The Legend of Zelda: A Return to my Childhood
Ever since I finished Link’s Awakening, I’ve got the urge to play more Zelda games. This year marks the 35th anniversary of the Legend of Zelda series, so it only makes sense to play the games that were a big part of my love for gaming.
And so, I was drawn to Ocarina of Time once again.
It wasn’t long until I had swapped out the cables in the TV and had the N64 back up and running on the screen, without needing to blow on the cartridge; I’ve perfected the technique of inserting the cartridge, you see. After a few seconds of showing that classic N64 logo, the opening music of Zelda started, and took me back to that era of childhood bliss…
My first ever experience with Ocarina of Time dates back to a visit to an old McDonald’s restaurant in the late 1990’s. At some point while travelling to visit family in another province, we stopped to have a bite, and I saw something I never ever seen in a restaurant; N64 consoles, all powered on and ready to play.
[source: Reddit]
While waiting for my happy meal, I ran over to an available station, grabbed a controller, and started playing the game in front of me, not knowing what it was. It was one I never saw before, but I remember who I played as: a little elf boy clad in green, happily running around in a forest followed by a fairy.
I tried running past a mean little kid blocking my path through the forest, but he wouldn’t let me through! But before I could listen to what he had to say, my parents arrived with food, and I was quickly taken away from the game.
As delicious as that burger and fries was, and as fun as it was to play with the toy in the bag, it could not keep me from thinking about that mysterious game I just played… Some time later, while on a little visit to my local video store, I found the game available for rent.
And finally, I got to play Zelda properly, for the first time. Unfortunately, rental video games at that store did not come with instructions, and so I was essentially playing through the game blindly, not knowing where to go, what to look for. Back in those days, you didn’t have the internet to look at online guides. By the time I finally made it inside the Great Deku tree, my 3 day rental period was over, and the game had to return to the store.
It wasn’t until I was about 9 years old that, on my birthday, a childhood friend of mine would give me his own copy of Ocarina of Time. Once again, I was able to continue my adventure. I still own that cartridge to that day, and it will remain as a memento of good times.
Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed this little story.
Have fun, as always.
~Ken