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Ocarina of Time The Mystery of the Zelda 64 Beta: Can Someone Locate These Two Pictures?

Unlucky Monkey

The Great King of Apes
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The Zelda 64 Beta, the game we now know and love under the name Ocarina of Time, is like some kind of magic artefact for me. The Community, most of the older generation of Zelda Fans, speculating what Zelda might have become if the game was released for the 64DD. So we all know the story. The 64DD was not successful enough and the development of Zelda 64 was canceled and done almost with complete new content for the classic N64.

In 2011, I also created a thread full of content for people who wasn't aware there was a complete different Zelda on the N64 as they know to date.

Now, I have a personal question concerning this beta. There are two screens, looks like both of them showing material very far in devolpment. Not to compare with the very first screens we saw when the game was announced.

So, where the hell might these screens located? I don't get it at all. It's not a secret Zelda 64 was similar to Ocarina of Time, but bigger when it comes to the dungeons and overall content.
These might be two dungeons cut out or altered in Ocarina of Time.

But I would love to here some thoughts of the Zelda Dungeon Community :)

zeldabeta.png


By the way, here is the whole video featuring these two screens an over 12 minutes of beta content.

[video=youtube;U6D2x7aFe3M]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6D2x7aFe3M[/video]
 
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Viral Maze

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Canada
The first screen reminds me of the Deku Tree (mainly because of the wood) but trees don't usually have windows in them, so it was probably a supplementary/side dungeon, kind of like the Ice Caves, maybe?

The second gives me a Dodongo's Liar/Fire Temple vibe.
 

Unlucky Monkey

The Great King of Apes
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Location
NRW, Germany
The first screen reminds me of the Deku Tree (mainly because of the wood) but trees don't usually have windows in them, so it was probably a supplementary/side dungeon, kind of like the Ice Caves, maybe?

The second gives me a Dodongo's Liar/Fire Temple vibe.

Thanks for your opinion. For the second one, I totally agree with you. Really looks like Dodongo's Liar. But strange enough, the shown Link on the screenshot is an adult. The Dodongo Cavern is only accessible as a child.

After a little research, picture 1 is much more clear now. Looks like this is the infamous Temple of Wood. You will find a thread even here at Zelda Dungeon theorising about this lost Dungeon.

Looks like this Dungeon is playable in the Ocarina of Time Debug Rom.

Maybe I will find more information about The Temple of Wood. Very interesting stuff.
 
Joined
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Wow, I had no clue that people were still talking about this. I thought the flames of this beta had burned out completely, but I guess there's still a sizable handful of fans who are keeping the flames lit after all. Speaking of which, any news on the Ocarina of Time Beta Restoration Project? It's been quite a while since I've read or looked up anything about it, so I am clueless as to if anything has developed. Yeah... I think I'm going to have to look that up right now...

Also, if memory serves, I believe that it was either Dodongo's Cavern or Fire Temple... one of them was originally going to be Turtle Rock or a similar dungeon concept....
 

Viral Maze

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Thanks for your opinion. For the second one, I totally agree with you. Really looks like Dodongo's Liar. But strange enough, the shown Link on the screenshot is an adult. The Dodongo Cavern is only accessible as a child.

I thought the same thing too. Another interesting thing is that even though it looks like adults Link in that pic, the sword icon at the top looks like the Kokiri Sword, not the Master Sword.
 

Unlucky Monkey

The Great King of Apes
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NRW, Germany
Wow, I had no clue that people were still talking about this. I thought the flames of this beta had burned out completely, but I guess there's still a sizable handful of fans who are keeping the flames lit after all. Speaking of which, any news on the Ocarina of Time Beta Restoration Project? It's been quite a while since I've read or looked up anything about it, so I am clueless as to if anything has developed.

Oh, there are still many fans out there. Maybe I go a bit far, but Zelda 64 is almost as famous as Ocarina of Time :D
Well I think they will never release the Restoration. It's been a long time since I last heard of an update. Is Zeth still active? I woul appreciate any new info.

Also, if memory serves, I believe that it was either Dodongo's Cavern or Fire Temple... one of them was originally going to be Turtle Rock or a similar dungeon concept....

I've heard the Turtle Rock theory too. But this theory is not very solid. It may be lost forever placing this picture correctly.

I thought the same thing too. Another interesting thing is that even though it looks like adults Link in that pic, the sword icon at the top looks like the Kokiri Sword, not the Master Sword.

I really can't say this for sure. But it loosk so. Strange. But, I think it is likely some items may be placeholder because, at this point, there was no icon for the Master Sword.

