stone, and I know this is the key to it. Even if I can get Link to grow up and I am unable to beat anything more, I'll at least know I completed one of the big goals of the game (although ideally I'd like to beat it).
FYI: I am using an original Nintendo 64 to play this. I am aware they made this game for other systems, but I have a genuine Nintendo 64 with the stock controller and an original gray cartridge. I believe there were gold ones, not sure if the game is different on those or if things were fixed with camera angles and the like in any updated releases.
FYI #2: My skills at games in general have eroded given my age and infrequency of playing, but my 12 year old niece has beaten the new Zelda for the Wii U and insists I can beat this game.
FYI #3: I am playing on a new-fish flat panel TV. I've heard there are timing issues when switching from a CRT to a flat panel. (I do still have my old 13" CRT lurking around the closet if it would make things easier).
I still can't get Link to grow up. I've played this game off and on and have typically put it away out of sheer frustration, only to come back anywhere from several months to several years later and maybe get a little tiny bit further.
Twenty years later, I found it while cleaning the closet, sitting in the corner next to a bookcase. Figuring it's been a while, I decided to make it a point to try to beat this game for once.
Yes, my save file has been going for two decades with very little progress. I was 12 when I got the game, now I'm 32. I've grown up but my Link character hasn't. I have exactly one motive for beating it: I am an educator and tell all my students to always finish a project they started. I don't want to be a hypocrite, so I figure I should make good on doing exactly that. It's more or less a peace of mind thing with myself.
I thought maybe I got the wrong strategy guide when I got the game. I had the Prima one. I ordered an official Nintendo one on eBay, only to find it was even more confusing--it just tells a story, nothing about what to do. What a waste of $20! (At least the story was mildly entertaining, even for someone who would rather read economic journals than fantasy).
I've been following the videos from this site on YouTube, and they've been pretty useful so far, but I am absolutely stuck right now. (I'll generally watch it, pause it, try to do it myself, then occasionally rewind the video when I get hopelessly lost or have a camera issue). Here are the major problems I have been having despite using the videos and the Nintendo book:
1A. I can't beat Barinade. I've lost to him about ten times so far. The video makes it look too easy, plus I don't have this fire weapon they have in the video. There don't seem to be any extra hearts anywhere in this board, although the first time I played through the vases had them. Now none of the vases have them and my character just runs out every time. I only have five hearts, which seems to be enough since all of the videos I've seen lose far less than that when fighting him, but I can't seem to get in to him. How do I avoid getting shocked? What is the trick to this guy?
1B. I'll get zapped but can't seem to get inside to hit him. I do have to hit him with the boomerang, right? Can I just use the sword after that? Also, how many hits does it take? I keep hearing a countdown on the videos, but there doesn't seem to be a life meter for him on the screen.
2. When I use the Z button to target, the camera angle changes during the Barinade battle. Sometimes, it will turn completely around. How do I get this to stop? Mario 64 made this really easy as I recall (I don't think I've fired that one up since college), but this was one of my complaints about Zelda from day one. Link will face the complete opposite direction, which is how I keep getting zapped.
3. How finicky is the shield? When I restart the level every few minutes, the guys who shoot the rocks (sorry, not sure of their exact name) keep bludgeoning me. I could get out one of my protractors and measure the angle of reflection, and it looks to be perfect, but they're always a little off. Are there known issues regarding geometry and physics in this game?
4. What is the green bar under the hearts I keep seeing on all the videos? I don't have one on mine.
All I want is to get the third spiritual stone, and I know this is the key to it. Even if I can get Link to grow up and I am unable to beat anything more, I'll at least know I completed one of the big goals of the game (although ideally I'd like to beat it).
FYI: I am using an original Nintendo 64 to play this. I am aware they made this game for other systems, but I have a genuine Nintendo 64 with the stock controller and an original gray cartridge. I believe there were gold ones, not sure if the game is different on those or if things were fixed with camera angles and the like in any updated releases.
FYI #2: My skills at games in general have eroded given my age and infrequency of playing, but my 12 year old niece has beaten the new Zelda for the Wii U and insists I can beat this game.
FYI #3: I am playing on a new-fish flat panel TV. I've heard there are timing issues when switching from a CRT to a flat panel. (I do still have my old 13" CRT lurking around the closet if it would make things easier).