Damn, now I want to know more but I think I covered every available material in the past years xD
 

Beauts

Rock and roll will never die
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I think the sword was a placeholder for the Master Sword too, unless there is some kind of dagger for adult Link/alternative weapons that would've been available?

Anyway, I agree with everyone else, the second one looks like Dodongo's Cavern.
The first one looks like Termina Field. Maybe it was a Hyrule Field feature that got scrapped? A lot of those goes shifted over for Majora's Mask, this might be one of those. That wouldn't explain the windows though. In that case maybe it's the Wind Temple?
 

Justac00lguy

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Hmm the part that intrigued me was the screen where it showed Link seemingly unveiling the full Triforce. Maybe this was located within the Temple of Light which, if I remember, was cut from the final version.
 

Unlucky Monkey

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Hmm the part that intrigued me was the screen where it showed Link seemingly unveiling the full Triforce. Maybe this was located within the Temple of Light which, if I remember, was cut from the final version.

This scene is also infamous. Ok, first thing, there are still people, I think, searching for the Triforce in Ocarina of Time. Strange rumours concerning the Triforce are still present (as weird as it sounds).

The second one is, I think, the scene where Link receives the Triforce, was just for promotion. The Triforce is the most significicent symbol of The Legend of Zelda. It was one of the very first scenes ever shown from a 3D Zelda. I think most of the developer didn't even know how the story would turn out. You know, the old Nintendo philosophy: "Gameplay before story".

Speaking of infamous, I will post again the french commercial of Zelda Soixante Quatre (or simply, Zelda 64).

[video=youtube;oXtl4wcUlDw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXtl4wcUlDw[/video]
 

Heroine of Time

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Thanks for your opinion. For the second one, I totally agree with you. Really looks like Dodongo's Liar. But strange enough, the shown Link on the screenshot is an adult. The Dodongo Cavern is only accessible as a child.

Actually, Dodongo's Cavern is the only child dungeon that you CAN access as an adult. I don't know if that means anything, though, since it's obviously meant to be played through as a child.

But yeah, that's definitely some kind of variation on Dodongo's Cavern. I'm not sure about the first one...
 

Mercedes

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My first thought about that second one was it was a modified, darker Forest Temple. Since the bricks on the side, like that, remind me more of the Forest Temple. I don't remember bricks like that in Dodongo's Cavern but, I might be, and probably am, wrong. But here's a picture to demonstrate it. I think if you darken them up a bit, that brick texture of the Forest Temple is almost the same.

Forest%20Temple01--article_image.jpg


The first one looks very Deku Tree-like. It could have been the first temple you did as a Kokiri, and then maybe Nintendo changed it into you going into the Deku Tree to try and save him. Because why not?
 

Castle

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Heroine has a point about Dodongo's Cavern being accessible as an adult, but bear in mind pre-release betas do not have to abide by the final mechanics of the game. Even still a coder could have pulled a trick to plant adult Link in that environment even if the program of the running beta didn't allow for Link to be there. These sorts of things happen all the time in betas because production necessitates that the program be flexible. Sometimes these programmers tools appear in finished releases as "debug" modes.

That environment does highly resemble an unfinished Dodongo's Cavern, specifically the giant Dodongo skull that acts as the entrance to the boss chamber.

On a side note, the sunlight streaming through those windows looks pretty boss.
 

Unlucky Monkey

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These sorts of things happen all the time in betas because production necessitates that the program be flexible. Sometimes these programmers tools appear in finished releases as "debug" modes.

That's correct so far. But, if you watched the commercial, you will notice, the planned Zelda 64 was by 80% a whole different game. What we are playing now, Ocarina of Time, is a mere fragment of a huge game. A game, possible on the 64DD, but not on an N64. The game was almost done, and, as you see on the first picture, The Temple of Wood was even playable. I think, the second picture don't have anything to do with Dodongo's Cavern. This one looks like a whole different location. Sady, we will never know.

Ura Zelda may include one of those cut out dungeons, but that wasn't released, exactly like Zelda 64. What we can say these days is, Ocarina of Time is a masterpiece, but only a small piece of the whole cake. I can't understand why Nintendo was so stubborn, not to include any of this material in Ocarina of Time 3D. Links Awakening DX and A Link to the Past for the Game Boy Advance both got additional content. For me, it's a mystery why Nintendo keep so many finished material a secret. Ocarina of Time 3D was the perfect opportunity to include some of the content featuring in the never released Ura Zelda.
 

Unlucky Monkey

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Ooh nice spot Mercedes :)

It could indeed be the Forest Temple?

First I thought this theroy is a bit over the top. But, come to think of it, yes, maybe. The Forest Temple is originally not the Forest Temple, it's the Wind Temple. It's possible this was the original entrance to this dungeon.
 

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